Over yonder

I had miscalculated when I needed to be at the airport in Oslo. So I got up at my usual "work wakey time". I had a shower and some breakfast, and took one last look at the apartment before heading out. I was ready, and all the plugs were unplugged. All the locks were locked and I had brought everything I needed. At least the important stuff. Tickets, phone, passport, visa and plastic. Long gone are the days when greenbacks was essential for travelling. Now, plastic is accepted almost everywhere.

The walk down to the bus-stop gave me a slight "dew cover". Ever so slight drizzle as the skies cried a little watching me go, I guess.

As per not usual, the bus arrived on time. 45 minutes later, we had arrived, and I had realized I was 1 hour earlier than needed. But much to my relief, I found I could use one of the check-in kiosks at the airport. I jotted in my info and out came the boarding cars for the two legs. But no bag tag. What the...? This usually worked. But not this time. Argh! I had to wait for the check-in desks to open anyway. I sighed and walked over to the desks. At least I was first in line... Almost an hour later, one of the ladies behind the counter called me over. I explained what had happened. "No problem, sir, I will fix" she said as I handed her the boarding passes. She looked at them, and her face lit up with a dreamy smile. "Are you going to Azerbaijan???" I nodded. She smiled even more. At least Azerbaijan had one fan here. She checked my visa, and checked in my bag.

After few hours later, I sat in my seat for the first leg to Istanbul. When the meal service came around, I was expecting the usual "chicken or beef". But this time, she asked "meatball or pasta?". Meatball? I just had to try that one. She handed me the tray, and I opened the hot dish. Hmmm. I wonder... IT WAS! Köfte meatball! Oh wow! If you have never tried köfte, put it on your bucket list! I first tasted it in a small restaurant in Morocco back in 2003. And immediately fell in love. My mouth is still running in water just thinking about it.

I had almost 5 hours to kill in Istanbul before my second leg to Baku would commence. Not much to do but eat and look at the insane "taxfree" prices. But one thing I did note and found quite telling of our current world. Everywhere, I saw these "free wifi" kiosks. I never jump on these. I don't know who controls them. So I never use them. Did in the past, but not now. But this was a very special kind. You had to scan your passport to get access. Your passport. With all your personal info... And people were lining up to do it. Just to fill their desperate need to access the internet. No wonder fraud is one of the most lucrative industry in the world...

At quarter to 10, my flight took off. It was an eventless flight, and the meal was this time not meatball...

I usually find transportation when I arrived. But given we were scheduled to land at 1.30 in the morning, I opted to book in advance. And it IS fun to see a guy with your name on a sign. Or, as in this case, an ipad. Makes you feel important.

I got my simcard sorted for my travelphone. No, not my usual phone. I have bought an el-cheapo phone for my travels. In this day and age, hacking is quite common. It can happen anywhere, but is more common in some areas than others. So I just expect to get hacked, and mitigate the result. Using a different phone that I can factory reset after the trip. And using "burner" email addresses and forms of communication for staying in touch with people at home. So if I am hacked, it doesn't really matter, since I will "burn" it afterwards. Secondly, it is usually a lot cheaper. Using local sim cards. I could use wifi where available, but I have found using a translator and maps helps a lot when travelling. Makes travelling easier.

My taxi driver spoke fairly good English, and he told me about all the buildings we passed as he whisked me to my hotel. I was super tired. The clock on my phone showed around 3 am. I was looking forward to crashing into bed. After half an hour, we arrived. And after not listening to the receptionist telling me all the important stuff, I got the room key. Brushed my teeth and crashed onto the bed.

I woke at 9 the next morning. Not super refreshed, but I had slept like a rock. After a quick shower, I found the breakfast room and had a quick one before heading out.

First order of the day was finding the mall where I was to be picked up on Wednesday for the day tour. I had decided to pay for a guided tour of the "important" stuff around Baku. Since I only had 6 days in Azerbaijan, I found that I didn't want to bother with arranging everything myself. I decided to walk to the mall, since I had been sitting so long yesterday. It was only 5-6 km anyways. I arrived, and then I noticed a large 'M' beside it. Is it? My anticipation grew. Indeed it was. A metro! Baku had a metro! I was thrilled, and checked the map on my phone. Indeed! It had several lines, and I also found I could reach my second destination for the day, the bus station, entirely by the subway. I was loving it! I found that I only needed to buy a metro card (about $1), and then add as much as I wanted. You only pay to enter the metro. How far you go, doesn't matter. Or for how long. And entering only cost 0.5 manat (30 cents)! Wow! I read about this couple who had come late to their bus because their Uber was stuck in traffic. Why for the love of God didn't they take the sub? It was clean, efficient and super cheap!

I walked up to the station, and found that it had a "girls entrance". I stopped. "Girls entrance?" Where is the boy's entrance? And do they separate the genders here? Then I looked closer, and realized it said "Giris". "Giris" means "Entrance" in Azerbaijani... Oh well...

I bought a card from one of the kiosks at the metro station and paid 5 manat (the local currency), about $3. That gave me a card with up to 6 rides. For t-h-r-e-e frigging dollars! Super easy! Unless you're like the guy in front of me trying to top up his card. A young girl was trying to help him, but he was furious and screamed at the kiosk and at her. I quickly saw the problem. He was trying to pay with a note that looked like he had carried it in his underpants for the better part of his life. So, the note was rejected. I found another kiosk to do my business.

I beeped the card at the entrance and was let through the gates. Finding my way around the metro was easy. Colors on the lines, and the station map was posted on the wall on the platforms, so I had no trouble finding which side to wait. And on board, blinking dots of lights on the line maps showed next station. I loved it. And in no time flat, I arrived at the bus station.

The bus station proved to be another matter altogether. A giant building. And when I entered, it was mostly a shopping mall. I finally managed to find the buses. And promising signs that said "Ticket office". But I only found offices that had been closed for a while. I tried asking, and they all said "inside". Or something. I don't speak the local tongue, but they pointed into the building. Finally I found a guy who looked like he lived by the principle "the time is 5 pm somewhere". Drunk as a sailor, he managed to concentrate enough to point up the stairs. And lo and behold. A ticket office! But all the windows were closed. With signs saying "Break". Ok. So I sat down. A guy came and was very agitated to find the tickets boots closed. He talked to a guard at the site, and sat down. After a few minutes, he became agitated again, and it was obvious he didn't have much time. The guard looked briefly up from his phone and said something and pointed in one direction. The guy picked up his stuff and walked in that direction. I decided to follow. And there it was, an open ticket office! I found the right window and showed the guy the translated text that I wanted a ticket to Sheki on Thursday. After some initial sign language and him trying to speak English, I finally had the ticket in my hand. $7. That was, almost, the final thing I had to fix on this trip. From now on, it was just to enjoy and explore.

I could have walked back to the hotel. But where's the fun in that? I've got a metro card! I beeped my card and walked through the gates. I picked up my camera to take some pictures of the station, when a guy in subway attire approached me. "No photos! No video! No vlog!" Seriously? "Sorry!" I said and hoped he didn't ask me to delete my photos. These are the only ones I have. But this also reminded me that some places are more paranoid than others. So I knew I had to be more careful where I pulled out my camera. I did manage to take some photos before I was called out on my spying.

I found that the "green line" would take me almost back to my hotel. I still had some distance to go, but nothing to worry about. So I hopped on the line and rode with the commuters to a shopping mall station. And there I had my lunch. Some lovely döner. 

I walked up the road from the shopping mall to look around in residential areas. I passed a restaurant I just had to take a photo of. Baku Fried Chicken. If I hadn't already eaten, I would have tried it. I found a small supermarket, and bought some snacks and drink for the evening. 

The look and feel was almost like the real deal. But the taste?..

I walked back to my hotel. My feet hurt, my eyes sleepy and I was ready for some rest. Tomorrow, I will explore the old city. Does the metro serve this purpose? Do you need to ask?

Ragnar

Traveller with a metro card