Results tagged “Azerbaijan”

The cargo ship arrives at 2am. Going through immigration/customs at 3am is not the best idea in the world. The entire time I’m in the queue with the other passengers, I’m thinking “don’t mention that you’re going to Armenia, don’t mention that you’re going to Armenia”.

When I’m second in line, the guy in front of me starts making idle chit-chat and eventually asks me where I’m going. Baku, I reply, around Azerbaijan, then Georgia Armenia and Russia. F*ck, I realise I’ve said it just as the words roll off my tongue. The border guard was within earshot.

It comes to my turn to go through the “interview”.

Officer: Where are you going and where did you come from?

Me: From Aktau to Baku.

Officer: And then?

Me: Georgia and flight to Moscow.

At this point the guard from outside comes in and pipes in “and Armenia!”

Officer: Is this true?

Me: Maybe.

Officer: Hmm, this passport looks like a forgery, we’re going to have to take it to forensics. It’ll take a few days to get it back from the lab, we can’t let you into the country until it’s done. Of course, we could help you, if you’d “help” us. Will you “give thanks”?

Me: If you can help me, I can give thanks.

Officer: *as other officer stamps my passport* You should give him a little something for letting you into the country.

Me: *taking passport* Thanks, from the bottom of my heart.

Next interview, I’m in a room with two officers, one a very cute girl, the other her superior.

Female officer: Where are you going?

Me: Baku, then flying home.

Female officer: Do you have any Tenge?

Me: No, I spent it all.

Female officer: Manat?

Me: No, I will get some from the ATM.

Female officer: American dollars?

Me: I have some.

Female officer: Show me.

Me: *take out some money from pocket, holding it in hand, show it to her, ignoring her outstretched hand*

Female officer: *realising she won’t get the chance to take some of my money* Those are not American dollars *laughing* they are Azeri dollars, we have them everywhere. Off you go.

Charlie and I walk away from the immigration point and head into the city centre looking for the Aras Hotel, supposedly the cheapest in town to sleep until 8am. We come upon some restaurant and after some troubles communicating (they only speak Azeri), we think they let us sleep a few hours on one of the couches. We get setup, only to have them come in and tell us an incredibly high price. We leave.

We arrive at 4am and after some extensive banging on the door, the guy sleeping on the couch finally wakes up comes outside and tells us its 20AZN (Azeri New Manat) for the night, each. We ask if we can have it for 5 each since it’s only a few hours of sleep. He says wait a second, goes back inside, locks the door and climbs back into bed.

Waking up on the park bench outside the Aras hotel at 8am, we start looking for the Thousand Camels hostel. When I eventually arrive in the old town, after a detour of breakfast, I’m twenty metres from the hostel when a guy (Ali) on the street asks me if I’m going to the hostel and says I can stay with him for cheaper.

After agreeing on a price, he invites me into his cafe and pours me some tea, taking me back to his place and offering me breakfast. The view from his balcony is amazing, it overlooks the maiden tower.

Maiden tower in Baku Old Town.

Do I look delicious to you?

Om nom nom.

Mosque located near the monument dedicated to the Turkish assistance in the war with Armenia.

Azerbaijan is experiencing some serious growth thanks to the oil money they’re making. With GDP growth at close to 30%, there are construction projects going on everywhere in Baku (and nowhere else in Azerbaijan).

New Museum in Baku, not quite open when I visited. I was kicked out by security after wandering in and looking around.

Another almost finished, not quite yet unveiled building in Baku.