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My invitation has come from Harry Mitsidis, arguably the best travelled person in the world, and founder of NomadMania , the website that serves the most well-travelled folk in the world. To my mind, this is elite company. And Nagorno Karabakh is, currently, a decidedly off limits travel destination. No-one is allowed in, except the military, supply vehicles and construction workers. Twenty five travellers including me , mostly bloggers and You-tubers are converging on the Sunday Hotel in the labyrinthine old town, which my taxi driver can't find, without half an hours' worth of conversations with locals.
They all look so energetic and fit in both senses of the word. Tall, blond Viking Gustav gus1thego , from Denmark has a following of nearly a quarter of a million on You-tube. There are only five women, including me. Very Hungry Nomads, Rach and Marty, who have done one less country and have a following of 20,, Milana, who manages the NomadMania office from Warsaw, and Hungarian Ildiko, who has visited every country in the world.
First off, a welcome dinner and trip briefing in a Baku restaurant. The food keeps coming and coming. Mezze with salads and a variety of breads, roast salmon with plaited potatoes, tender liver and succulent kebabs, barbecued lamb. And my favourite, crispy rice pots with apricots and sweet chestnuts. The Nomads have created a video wishing him well. Naturally, some far flung areas of the world are represented.
Harry is visibly touched and grateful. Harry has, aspirationally, requested that Aygun attends to provide the entertainment. And, to his astonishment, she does. Whatever, she is a consummate professional, interacting wholeheartedly with her audience. The singing is fabulous and everyone is soon dancing and partying. Harry is, literally, having the time of his life.
