Palace 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.

... failli me crasher a Hong Kong ou des Kirghiz Airways dont les ailes des avions creusent des sillons au flanc des Tian Shan et du Pamir. En plus, Lufthansa, c'est comme Arte : ultra culturel. Chez Uzbekistan Airways par exemple, en film, on a Gladiator ou Master &amp; Commander depuis des années a l'aller et au retour. Sais pas, peut-être ils ont un contrat avec Russel Crowe. Mais bon, sur Lufthansa, on a LE film d'auteur en italien sous-titre en allemand ...

... industrial areas, and quite a few small lakes of oil visible. Take photos on both sides of the bus, as they are equally bad. A lot of maritime construction and action, and a large TV tower on the hill behind the town. Once we get into Baku proper, the change is incredible. There are impressively ornate older buildings along the seafront boulevarde. Pass the historic Maiden Tower, surrounded by a flock of swallows, then the ...

... Die Landschaft ist die beste aller *stans, mit Abstand. Mein trip dort war nicht ganz billig aber definitiv ein Highlight. Allerdings ist das value for money recht schlecht, die Unterkuenfte sind doch recht basic und kosten dafuer eigentlich ziemlich viel. Wer Geld hat und abenteuerlustig ist, dem kann ich Tajikistan empfehlen. Uzbekistan ist das mit Abstand touristische Land aller *stans, es hat aber auch mit weitem Abstand die spektakulaersten ...

It is quite thrilling to write the first entry for my long awaited adventure. My first experience in Baku might be considered a signal for what awaited me in Azerbaijan. One of the officers working in the airport asked for bribery in order to speed up my visa application. I pretended not understand and waited in a queue that took over 1 hour. The flight arrived at around 22:00 and by the time I collected my luggage it was ...

... ouch) so took the safe route on that one. Throughout our stay we met the most incredible people. We met an amazing woman by the name of Esther who has started a womens organization that has been instrumental in building a school for the children. She excitedly tells us of her plans to clear ground for a house for the teachers who come from Photo (what they call the city of Paramaribo). She is a visionary and a dreamer and has many plans for the village. We meet her ...

... Azerbaijan they will put on as many people as possible but they are probably a logical country. So we ended up with the absurd situation of a massive ship, able to hold at least a few hundred people with just eight passengers. As we pulled out from the dock, seven hours after we arrived, I gained a small amount of satisfaction from mooning Turkmenbashi. It is just too strange for words. Once on board we bribed a guard and were "upgraded" to a private cabin. It was small and dirty ...