Baku, Azerbaijan

I've made it to Baku!

After a harrowing 14 hour train ride from Tbilisi and spending the better part of an hour with a cab driver, I made it to my hotel.

The Tbilisi-Baku train made me appreciate the trains in China. I was on a Soviet-Era piece of junk. The lighting fixtures were in ruins, the AC didn't work while the train was stopped and it felt as though the train stalled a couple of times before we actually got moving. Is it even possible for a train to stall? I'm not sure, but I AM sure that if there was a way, Russian technology would succeed in making it happen.

The language barrier here is getting more and more obnoxious. Living in China, I grew used to speaking the language in a foreign country. I forgot how difficult things can be if you don't have basic working vocabulary. Jumping country to country, my thank you's are mixing up with hello's and sorry's. One more month until China, then I will have some idea of what is going on.

I was going to write an entry yesterday when I first arrived in Baku. I am happy that I didn't. My first impressions were quite negative: it was cloudy, I didn't sleep well on the train, trash was burning outside of the train station and the pollution was terrible. I spent the better part of yesterday resting and relaxing at my hotel. Today has been my first day to really explore the city.

I found the Metro by my hotel, hopped on, and then waited for a stop where most people got off. Sure enough, by my brilliant idea, I wound up at the train station. Nearby was a Beer Garden, so I stopped for some tea and a bite to eat. My choice in table sat me next to a local English teacher who jumped at the chance for me to have breakfast with him.

Namazaly Musfahayer is very outspoken, and speaks some of the most polite English I have ever heard from a non-native speaker. He explained how he was translating Azer folk tales into English. Making a book illustrated by children was his goal. He explained at great lengths how important it was to learn a new language as a child. He hopes by these translated, tales, Azer parents will introduce English to their children's young, impressionable minds.

I begged to read some of these tales. He promised to email a few to me later next month. You can be sure that I will post them for all of you to read.

My afternoon stroll took me around Baku's old town. I saw the Maiden's Tower and walked around the old walled city. Now, I am somewhere in a main shopping district. This whole area is so much nicer than the Baku I saw around the train station. The architecture is much older and more specific to the region.

This afternoon I will meet back up with the tour. We have another day here and then a day of travel across the Caspian. We will enter Turkmenistan on Tuesday, specifically Turkmenbashi. There we will enjoy one more rest day before setting off on our 12 day trip across Turkmenistan. We are soon to experience our first desert crossing (Karakum Desert). This will prepare us for our trip along the Gobi!

As always, I hope all is well. Any thoughts, concerns, suggestions or problems are always welcome.

-CB