franeuro
Observer
Here's a blog update for you guys - access to my blog is blocked here!
This is a continuation of my last update.
The next morning, I got up around 6 AM to enjoy a swim in the Black Sea. The water was perfect. It was warm enough to be comfortable but just cool enough to refresh. I splashed and floated for the next 45 minutes. It was time to move. Our goal was Batumi, Georgia. Problems with the air conditioner had been getting worse, so we also wanted to squeeze in a stop at the Trabzon Suzuki dealership.
The drive along the Black Sea coast was quite beautiful and traffic was nonexistent. Trabzon was difficult to navigate and we ended up visiting 3 out of the 4 Suzuki dealers in the city to find a mechanic. In an incredible stroke of luck, we encountered the Trabzon chapter of the Turkish Off Road Club. They took extremely good care of us, offering water, tea, coffee, and cigarettes to us. They were ecstatic when Scott left them with some magazines and stickers. The downside: they were able to find out the source of our A/C problems. Apparently there is a leak somewhere and the freon is slowly escaping. They did replace our coolant and it shouldn't be a problem (I hope).
A couple of hours later it was time to cross into Georgia. The Turkish side was packed with truckers and an absolute zoo. I met a fellow Mongol Rallier in line to get the car exported. The Georgian side was calmer. It was a bit of a shock when they made Scott get out of the car - from here on out, passengers would pass through separately from the owner/driver of the vehicle.
After passing through the border, the Scottish team I had met in line was parked on the side of the road. We enjoyed a beer in a small cafe on the Black Sea and decided to meet up in Batumi, just a few kilometers across the road.
Georgia was an incredible surprise. Batumi was vibrant and full of people. It was clear that a lot of money had been invested into attracting tourists. The Scots became separated from us, but somehow we met on a street corner and found a hotel together. It was great to meet another team since we had been more or less traveling alone since the Czechout Party. Everyone dropped their bags off and we headed out for dinner and beer.
The restaurant suggested by the hotel was closed but found a bar/restaurant closer to the town center. The food was amazing. The Georgian national dish is a cheese pie: a small crust on the bottom and filled with melted cheese. It was unbelievably good and they come in many different varieties. Cheese pie, fried pork, and cold beer was exactly what was needed after a long day behind the wheel. Some of the guys headed back, but I stayed out with two of the Scots. We had encountered a young Georgian guy during dinner who spoke excellent English. He volunteered to show those of us who remained around the city. After some Georgian cognac and Georgian wine, it was time to head back to the hotel.
The next morning was extremely relaxed. I was a little worse for wear after our alcohol-fueled tour of Batumi, so this was extremely welcome. Most of the morning was spent enjoying a late breakfast and catching up on e-mail.
The drive to Tiblisi was beautiful. The Georgian country side is absolutely worth seeing and the Georgians were some of the most warm and funny people we have met so far. They are also the worst drivers I have ever encountered. It's a complete free for all on the road. We pulled into Tiblisi around 8 PM and found a hotel. It was now time for another Georgian feast: more cheese pie and fried pork! Sleep came easy - we would need lots of rest for tomorrow's border crossing into Azerbaijan. Georgia has been one of our favorite countries so far. The girls are absolutely amazing.
Tiblisi is quite close to the Azeri border so next morning's drive was smooth. Checking out of Georgia was simple enough and I was quite confident that we would be rolling into Baku quite early. I was tragically mistaken. The Azeri side was a nightmare. Long queues, a totally inadequate border checkpoint, and angry officials all contributed to a four hour border crossing. At one point, I had to hike from the temporary border crossing through a pile of ash and garbage to the brand-new border crossing up top. We actually lost five hours due to a new time zone.
After dealing with Georgian drivers, Azeris seemed completely rational. Our drive to Baku was long and flat. I don't think we encountered any hills or altitude. Lots of construction slowed our progress, but the sheer amount of time spent at the border crossing is what really sunk us. Prior to this, we had been able to avoid driving at night (this is one of our cardinal rules - the chance of an accident significantly increases at night) but we simply could not find a hotel on the highway to Baku. I had reserved a hotel in Baku several months ago, so we decided to power on and see what we could find. Several of the western-style hotels on the edge of town were asking exorbitant rates so we headed into downtown to find the Sea Port Hotel (where I made my reservation). Luckily, it was quite easy to find. The highlight of our drive: after we had managed to get quite lost in an Azeri city, an extremely kind man gave us directions, led us to the correct turn and gave us six bottles of water.
Baku was much different then expected. I was aware of the oil money flowing into the city, but I wasn't prepared for the sheer amount of new hotels, construction, and wealth that Baku possessed. It was extremely impressive.
Our first task after awakening: attempt to get some concrete information about the elusive Baku-Turkmenbashi ferry. Most guidebooks and authorities paint this as a crapshoot. There are no regular schedules or tickets available in advance. The ships are described as roach infested and it's common to wait 2-3 days off the cost of Turkmenistan waiting for a place to dock at the port.
Fortunately, our experience was the opposite. We headed to the port around 9:30 to find the ticket office. After a few false starts, we found the correct building. They then informed us to come back in an hour or two and they would have more concrete info. Productivity was key - it could be several days before the next ferry. We checked out of the hotel, changed money, obtained cash, and purchased enough provisions to last for several days. After returning to the port, they informed us we could purchase tickets at 7 PM. Our Scottish buddies happened to be at the port as well, which was a good thing. None of us wanted to be the only team on the boat. The Customs Office let us drop the car off and complete some of the paperwork necessary to export the car, but this was as far as we could proceed.
We killed the next few hours at the pub, which provided the cold beer and shade necessary to beat the heat. Arriving somewhere early didn't seem to help in Azerbaijan, so we waited until 7:30. A man from the ticket office came and found us. George and I (George is a member of the Beer-Bongolians, the semi-Scottish team we have been traveling/hanging out with) purchased the tickets in a relatively painless process. We paid 100 USD per person and 50 USD per meter. The Jimny was 3.5, so that came out to 375 USD. The ticket price even included a cabin!
Exporting the vehicle was a pain, but the ferry was quite painless. We left the port around 2 AM and docked in Turkmenbashi around 8 PM. The boat was relatively clean, but very hot. There was even a small café. The crew was quite friendly as well.
Right now we’re in Ashgabat – we head for the Darvaza gas crater tonight and attempt to cross into Uzbekistan tomorrow. Wish us luck!
Hi Chuck,
Thanks a lot for your narrative! Please try and go on telling us about your experiences and encounters in these foreign and strange countries... it's so enjoyable!
And take care!
