Baku Transportation Tips by maykal

I arrived in and left Baki by rail. There are nightly trains to <a href='http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/.133814/1574/?s=b'>Tbilisi</a> in <a href='http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/.133814/196/?s=s'>Georgia</a>, taking about 18 hours, depending on the mood of the border guards. Trains are excruciatingly slow, but comfortable and cheap, and because the border is crossed either mid-morning (going to Tbilisi) or early-evening (heading to Baki), you can get a very good nights sleep. Of course, this depends on how much vodka your fellow passengers have drunk! Border guards take a special interest in foreigners, not always in a good sense...they will be after bribes, and failing money, they might ask for 'presents'...be wary of 'official fees' and demand a receipt for any payment. Don't pay anything if the guard lowers the price 'just for you'...obviously this is NOT an official fee, and will most likely go towards cigarettes and alcohol. A good way to get away without paying a bribe is to show them a credit card or some travellers' cheques...don't let on that you have dollars. It is better to make sure that you are not in a compartment all to yourself, as local passengers often stick up for foreigners where bribes are involved...of course it could also work the other way around! If you are alone in a compartment, like I was, don't let the guard close the door on you...my guard made it quite clear that he wanted money or a suitable gift from me, and when I refused, he closed the door...I made a fuss and enough noise to alert the provodnik (train attendant) who came along to see what was going on...the border guard almost immediately gave up on me, shook my hand and left! Another good tactic is to speak at them in a language they don't understand, until they get bored and leave, or to offer them things that won't be useful to them...I offered a bag of dirty underwear, which did not go down well!!! The Azeri guards were rather half-hearted about asking for bribes...one 'No!' was enough. But the Georgian side was much worse. A local passenger told me that the trains are only obliged to stop for two hours at the most, after which time the drivers are free to decide when the train leaves. If you have a difficult guard, try to hold out until the train starts moving, then they will have no choice but to leave, bribe-less. This only applies to those who do have their paperwork in order...don't expect to get away with not paying anything if you don't have the correct visa, but if you are sure your visa is valid, don't be afraid to stand up for yourself.
For getting around Baki, my favourite method was walking...I walked everywhere, despite the heat and the hazardous driving skills. It is a flat city, so it is a city made to be walked in! However, taxis are cheap, and there is a network of minibuses with their destinations listed on the side...you can stop them and get off them at any point on their route by shouting 'Sakhla burada!'. As for getting to other towns in Azerbaijan, the fastest way is by bus. There are two bus stations, the main one for international buses and destinations around Azerbaijan, and a second, more chaotic bus station for towns on the Aspheron Peninsula. Some of the nearer towns are served by the city minibuses as well. Distances in Azerbaijan aren't huge, but some of the buses are so clapped-out (I swear some of them run on vodka!!) that it can take hours to cross the country...for example, Baki-Zaqatala is an overnight journey (don't expect to sleep though...you will have no leg-room, and just as you drop off, the bus driver will decide to take a cigarette break, and everyone will make a lot of noise getting off to join him!), and Baki-Quba is four hours.

Mode: TO,AROUND

Type: Other