This traveler spent 5 days hitchhiking through a frozen conflict zone in Eastern Europe - here's what his trip was like

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alex aghdam

Alex Domenech

Domenech visited the ghost town of Aghdam, which is off limits to tourists.

Hitchhiking has become a preferred form of travel for photographer Alex Domenech.

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This February, he visited Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan and spent five days hitchhiking through the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which has remained a frozen conflict zone for decades. Disputes over the mostly Armenian-speaking region led to a war between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces that lasted from 1988 until a ceasefire was signed in 1994. Despite the ceasefire, conflicts have continued there, with fierce clashes reoccurring this April.

Though Domenech didn't witness any violent conflict during his time there, he did see the effects the war has had on the region. We spoke to him about his trip, from the intriguing sights he saw to the people he met along the way.