Sea Port 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.

Even though I am quite good at geography and have a high score on Traveler Challenge (http://www.travelpod.com/traveler-iq/g ame1), I am not sure exactly where Azerbaijan is. It sounds Eastern European/Turkish like it is close to the Stans. Last week a traveler gave me some music from Azerbaijan, and some of it I quite like. Especially a rock/rap group. So I've checked with the CIA and this is ...

... we face climbing down a 2 metre stone wall, or retracing our steps. Must be getting old, as take the safe option. Buy an electronic pirate sword in a little back street shop, manage to carry it all day without busting or losing it - for the pirate dress-up night. Come upon a gate through the wall, then a pretty park with old buildings behind. Turns out to be the Ensemble of the Shirvanshaklis Palace, which was the seat of ...

... today, surrounded by a more lush landscape. Today, all you could see was brown barren rocky hills covered with windblown snow, with the Caspian far below. In Baku, I changed my travel style, shipping my tent, sleeping bag, stove, and cook gear back home via the Azeri post. From here, I will travel light, better for navigating the marshrutkas and more, with the camping gear not needed anymore as I continue to head west.

... and not many foreigners visit the country either as I found the huge, modern international airport of Tehran practically deserted when I checked in for my flight to Baku. About Baku...I am loving Baku! It is a beautiful city, with nice modern shops, fast internet, nice cafes and I can finally have a good dinner!! I feel as if I arrived in Europe indeed. Today (12.09) I went to the mud volcanos. I was very ...

This was a very funny experience in Dubai airport, for not having a confirmed ticket to Baku. Spent 7 hours at the airport with it and finally solved 30 mins before the flight and caught the flight interestingly after closing the bording. But lost a luggage in the process, which I realized after reaching Baku

... second oil boom. I stepped out of the train, backpack on and daypack flung over in front, onto my chest, and walked over to a hotel which my guide book had reviewed. Walking through the streets, bundled up tightly, I was thrown stares and side glances wildly, attracting more attention than I would have liked for my first 10 minutes in a new country. When I arrived at the port on the Caspian Sea, I spotted the hotel, The Kompas Hotel. The Kompas was once the ferry which brought ...