Travels with Kathryn

I thought I would start this post with the journey to Baku, and for the first time, I am now officially on my own (albiet briefly). Having had the comfort blanket of a guide, tour group, and roommate for the past few weeks, I was sad to leave these behind, particularly my roommate Diane. Sad times – and I intend to keep in touch (and if she was lying about keeping in touch with me, I shall hunt her down and send her the “naughty pussy” knickers she failed to buy yesterday). Interesting FlyDubai experience, the first plane (from Ashgabat to Dubai) was rather eldery and full (mainly with a Turkmen tour group) and there was very limited space (particularly as the man infront of me used his robust body to recline the seat further than it wanted to!). It was also, possibly, the worst meal I have ever had on a plane: a cube of solid rubber pretending to be a fritatta. I did not eat it.

It was a quick transfer at Dubai (1hr20) and I had forgotten just how huge the airport is, it took 20 minutes to bus from our plane to the terminal but then only a brisk walk to the gate so I was there in plenty of time to stop for a more edible breakfast (an egg sandwhich and a bottle of water). But in most exciting news the WiFi at Dubai worked and I was able to catch up on a week’s worth of WhatsApp, social media and perhaps most importantly checking that the money from the sale of my flat is in my bank account – lucikly it is! Having nearly expired (it being 42 degrees at 7 am) I boarded a much newer plane, mostly empty and with bigger seats. They also served up bubble and squeak for breakfast with baked beans, which I really enjoyed (its as though they knew there was one solitary British person on the plane!).

I landed into Baku at 11 am local time, having had about 2 hours of sleep. It was a wee bit stressful attempting to (save the taxi fare) take the airport bus. I get 100 manat (about £50) from an airport ATM, and they gave me a single note – this was not a lot of use with the bus ticket machine, which did not give change. I then tried to change it by buying a snack and the lady was having none of it (not that I really blamed her), but in pleading my case (much acting on my part) to the bus driver he seemed to intimate that I could change the note back inside the airport. So back I went through the airport scanner, and the currency exchange did indeed change my note. Right, back to the ticket machine, and I brought a 2 manat ticket. Turns out that 2 manat pays for the reusable card, not the actual jouney – final trip back to the ticket machine, card loaded with 10 manat and then on the bus. HURRAH.

As we drove into the city, you started to see the amazing architecture that Baku is famous for. There is a slight Ashgabat feel, but with somewhat more flair (note that photos were taken through the smudgy bus windows, so it’s the windows, not the camera):

The bus dropped me off at the main station/28 May (date of independence) metro station, and from there, I knew it was only a 10 minute walk to my AirBNB. In theory, this was all fine – however, the last 5 blocks were up a very steep hill, which I trugged up (with the huge bag), and I nearly died! I arrived at the door of the AirBNB ready to inhale water, collapse into a chair, and take off my sticky clothes, but I was somewhat surprised that the door was open and a lady was inside. Some acting later, she was the cleaning lady and she was not finished yet. I think she took 1 look at me and let me drop my bags and sit on a chair in the hallway where I sat waiting for her to finish, trying not to make any mess or fall asleep. An hour later, and I am in:

The apartment was not particularly expensive, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but it’s pretty large, and I will enjoy having some downtime here for the next 10 days.

A quick trip to the supermarket (to buy supplies and LOADS of water), and then I was able to relax. I had intended a shower, but the hot water wasn’t working, so that was put off until “the craftsman” could come at 6 pm. When they finally left at 8 pm, I fell into the shower and then bed.

After a lesiurely start to my morning (breakfast and getting all my Turkmenistan posts updated and published), I headed out to explore. Baku is an interesting city, and I am staying a 15-minute walk from the promanade along the Caspian Sea, but it really is miles away. Just 2 blocks behind the Caspian Sea, it’s a “normal” place with Soviet style buildings, lots of shops, and uneven pavements. Every now and then, an architectural creation springs up, but it’s when I got down to the promenade that I could really see the buildings that this city is famous for.

I particularly enjoyed this statute of Muslim Magomayev. In his day, he was a well renowned opera and pop singer and was a resident artist at La Scala in the 1960s. He toured across Europe and the USA and is considered “a national treaure of Azerbijani culture.” However, the reason this is a great statute is because it plays music! You can select one of his most famous songs and (via speakers embedded behind the staute) you can be serenaded – I chose (apatly) a song called Azerbijan.

I had a nice afternoon walking along (I am enjoying seeing water again!), and then all of a sudden I decided I was too hot and too tired so I took the metro (up another steep hill) home and cooked myself a nice dinner, then bed. This was exactly why I wanted to have some downtime post the tour – to recharge, sort and wash all my stuff, and relax. I have plenty of time, some of which I am going to need to work with the rather slow internet…

The next day (today as we are now up to date), I headed off to see the Flame Towers close-up and the Highland Park. As these are at the highest point of Baku, I decided to take a taxi (well, a Bolt) at a huge cost of £1.29. I had naively assumed that I would be able to get up close between the towers, but this was not to be as they were fenced off (as you can see in one of the photos below). Its like they’re private buildings or something…

These buildings are intended to symbolize flames (hence the name and flamey-ness) and are a reference to Azerbijan’s nickname: “The Land of Fire.” Historically, this is where natural gas used to come out of the ground and is also linked to the Zororastrian religion for flames signifying the divine. The tallest tower is 182m, and the three buildings are apartments, a hotel, and offices. Also, it has a similar feeling to Ashgabat in that not much of it is occupied, so it is also something of a white elephant. 

I then crossed over the road to the Alley of Martyrs. This cemetary and memorial was previously known as Kirov Park, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it became a burial site for national heroes. The alley and black monuments commorate an event known as “Black January,” which links to the recent events in Nagorno-Kabakh. During during the dissolution of the USSR, on 9 January 1990, the Armenian government voted to include this region as part of Armenia, which disregarded Soviet authority and Azerbijani jurisdiction. This led to protests across Azerbijan, and local Azerbijani authorities were unable to restore order. In Baku on 13 January, an anti-Armenian pogrom began, resulting in 48 deaths, and many thousands of Armenians fled or were evacuated by the military. After imposing a state of emergency in Baku, late at night on 19 January 1990 Soviet troops entered Baku to deal with the protestors. Around 100 people were killed, and up to 800 were injured. 20 January is recognized as a national day of mourning. Feelings regarding the region and the resulting protests remain high even today.

Slightly down the hill from the Alley of Martyrs is Highland Park, which is a terrace overlooking Baku. Time for more photos:

Now, one could take the many stairs down to sea level or one can take the funicular, and because I love trains (and it was all of £1) guess which option I took? When I entered the station as a burly man demanded money from me – it turns out he works there and he wanted to buy my ticket for me, but it was not obvious from his demeanour! The funicular is also the first (having opened in 1960) and only funicular in Azerbijan.

From the funicular, I walked over to the old town. It took me longer than it perhaps should as I ended up walking around the wall looking for a way in! Tomorrow, I am doing a walking tour of the Old Town, so I will save my musings/photographs until my next post, but it was nice to have a wander.

By coming into the historic Old Town/key tourist attraction, I also came into contact with my first American geriatric tour group (just seen below disappearing around the corner in the photo below). Just one of the supremely stoopid questions I overheard: Did people use camels to travel between cities? I mean, honestly. 

I also walked past the hotel we will be staying in next week (looks rather nice), and I think I have worked out the least steep route up it, which I think even Keith can cope with.

Anyway, another relaxing afternoon is planned, and then tomorrow, I will become a tour group again (briefly) with a walking tour of the Old Town.