Above: Inside the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre. The glossy stairs down are a little freaky.. Travelling back to Baku Evim Otel had organised a car at 0800 to take me back to Baku as other options would involve a change in Ismaili and would leave equally early.  I had breakfast before 0730 before dutifully waiting […]

Getting from Sheki to Ismaili Today I go halfway back to Baku, overnighting at Lahich (travelling via Ismaili).  After yesterday’s painfully slow transport experience, I was prepared to make life easier.  After breakfast, at 0830, I ordered a Bolt car to take me to Sheki’s bus station rather than spend 30 mins walking.  Why not?  […]

Quick look around Qax I had been afraid that I wouldn’t be able to fill today, my extra day in Sheki.  I couldn’t have been more wrong as my simple trip to the next town of Qax (or Qakh), an hour away, turned into a whole day affair. After breakfast, I started my walk downhill […]

Khan’s Palace Without the alarm, I woke at 0745, suggesting that I’m somewhat on local time now.  I did wake up maybe around 0300 once but continued sleeping very well, obviously!  A breakfast of egg, bread, jam and cheeses was served in the garden at 0800. My old guidebook suggests that the Khan’s Palace opened […]

Above:  My overpriced lunch. Today I move on to Sheki in the north-west of the country.  I left my Baku hotel before 0800, storing my main bag with them, and found a quiet street where I could order a Bolt car to the bus station. The ride was too cheap for the 25 min ride […]

Today I did an excursion to the highlands at Khinalug (spelled Xinaliq in Azeri language).  There were five customers including myself, plus the guide and the driver. Leaving at 0900, we saw the rush hour traffic coming into Baku and were pleased that we weren’t travelling in that direction.  As we headed into the countryside, […]

Random learnings The sights in the area surrounding Baku are a little hard to get to by public transport.  Rather than hire a taxi, it’s actually more economical to book a day tour.  I found one online that was cheaper than the prices quoted locally.  But prices pasted on the door of the tour company […]

The Boulevard again I slept well from 2030 last night to 0530.  I took it easy and didn’t head out till 0800 because sights here don’t open till around 1000.  I had planned on walking to the Flame Towers but did random walks down to the waterfront instead when I realised I had missed a […]