Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, is really rather strange; a very pleasant place, to be sure, but distinctly odd. It is a city of great contrast. Battered old Ladas jostling in traffic alongside shiny new BMWs; gorgeous, statuesque buildings stand next to blocks of rotting Soviet-era concrete; wide and perfectly constructed eight-lane highways intersect with […]
What do you immediately think of when I say Xinaliq? Or Azerbaijan? Qinaliq, Azerbaijan Not much, probably, but that is a shame. Xinaliq is actually a most remarkable town in a most remarkable country. I am back in Azerbaijan, having been here in November at the end of a bit of an ordeal on the […]
What a remarkable trip. A journey like this, while simple today, would have been almost impossible only twenty years ago when this part of the world was an integral part of the Soviet Union. To travel within the USSR required a degree of planning and cooperation that left most tourists visiting only the main, keynote […]
Twenty-four hours in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku really isn’t enough, but as the morning dawned grey and drizzly, and with the whole of the city to see and a day in which to do it, I ignored the elements and waited for Aydin. Aydin co-owns, among other enterprises, a travel company in Baku and […]
I made it, and I think I’m going to like Baku, the interesting capital of Azerbaijan,once I get it figured out. Arriving at the Heydar Aliev International airport in Baku is a really interesting experience. The terminal is wonderful, with no expense spared, the immigration lines efficient and quite friendly, baggage retrieval speedy and a […]