23/08/2018 - 27/08/2018
To get to the capital city of Azerbaijan, Baku from Georgia we had to take the 08.35pm night train from Tbilisi arriving in Baku the next morning at about 7.30am. For anyone who has never taken a overnight train I urge you to do so but not for the romance and glamour one might associate with settling down in a cabin watching the sunset over the landscape through the carriage window, instead to experience the grittiness. We opted for a 2nd class ticket instead of a 1st as the only difference between both was that the 1st class ticket has two beds instead of four. The cabin room was stuffy and crapped albeit clean with just about enough room for both of us plus our bags let alone the other couple from Kazakhstan that would join us on the journey along with their massive suitcase. The not so friendly stewardess dropped off a sealed plastic bag to each of us with some linen for the bed and a hand towel so we could set our beds up ourselves whenever we wanted. The toilets started off pretty gross with only one in operation for the whole carriage we were staying in and only got worse as the night wore on but I suppose this is a night train after all. The Georgian immigration lies just a few kilometres before the actual border. There was no disembarking from the train for about 1 hour until some scary looking border police got on to collect our passports, visas and declaration forms. The air conditioning only seems to work when the train is in motion so that hour was pretty painful but to pass the time we drank some of our cha cha gifted to us by the monks in Georgia and enjoyed some friendly chats with the Kazaks. I was hoping I might have got a glimpse of some sniffer dogs but unfortunately that never happened. Thankfully we had no problems with our passports or visas to cross the border unlike some other unfortunate travellers who didn't have visa's so had to disembark. For the next few hours as night fell we tried to settle down to get some sleep but with the sideways movement and noise from the train and the snores from the guy in the bunk above me, not much sleeping was had and by the time we had eventually drifted off to the rocking of the carriage, the snarly stewardess knocked on our cabin door to tell us we were approaching Baku. An all round interesting experience, one that is certainly not glamorous but one that was strangely captivating.
Azerbaijan, also interpreted from the Persian word meaning the 'city of winds' is located on the western Caspian seaside, rich with oil fields and delightfully for us Irish who don't cope with the heat, the wind was strong, cooling us down in the heavy sunshine. We really only decided to take a pitstop in Baku to get ourselves set up in a good location for reaching Iran but little did we know the city and its surroundings would offer us so much. On our first evening in Baku after an epic 3 hour power nap from our lack of sleep on the night train, we took a stroll on the seaside Boulevard and were amazed at the mix of modern architecture, luxurious buildings and most surprising for the me, the immaculately clean streets and the mini Venice river where one can rent a boat and float under the archway bridges. The cities flame towers are magnificently huge and a new addition to the cities expanding skyline since 2013. Under the fall of darkness the towers are highlighted through impressive LED illumination displaying the movement of fire flames and the Azerbaijani flag.
A lot of people say that Baku wants to be the second Dubai, but I believe Baku should be seen as Baku. It is Imposing, over the top, but at the same time it is simple and affordable. On the way back to our Airbnb for the night we passed by the famous Irish bar in town for all the oil expats so of course we had to stop in for a drink and reminisce about stories from back home which was a pleasant way to spend the evening.
The next morning we made a photo stop to the architecturally spectacular Heyday Aliyev Center, a modern cultural centre built in 2013 and designed by Zaha Hadid. The show stopper building resembles a wave-like ascension from the ground towards the sky followed by a gradual descent down to the ground. The lush green grounds and sunny day made for a great stopover. Afterwards we just about made it back into the city centre to do a walking tour of the city and if you haven't guessed from our previous posts, we are suckers for a good walking tour, a great way to get your bearings in a new city and if your lucky, to get talking to a few other friendly backpackers. Not only is Baku a marvel in modern architecture but it also encompasses many historical sites such as the old city surrounded by ancient city walls. My favourite spot on the walking tour was the quirky miniature book museum which I never even realised was a thing but apparently this museum holds the world record for the most gigantic collection of teeny tiny books and its a pretty impressive collection. As the saying goes, great things come in small packages! On the tour we met a few fellow German travels so later that evening we met for a few drinks and luckily for Paul it just so happened to be a rock bar playing some live music. Best of all for us, the crowd rocked their heaviest to the Cranberries song Zombie which put a massive smile on my face for the rest of the night!
There is not much to report from the following day except we spent it slightly hungover from the night before and planning for our Iranian trip. By the time 4 o'clock came we said we should probably step outside to see some of the daylight hours so took a stroll again on the lively seaside Boulevard towards the city park which offered close up views of the striking flame towers and sprawling views of Baku city.
On our walking tour of the city our young guide recommended to us a hiking tour to the mountains outside Baku, something we were quite keen on doing so we made a reservation for a group hiking venture from the small traditional town of Maju to Lahij. The day started early for us at 7.30am and we really are not morning people but the starting point of the hike was about 3 hours from Baku so we managed to nab a little sleep on the way. Our group consisted of a few local Azerbaijani's, an Australian, a Belgium and a Russian which would prove to be a great little bunch for the day. Our first stop on the way, apart from the not so pleasant hole in the ground squat toilets (shudder!!!) was a traditional Kelagayi silk scarf making workshop where we got to see how these uniquely finished scarfs are made and of course I couldn't leave the dusty old shed without buying one.
As lunch time grew closer our guide invited us into a local families home in Maju to enjoy some home cooked traditional food. As we took our seats on the rickety dining table which was placed in a room that seemed like a combined kitchen, sitting room and bedroom, all the family members and some neighbours arrived in their droves to greet us with heightened curiosity. We enjoyed some delicious food in the charming rusty old house and after exchanging some conversations in the form of hand gestures to the hosts we went on our merry way to start our hike. Luckily for us, much of the hike was shaded by forest trees and as we struggled up the steep mountains edge for about 3 hours walking we were greeted at the peak with some wonderful views of the distant mountains and the town of Lahij where we would have our final meal of the day with another local family and head back by dusk to the city of Baku. A tough days hiking but one of many laughs, new friends, tasty food and stunning views.
We would spend our last day in Baku before taking a flight to Tehran running a few errands and resting our tired feet. That night we had the pleasure of meeting one of our new Azerbaijani hiking friends, Tural, from the day before in a local bar to watch some football which of course I was riveted by. (NOT!)
We only had a short few days in the the beautiful city of Azerbaijan, the cross roads of Europe and Asia, before we made our way to Tehran but despite our short visit it was certainly action filled and a destination where you can really feel the fusion between old and new.
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