Ambassador Hotel Baku

The relief to enter the harbor at Baku and then to actually dock and not anchor-off as we half expected was fantastic. We could finally get off the boat!<br><br>The actual process of getting off took seemingly hours of course and we were through to the Customs in Baku.<br><br>Fun and games ensued with Pete in particular taking the brunt of the wrath of a couple of 'Jobs-worth' officials with lots of ...

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.

... s/the-world-factbook/geos/aj.html Another website gave a less rosier picture: Azerbaizhan is a bad country in all aspects, i.e. small territory; population is low, ambitious country and lack of contact among the strong groups. For instance, a number of clans with connections, money, and power have been squeezed to Russia and others to Turkey. Well, at least they make kinda OK music . . .

... surprisingly reasonable. Borsch, lamb kebabi, chips, plus a big coke, all for 10 Manat, including tip to a good waiter. Check out the vegetable market nearby, pretty quiet, possibly for the holiday. Resist good cherries, buy dried apricots and almonds for the boat trip. Down to the multi-storey MUM, ex Gum store. Try a couple of floors, but not much for our pirate theme. Walk the commercial area, down to the retail streets, do a ...

Salam, mein heutiger Ausflug hat mich auf die Absheron Halbinsel gefuehrt, wo es in Surakhani einen Zoroastrischen Feuertempel gibt. Dies ist neben Yadz, Iran, der einzige Feuertempel ausserhalb Indiens. Er existiert hier schon sehr lange, da hier natuerliches Gas austratt und das Feuer daher leicht dauerhaft brannte. Inzwischen ist das Gas hier versiegt und muss von einer Pipeline versorgt werden:-) In der Gegend ...

... go, everyone has a game of 'rip off the tourist'. They have the mentality that we have lots of money and should give it all to them. How wrong they are. Pricks. A couple of days later I was at the Georgian border. I dunno if it was a language barrier thing but they told me I could have a transit visa for 3 days plus 10 days. "So 13 days I asked". "Yes" she confirmed. Sweet I thought. I rode into Batumi city, looking for a roadmap of Georgia. Talk about scarce. I must have ...

Domenica notte mi e' venuto a prendere il mitico autista Sergej per portarmi all'aeroporto alla volta di Baku dove mi sarei fermato 2 giorni, il tempo di completare le pratriche per ottenere il mio visto lavorativo. Avevo fatto un po' di piani...partenza da Atyrau all'1:30, arrivo a Baku attorno alle 3:30, qualche ora di sonno, etc.... Purtroppo mi sbagliavo, perche' non avevo tenuto conto che volavo con la compagnia aerea SCAT. La partenza ad esempio e' avvenuta alle 3 ...

... directions. The showers were "slightly" better, of course the door from the hall which lead directly to the shower didn't lock and the promised hot water was non-existent, but it could have been worse, I justified. I only had 3 days in Baku, the Azerbaijan capital, and didn't waste any time. I picked up my day pack and launched into the streets. Baku was a town which had an undescribable spark to it. The town rested along the Caspian sea and was nestled onto a tall sweeping ...