Azerbaijan: Baku

I arrive in Baku the day of the F1 grand prix. Locals I had met before mentioned the race, but I didn't put too much thought into it: I wasn't particularly interested in racing and I certainly wasn't gonna cycle to to the outskirts of Baku just to hear some race cars going by.

Little did I know...

Cycling into the the city center I'm surprised by the relative calmness of the roads. Only few people seem to be wandering around the seaside.

Closer to the city's core, suddenly some police barricades, and fences.

"What is this all about"? I ask a a policeman
"Grand prix" he says.
"Aaah, public viewing?"
"Mmmmh" the policeman nods

Well I have to get around there somehow, because my hostel is right on the other side. And so I make my way along the cased fence, until suddenly...

Within seconds, the quiet city is shaking under a roaring, deafening noise and the F1 cars pass by only a few meters besides me. Ooops. I had not expected that!

I stop for a few minutes to join the other spectators lining the streets to get a glimpse of cars, who take about 90 seconds to complete one round. Not much to see there, but impressive to experience (mostly: hear) the spectacle so closely.

After a few days in a hostel a local, Said, messages me and offers to host me. Together with his other couch surfers from Bosnia I spent some days exploring the Baku surroundings including a rather adventurous off-road trip to one of the biggest mud "volcanoes" and a visit to the open air museum.

It is convenient as well that Said offers to host me for as long as I need, so I can wait for perfect weather (= perfect wind). On the way into Baku (which is also nicknamed the "City of Windows"), heavy tail winds had pushed me forward and once more, just like on the way to Tbilisi, the weather gods are on my side and turn the wind around when I want to leave.

Windy situations

Unfortunately however it is a gust of that very wind that slams the window of my bedroom shut, minutes before I am ready to go. And that slam is so hard, that the window's (single layer) glass falls out of its wooden frame and breaks. Oops.

When I call Said (who is at work at the time) he assures me it is no problem but I don't believe it and want to at least offer my help, maybe let the repairman in, and of course I will cover the costs (I'm already evaluating the coverage of my insurance).

When Said arrives in the afternoon, he takes the window frame and we drive to the nearby glasser shop, where the clerk measures the frame, cuts the glass and fits it into the frame.

"5 Manat!" Said says.

I can't believe it: fixing the broken window has in fact just cost 2.5 EUR!

Honking records
Azerbaijan drivers would not hold back their enthusiasm about seeing cyclist visitors and press the horn like there is no tomorrow. Some drivers would pull over and get me to stop, or talk to me while driving their car next to me (provoking more honking from the cars behind). Thanks for the welcome!

The dress-code
Even my Baku host mentioned this once, while walking in the city. And it's true: most of the Azerbaijanis prefer to wear black and shorts on men are a very unfamiliar sight

Conservative mindset
Despite being a mostly Muslim country, not many Azeris are practicing religion. Religion is less prominent than in Turkey or Iran. Even more surprising it is to hear something like "I would not give my sister permission to wear shorts" out of the mouth of a 20y/o student

It wasn't until after I had (someWhat loudly) blown my nose in a fast food place--which made all the waiters turn around and look at me--that I realized I had committed a classic faux-pas: just like in Japan, blowing one's nose in public is very much frowned upon in AZ and (as I later read on another website) comparable with ripping a loud fart. Sorry, I'm not gonna doing again!