Azerbaijan (by Jansen & Nico)

Sheki

After being told that the border crossing to Azerbaijan could be our first difficult land crossing we were all relieved to find that the only serious question posed was to one of our Canadian nationals, Lorri, about what the name of the Canadian national basketball team is. Being a woman more associated with quilting than basketball this question stunned the poor girl, but the passport control officer had a good manner and she was allowed through. Everyone got through without problem and we were on our way.

Our first stop in Azerbaijan was Sheki. We stayed at the famous Karvanserai Hotel. This is where travellers used to rest and recover from long journeys, so it is quite apt that it is now a hotel for modern travellers. This beautiful stone building is a must see if you’re visiting Sheki.

That same day we visited the Sheki Summer Palace (although not an actual palace, but more of an old summer home/office). It is stunningly designed on the inside (although no cameras are allowed, so you will have to take our word for it) with multi coloured glass windows and intricate paintings adorning the walls and ceilings.

Karavansaray

Passages in the Karavansaray

Domes in the Karavansaray

The Summer Palace

Every wall is uniquely decorated

We went to a scary hunters restaurant

Super scary lighting

Lou and the waiter had lots in common

Gobustan Mud Volcano bush camp

Leaving Sheki the next morning we made our way to our only bush camp in Azerbaijan. This happened to be right next to a family of mud volcanoes. These constantly gurgling and bubbling mini volcanoes provided maximum entertainment for the boys of the trip. Steve and Mark thought a generous dabbing of the cool mud to the face would suffice, whereas Jordan felt a full-on head dunk was necessary. The result… think swamp monster meets Shrek.

Dave & Nico solve all the problems

Alicia pointing to where one of them is

Calypso and the mud volcanoes

The guys discussing the mud volcanoes

Steve, Mark and Jordan

N-Sync

Rope skills

Cal updating his journal

Fossils?

Baku

Onwards we headed to Baku to apply for visas to get through to Turkmenistan, but on arrival found the consulate to be closed for Turkmenistan National Poetry Day. This posed no problem as it allowed us more time to explore the streets of Baku.

Baku has a definite east meets west feel with the old town completely encompassed by a thick stone wall, stone buildings, and ancient architecture, whereas the rest of the city is ultra modern, featuring boutique stores such as Prada and Armani.

Azerbaijan has witnessed an astonishing economic recovery in recent years thanks mainly to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan gas pipeline, which began pumping Caspian oil to Turkey just as petroleum prices peaked. This boom is highly evident in this city. The building that stands out the most is the Flame Tower. A beautiful 3 armed glass structure that at night projects moving images on its exterior, including flames, the Azerbaijan flag, and also men waving the national flag around.

Baku has plenty of statues

Horseman statue

Modern art surrounded by ancient walls

Stark contrast between the old and the new

Those swifts are actually nests for the birds

Kitty cat jail

KFC!

Luke

Where does the water come from?

Lou, Luke & Dave resting after a long walk

Crazy statue of a poet (and Dave)

Purple London cabs

The carpet museum

The eternal flame for the fallen soldiers

A murky Baku from up high

Crossing the Caspian

After obtaining our visas for Turkmenistan we made our way to the docks to board a freight boat to make our way across the Caspian Sea. Due to tide, passport control and queues, this trip can take anywhere from 24hrs to 4 days, so we went prepared with all the food and water (and toilet paper) that we could possibly need. As this was a freight ship, conditions can be sub-standard but we were pleasantly surprised with a very clean boat. As we set sail spirits were high looking forward to visiting a new country.

The crossing ran smoothly with some entertainment provided by Louise in the form of a pub quiz and more than a few beers.