Another day spent in Baku as we have run into the mire of Central Asian bureaucracy. To cross the Caspian into Turkmenistan (only the second remaining Stalinist state in the world, the other being North Korea) is marginally easier than writing an opera. Not only does the ferry only go when it feels like but you need special visas, more stamps than a Weimar Republic postcard and a lot of luck. So we have engaged the services of a fixer. I cannot reveal more about this as it seems round these parts he is the equivalent of the Emperor Ming and should I say something untoward then he will probably have me floating in the Caspian, not crossing it. However the words trust, throw, far, as, wouldnt, I, him, and could may play a part in any future posts on this subject. We are currently looking at other options I.e. a 30 hour ferry trip to Kazakstan instead. Beggars cant be etc. etc. So, faced with this, we indulged in a spot of culture today and walked round Baku Old Town. We climbed The Maiden Tower (so named as in olden times it was hard to get into; a genuine 900-1400 year old gag there folks). This 12th or 7thC (depending on which academic you believe) World Heritage Site building was probably a religious site that was also used for astronomy, then at some stage it was incorporated into the defences of Baku. The presentation of historical information within it was second to none and puts English Heritage to shame. We then walked the walls of Old Baku; though renovated they still bear the bullet holes from the Turkish attack in 1918. On a more sober note upon entering the Shahs Palace yet more bullet holes were in evidence but we discovered that some of the 12000 Azerbaijani civilians massacred by the Armenians in 1918 were killed there; the bullet holes in this ancient building being their only memorial. Chilling to say the least. The old town is delightful, full of winding streets, wonderful buildings and most importantly, ideas for wargames. So tomorrow we enter the Byzantine world of transit documents. What joy, Im really cut out for that kind of thing....
Posted on: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 18:00:45 +0000
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