6 - 10 June 2012

Wednesday 6 June, Day 34 - Baku, Azerbaijan

Went looking for the post office with Marcus and Esther to find out how much it would be to send my laptop and some other bits and pieces back to the UK.  I spotted a BMW 650 GS in town with South African plates and later on I bumped into the couple travelling with it outside the post office. 

They are heading for Vladivostock and are just starting the visa process for Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.  I gave them the heads up on the 3 day customs rule for thebikes and we had a good chat about tires.  The guy swears by a make called Heidenrau from Germany for dual purpose use.  We exchanged email addresses etc and I am hoping to catch up with them in Russia.

I went to check on my bike and the original car park attendant I had struck the deal with was on duty so I gave him 4 Manat to keep him sweet.  He told me to go to the main desk which I did and the guy there told me there was no problem and that I could collect the bike anytime.   

I posted my damaged laptop back to the UK for 36 Manat (approx. 30 pounds) along with the cables and my digital radio which hasn't been used.  Just as I got back to the Hostel a Japanese arrived and took the bunk opposite.  His name was Shinya and he insisted we call him Woods as he thinks he looks like Tiger.  He runs an online store selling Japanese made craft items and kept us all entertained most of the evening with tales of strange and disgusting Asian food delicacies.

We all sat round the balcony in the evening and drank beers and introduced ourselves properly and talked about all sorts of travel stuff.  There was Angelica and Sami from California and France, Etienne and Marie from France (Nantes), and Jean Sebastien and Anna from France (Tours) and of course Shinya from Japan. 

Thursday 7 June, Day 35 - Baku, Azerbaijan

This morning I had a good chat with Shinya about Twitter.  He has 13,000 followers and seems to be something of an expert.  At about 10am I called the Kazakhstan Embassy and was told I could collect my visa at 16.00 that day.  I walked up to the embassy as I need the exercise. I might not be carrying any weight at the moment but I have been getting no cardio exercise at all.

When I arrived at the embassy the consulate official explained there was an official delegation over from Kazakhstan and hence there might be a slight delay.  I sat down and fell asleep in the waiting area. I hope I wasn't snoring.  An hour later I was presented with my passport with visa inserted.

I left the embassy and walked to the new port to ask about boats to Aktau.  This was quite an ordeal in the baking sun and I reckoned it was a good work out if nothing else.  When I got to the port gates I was told 'maybe tomorrow' by the security men.  This sounded more promising than the first time I had been there and I walked back to the hostel and packed up my gear ready for an early start.

Friday 8 June, Day 36 - Baku, Azerbaijan

Up at 5.30 and went to collect the bike from the Old Port while the sun was just rising.  The car park attendant said he had been getting grief from his boss about the bike, I think he was making it up but I was in a good mood so gave him a couple of Manat to shut him up.  Rode back to the hotel, loaded up my luggage and headed off to the New Port without disturbing the other guests too much. 

When I arrived at the port I got talking to the security men and there was no news about when the next boat was due to leave.  The wind was now getting up and I spoke to some of the Turkish and Austrian wagon drivers who were queued up outside the port gates waiting for ferries to both Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan and they seemed to think it would be a couple of days at least.

I was in 5 minds what to do but didn't want to miss a boat if things changed quickly so I decided to rough it next to the bike outside the security hut that night.  This helped me to get to know the guards and they were bringing me tea within a few hours and letting me use their sink to wash.  During the night a couple of idiots came to visit and woke me up to tell me there were snakes etc. They just wanted to be a pain in the ass. I was not in the best of moods and really wanted to let loose but I didn't know who they were so I bit my lip.

 
I met them again over the coming days and it turned out they worked in the offices at the port so I was glad I had kept quiet.  One of them was a complete arse.  I haven't met many people on this trip i haven't liked but he was definitely one.

Saturday 9 June, Day 37 - Baku, Azerbaijan

It got gradually more windy during the night and it was a real nightmare all day with the loads of dust being blown everywhere.  The ticket office window finally opened in the afternoon and I was told there might be a boat tomorrow.  I paid $200 for a ticket, 110 for the bike and 90 for me and was told I could now park the bike inside the port gates.

The Austrian truck drivers were great and they left me presents at the port gates. Vitamins, cans of beer, tins of food etc.  One of them was particularly great his name was Tomas and he was a Kawasaki rider.  They were dropping their trailers on the quayside and off back to Austria.

It was getting dark and there was no sign of a ship so I decided to put the tent up and sleep on the quayside.  When I opened the tent bag I found there was a problem with my tent poles.  The elastic holding them together had fallen too peices. This made it really difficult getting the tent up in the high wind and I could sense people watching me around the port in hysterics while I struggled.  I was determined not to look round and kept at it until I finally got it up.  The wind was a nightmare all night and the tent was all over the place even with my luggage inside to hold it down.

Sunday 10 June, Day 38 - Baku, Azerbaijan

The wind gradually died down during the day and I was glad to get my stuff sorted out.  The security men told me we would not be departing today and I gathered that there were several boats queued up outside the port waiting to dock.  I settled down to another long day of waiting in the baking sun.  At least i was inside the gates and I could use the port facilities.

The port gate security men caught a small snake on the car park during the early evening about 20 metres from my tent and took great delight in showing it to me. I pretended to be unimpressed and asked if they were ok to eat.  I settled down to a second night camping next to the Police Office and when the shift changed a Police Officer called Karin came over to chat and invited me in to the station for Chai and we sat and watched a movie and tried to communicate.

It was tough going and after a whle I made my excuses and returned to my tent to have some grub and turn in hoping that the boat would be leaving tomorrow. 

2 - 5 June 2012

Hi everyone!

Firstly I must apologise to any avid followers for the lack of updates recently.  I have been grafting away trying to make up some time after being delayed in both Georgia and Azerbaijan with visa and ferry complications.  By the way, thanks for all your messages and Facebook comments, they really perked me up last night.

Anyway, I made it into Russia on Wednesday 20 June and am currently in a nice Hostel in Novosibirsk where I have good internet access so can catch up on a few things.

I can't believe how long ago my last update was but I will try and fill you in with progress and get up to date before I move on from here for Irkutsk.

 

Saturday 2 June, Day 30 - Baku, Azerbaijan

There was a thunder storm during the night and I had forgotten to put the cowling on my tent.  I got a little damp but managed to throw the outside ground sheet over the tent and this stopped the leak.  Up at 5.30am, thanks to the cockerels, and set off for Baku about 6am being very careful not to pick up another speeding fine on the way. Reached Baku early afternoon and was amazed at the size of it.

I could see I was going to have fun finding the only cheap hostel I could see on the internet.  I rode round for ages and stopped for a pot of tea at one of the many squares to try and get my bearings.

Was just about to give up when I spotted a sign for the Meridien Hotel and I left the bike and went to look for it on foot.  A guy spotted me and called over was I looking for a hostel.  I must look like a seasoned traveller by now.  He was related to the owner of the Caspian Sea Hostel and showed me the way up an alley.

It is a great location very close to the sea front and centre of town.  Paid for 3 nights at 16 Euros per night which is a little expensive but there are no alternatives in Baku. The small room I was in has four sets of bunk beds and all the bottom bunks were taken so I chose a top bunk in the corner and moved in.  The hostel owner showed me where I could park close by so I went to get the bike.

This place is certainly ‘backpacker central’ and the first people I met were a Swiss girl and a German guy on a Honda CB750 just arrived from Aktau so I was able to pick up some more information on the ferries. Next arrival was an Australian guy called Mark lives in London.  He was a journalist and very well travelled so gave me some pointers on South America.

Sunday 3 June, Day 31 - Baku, Azerbaijan

This morning I met 2 French guys who are staying at the Hostel. They are touring on bicycles and hoping to catch the boat to Aktau today or tomorrow. They showed me on Google maps where the Kazakhstan embassy is which was really helpful.

I went off to find the new ferry terminal and almost got knocked off when a brand new white BMW X5 gave me a good shunt on my left pannier at the lights.  I had a couple of minor contacts in Tbilisi but nothing like this. I was left with white paint on my luggage so I guess he regretted it later.

I found the Ro-Ro terminal but the guys on security there couldn’t understand me at all and called a woman who spoke English.  She told me I had to go to the Old Port but this in contradiction to the research I have done.  I tried to explain about the 3 day customs rule and she told me I should leave the bike with customs at the Old Port.

After riding up and down the sea front a few times I found the Old Port terminal and found a good man at the desk who spoke English.  I explained about the 3 day rule and that I would not be leaving for at least 4 days.  He took me to speak to the car park attendant who would be looking after the bike. The attendant was not happy and wanted some cash to keep an eye on the bike.  This all seemed wrong to me but what can you do? I agreed to pay 5 Manat a day and took my luggage, apart from the panniers, back to the hostel.

 

Sat on the hostel balcony and had a few beers with a guy called Mat from Perth.  He works in the mining industry doing Geo-Phys surveys and lives near Perth. Mat had come through Iran and was heading west.  A guy from Poland turned up who had also been to Iran.  He and Mat exchanged stories and it sounds like a great place to visit.

The girl from California asked if she and her French boyfriend could tag along when I go to the Kazakhstan embassy tomorrow and I was happy to have some company.

Monday 4 June, Day 32 - Baku, Azerbaijan

Set off around 10am to find the Kazakhstan Consulate in Baku on Inglab Street.  I realized it was going to be more difficult to find than I had expected so decided to get a cab as there were plenty around.  The guy asked for 5 Manat and I agreed without arguing.  When I realized how far away the Embassy was I was glad I hadn’t continued walking.

I rang the bell at the Embassy and spoke to a man over the intercom who explained that they were closed and I should come back after 9.30 Tuesday to Friday.  I walked slowly back to the Hostel soaking up the Baku atmosphere.
       

Went to get a street stall kebab with the German couple, Marcus and Esther, from Frankfurt then sat on the balcony and drank a few beers.  The Pakistani guy showed up and sat and chatted for a while.  We talked about cricket and he invited me to come and stay at his home in Islamabad.  He was in Baku for a month while his visa for Montenegro was authorized.

Tuesday 5 June, Day 33 - Baku, Azerbaijan

Shared a taxi to the Embassy with Marcus and Esther, the American girl and her French boyfriend.  When we got there the official told me the process would take at least 4 days and gave me the forms to fill in. They have a system whereby you have to deposit the $30 fee at a bank in Baku and bring the receipt when you come to collect the visa so we all went off to find the bank.

As we were coming out of the Embassy I met the 2 Belgian cyclists that I had met back in Georgia.  They had left their bikes in Sheki and come to Baku by train but were struggling to find the Turkmenistan Embassy.  I asked Tim to forward me the email address of James the cyclist from Durham.

Back at the Hostel, an American guy had moved in to the bed opposite and we got talking. His name was Dustin from Montana and he had a job teaching English in one of the northern towns. He explained a few of the local customs and culinary delights.  While we were talking we heard on the news that 3 Azerbaijan soldiers had been killed in the Nagorno-Karabakh area.

Walked down to the Old Port to check on the bike and the parking attendant came over to ask questions that I didn’t understand.  I told him ‘Kazakhstan 3 days’ and this seemed to satisfy him for the time being. The sooner I get my visa and get moving the better.

1 June 2012

Friday 1 June, Day 29 - Georgia to Azerbaijan

What a day!  Got up with a slight hangover after four or five beers last night and went to apologize to Babek for missing him last night at the Hangar Bar.

Loaded up, said my goodbyes to the hostel owner, and set off for the border at about 10am. Had a nice easy journey there and the landscape on the way changes the concrete jungle to empty rolling grassland,  giving me a taste of what I believe Kazakhstan and Russia will be like.  It gets very blowy on one of the higher altitude stretches and I had a serious moment up there caused by turbulence from a wagon on my previous visit to the border so I was on my guard.  At the border, I put my ground sheet down and sat in the shade of the bike to have some bread and cheese before going to the checkpoint.

As I was sat there, being watched intently by the various people hanging around, a motorbike came through from Azerbaijan with a Toyota Landcruiser support vehicle and trailer loaded with tyres etc.  They waved so I went over and they explained that there were eleven more bikes coming through.

They were on a pilgrimage to Mekka but unfortunately they had to change the end destination to Istanbul because of problems getting across Syria.  They also told me that there was a 3 day limit on bikes staying in Azerbaijan.  We had a great chat for 10 mins or so until they left for Tbilisi.

I was alone again and made my way to the checkpoint. Exiting Georgia was fine as usual but the problems started when I took a picture of the Azerbaijan checkpoint.  A soldier came over and started talking at me but I didn’t understand what he was getting at.  He called someone then waved me on.  Another official then came over and told me to show him my camera. I twigged what the problem was and showed him the photo I had taken .  He said it was ok because it did not show the soldier.

I was then taken to another guard who looked at my documents and said there was a problem.  He passed me on to his boss who called someone and handed me the phone.  The man on the other end explained that the bike could only stay in Azerbaijan for 3 days.  Today is Friday and I can’t go to the Kazakhstan Embassy until Monday and won’t get my visa until at least Wednesday and then I have to get a boat which has no schedule. 

The guy knew all this and told me to take the bike to customs at the port before the 3 days expire or I will have a problem.  He also told me I had to pay the border guard $10 or $20 or possibly $40 for his help.  I gave the phone back to the guard and he started filling in the computer forms.  This was an ordeal as he was definitely the least friendly guard I had encountered so far.

After half an hour he passed me on to his boss, I was slowly working my way up the ladder, who did more forms and asked me for $20.  I asked him what it was for and he couldn’t explain.  Just ‘pay $20’.

I relented because it was hot and I could see myself getting stuck there having already upset them with the photo episode.  He took my dollars and told me to go back to the previous guy.  He then asked for $15 dollars and I worked out that this was for third party motor insurance. Fair enough!

During this whole process there was one soldier who has hanging around and kept smiling at me and rolling his eyes at the other officials.  This gave me a degree of comfort that the whole thing was not a problem and I just had to play my part.  At long last I was waved through without them even looking at the bike.  Other cars were being emptied and searched.

There is an area in Azerbaijan called Nagorno-Karabakh where a long running armed conflict with Armenia is still going on.  I had read a little about this and checked the map to ensure I gave it a wide berth.  I left the border hot and bothered and not too impressed with my first dealings with the Azerbaijanis.  However, my first stop, after only 20km or so, cheered me up when the guys at the café would not let me leave without having 2 cups of Chai.

At my next stop I filled up with fuel and was pleased to see the price was around 0.5 Euros a litre.  Excellent!  However, 30 miles down the road the bike started chugging the same as it had in Albania.  I got it started but ground to a halt another three times and was starting to get very concerned.  After about 8km of chugging the bike eventually started to run smoother and I breathed a huge sigh of relief.  From now on I will opt for the higher grade fuel as it is only 2 cents a litre more.  I am also going to see if I can pick up some fuel additive in the next day or so.

The landscape from the border to Baku is flat as a pancake and the road is boring as hell.  So I was having a little sing song to myself to keep awake when I could swear a camera flashed.  I didn’t even see one.  I thought about it for a while and decided I would probably get away with it as the camera must have been facing me and the number plate is on the rear.

My hopes were dashed when I was flagged down by a policeman outside a Polis Station.  I pulled up to him and he told me there was ‘Problem’ and motioned for me to get off the bike and come inside. In the control room I was shown camera footage of me with a speed of 78 kph indicated.  He told me I had to pay $100.  I huffed and puffed for a few moments trying to buy a little time to think. $100 seemed excessive and I was already on a downer after my border experiences.

I couldn’t see any way of arguing about this without taking a risk of getting kicked out of the country so I relented and paid the dollars. I rode away seething and swearing out load inside my helmet just to let off steam.  I can really do without unnecessary expenses like these.

I calmed down slowly and decided to try and find a free camp site for the night but the landscape is so featureless I could see it might not be so easy.  I saw a sign for 2 villages so I pulled off the highway and rode for about 5 km to a small village where 4 or 5 men were playing dominoes. I stopped to say hello and tried to strike up a conversation.  They were a bit wary and suspicious at first, but as usual the world map showing my route helped explain what I was up to and sparked some debate.

They said I could put my tent on the farm yard in the centre of the village.  One of the younger men helped me pitch my tent and got me some water.  Just as I was making coffee three men turned up and said they were Police and could I show my documents.  They made some phone calls to check my documents with immigration and then told me I had to move on as this place was not safe and the local people were criminals.  They also said that there was danger from wolves. 

One of them offered for me to stay at his house but I refused and said I would just get some rest then move on towards Baku.  I went over to explain to the locals that I had to move and they seemed disappointed.  Eventually the Police left and I went over to the locals again to try and explain.  They told me to ignore the Police and one of the men’s wives had arrived and they asked me to go to their house to eat.  I said that I had eaten but some Chai would be very nice and off we went.

They were a great family and the father told me he had served in the Soviet army in Berlin.  We talked about football as usual and his daughter practiced her English on me.  After leaving their house I was presented with 3 separate gifts of fruit and veg by villagers and was overwhelmed with the warmth of these people.  I was also visited twice during the night by people asking me to come to their houses to stay.  Once again, I graciously refused even though one of them did tell me that there were Cobras around.

Today had turned out to be one of the best so far but it had been expensive!

30 - 31 May 2012

Wednesday 30 May – Day 27

Woke with a slight hangover. Only had five beers with the American guy but my resistance must be at an all time low. I haven’t been drinking booze at all since I left home and haven’t missed it. I made my way up to the Kazakhstan embassy and spoke to the duty consular official, a pleasant young woman who spoke pretty good English. She told me that the 30 day tourist visa was $40 but would take 5 working days to process.

However, she also said that if I apply in Baku the cost is the same but it only takes 3 working days and I can apply on Monday. I decided to wait and apply in Baku. I took an application form from her and went back to Xtours to give them my passport.  I was told by the girl on the desk at Xtours to come back tomorrow at 5pm to collect it with the visa inserted. This means I will be on the road to Baku on Friday morning if all goes to plan.

The whole invitation letter thing is a complete farce and appears to be a completely out dated method of vetting people which is being used now purely as a business opportunity to fleece tourists.  It’s about time the embassies all got together and developed a better method of obtaining and submitting references.  So far I have had to purchase invitations for Russia and Azerbaijan at a combined cost of around $280.    

I have been looking for a post office to send my damaged laptop home using the box of my new one but haven’t spotted one. Internet research suggests it will cost around 50 – 60 Lari to send to the UK. It rained heavily all evening so I stayed at the Hostel, mucked around on the internet and slept.  I wish I had done some basic Russian tuition before I left home. It would have been really useful here and I suspect also in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and of course Russia itself.

Thursday 31 May – Day 28

Awake early and had to plug the internet router in again on the managers desk. I think the owner un-plugs it to save power but he hasn’t complained about me plugging it back in yet.  

I can’t believe I have been on the road for 4 weeks.  I am slightly behind schedule but hoping to make up some time once I get into Kazakhstan. I updated my blog to include some comments about this Hostel and showed the owner using the Google translation tool.  He was made up and 5 minutes later he came and offered me some ‘very special Georgian wine’. I had to decline his offer as I was riding later and it was only around 10.30am.

In the afternoon I went to Gori to see Stalin’s home town. I used the ATM and had coffee in a cafe opposite the impressive Town Hall. The locals seemed rather suspicious and I guess this has something to do with the recent history of the town with the Russian occupation and bombing.

There was previously a huge statue of Stalin infront of the town hall but it was removed as part of the Georgian de-sovietisation process.

 

I needed fuel desparately and the parking attendant directed me to a garage where I filled up. The guy pumping the gas was really interested in the bike and kept saying ‘Harley Davidson, Harley Davidson’. I laughed and tried to explain that a Harley might struggle to get through Siberia.  I set off back to Tbilisi. About five miles down the road the bike developed a really nasty knocking noise and it felt like I was doing some serious damage to the engine. I could only think that this was due to c**p in the Benzine but the symptoms were totally different to the problem I had in Albania.

I thought about the Harley Davidson pump attendant who had sold me the fuel and really wished I could get hold of him.  The only thing to do was to press on and hope I could nurse the bike to the next town, or possibly to turn round and go back. I decided to press on and fortunately, the knocking gradually eased and after about 35 miles of nervous riding things were back to normal.  I am definitely going to get some fuel additive when I next see some at a petrol stop.

I got back to Tbilisi for around 5pm and went straight to Xtours office to collect my passport with the priceless 30 day Azerbaijan visa inserted. No hitches, so I can head for the border in the morning.

I had arranged to meet Babek at 9pm in the Hangar Bar so I set off to walk there around 8.30.  I knew vaguely where it was and wasn’t expecting it to be difficult but nobody that I spoke to could direct me.  Eventually I gave up and stopped for a beer in a pub called the Dubliner.  They wanted 8 Lari for a small beer so I had just the one and moved on.  I was only paying 3 Lari last night and the bars around the Radisson Hotel seem to be aimed at tourists and foreign workers and are definitely more expensive than the more Georgian bars.