Articles from this Category
27 October 2022
I love taking the public ferries to Istanbul’s islands. Like Hong Kong’s Star Ferry, it’s a cheap way of getting a seaborne view of the city. The schedules seem to have changed and I couldn’t find a suitable departure from Eminonu to Princes’ Islands. So, I decided that we would leave around 0900 to Kadikoy […]
26 October 2022
Ayasofya Today I start showing Ming around in earnest, starting with the Ayasofya. We headed out straight after breakfast around 0900 and found a long queue for the Ayasofya. As it is now a mosque rather than a museum, entry is free but suspended during prayer hours. A security man suggested that the queue would […]
25 October 2022
Flying to Istanbul I woke at 0530 and walked to Trg Slavija at 0610 for the 0630 bus to the airport. I had hoped to catch the bus at a nearer stop to my hotel, which was supposedly the retired railway station, but wasn’t able to locate the stop. Finally, today, I found the bus […]
12 October 2022
Lazy start My priority for the day was to get my laundry done before flying out at 0435 tomorrow morning. My hotel offers laundry through its posher sister-hotel next door and quoted AZN3 per shirt. No way! I looked online for laundromats and it would have cost AZN20 total to wash and dry. Fortunately, I […]
11 October 2022
Above: Inside the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre. The glossy stairs down are a little freaky.. Travelling back to Baku Evim Otel had organised a car at 0800 to take me back to Baku as other options would involve a change in Ismaili and would leave equally early. I had breakfast before 0730 before dutifully waiting […]
10 October 2022
Getting from Sheki to Ismaili Today I go halfway back to Baku, overnighting at Lahich (travelling via Ismaili). After yesterday’s painfully slow transport experience, I was prepared to make life easier. After breakfast, at 0830, I ordered a Bolt car to take me to Sheki’s bus station rather than spend 30 mins walking. Why not? […]
9 October 2022
Quick look around Qax I had been afraid that I wouldn’t be able to fill today, my extra day in Sheki. I couldn’t have been more wrong as my simple trip to the next town of Qax (or Qakh), an hour away, turned into a whole day affair. After breakfast, I started my walk downhill […]
8 October 2022
Khan’s Palace Without the alarm, I woke at 0745, suggesting that I’m somewhat on local time now. I did wake up maybe around 0300 once but continued sleeping very well, obviously! A breakfast of egg, bread, jam and cheeses was served in the garden at 0800. My old guidebook suggests that the Khan’s Palace opened […]
7 October 2022
Above: My overpriced lunch. Today I move on to Sheki in the north-west of the country. I left my Baku hotel before 0800, storing my main bag with them, and found a quiet street where I could order a Bolt car to the bus station. The ride was too cheap for the 25 min ride […]
6 October 2022
Today I did an excursion to the highlands at Khinalug (spelled Xinaliq in Azeri language). There were five customers including myself, plus the guide and the driver. Leaving at 0900, we saw the rush hour traffic coming into Baku and were pleased that we weren’t travelling in that direction. As we headed into the countryside, […]