Day 25 – 20 September 2017 – Rest Day – Baku (Azerbaijan)
We busted one of the local ruffians trying to take off with Nadia!!Stunning old town – we’re off to find a swimming spot……with success – one of the major goals of the trip about to be ticked off!!Swimming in the Caspian Sea – done!Time for some TRONO action – the GAS mafia chilling out!
I’m not asleep…I promise!
By the way, you have to pay to access the water here!?!Lines of condos overlooking the Caspian……and the oil rigs……drilling going on everywhere…making hay while the sun shines!!Back in the city, more stunning viewsAnd a huge amount of construction tooThe sun certainly felt like it was shining on us today – we still couldn’t quite believe we’d made it Baku – HALFWAY!!The iconic Flame Towers sparkled for us tooIt felt like time for some extreme TRONO action!It doesn’t quite capture the film of oil slick with the stunning harbour views – the juxtaposition of Baku!We set about a serious cup of tea to relax. As evening set Baku came alive with lights. It was really quite somethingTime for some reflections……and some time alone……while the flames of our mind continued firing……and the train of time rolled on by!!
Day 26 – 21 September 2017 – Baku to Ganga (Azerbaijan)
After a day of rest Tigger was ready to roll again…Three sparkling ladies ready to get down and dirty againHold on, we’ve got some serious miles to do!On the road again, I just can’t wait to get on the road againThe centre of Azerbaijan was flat, dry and hot, hot, hot!A military convoy heading in the opposite direction – we must be heading the right way then!Random elaborate sign in the middle of nowhere, but we know now we’re entering KurdemirUtes or flat bed trucks didn’t seem to be a thing, so everyone just tied stuff to the back of their carsLife in small town AzerbaijanThe welcome gates of GangaA man and his geese, just going on a roadie!!We arrived in Ganga and it was time to relax!!We were feeling the vibe, so when in Rome….
Day 27 – 22 September 2017 – Ganga to Stepanavan (Armenia)
The Ganja town square from our hotel roomWe were flying…As Azerbaijan and Armenia don’t like each other that much we had to pop back into Georgia to get into Armenia.Apparently laundry powder must be really expensive in Armenia, as there were all these stalls just on the Georgian side of the borderA quick Georgian lunch…….and some teaWe entered Armenia and the roads became pretty rough and raw!!The first village we went through was like a oil painting……a weird ex-Eastern Bloc factory oil painting……but it was a weird and wonderful spot……with building shells……and brick smoke stacks……and smoke pouring out behind a cross!?!From there the roads got pretty bloody awesome!!Going up and down some shear faces and giving some amazing vistas……of where we were going and where we’d come from…It bought a great smile to our faces, given the road we wanted to travel on had closed so we were flying by the seat of our pantsAfter climbing these twisty roads we popped up onto this plateau that stretched for ever……and the views off the sides were spectacular……with steep drops down to deep valleys.On dusk we arrived in Stepanavan and found a very tidy little hotel for the night, but the town itself didn’t feel quite so tidy!
