Täna tahaks rääkida paarist asjast, mis mulle siin ei meeldi ning tasakaaluks siis ka asjadest, mis mulle meeldivad. Lihtsalt, et natuke auru välja lasta. Tervikpilti mul mingitest asjadest veel muidugi ei ole. 

-  Taksojuhtid on omavahel kokkuleppinud, et kõigilt välismaalastelt tuleb kõrgemat hinda küsida. Ma muidugi ei tea, kas see tegelikult ka nii on, aga tunne on küll selline. Iga kord kui ma tänavalt takso võtan, hakkab pihta igipõline vaidlus - taksojuht küsib mult 6 manaati, aga ma pole nõus maksma rohkem kui 2 ( heal juhul 3). Sest tegelikult ei tohiks sõidud linna sees rohkem maksta. Taxify või Uberiga seda probleemi pole - äpp arvutab hinna ise. Üldiselt lõppeb see vaidlus sellega, et taksojuht poriseb, et istu siis taksosse. Mul ei ole kauplemise vastu midagi, aga see ei ole otseselt kauplemine. Mult lihtsalt küsitakse kõrgemat hinda. 

+ Aeg-ajalt peetakse mind kohalikuks. Täpsemalt kohalikuks venelannaks. Jep. Ma olen potensiaalne sibul. Eestis tõenäoliselt sama nali läbi ei läheks. Ma näen pigem üdini skandinaavlane välja. Siin maailmanurgas on lood teisiti. Igal juhul pole ma tänavatel ükssarvik, mis on tore. 

- Siseriiklike rongipiletite ostmiseks pead passi näitama. Üleüldse peab siin iga teise asja jaoks passi näitama. Käisime nädalavahetusel Ganjas. Läksin esimene kord raudteejama pileteid ostma - mõttetu üritus, sest mul polnud kellegi passe kaasas. Üritasin internetist piletit osta, aga mul on välismaine krediitkaart, niiet see ka ei toiminud. Kuidas see loogiline on? Kõik pangakaardid on kas VISA või MasterCard vms? Läksin siis teine kord hunniku passidega raudteejaama pileteid ostma. Ei, ma ei varastanud kellegi identiteeti , aga võimalus oli olemas. Õnneks mu korterikaaslased usaldavad mind muhahaha......

+ Transport on nii odav! Linna sees takso 2-3 AZN, buss või metroo on 0.20 AZN, bussipilet Ganjast Bakuusse (rohkem kui 400 km ) - 7 AZN. Ühe korra sõitsime jagatud taksoga rohkem kui 200 km, maksime selle eest 12 AZN. Buss Gobustani - 65 km, 0.80 AZN. 

- Aeg-ajalt juhtub ka seda, et sul on üks küsimus, aga vastuse saamiseks pead rääkima viie inimesega ja lõpuks saadetakse sind tagasi esimese inimese juurde kellega rääkisid. 

+ Autopesu on 3 AZN. Kahjuks pole mul  küll autot mida pesta. Mulle kül paelub idee jalgratas sebida ja sellega ringi vurada. 

- Jalakäijatele lastakse signaali. Tule eest ära noh!

+/- See on nüüd tegelikult pluss ja miinus korraga. Aegajalt ollakse siin natuke seksistlikud. Näiteks bussis võimalusel ikkagi pakkutakse naisterahvastele istet. Jõusaal, kus ma käin pakub naistele väga head soodustust. Samas prostituudiga mind pole siiamaani veel segamini aetud. See on see, mida rääkisidi inimesed internetis. Et Bakuus on oht, et kui naine üksi ringi käib peetakse teda hooraks. Ma ei kujuta ette, kus need inimesed küll ringi käisid. 

+/- Samamoodi hea ja halb. Juhul kui taksojuht räägib vene keelt, tahab ta kindlasti teada, kes sa oled, mis sa siin teed ja kas sulle Bakuu meeldib. Taksojuhid on mu põhiline vene keele praktika :D. Enamik ikkagi loobuvad minuga vene keeles vestlemast, kui saavad mu tasemele pihta. 

+ Inimesed aitavad kui küsida. Tõesti aitavad. Saadavad su bussile ära või ütlevad, kus pead maha minema ja kui palju taksojuht tegelikult sult raha peaks küsima. 

- Kui kellegilt tänaval teed küsida, sekkub arutelusse ka keegi kolmas, kelle arvamus ei kattu selle esimese vennaga ja sa oled lõpuks veel rohkem segaduses kui alguses. 

+ Palju puu- ja köögivilju! Hetkel on hooajas hurmaa, viinamarjad ja kõrvits!

- Baku tuuled. Siin puhub aeg-ajalt 15 m/s ja rohkemgi. Mu nokats lendab peast. 

+ Nii mitmekesine loodus! Mäed, kõrb ja troopika. 

- Mitmed ilusad kohad on Bakuust 200-500 km kaugusel. 

Las see kõik jääda. Eks mul kahe kuu pärast on veel mõtteid. See nädalavahetus tuleb mulle veel külalisi! Mu isa ja mu vanem õde tulevad külla. Saan nendega kokku Ganjas ( sest topelt ei kärise), hängime Bakuus ja siis tripime läbi Sheki Gruusiasse. Samuti, sest topelt ei kärise. Igaks juhuks tasub ikka igas maailma nurgas kaks korda käia. Aastaaeg on erinev näiteks. Jagan teile meelelahutuseks allpool ka natuke pilte. 


Today I would like to speak about things I like in baku and also about things I don’t like. Just to blow some steam. I don’t have a clear picture yet what is going on here, but some ideas still. 

- There is a unspoken agreement between the taxidrivers that they should always try to charge more from the foreigners. Of course I don’t know if it really is like this or not, but it does feel like it. Every time I take a taxi from the streets the same argument will begin - the driver will ask 5 or 6 AZN, but I agree to pay 2-3 AZN. Because thats how much all the drives within the city should cost. With Uber & Taxify you will not have this problem. Usually this argument will end with the taxi driver mumbeling under his nose “alright,  get in the cab”. I don’t mind  haggling, but I feel its not actually haggling. He is just asking for a higher price. 

+ Every once in a while somebody would consider me to be a local. A local russian. Jep. I local like a potential onion (this is how people call russians in Estonia sometimes). I could not play the same prank in Estonia - my look is to Scandinavian. In this corner of the world things are different. At least I am not a unicorn in the streets. 


- You need to show your passport for purchasing train tickets inside Azerbaijan. In general, you have to show your passport for every other thing here. We went to Ganja for the weekend. I went to buy tickets for the first time - I failed because I had no ones passport. I tried to buy a ticket online, but I have a foreign credit card, so it did not work. How is it logical? All bank cards are either VISA or MasterCard, etc.? So the next time I took everybody’s passports with me and bought the tickets. No, I did not steal anyone's identity, but the opportunity was there. Fortunately, my flatmates trust me ...

+ Transport is so cheap! In the city taxi will cost 2-3 AZN, bus or underground is AZN 0.20, bus ticket from Ganja to Baku (more than 400 km) - 7 AZN. Once we drove more than 200 km with a shared taxi, we paid 12 AZN for this. Gobustan Bus - 65 km, 0.80 AZN.

- It happens from time to time that you have one question, but you have to talk to five people to get the answer and eventually you will be sent back to the first person you talked to.

+ Car wash is 3 AZN. Unfortunately, I do not have a car to wash. The idea of hustling a bike for myself is fascinating me though.

- They  honk for the pedestrians here. Get off the road people! :D 

+/- This is now a plus plus a minus one at a time. From time to time, they are a bit sexist here. For example, on the bus men will offer a seat for women. The gym where I go offers a very good discount for women. I have not been confused with a  prostitute so far. This is what people talked about on the Internet. That there  is a danger in Baku that if a woman goes alone, she will be considered a whore. I do not imagine where these Internet people, who had this experience,  went around.

+/- Equally good and bad. If the taxi driver speaks Russian, he will definitely want to know who you are, what you are doing here and whether you like Baku so far or not. Taxi drivers are my main Russian practice: D. Most will still give up speaking Russian with me  when they understand what is my level exactly. 

+ People will help  you when you ask. Really help. They will send to your bus stop, show you where to get off or tell what is the right price for the taxi. 

- If you ask somebody for way on the street, somebody else will come and get involved also. Usually the third person has different opinion from the first one and in the end you will still not know where you have to go. 

+ A lot of fruits and vegetables! At the moment, it's hurma, grapes and pumpkin in the season!

- Baku winds. Here, from time to time it blows 15 m / s and more. My cap is flying away.

+ So diverse nature! There are  mountains, desert and tropics.

- A lot of beautiful places are 200-500 km from Baku.

Let it be. I have two more thoughts about the place after two months. This weekend I am hosting  guests again! My dad and my older sister are coming to visit. I get to meet them in Ganja (because double is the right amount of times to go somewhere), we will continue our trip in Baku and then we will go back to Georgia through Sheki. Yes, Georgia again for me. In any case, it is worth going  twice to  every corner of the world. The time of the year is different for example.Sharing some photos just to keep u guys entertained. 

There is a monument in Baku for Tesla. Cool.

Group photo of the people involved in the "Tanz in die Schule" project. It is over already. But the result was quite cool. 

Selfie of the day. 

Even Ganja can have red phone booths. London is for wussies. 

Three musicians in Ganja.

Göygöl national park. BEAUTIFUL.

Ganja again.

Göygöl lake. Formed after an earthquake in 1139 that killed 150 000-200 000 people. 

Thats how many different type of snakes they have here. Haven't seen any so far.