Day 22: 13th June,2012 – Turkmenbashi to Baku (Azerbai-jan)

I had slept last night without having dinner. Therefore my stomach roared me up early next morning at 4.30 am. I arranged for a sandwich and realized that the hills had come nearer. We were passing through deserts and barren lands; herds of black sheep and occasionally some Camels could be seen. There was also a big store of large round black pipes for carrying gas. A number of goods train were carrying a large number of these pipes. Turkmenistan has a large reserve of natural gas and a pipeline will be coming to India via Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Turkmenbashi

I was apprehensive about getting a ship to Baku. I was told that it did not sail every day. Today is my 3rd day of transit visa. I have two more days to wait. A young man in my cabin showed me on his mobile picture of the President Putin, a picture of his country’s President and then an image of the Indian actress Aishwarya Rai. I laughed. I went out to stretch my legs so I took a walk in the compartment. It was fully carpeted and was very neat and clean. Even the toilets were clean. I realized that there wasn’t any garbage anywhere.

Turkmenistan to Baku, Azerbaijan by Ship

At 8.30am every one was getting ready. I could see water on one side .It was the Caspian Sea. The train came to a stop at the Turkmenbashi STATION AT 9.30 am. My compartment was in the last and I had to once again carefully jump off to the platform. I was very keen on finding out about the ship’s movement and so decided to go to the port straight away. I hired a taxi to the port for 5 manat and was informed by the driver that a ship had come today and would leave for Baku in a while. He stopped at a mini market and signaled me to buy some food, I was bewildered at first but later realized that there were no shops for miles around. The taxi then stopped at the port entry. My passport was checked and I was asked to board a Port Authority bus which would take me further. The complimentary ride left us at a hall where some people were sitting. It was 10.15 am, no one knew about the ship’s exact timing and so I went up to the first floor, into a restaurant. I ate sandwiches and drank some black tea called Chorni.
 After that I went back to the hall where a young militia was humming an Indian song. I wondered on how the movie industry had a stronger reach across the world than any other industry. I was then called inside the custom hall where my bags were x rayed. The immigration officer kept quite and I was asked to go out. Outside, there were no signs and so I assumed I had to keep moving forward. A young militia then checked my passport and led me to a big chamber, which I assumed was the inside of the ship. Two big bulky men came to me and asked for my passport along with 90 dollars for the ticket. I felt threatened and apprehensive at first, but when I saw the other passengers doing the same, and then complied myself. I then climbed three floors of a narrow staircase inside the ship and reached an open area where there was a row of cabins on both the sides. I was qickly approached by a woman who asked me to keep my packsacks in a hall and led me to an A.C. Cabin with a tv. She told me that this cabin would cost 30$ but I refused. She took me to the 20 dollar cabins and then the 10 dollar cabins. I settled for one for 10 dollars only. I settled for a 10 dollar room which had a small bed and a double bed. The room even had an attached bathroom which was clean. On enquiry, the woman told me that the ship's name was DAGISTAN and was a cargo ship. On this round, the ship had no cargo but 12 passengers. Around 1.15pm, I locked my cabin and walked out. It was warm but not hot. The ac cabin was taken by a family. I took a shower and then boiled water for tea while eating the potato patties which I had bought in the morning. The ship was not moving and the exhaustion took me to sleep. When I got up, it was 6pm. I thought the ship hadn't started moving but was relieved to know that it had. It was a smooth sail and there was no noise. When I stood outside, I could see Turkenbasy city at a distance. It was not a big city, but it was the port for Turmenistan. The Capsian sea is not a sea in a true sense, its rather a very big lake with less movement and lesser marine life. 
The crew of the ship and some young students were chatting nearby. One of the students who could speak in English came and talked to me. His name was Nazar. Smiling at the coincidence, I nodded as he told me that he and his friends were students pursuing Oil and Petroleum Engineering. He gave me valuable information about the area. He told me that Baku was an expensive city and that there was no way one could get a room for less than 30 dollars. The currency manta was costlier tha the dollar (80 mannat for 100 dollar). He even told me that because of a big conflict, I could not go to Armenia via Azerbaijan, that I had to go through Georgia. This put me in a dilemma as going through Georgia meant having to apply for its visa. I decided to go to the Indian Embassy and seek their help. 
At 9 pm, I witnessed the power of a beautiful sunset from the deck and couldn’t stop clicking pictures. I then went to the main machine room which was equipped with modern instruments. The person in charge there told me that the ship would reach Baku at 10 am. I went to have dinner from there and ate some bread with tomatoes and sauce and a cup of tea. The environment was cooler now and I soon went to sleep.

Sunset from ship on the way to Baku, Azerbaijan