Baku, Azerbaijan

Well, I now have the Uzbekistan visa safely secured in my passport, so all is good on that front.  I can now enter safely into one of the 10 most difficult countries to enter, at least according to The Culture Trip, Business Insider and Garfor's Globe, all travel sites that review this sort of thing.  Again, the visa was not that difficult to obtain, but many travel bloggers do state that many visas are more easily obtained at an embassy near their border.  Good for me, and a plan of attack I will employ to get a Pakistani visa.  A crazy thing happened at the Uzbekistan Embassy.  While I was waiting for my passport, another person walked in to get a visa.  He ended up being an Afghani, and he worked on the same base at the same time as I did while in Afghanistan.  Talk about a small world.

With regards to crossing the Caspian Sea lake.  I have contacted a cargo company who will take both myself and the motorcycle to Kazakhstan.  There are no making reservations on the ship and space is allotted by availability.  The standard protocol is to call them each morning and ask if there is a ship going today and is there any space available. At this point I am 0 for 4 in attempts to get on this boat. The problem has been the weather, the wind has been blowing steady around 25mph (40kph) with winds gusting over 45mph (73kph), and ships do not sail the Caspian during these conditions.  Fortunately, the booking agent at the shipping company has taken mercy on me, he understands that my Azerbaijan visa will not last forever and told me that he would hold a spot for me on the next ship that sails.  I am hoping that his offer comes to fruition.

Visas are one of the major determiners of paths to take when circumnavigating the world.  It is not as easy as carefully selecting the path and then getting a 30-day visa and then leaving on day 30.  Allot more planning and forethought have to go into the process.  For instance, if this ship is unable to take me out of the country by day 27, I will have to back track to Georgia, the only country where I have remaining visa eligibility, and wait out the time requirement to get another Azerbaijan visa or figure out a new route.   The upcoming China crossing is a much more difficult affair.  I will need to bounce between Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan, playing the visa game until I can figure out a route and get the proper visas and permissions to get to India via the China/Pakistan, Afghanistan/Pakistan, or China/Nepal route.  What makes this all the more difficult is that world politics change tensions between countries that affect the planning, and being a US citizen, I come from a country that causes allot of tension.  China, Russia, their loyal satellites, and the countries that our Government argues with affect visa eligibility, duration, processing and timing.  In short, this part of the world is insanely complicated to travel through. 

Mall and Entertainment Complex (Under Construction)

Funicular - Links my Airbnb to the Waterfront Entertainment Area

The beginning of an amusement area near the mall

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Total Distance Traveled by Motorcycle: 24,124 mi (38,794 km) 

Countries/Territories Visited: USA, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Gibraltar, France, Monaco, Italy, Vatican City, San Marino, Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Transnistria, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan

Trip Issues - Part 8

What was once thought improbable, has just been achieved, and I owe it to an online travel blog (the Travel Tramp http://www.travel-tramp.com/how-to-get-an-uzbekistan-visa-in-baku/).  The blog detailed how easy it was to get a visa for Uzbekistan here in Baku, Azerbaijan.  The detailed methodology was standard, just go to the embassy, but I had read about requirements that applicants needed to be on an official tour (aka government minders) like in China or Iran or needed official letters of invitation (LOI) like Russia or Kazakhstan back when I last visited there, but this blog dismisses that nonsense. So I did in fact go to the embassy, and in 4 days I was approved for the visa, no tour requirements, no LOI, just a nice guy who was very helpful.  At $160, the levy is pretty steep, but this amount is a very common charge for US citizens when applying to many countries,  Why is that you ask? Well, this is what we charge to go through our visa process, so basically it is a reciprocity fee.  The fee to the United Kingdom is $70, so I assume that is what the UK charge for their visa process.

The issue now at hand is how to get to the other side of the Caspian Sea.  Since there is no way to drive there (Iran to the south and Russia to the north), the only way across is by boat.  I have found a cargo ship that will take passengers and motorcycles. The trip time is 30 hours, the cost is $70.  Included in the cost is a cabin and three meals, so not too bad.  At $110, the motorcycle on the other hand is expensive.  I assume the higher fee is due to loading and unloading charges.

Cargo Ship From Alat, Azerbaijan to Aktau, Kazakhstan

Issues Map

I now have almost every issue resolved to get through this very difficult part of the world.  The one outstanding issue, and I have no idea how to solve it, is  how to get through China.  Will they let me in?  Yes.  Will they let Greta in?  Yes.  Will they charge about $600 a day to cross their country?  Yes.  Is there an overland route around China?  No. With Pakistan refusing my visa, I will need to go from Kyrgyzstan, through China, and all the way to Nepal.  The trip will take about 15 days, and thus cost at least $9,000, so that won't happen.  I will make another attempt at a Pakistan visa while I am in Kyrgyzstan.  If I get it, that will be fantastic.  Not only will my trip through China be far shorter, but there are plenty of people driving this route, and the fees that China charges can be shared.  So that is my current, although no too realistic, plan.  The countries where overlanders queue up to cross China (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan), total 115 days of visa free tourism, so I have time to adjust my plan if required.   

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Total Distance Traveled by Motorcycle: 24,124 mi (38,794 km) 

Countries/Territories Visited: USA, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Gibraltar, France, Monaco, Italy, Vatican City, San Marino, Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Transnistria, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan

Baku, Azerbaijan

I rolled into Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan and the country's showcase city.  The ride from Ganja was kinda boring and uneventful, but I have arrived at the Caspian Sea, the largest landlocked body of water on the planet. The uniqueness of the Caspian Sea is that there is no political agreement on weather the Sea is actually a sea or a lake.  The scientific community seems to have come to the conclusion that it is a lake, but for now, it is a sea on your maps.  

Azerbaijan makes quite a bit of money on their vast supplies of natural gas and it appears that they have pumped allot of that money into Baku.  As a result, there are many new and under construction buildings and that are quite impressive from an architectural standpoint.  The older buildings also look rather nice, but upon close up inspection, they are just old Soviet apartment blocs (I have come across thousands of these blocks in the former USSR) that have been fitted with new facades, and once entered, the interiors are rather dated and austere.  That being said, they do have a very nice curb appeal. With all the new funky construction and updates, many journalists have compared Baku to Dubai.  I have been to Dubai many times and I do not agree with that assessment, at least not yet, but it is a nice clean city that appears to be flourishing since the country regained its independence in 1991.     

The country's investment in the City's beatification has paid off well.  They have attracted many companies who have been sinking money into the City, to include: Ferrari, Bentley, Harley Davidson, Hilton, and every retailer under the sun.  The most impressive attractant is Formula 1 Racing and they are currently setting up the course for the upcoming race.  It is a street course and I rode a good length of it the other day.  I must admit, I felt like a bit of a kid as I rode through the barricades and down the straightaways., it was fun playing F1 driver for a couple of minutes.  

Baku Waterfront

Heydar-Aliyev Center

By checking the map above, I have Russia to the north, Iran to the south, and the Caspian Sea to the east, so it is clear that as a US citizen, I have run out of usable real estate to go any further.  I am will have to figure out a plan if I am to continue.    

Stage Distance: 218 mi (352 km) 

Total Distance Traveled by Motorcycle: 24,124 mi (38,794 km) 
Countries/Territories Visited: USA, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Gibraltar, France, Monaco, Italy, Vatican City, San Marino, Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Transnistria, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan

Ganja, Azerbaijan

I have arrived in the land of Ganja, yup, that's the name of the place.  Ganja translates to "treasure" in Persian, and I am sure it is regarded as a treasure to many in the western world too ;-).  It did get me wondering, is the name Ganja (cannabis) derived from the same language as Ganja (the city).  I consulted the wisest source I know, Senior Google, to get the answer.  Apparently, Ganja the drug is derived from Sanskrit, where the Hindi language is also based (think Ganges, as in the river, where cannabis was found on its banks, thus ganja).  So there you go, the drug was named by the Indians, and not the much credited Rastafarians, and the City was named by the Persians, and not the Rastafarians, who were never credited.  

So I made it through the Georgian/Azerbaijani border today.  Three minutes on the Georgian side and three and a half hours on the Azerbaijani side.  Apparently there was an issue with my visa.  The visa did not contain my middle name and my passport did, which caused them quite a bit of consternation, but eventually things were straightened out and I have entered into my fifth former Soviet state of the trip.  I bring up this tidbit primarily because the people in the former Soviet states tend to be very stoic, almost cold towards one another.  Nothing rude, just a cultural difference from the Western World. Here in Azerbaijan, people are very friendly.  I must of had over 50 people wave as I rode by today.  When I stopped, everyone would come over and ask about the bike and where I have been.  I do not remotely resemble a local, its obvious, and they come over and ask questions, and to be honest I kind of enjoy it after the last four months in Greece, Turkey and Georgia, where people tend to keep very much to themselves. 





Stage Distance: 129 mi (208 km) 

Total Distance Traveled by Motorcycle: 23,906 mi (38,397 km) 
Countries/Territories Visited: USA, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Gibraltar, France, Monaco, Italy, Vatican City, San Marino, Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Transnistria, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan

Tblisi, Georgia

Feeling a little bit under the weather today, I had a wisdom tooth taken out and the left side of my face has ballooned up to twice is size.   I am glad it is gone as it  had been bothering me for a while.  I checked with a dentist in the US, and they wanted $800 to remove it, so I delayed. The tooth finally popped (not sure of the technical term, but I yawned and pain shot through it and never left), and the pain became more than I wanted to deal with.  I went to see a dentist here in Tblisi, he concurred that it would have to be removed, and then apologized as it would be a very expensive procedure.  Total price, $81, 1/10th of the US.  But considering the average Georgian only makes $410 a month, it is pretty steep. 

Many of the services here are very inexpensive, and the country advertises these services as tourism.  Dental tourism, tattoo tourism, wine tourism, spa tourism, etc, can all be had for about 10-20% of the price in the US.  Not sure if I would get a dental implant here, but pulling a tooth is pretty basic.

Peace Bridge

Tbilisi Creek

Presidential Palace

I just applied for my visa to Azerbaijan,.  The process is quite easy, it is basically a $20 charge, and they email the visa.  The timing for my visit to the country is not perfect, apparently it is the Novruz (Arabic for new year) holiday in the country as well as Iran.  Since partying in Iran is strictly prohibited, many of their citizens road trip north for their version of Spring Break.  So, it will be agnostic Ken, and a bunch of Shia Muslims there to get their yayas out.  This should be interesting. I still have a couple of weeks left in Georgia, so I will cross that bridge when I get to there.   

Stage Distance: 0 mi (0 km) 

Total Distance Traveled by Motorcycle: 23,677 mi (38,189 km) 
Countries/Territories Visited: USA, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Gibraltar, France, Monaco, Italy, Vatican City, San Marino, Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Transnistria, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Georgia