Blogs from Azerbaijan, Asia - page 3

Geo: 40.3834, 49.8932Time check: 0750 local but 3:50am UK. Dawn broke at around 0700hrs. The sky is blue and tinged with a golden hue. A haze is already gathering over the Caspian Sea just visible from our room on the 8th floor of the Central Park Hotel. The surrounding buildings are an eclectic mix of rather ornate white high rise Middle Eastern style apartments interspersed with older Russian style colonial properties sporting little domes and pointy spires. First impressions of the City are one of an oil boom fuelled benevolent oligarchy. The President's name is festooned on every concert hall, sports stadium and cultural centre. Last night we passed along magnificent boulevards lined with fountains and topiary. The state run petrol station are works of art in themselves........not a Wild Bean Cafe in sight!A quick glance ... read more

So we made it to azerbaijan eventually. We're settled in a hostel for the second night now and we're just waiting for a ferry to take us to Kazakhstan. Though it's a little frustrating not being able to leave, it does mean I finally have time to write a long blog post, so here goes ... My last blog was from the west coast of Georgia. Having not had the greatest opinion of Batumi, my opinion of Tbilisi could not be more different. We drove across Georgia on some interesting roads to say the least thanks to our questionable sat nav. Tbilisi is the capital of Georgia and a genuinely great place. We arrived to a welcoming hostel host who showed us the highlights and where we should eat etc. We then went for a meal ... read more

On the ferry off Baku October 13, 2014 It is a beautiful day and we lie anchored off Baku on our Caspian cruise. We are sitting on a wooden bench with the expanse of the city laid out before us around the bay. As we face West the flag square and Flame towers are on the left. The old city is crowded out by new tower blocks. The docks are to the North. Most places you look there are signs of construction no just of any old buildings but impressive modern architecture. As we have discovered Baku is changing every week. It is certainly set to continue to do so with many major projects underway. The guidebook, LP or local and even the internet, just can not keep up. The transformation from Lahich is stark. The ... read more

Geo: 40.0846, 49.4062The 'stans - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan - truth be told, for most people these countries are a great unknown, with the only images associated with these countries being of war-torn Afghanistan, and of Borat in what is supposedly Kazakhstan. Anecdotal evidence suggests that these can be pretty bizarre countries, and unlike any other places in the World - so even though the 'stans are colloquially accepted as the name for this region, I prefer to call it Bizarrastan.None of those countries are on the itinerary for this trip, so Azerbaijan will be as close as I get to Bizarrastan, even though the nearest two 'stans are only a short ferry ride away across the Caspian Sea. Of course, nothing is ever easy in Bizarrastan, so I don't think there are ... read more

Geo: 40.3834, 49.8932Talking to fellow travelers coming from Azerbaijan, descriptions of Baku have been vague, at best. "Different" ... "interesting" ... "unique" ... "you have to see it for yourself" ... none of these descriptors sounded all that appealing, and none of them gave a very good impression of the place. As is common in this part of the World, there are distinctly different facets to any big city, which I was slowly introduced to as I made my way into Baku by marshrutka, and finally into the centre via taxi.It started with the urban sprawl of the suburbs, then the mild chaos of the bus station located on the outskirts of the city proper, through some brutal traffic congestion, and finally to the old town. First impressions - even on the outskirts, Baku is definitely ... read more