Chapter 42, Day 1: AZERBAIJAN

2.2 kms, Aug 30, 2012 

Sandwiched between Russia, Armenia, Iran and the Caspian Sea is a country with an exotic sounding name that is little more than a question mark in the Traveler's mind: Azerbaijan.

What is this place? It's exciting to be going to a country with very little idea of what you will find there.

But this country doesn't seem to be so eager to be discovered—at least not by Americans. While tourists from other countries can go there just by filling out a visa application, Americans need to have a “invitation”--and pay a hefty visa fee. The Traveler is undeterred. Luckily there is a travel agency that will provide him with this invitation letter... And so off he goes, catching a bus from neighboring Georgia to the border. He is excited to experience a country with hardly any idea of what he will discover there.

He arrives at the border. In Georgia the border station is modern, crisp, professional and friendly. With the latest high tech equipment and large, glass windows, it is designed to make visitors feel welcome and at ease. Next: the Azerbaijan border.

It feels like you've gone through a time warp. The Traveler waits in line in a dull room. He presents his passport to the official who looks at him suspiciously.

“Why are you coming here? What do you want to do here?” He grills the Traveler in an angry tone of voice. The Traveler is surprised. He's traveled to countries like Afghanistan and Iraq. In those war torn countries, the border guards didn't bat an eye when he told them he was coming as a “tourist”.... What is it about this country that they find a solo American with a very obvious tourist visa in his passport as suspicious? It feels like he is entering 1980s USSR still...

Finally after some more grilling, the official reluctantly stamps his passport. He is in. He steps through the gate... and into the mysterious nation of Azerbaijan. Here he waits with the other passengers on the bus for the bus to be allowed through. A couple of local vendors walk around with snacks for sale.

He notices the people around, their faces weathered by years of hardship, it seems. He is already able to pick up a distinct “Azeri” look. Black hair, often with a popular “Caesar haircut”... chiseled featured and tanned skin—similar to Persians, and Armenians. It seems gold teeth are very popular. A Russia later tells him that in Russia you can recognize an Azeri by his gold teeth. Apparently it is considered something attractive.

Clearly the Azeri culture and ethnicity is quite distinct—while at the same time a blend of many of its neighbors. The Traveler will have a hard time determining which world region Azerbaijan should really belong to... Is it Middle Eastern? Ex-Soviet? European? Central Asian? Caucasian? Greater Persian? Turkish? More like: “All of the Above”. Azerbaijan is a blend of everything, it seems.

The Traveler notices an irrigation canal, carrying water from the mountains of Georgia, into Azerbaijan. It's clearly a relic of another era, when there was no border here. This was all one big country: the USSR, people, goods and natural resources move about this great nation unhindered.

A weathered, weary fellow approaches the Traveler to chat in broken English. “I'm going to Russia to look for work”

“But why are you coming this way instead of going straight to Russia from Georgia?”

“Georgians cannot go to Russia because of the war. I have to travel across Azerbaijan, take the ferry to Kazakhstan, and from there, hopefully go to Russia. It's a very long trip. And I can only do that because I have a Uzbek ID card. Other Georgians can't go at all.”

Clearly things have gotten very complicated in the fracture remains of the former Soviet Union.

The Bus Ride Across Azerbaijan

The Traveler gets on the bus. He's decided to go ahead and travel all the way across the country to the capital, Baku. It's the only place where he's been able to find reasonably priced lodging online. And after the cold reception he got at the border, he figures he shouldn't take his chances just wandering around the countryside. He figures he'd better act like a regular tourist until he figures this country out a bit. And a regular tourist would go to Baku.

He gazes out to the rather bleak plains of Central Azerbaijan. On the horizon, he sees smoke from what looks like a massive industrial plant. After all the industrial ruins he saw in Armenia, it is encouraging to see some functioning industry here. Later he learns that this is an aluminum factory, finished just six months ago. Azerbaijan is clearly on a different economic path than its arch-nemesis, Armenia.

And older fellow sitting next to him tries to start up a conversation.

“Ruski?” (Russian?)

The Traveler shakes his head. English is clearly not the second language in this country.

Here people speak speak Azeri and can understand Turkish because it's so similar to Azeri . The TVs show a lot of Turkish programs which people follow without a problem. Azeris feel a close affinity with Turkey, which is actually refreshing. So many of the other former colonies of the Ottoman Empire seem to just focus on the negative aspects of the Ottoman rule—which surely were real. But it's still nice to see a different attitude.

Then the 3rd language is Russian, which is not just due to to it's Soviet past. Russia is the place to go for Azeris looking to work hard and live a better life. So it's much more useful for them to learn Russian than English. It's not that Azeris love Russia--it's just the reality. Getting to Western Europe or America is so difficult many don't even dream of it. But going to Russia is relatively easy, and since Azeris are harder workers than Russians (so they say) they're able to find jobs and make good money.

It's a concept a little hard to get used to for an American who grew up doing the Cold War. No, America is not the "Center of the World". Yes, despite all the anti-Russian propaganda we still hear, there actually are poor people who go there and find a better life.

When the Traveler asks Azeris how the Russians treat them, he gets mixed reviews. Some say they are racist towards Azeris, others say they get along fine.

"But the winters are too rough for us" he's told. "many people just work in the warmer months and return to Azerbaijan in the winter"

Arrival in Baku

It's nighttime when he finally reaches Baku proper, and he realizes he's got a problem. he foolishly didn't exchange any money and now it's night and there's no place to change money so he can catch a bus to the city center. he wanders around the sprawling multi-story bus station/shopping center but no luck.

"Well, I suppose I could walk to town," he tells himself despite his misgivings about doing so in a country he still doesn't know at all. But he decides to give it a try. He walks a little ways until he reaches a forest on one side with apartment buildings on the other side at the top of a steep hill... he follows the winding streets looking for a way up the hill, but the neighborhood gets scruffier and scruffier until he's trudging along a rocky alley alongside cemetery--a dubious sign... and it looks like he's headed to a dead end.

He spots a fellow coming out of a house and figures he'd better break with tradition and ask for directions.

"Sehir merkezi?" (Turkish for downtown) he inquires.

the man seems puzzled and concerned. Clearly the Traveler is way off. the man offers to drive him back to the bus station. The Traveler figures he'd better stop pushing his luck and accept. so he clambers into his rickety Soviet era Lada and heads back to where he started.

Back next to the bus station, there are couple taxis and his guardian angel drops him off. Foolishly he asks the taxi driver of there's a metro station nearby. The taxi driver tells him that the metro is closed already (which is a lie--but what would you expect?) He agrees to take the Traveler to town for 10 Euros.

Since there's no way he's going to wander off into the dark again, he figures he'd better accept.

Soon they enter a grand, noble city, noble buildings that look golden in the night light... feeling much better about this place... Finally they reach the gates of the old city where he gets off... hands the 10 Euros... The taxi driver shakes his head. He indicates that he wants more--a lot more.

The Traveler stands his ground. No. He uses gestures and Tarzan English to make his point: You say 10, I pay 10. Somebody comes over to see what's going on (who doesn't speak English either) and then walks away.

He's trying to read this guy. Could he be violent? If I walk down the dark street will he follow me? Azerbaijan feels like a culture unlike any experienced before, so the tactics I would take in another country might not work here...

Finally he decide a popular but risky trick. he shrugs my shoulders and say "polizia" (means: call the police if you want and let them sort it out) That works. The con artist accepts the 10 Euros and drives off.

The Traveler quickly hurries into the clean, quiet old city where he feels he can finally breathe more easily. His nerves are a bit rattled, but he's determined that this rocky start isn't going to set the tone for his Azerbaijan experience.

Let's call it a day.