Date: 25th -27th JulyThe capital of Azerbaijan gave a sample of what the country could look like. Fortunes in oil makes the city glitter but take the bad road 5kms away from the old town and you will find that not everyone is up on luck, most struggle is country dominated by the Aeliev dynasty.
Arriving late at night in Baku and it feels like they put on the show just for you. All palace are lighten up, driving through the gates of the walled old city feels like jumping back in time. A visit of the city on the next day tells the same story. Walking through the narrow streets of the old city, freshly cleaned for the Eurovision and around the luxury high rise building full of Chanel stores gave the whole city a pastiche look. Most of the young, liberal minded Baku resident we met seemed all obsessed by appearance and money. A saddening view of what easy money creates.
Trying to snatch a bit of internet in Maccas we discover the news about Pamirs. Michael and I were shattered. No Pamir??? The most expected part of our trip was a giant cross now. I bet it will only be for next time. We still decide to wait till Samarkand before making the call.
A short excursion to the James Bond Oil fields gave us a much poorer yet brighter side of the Azeri. While posing and shooting video in front of the oil fields we were greeted by an old ladies, her daughters and grandchildren. All the family living in a very modest condition right next to rusty abandoned warehouses and oil rigs.
After giving the kids a few koalas for the kids and a plush toy. We are invited for tea. A little uncomfortable about disturbing and leaving Doris by herself in a shabby looking environment, we accept. Thanks to my poor Russian and hers mixed with Azeri we managed to exchange bits of conversation. The Tea invite turns into a giant afternoon tea with cake, melons, cakes and sweets. A warm feeling to see how hospitable Azeris were.
The next day spent in doing a bit of soviet shopping, finding the Turkmen embassy and trying to explain in Russian how we wanted to have tailor made skid plates installed on Doris. This time, my Russian was clearly insufficient. Luckily the coach of the national team of Basketball was there too. Thanks to his help and about 2 hours of trying to find the right solution we managed to strike a deal with one of the mechanics.
We finished our second day meeting with other rally teams for a well-deserved and refreshing beer and kebap.
The last day was almost identical to the previous one. Queuing at the embassy, rushing to the car workshop, waiting for almost 4 hrs. Rushing through the city to get to the ferry and then wait, about 10hrs before boarding a ship that is definitely not built for passengers (normally carries train carriages).
Quote of the day
Ismael (soviet antique shop owner): “Yes, yes we have a bit more freedom than with the soviet, seriously bring back Stalin.”
Freddy: “Humm…really?”
Ismael: “yes, yes. He didn’t care for people, he arrested and killed his opponents, same, same as president but at least he had plans for the country and not too many friends”
What I take away from today
Honestly, happy to leave the country, although I feel that there is so much more to see under this oily surface.
Tomorrow
Hopefully a quick ride to turkmenbashi so I can get off the ferry pronto. Roach infested cabins and toilets, well Ramadan it is without the Iftar in the evening.
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