12th stage "Alat, Azerbaijan"

The alarm went off at 6 a.m. today, but I was already awake. I calmly packed my things and loaded them onto the moped. Unfortunately there was no tea yet, so I had to leave as it was. I wanted to avoid the morning rush hour in Baku and be at the ferry in time, in case it left on schedule. The trip to Alat was unproblematic, and exchanging my e-tickets for paper tickets at the port was also no problem. After that, I had to wait. Around midday, Anton, a Frenchman from Tours, joined us. Like Ben, Anton is on his way to Japan and has been on the road for 11 months. My tour of Asia now feels almost like a long weekend. It is now 9:20 p.m. and according to an official, it will take about 4 hours before we can board the ferry. So far, so good. Anything is better than waiting for the ferry for days. There is hardly anything to do here in the port.

Pictures may be available later. Filming and photography are prohibited here in the harbor.

It is now 1:30 a.m. and we - Adam and I - have finally moved into our cabin. We are sharing the establishment with two truckers from Hungary. Nice guys, like most people here.

06/01/2024: The night was pleasant, albeit short. For breakfast, as has often been the case recently, there was dry bread, sausage and cheese. But this time there was also some jam and honey. It is now 2:00 p.m. and the ferry has anchored somewhere off the Azerbaijani coast. It hasn't moved any further for several hours now. Let's see what comes next.

02.06.2024: The situation is unchanged. The ferry is anchored in front of Baku and is not moving. As I walked to the motorcycle, I asked a crew member when we would continue. If I understood him correctly, the answer was: Tomorrow

Apart from a few conversations with various truckers, there was only one highlight. One of the truckers caught a fish with a fishing rod. Since yesterday, fishing rods have been appearing everywhere, which truckers and crew members use to pass the time. I am left with the role of spectator. At breakfast, everyone is reminded of the cabin door with a few strong knocks. We'll see how it goes tomorrow. 😜

06/03/2024: At some point during the night or early in the morning, the ferry started moving again unnoticed. It has now really picked up speed. There is not much to do during the day. Life only starts again when a narrow, tiny strip of land appears on the horizon. Suddenly everything happens very quickly and we are in the port of Kyryk. Adam and I have decided to share a room in Aqtau. After a customs check on board, we get our passports back and are allowed to go to the motorcycles. But it takes quite a while before we are allowed off the ferry. We drive to the first checkpoint and wait for it to open. It is now 8 p.m. At some point the officials come and start their work. As motorcyclists, we are given priority and are first in line. After we have overcome this hurdle, we head towards the exit. Here it is made clear to us that we have to go back to reception to get a certain document. I can only guess what the reception is. But I'm lucky. A man who happens to be passing by speaks a little English and gives me the crucial tip. Meanwhile, Adam has also arrived and once again has to open his luggage roll. So far I have been spared all of this, which probably has something to do with my tender age. When it comes to the bureaucratic hurdles that follow, we are again given preferential treatment and receive something like VIP service. After paying around €110 in fees and getting all sorts of forms and stamps, we've made it. Without us noticing, it's now 2 a.m. Now it's time to withdraw some money, eat something for dinner and get the 70 km to Aqtau behind us. Fortunately, the road is in very good condition, so we don't have to worry so much and can make good progress. Neither Adam nor I want to drive at night. Fortunately, the hotel is still open and has a room that suits us. All's well that ends well. At least for now.