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Published: August 27th 2011
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Time for a trip slightly more off the beaten track, mainly because I had airmiles to use 😊
Transport
The amusing start to my visit to Azerbaijan starts on the airport tarmac. Usually the pilot is told a gate number then follows the numbering system of the airport lanes and turnings. In this airport, those signs do not exist so a small Lada turns up with large yellow lighting on its roof, flashing FOLLOW ME. It then drives around the airport twice as we follow in the plane. Interesting. Turns out that the majority of people drive Ladas.
On the surface you'd think that Baku has a structured traffic system. The roads are paved, multi lane motorways in places, street lighting lines the roads, lanes are clearly marked and there are numerous road signs. This does little to instruct the quality of driving however. It's as if none of this infrastructure exists and they are a less developed country. When three lanes exist at a junction the cars will tessellate into the most compact form possible which is often five or six cars wide, even more confusing at turnings. The cars continue this routine when driving, cars will straddle the
lane lines then weave in and out as cars want to pass, they even do this over the central line so oncoming traffic often passes extremely closely. Pedestrians aren't much safer when it comes to road sense, they frequently cross these continuously weaving lanes of traffic, almost getting hit as an unexpected car overtakes the car they are stepping in front of. I cross one busy road on a zebra crossing by following 3 young girls in short skirts!
Architecture
Baku has a few interesting sights, mainly in the old city, which is enclosed by an old stone wall. It looks in incredible condition but I later find out this is because restoration here, means rebuilding so little authenticity remains. The Maiden Tower is still the one rebuilt in the 12th Century and has the stone steps up to the roof for a view of the city. There is a good mix of old 'style' buildings and new glass skyscrapers where Azerbaijan is trying to modernise. I have heard that many of the town centre areas, which look fantastic are just face lifts, where the fascia has been replaced but the interior remains crumbling with ancient Russian wiring and
plumbing. It's an aim to make the rest of the world think that Azerbaijan is moving with the times, without having the spend as much money. The Shiravanshah Palace is another example of a rebuilt relic rather than restored, the octagonal building in the courtyard is original but the palace living areas are pristine due to rebuilding. There are numerous parks around the city, where fountains are the popular adornment, unfortunately most are paved so greenery is sparse. The Historical Museum has a great deal of information from prehistoric times to the present day, with many archaeological finds. The display technique is to complete pottery in white clay to show how the fragment would have looked if complete. This looks hilarious when a human jaw bone, a large, white sculpted woman has one original jaw bone added. The upper floor of the museum shows the original apartments of the owner, amazing ornate ceilings and furnishings. One room has a carved cornice with each shape covered in mirrors.
People
The Azerbaijanis are very friendly, but clearly don't see many tourists. Even at the tourist sights, the attendants look at me, point and laugh to each other. The other tourists are
Azerbaijani. Luckily a few signs are in English as barely anyone speaks it. I met some Expats who work for foreign companies here, there is a compulsory quota of Azerbaijani staff but no pay scales so everyone earns the same, usually about 800Manat per month. This makes it impossible to train them up for greater responsibility as there is no incentive as their salary will not improve. The rich poor divide is huge as shows no signs of decreasing.
So far I have taken 3 taxis, all of which had to stop to ask for directions or the names of streets. My taxi from the airport reached the centre of town in 20mins then spent a further 40mins looking for my hotel while reading the exact address. He must have asked at least 30 people if they knew where it was. I also hired a driver from my hotel, he almost managed to get to my chosen sights without help. He then has to ask a couple of times for the mud volcanos. He switched with a different man at lunch time, not only did he not know how to get anywhere, he took me to the wrong site entirely.
He stopped on a motorway which didn't have a dual carriage way to wait for the other driver to call to give him directions. After waiting 5mins I got my guidebook out to help him, but he read it wrong and went the wrong way. Clearly sense of direction and road knowledge are not prerequisites for driving careers.
Out of Town
I visited a few sites out of town also. Qobustan is a strange rock area in the hills, with thousands of rock engravings from stone age times. Some are jumbled into random lines, but many are easily recognisable people and animals. The mud volcanos are about 12km south along an unpaved road. There also literally that, mounds of bubbling mud. Due to the recent rain the whole area is a muddy bog, within a few steps my feet are twice as heavy with caked on mud. I still manage to slowly creep up to a couple of the summits to see the bubbling mud. It reminds me of the bog of eternal stench, without the smell of course. Doesn't seem real. Last stop was meant to be the fire temple but my afternoon driver gets confused and takes
me to a random place with a fire coming out of the rocks. Not sure where it was but it seems a natural flammable source, especially due to burning during the torrential rain. An hour later we reach my intended destination the Atesgah Fire Temple. I am the only visitor now that the rain has become heavier, the outer buildings have been turned into museums, some with odd mannequins. The centre temple still has a fire burning, now fuelled by mains gas from the large pipe in the centre of the grounds.
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