Baku - Flora Hostel

On Monday morning (19.08.2019) we arrived in Baku around five o'clock. The bus dropped off some passengers in the city and finally arrived at the Sədərək Ticarət Mərkəzi, a kind of market and shopping center in the southwest of the city. Here, the last goods from the back of the bus are sold and the vehicle is washed. I doze off a bit on the back seat, then treat myself to a tea for breakfast and then head to the center with two girls from Lənkəran. We can still easily get on the first bus, but we are then prevented from boarding the second by a security guard. So we have no choice but to take a taxi for the last kilometers back to the city center. Arriving there, we stroll through the clean and mostly renovated streets around the old town. Hard to believe that we are still in Azerbaijan. A stark contrast to the rest of the country. Around nine, my companions have to go to school and I have time to find accommodation. In a park, I use the wifi and mark some hostels on my map, which I then plan to visit one by one. It is already noon when I find cheap accommodation at the Flora Hostel, slightly north of the old town. Rango gets a spot assigned in the shady courtyard, I settle into my bed, take a shower and then relax for a while. The night on the bus was not very restful. In the early evening, I take a first stroll in the old town with Rango. We walk through narrow winding alleys, past the old city wall, small prayer houses, and many hotels. Away from the hotspots, there are quiet corners, otherwise the streets are filled with people and cars. Back at the hostel, I have a small dinner before the day comes to a well-deserved end around ten.

On Tuesday morning, I am somewhat surprised that it is already past nine o'clock when I open my eyes for the first time. The shutters are closed all around the room and it is still dark. Nevertheless, it is high time to get up. After a small breakfast, I go to the city with Rango, this time towards the harbor. I want to find out when I can take a ferry to Kazakhstan. We walk along externally well-renovated townhouses towards the southeast. At the harbor, I can at least find a phone number. The person on the other end of the line tells me that there is a ferry from Ələt to Aktau today and tomorrow. Both are still too early for me. Then we head back to the hostel, the temperatures are slowly becoming unpleasant. Once there, I upload pictures and write a travel report. There is also time for a coffee, some pastry, and games. In the late afternoon, when the streets offer more shade again, I take a walk with Rango. In a Spar supermarket, I can get sheep offal. Very healthy food for the big guy. Then we return to Flora, it's time for me to have a small meal as well. Later in the evening, Ana, Ivana, and Maruschka from Croatia check into the hostel. The three of them are spending their last vacation days in Baku. So the time until bedtime, which will be around three o'clock, is quite eventful. Especially Ana shows stamina and similar interest in cool hop blossom tea like me.

Also on Wednesday morning (22.08.2019), breakfast is not served until after nine o'clock. During this time, my Croatian fellow citizens also head to the hostel kitchen. Maruschka probably does her own thing, she temporarily moved in with a local and probably doesn't have to sleep on the couch there. From what I know about the area, it would be unthinkable the other way around. Ana and Ivana plan a trip to the beach and/or bazaar, but somehow get stuck in the planning. Time for a stroll with Rango. This time we head northeast towards the zoo. On the way there, we pass modern residential skyscrapers of various styles and some green spaces, all of which are far from being nature-friendly gardens. It is striking that despite the dry impression left by Azerbaijan, there seems to be no reason to save water. This is an observation I have already made in smaller towns and which is firmly established in the capital. At the zoo, we pass a bathing pond, free of any vegetation and completely framed by concrete. Rango takes the opportunity to splash around, I briefly consider it but dismiss the idea. Then we pause briefly in the shade and make our way back to the Flora Hostel. After a short time, Ana joins me and we decide to take a detour to Bilgəh Beach. Ivana set off alone for the bazaar and wants to follow later. It takes us an hour and a half to get there by public transport. In the bus, we choose the wrong side of the window and get a little sunburned. We reach the sandy beach around five o'clock. Our attempt to avoid the overcrowded section of the beach fails due to attentive hotel staff on the neighboring section of the beach. So we join the crowd and enjoy the sun and the sea. Ivana arrives at the beach around eight o'clock, it is already dark. So we go for a night swim before returning to the hostel. After a shared dinner, I take another walk with Rango in the nocturnal Baku. Ana accompanies us and treats us to some cold drinks. Very sympatico. Back at the hostel, we listen to live music in the courtyard for a while before going to bed well after midnight.

After taking a stroll with Rango on Thursday morning, I go to the beach in Bilgəh again with the two Croatians. Ivana wants to take a closer look. We reach the Caspian Sea around twelve o'clock. There are significantly fewer people around and the water is much clearer than the evening before. We spend the afternoon bathing and sunbathing, then we flee from the heat shortly after three o'clock. In the hostel, coffee and pastries await us, then I take another walk in the city with Ana and Rango. We go to a mosque, where only I can go in, Ana and Rango have to wait outside. Then we stroll around in a park that offers a good view of the evening Baku. As it gets dark, we walk through the botanical garden, a park that commemorates the victims of the Soviet era, and the old town back to Flora. There we pass the time with live music in the hostel courtyard and a few cold beers. Around four in the morning, it is time to say goodbye, the three girls have to go to the airport. So Ana, Ivana, and Maruschka get into the taxi and I go to bed.

On Friday morning, August 23, 2019, the walk with Rango is a little shorter and we only go around the block. I doze on the hostel couch during the noon and listen to a few podcasts on the side. A coffee in the afternoon wakes me up and the evening walk is a bit more extensive again. I make extensive use of the hostel wifi to upload pictures and then go to bed early.

On Saturday, during a walk with Rango, I discover a city area north of the hostel that does not appear to have been completely renovated yet. New high-rise buildings are under construction, some already finished, but in between, there is still a lot of older building structure. Small houses and gardens, shops, and various workshops form a nice contrast to the modern concrete structures. Otherwise, I make extensive use of the hostel wifi and relax a bit. After all, on Sunday I want to head to Ələt and take the next ferry to Kazakhstan. Let's see if everything works out and what awaits me on the other side of the Caspian Sea.