Azerbaijan - a lot more than just a transit country

Arriving in Azerbaijan makes the first annoying border crossing of our tour: We have to unpack everything to have it scanned – however the device is not suited for our amount of luggage. While we are still busy carrying new bags, the first ones already start falling to the ground. With all ur electronic devices inside, great... Next, the officer notices a problem with our visa. Which means he just noticed a problem with his empty wallet and we should serve as a solution. We tried hard, but could not recognize any problem with the visa... With more and more peple waiting behind us, we finally are allowed to enter the country.

In the coutry we first notice the similarity to Turkey and we feel a bit like coming home. The flag resembles the Turkish flag with its white moon and star on red background. The language also sounds similar to us and with our great Turkish vocabulary we get along very well for shopping and in restaurants. After we first ordered dinner are shocked when the waiter arrives carrying a huge tray with countless bowls filled with different kinds of salad, cheese, fruits and sauces. But it was just so we can choose what we like. Back then we think “wow, what a complicated way to solve our communication problems”, later we realize this is normal over here. Our favourite drink for each meal in the Caucasus states is peach lemonade.

The hospitality here is insane: More than once other guests pay our meal when eating at restaurants. Or the owner himself refuses to let us pay. At the Olympic centre, which as labelled as a hotel on booking, the director hosts us for two days – as guests, not as costumers. We are deeply impressed and very grateful. If we had accepted every invitation, we would never have left the country. The only way we are allowed to give something back is taking huge amounts of selfies with everyone.

After our experiences at the border, we have rather mixed feelings when in the evening a police car turns and stops next to us - just at the moment we wanted to turn to a gravel road leading into the forest, for camping. They warn us about the wolves of the region and escort us to the nearest police station - there we get tea and are allowed to camp on the area. Thanks to heavy fog and virtually no visibility we have no pictures. All in all, we are not too lucky with the weather, with 3 days heavy rain and 3 days fog out of 11 days in the country. In between, we enjoy every dry moment and sunbeam.


 

The weather makes it easier for us to say goodbye, so we roll on broa, empty roads along gas pipelines towards the border.  We have to hurry anyway as we want to be in Oman in February. From now on temperatures are rising and we look forward to summer. For now we a urious to travel in Iran.

 

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