Don't want to give the idea that Sumqayit is typical of Azerbaijan. Baku has a few bragging rights, too. Oil and gas revenues have made this place the boom town of the Caucasus, and the Azeris know it. Cranes are everywhere and so are parks and boutiques. There are even some crosswalks, giving the pedestrian slightly more rights than neighboring Georgia, where rats are given more leeway. Although one day the police make everyone jump out of the street--practically flattened against a wall--so some minister can scream by in a motorcade. He's probably off to pose for a new portrait to be immortalized in posters and statues about town. Curiously, ambulances are not afforded the same right of way.
The best part of Baku is the old city, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. It's where my hostel, the 1000 Camels, is located.
Through the gates into the fortified old city.
The Maiden Tower is part of the fortification. Legend says it dates to the time of the Zoroastrians who worshipped here (the natural gas once flamed out of the ground) or perhaps threw bodies into the tower for the birds to pick clean.
Pedestrian streets are everywhere.
The Maiden Tower is part of the fortification. Legend says it dates to the time of the Zoroastrians who worshipped here (the natural gas once flamed out of the ground) or perhaps threw bodies into the tower for the birds to pick clean.
Pedestrian streets are everywhere.
If I was a small child, I would be terrified to ride on this.
Mickey and Donald look just a bit sinister on this ride.
Gas station attendants are incredibly friendly. Most Azeris are for that matter.
Mickey and Donald look just a bit sinister on this ride.
Gas station attendants are incredibly friendly. Most Azeris are for that matter.
1 comment:
Is it me, or are those ride figures some of the scariest expressions you've ever seen? They look like one of those Chucky movie toy horror films. Hey, there's a thought---you really could scout for Hollywood shooting sites. I think we've got a whole new business plan here.
The old city looks, beautiful though. I like the lights on the walls at night. Why was the Zoroastrian temple called the Maiden temple? tu amiga querida
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