Tuesday April 3.

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Tuesday April 4.
I said a fond farewell to Irena and rode the 2 kms into the centre to the telephone building. In the process I had two cars literally drive at me and when I remonstrated they just looked blank. But I am driving a clapped out rust bucket and I am higher up the food chain than you so why are you complaining?
These drivers have not taken any driving test and frequently hit each other. The government has a major task on its hands to cut down on drunken driving.
It rained hard all day. The border was a depressing place in the rain as the Azeris checked and re-checked my passport. However leaving the border was a most pleasant surprise as even in the rain the people in the fields and the roadside waved and smiled. In the rain it felt sunny.
I reached Qazax and tried to find a hotel but with no success. I was invited to stay with a family. It was a very pleasant experience. Yes their house was very poor but their welcome was great. The family consisted of the mother, father, son(19) and daughter(20) who did the translating. We had an excellent evening. I slept in their sitting room and was very comfortable.

Wednesday April 5.
I said goodbye to the family and set off on a very muddy bike. The road surface is mainly good with some poor stretches and I was frequently cruising at 30 kms/hr. I stopped for tea often, on one occassion in a police station and I reached Ganca at 1.30 pm. I checked into a communist era hotel with the usual standards.

Thursday April 5.
I left Ganca ( promounced Ganja) at 0830. The road was badly potholed but I still managed to make good progress as it was flat and the wind was behind me all the way.. I reached Kurdamir at 4.30 pm having covered 162 kms in just 6 hours of cycling. I stopped frequently for tea with the usual welcome especially from children just leaving school. I stayed at a good hotel near to the railway station with the sound of shunting through the night.

Friday April 6.
I left at 0845 and hoped to reach Qodistan and then see the mud volcanoes. The roads were terrible with long stretches under reconstruction and the traffic diverted into the nearbye fields. Under the serious vibration the pannier connectors broke and I replaced them with jubilee clips. In places it was mountain bike riding but I kept going delayed by two punctures which was not surprising given the conditions. I reached the coast at 12.30 pm and caught my first glimps of the Caspian.
Here the road turns north and I quickly reached Qodistan. I couldn't find a hotel so I had no option but to press on to Baku. It was here that the second puncture occurred and I had to put on the new tyre as there was clearly a nail in the existing tyre. The road along the coast is in very good condition and I arrived in Baku at 6.30 pm having covered 192 kms (120 miles) a personal best. I went to O'Malley's, an Irish theme pub frequented by the oil workers form the
British Isles and had fish and chips and a couple of pints of Guinness

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Photos

Irena Homestay
Other guests and me.