1000 Camels Hostel Baku

... br><br>We were stopped at the port entrance by a surly guard and led into another office, this one turned out to be the Ferry Company office, where we were charged another wad of dollars, this time for our transport. It turned out that the $90 we each paid at the other side of the sea was for the passenger and they now wanted another $90 for each bike and $300 for the Landy! Oh, and to add insult, $12 ...

Well, it's taken all day, but we've made it onto the boat. This is one dodgy affair. Happily the few other passengers on this filthy freighter are mostly British, travelling around the world on motorbikes. Everything is filthy, and there is nothing but Molly's ...

Chris didn't feel great, so Damien and I went into town to investigate the ferry, and while we were relieved to discover there was one the next day, we were surprised to find they were after over $600 for the privilege. We got a bit separated ...

Spent the day in Baku and met up with the Gordons in the early evening. We had showers! I was disappointed to find that most of my tan was ingrained dirt. Graeme took us out for a curry and few beers and we returned to sleep in beds! Chris and I shared a double bed, but he only hugged me once in his sleep. It was a special moment.

... Beaucoup de marbre et de fontaines, la même architecture qu'à Tachkent pour le métro, et les mêmes métros d'ailleurs, les mêmes pavés au sol, les même garde-fous au bord des carrefours, les mêmes brochettes de prostituées (en plus grosses) a la réception des hotels, et partout des Lada, des Lada, des Lada. Ah mais la commence la différence : a Tachkent entre deux Lada il y a dix Daewoo, alors que ici entre deux Lada on trouve trois merco, deux BM X6 ...

... comes back with electronic door keys. We have our own room again, on the 15th floor, 15/16 just to confuse. The floor lobby has excellent views of the main town and curve of the shore, while our room looks the other way to the port and a lot of construction right next door, even higher than our hotel. Out to get some money, as the hotel exchange was closed. Got some in the next block, then went in search of the internet, picking ...

... nach den Familienmitgliedern Turkmenbashis). Es fliesst jetzt auch endlich etwas Geld in die Infrastruktur (Strassen) und die Ruinen (es gibt ja drei Weltkulturerbe, Konye-Urgench, Nissa und Merv, die sind aber verglichen mit Uzbekistan sehr heruntergekommen). In ein paar Jahren kann es vielleicht ganz nett sein, aber heute kann ich es eigentlich noch nicht empfehlen. Hotels sind auch entweder schrecklich oder teuer, private Herbergen gibt es eigentlich keine. Gruss Ralf

... late I had to spend the night and try to sleep... The guy at the entrance (there was no reception) charged me 20 Manat for the night. First day and already over budget. Baku is not a cheap place! I hardly slept the first night - kept thinking of the plan for the following day: I definitely had to find a better hotel!! In the morning I rushed out - there was not even hot water; and found a slightly better place near by ...

-- When good nights go bad. As I laid in my tiny bed, on the moored-ferry-cum-slum-hotel, a constant buzzing from blood-thirsty mosquitoes filled the air. The irritating buzz grew louder and louder as more insects streamed into the room. Seeing as my cabin window didn't shut all the way, a fleet of invaders had taken up residence in my tiny room. ... I could hear the swarm surveying their human prey above. The ravenous bugs weren't the only noise that night. Throughout the night ...