Baku blogging - quick situation report

[read in an dour gravelly American private detective voice]

Baku . .The windy city.

Where a guy can get lost in his thought of escape over the shining sea. .

The trick in this situation is there is no trick, no matter what the movies tell you. No rules, no secret mantra, no road map. It's not  about how smart you are or how good you were, it is chaos and luck and anyone who thinks different is a fool. All you can do is hang on madly as long and hard as you can. . . . .

Then you might just get that ticket for the ferry. . (With a nod to numerous film noir characters)

. . . . .

But it does feel a bit like a game. .

One official saying one thing another ticket office directing me to another location that I never found.  An (expensive) phone call that explains there was a boat today but it has no space for a motorcycle. But there will be tomorrow. . We'll see!

Now I ring back tomorrow and revisit the ticket office.

All the while my vehicle permit expires in the morning. . The local advice seems to be to park it at the port effectively in no man's land. And leave it there. . Not sure I'm overly happy with that. . Next game move please.

Don't know how to get around the permit situation right now. I read there's a customs office in town but haven't been able to find anyone who knows.

Apart from the technical issues I like the people here. In a cafe the proprietor fills my glass with a cool soft drink and when I'm not paying attention he returns to refill the half empty glass from the bottle he left on the table.

Air conditioned shopping malls with high profile brand names and a Lamborghini parked in the foyer has everything except it seems many customers? Bentley, Ferrari, Maserati, Prada, Versace, Gucci. . You name it they are here. New oil money I guess will filter down to the less well healed in time.

But time isn't on my side right now. Just need to find a boat and buy a one way ticket outta dodge.(plenty of those around too)

Action stations Azerbaijan

Before getting there I have one final word about Georgia. . I stayed for the last night in a little "hotel" in Lagodekhi. . The bio yard is a collection of small wooden "huts" in a tranquil shaded spot right at entrance to the national park in the caucuses mountains. . . Amazingly friendly English speaking hosts and it's a cheap as chips. .

If you're travelling from Georgia to Azerbaijan it really is perfect. Only 3km away from the border.

The border itself was mildly amusing with a sign in Georgia that says "Azerbaijan border ahead. . Good luck" . A smile from the Georgian policeman and I crossed to the dark side. . .

With numerous police, army and customs officials buzzing around, my passport and international driving licence, my registration document and visa where all scrutinised and taken into the office while I was asked to unpack everything. .

Some time later. . .

When I had undone one panniers after much messing around, a quick shuffle through my medical kit and the customs guy got bored. . 

The police man asked if I had and religious books, had I been to Armenia and did I have a knife.

Resisting the huge temptation to be my usual humorous self I simple replied in the negative to all. .

Another round of mildly bored investigations into my collapsible spade and photos of me and the bikes Registration plate . . The little matter of $30 in the nice policeman's pocket for the documents I needed and a limited date for the bike to stay in the country and I was set free to engulf my senses in the wonders of northern Azerbaijan.

And therein lays the conundrum. .

Despite all the horror stories, bad news and  warnings, it was actually a very nice place to be. . The road from the border isn't the nicest bit of tarmac I've ever ridden on but the scenery went from lush green wooded hills to flat open baking farm land with huge water melons for sale by the van load. . How many melons can you sell in a day? Ask an Azerbaijani farmer!

With over 400km to Baku it wasn't all pleasant travel, but as the road winds it's way along the foot of the hills heading East , it passes through some wonderful places with wooded areas awash with shaded eateries advertising their wood grilled meat by letting the smokey aroma waft into the road to entice the weary traveller. .

Later on more fruit than you could throw a water melon at and nuts by the carrier bag full are offered to passing traffic by over enthusiastic youngsters. .

The last 100km of the journey traverses an arid desert of rocky rolling hills bisected by a new ribbon of bright blue/Black tarmac in the otherwise sandy scene. .
But with a high 30° temperature and a strong gusty side wind blowing for the duration, I spent all my concentration on simply staying on said tarmac rather than on the unfinished sides.

Two other points highlighted this little trip, I spoke to a few locals en route and all were smiling and friendly  asking where I was from and where I was going. Lots of drivers waving and tooting appreciation as they passed. The second was that despite other reported experiences I managed to slip under the police radar. . There is a lot of them but none took any interest in me and my little Kawasaki.

So Baku. 

A modern busy city with a plethora of high end motors rumbling through the sea side streets. Tall glass buildings and expensive hotels on the sea front. An obviously wealthy town that contrasts with the countryside farmers ladas and one horsepower carts.

It remains to be seen if the ferry lives up to the legend.

The Caspian awaits . . . . 

Decision made - staying in Georgia...

... for a while. 

No point crossing the border into Azerbaijan at the moment. I've read and been told of numerous issues in Azerbaijan and while I'm not one to worry too much about other peoples experiences, recent reports have suggested its not an easy place to be.

With my Kazakhstan visa not valid until the 13th July I would effectively be stuck in Baku for a week. My mistake in getting the visa dates, but hey I didn't know better at the time - Travel is an education amongst other things. Also I understand the authorities only give 72 hour vehicle permits on entry whatever the entry visa says, so it all makes sense to sit tight for a while and travel to Azerbaijan once I have an exit strategy. 

In the meantime living is cheap in Tbilisi. Its a bit of a pain living in a city as a country boy at heart I miss the open space, but it is what it is and I'll move on Monday to a place close to the old town where I can relax and set myself up for the next stage. 

Walking around I have found lots of interesting places and investigated a bit of the heritage of the place. Sharp contrasts between rich and poor from new Mercedes to beggars on the street. 

"Spare a penny for an iPhone Mr?"..

Crossing the road is like playing "frogger", but waiting for the traffic to stop even with a green crossing light isnt going to happen. Just go for it and dodge the cars/vans/buses/trucks across a 6 lane road.... easy!

So. not much more to tell at the moment. I've looked around and seen the sights. Its a case of sitting it out, checking out the local cafes and browsing the shops. I've hardly spent any money in the last week and don't see that changing much. I need to do a little bit of maintenance on the bike, but will sort that out next week. 

One other decision is that I will take the more northern border crossing. It sounds far more interesting than the motorway/main road option further south. I've pore booked a small hotel in Baku for next weekend until Tuesday, when hopefully I can sort out the ferry across the Caspian. (again more horror stories about that trip) - but I'll let you know how my experience went after I've done it. 

Hanging around in Tbilisi is a bit of a pain to be honest. If I was sat on a campsite in the country I would be happy to stay put for as long as it takes, but a hotel room in the city isn't my idea of fun. .. Moving on Monday will put me close to the prettier centre of Tbilisi so at least I can wander to a cafe/bar and sit in the afternoon shade. 


Chillin' 

Stationary in Tbilisi

Well after realising my Azerbaijan visa is not valid until monday the 6th I have a chance to explore Tbilisi a bit more. I have been glad for the opportunity because I'm sure I would have left here thinking there was nothing to see.

While large parts of this city are made up of wide fast flowing  chaotic roads populated by everything from new Mercedes to lowered and loud Japanese racers to clapped out Russian jalopies all in a daily wacky race, there is much more.

It's freedom square where a golden statue of St George celebrates Georgian independence and the older part of town with tree lined cobbled shady streets occupied with a plethora of small shops selling everything from wines and silver to local food products and tourist souvenirs. Cafes provide local food and a place to sit away from the days heat.

There is also a very modern out of town shopping centre that would not look out of place anywhere in affluent Europe with cars on display in the main foyer.

The recent flood appears to have closed a few roads which may to some extent explain my experience of the busy roads but a lot of clean up work is in progress.

Georgia has had a troubled past while only a few years ago Russia threatened invasion again. But modern Georgian people seem incredibly friendly and there is a sense of good times.

Out in the countryside I passed through there seems to be lots of people stood by the roadside. . I don't know how long they've been waiting for that bus, but some of them have grown old waiting.

My next destination may provide more of the culture shock as I move from Georgia's mostly European feel to a country with a  well publicised corruption problem. But I hope like most places I have passed through that the fear of getting there is worse that the actual experience of being there.
We shall see

I'm the meantime I'm going to indulge my curiosity and spend the weekend enjoying Tbilisi old town still trying to not giggle when I say thank you in Georgian which is pronounced "mad lover" . . .  little things! 

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