In this biggest Caucasus’ city I have learnt something about myself: I can have too much of the sun! 42 Celsius degrees didn’t let us discover as much as we wanted.
Baku in old Persian means “the city of winds”. But even if we were hoping very much, the wind didn’t come even on the pure clean seaside passage. Walk from shadow to shadow, from one ice-cream shop to another, ended up in cafe on 11th floor of some big building. Lovely view together with air condition made a good couple.
Glass and steel towers rise over the city, growing higher and higher. Baku is a boom-town since discovery on the big scale the oil in 19th century. Empty streets during sunny daytime. Full squares in the late evening. Metropolitan life.
But also everywhere present Mr president and huge Azerbaijani flags. Few days after we left the world’s highest flag was hoisted at the seaside. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the flag flies on a pole 162 meters high and measures 70 by 35 meters. The whole structure weighs in at 220 tons, with the flag itself a staggering 350 kilos. And the most funny part of the story? The flag torn two days after the big ceremony.
In general life is not funny for people in Baku. Police and state offices are very often corrupted, many businesses are build only on friends relationships, whole system can be very unfair and against law. Most young people we met would like to leave the country but it’s very difficult without students exchanges (except trips to Russia, China, Cuba and Iran), with very expensive visas to Europe and with government’s attitude “they will go and come back as revolutionists”.
Our first book is out!
We have published our first book (for now just in Polish:) about our Central America Trip.
See, read and order here »