Viser opslag med etiketten Caspian sea ferry. Vis alle opslag
Viser opslag med etiketten Caspian sea ferry. Vis alle opslag

tirsdag den 14. april 2015

Waiting for the ferry vol. 2

Since there where no sight of the ferry today we headed out for another day of sightseeing in Baku. Jeff joined us for a metro tour where we chose a few stations to get off at. 

We got to see a not so interesting bazaar, the train station and at the last stop of the metro - only 12 minutes from the city center - we saw where some of the real people live. Not those in the fantasy glamour world of downtown Baku. We also chose another random metro station which turned out to be equally interesting since it's one of the places with new stadiums and buildings for the European Games 2015 - European Olympics to be held for the first time.

Before dinner we went to the palace of the Shirvanshahs.

We have a great view from our hotel so in the evening we admired the Baku skyline once again. With all its colored buildings.  

Our guides Eion and Bob went to the ferry terminal again today to see if there where any news about the ferry. We could be lucky it sails tomorrow afternoon so we'll check out tomorrow and go to the harbour around noon.

Parking in Azerbaijan
View from the hotel
The highest flag pole in the world

Train station
Stop, go right, go left....
Renovation of the train station
Metro
Flats a little out of downtown Baku



Jeff and Mikkel in front of less fancier' flats
Any packages for us today? 
The palace of the Shirvanshahs

Downtown Baku with chandeliers




Flame towers with flames
Flame towers with the flag of Azerbaijan



mandag den 13. april 2015

Waiting for the ferry vol. 1

One of the many happy things about travelling is when it's all very unpredictable and unreliable.....

We're talking about the cargo ferry which will sooner or later (hopefully sooner, cross your fingers) take us from Baku to Turkmenbashi over the Caspian Sea.

We're well prepared for the worst, we've heard many stories about the ferry. It leaves when it leaves and it's all due to the weather, when the cargo is loaded and when there's enough cargo. Maybe we'll be on the ferry on Wednesday. Maybe Thursday. If we're lucky it'll take around 17 hours before we're off the ferry. Maybe 60 hours. It's seen before that the ferry has crossed the Caspian Sea smoothly and fast just to wait for 2 days 100 meters away from the harbour because the harbour is busy. We're all stocking up on water and food and hope for the best. Maybe we can buy food and water on the ferry. Maybe not. It's better to bring supplies for several days.

Supposedly when we get to the boarder in Turkmenistan the "fun" and waiting is not over. They have a reputation for being very thorough with EVERYTHING in ALL bags. It could take 6 hours to cross the boarder. But then Turkmenistan should be a great country to visit :-)

We're awaiting news for departure of the ferry all the time so a few hours of sightseeing and then back to the hotel to check. We had a great walk along the harbour and where quite impressed with all the huge new hotels, shopping malls etc. Mikkel also had his first haircut in Azerbaijan.

Supplies for the ferry
Malene and Jeff in the nice area with Gucci etc.
Anybody seen a ferry?

Haircut - yes please!
The train station is being renovated

Street


New buildings rise everywhere