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The Big Top




Welcome to Azerbaijan, Good Luck.  That’s what the sign at the border said. I’m not kidding.  It made me chuckle as I passed under the sign on the way to immigration.  I had no idea how prescient that sign would turn out to be.  We’d been warned.  Our support staff in Azerbaijan would be difficult to communicate with and wouldn’t be good with details, I thought I was prepared.  I crossed the border first, to meet Aydin and Araz.  Immediately I could see that communication would be tough.  Aydin spoke very broken English and Araz none at all.  No big deal.  I’ve dealt with these situations before, just talk slowly, use hand signs, repeat yourself often.  I went over the route, three times.  I explained how our system of lunch and dinner and flagging works, how may riders we have, asked about where we were staying etc.. etc…  “NO PROBLEM, NO PROBLEM, I ARRANGE EVERYTHING was Aydin’s response (Aydin doesn’t speak as much as yell).  Well.  At the end of the day we had a 3 day transit paper for our vehicle (our trip thru Azerbaijan would take 5 days).  We missed a turn and took a route that was 20 kms longer than it should have been, and our hotel had been double booked.  Welcome to Azerbaijan, good luck. 

The good news is that Azerbaijan is a beautiful country, the riding was easy, the riders took everything in stride, and we all made it safely to the Karavanserai in Sheki (a beautiful and historic Silk Route hotel).  Over the next few days we would face similar frustrations but also have some really nice experiences.  I visited a village in the Caucus Mountains where for 4 generations they have made carpets, rugs and pillows by hand.  The men herd sheep and shear the wool.  The women dye the wool using plants and soil and weave it into intricate patterns. A small bath mat sized rug taking a month to make and larger ones up to 4 months.  We sat with them and had chai, homemade bread and cheese from sheep’s milk.  The view from the house was stunning and family was as welcoming as any I have met.  Experiences like that make all the frustration worthwhile, in fact the frustration make those experiences even better.  As I write this now I am in Baku.  The issue with the van has been sorted out, I’ve had a nap and shower and it seems that the upredictable ferry to Turkmentistan might actually leave on the 18th as planned.

Aydin, our local guide, is obviously well connected in Baku.  As frustrating as it was to work with him on out route to the capital city once we arrived he helped to arrange visas, ferry tickets and to fix our problem with the van with efficiency and confidence.  He is an interesting character.  He studied tourism in school in the Soviet union (Azerbaijan was part of the Soviet union until 1991) and travelled all over the USSR as a tour guide.  He is affable, in a coarse way, generous at times and we had some fun moments together, in between yelling at each other.  Now that we are settled in Baku and will (hopefully) be on the ferry to Turkmenbashi the day after tomorrow I think the time spent with Aydin and Araz will be one of the better memories of the trip. 

Posted June 17, 2010 by Paul McManus
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Waitin’on a Train…

In retrospect, writing in my last update from Baku that - the weather is calm so the ferry (departing Baku) should be on time give and take a few hours - was forgetting the complexity of the area and why we had to fly over Georgia. Azerbaijan is peaceful and there are no signs of the sudden conflict that exploded in Georgia two weeks ago. Yet while we were patiently awaiting the boarding of the ferry, the lack of any activities around us was slowly becoming a concern. The ferries we take are essentially a transport ferry with a few spots to take passengers. These ferries do not have a timetable for departures or arrivals, but rather they depart when they are full. So as the hours passed and there was nothing being loaded, I was beginning to get an ominous sense that something was up. And at 8PM I was told, that “yes the ferry will not depart today”. The reason is that the train cargo that was to fill up the belly of the boat is not coming. And the reason that it was not coming was that the trains come from Georgia and as the Russians had bombed a bridge that the trains use, there was no train. “Hopefully there will be a train in the morning” I was told. Now Friday has passed and part of Saturday and the cyclists are still in Baku’s port. But a rumour has it that they will be loaded on the ferry today. Not long ago I was standing in front of a stand of flashy travel magazines, one of them announcing on its front page “a perfect vacation”. Looking at it, I remember thinking of the expeditions our company provides, one of them of course being the Silk Route Tour and a thought crossed my mind. That thought was that if ever we decide to advertise our tours it should say that our Expedition Tours will deliver anything but a perfect vacation but plenty of unexpected adventures. So the 2008 Silk Route Tour continues and we will bring you the latest adventures as they occur.

Posted August 23, 2008 by Paul Wilson
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The Show Goes On…

So the 2009 Silk Route is back in full swing. Today we have completed our third day of cycling in Azerbaijan finishing with a successful convoy into busy Baku. All riders are well and likely tired after three days of challenging and great riding. Tomorrow is time to visit such local spots as the wonderful carpet museum, the old walled city and of course all plan to report to their loved ones back home. And Thursday we are on a ferry to Turkmenistan. The weather is calm so the ferry should be right on schedule, plus or minus several hours.

Posted August 19, 2008 by Henry Gold
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THE TOUR IS BAKU

Yes that's right, the tour is back! Up and running and in Azerbaijan! After the enforced break at the Georgian border we retreated to Kars where we were able to visit the medieval Armenian capital of Arni - a real treat. From there we bussed it to Ankara, packed up the bikes and flew to Baku (more about which later). Unfortunately we had to fly via... yes you guessed it ISTANBUL!!! but once all the Deja Vu had subsided we were just happy to be on our way! To make the trip as authentic as possible we bussed ourselves back up to near the Georgian/Azerbaijan border yesterday and rejoined our route in Shaki, a beautiful provincial capital nestled in the foothills of the Caucasus! An impressive caravansary got us back in the mood and today once we were back on our bikes it was as though we had never been away! Having said that some things are a little different as we have two new riders, Thomas from Austria and Nick from Holland and they are settling nicely - Thomas bought his first round of beers tonight!! and Nick took out his first stage today!! We have lost Stephen though who had been due to finish his tour in Tbilisi!! Hope you arrived home safe, buddy!! There were a couple of mechanical tweaks necessary yesterday morning (there always are when putting bikes back together from boxes) but two 95km rides soon ironed them out. This part of the world is very rural so there are more cows and sheep on the roads than cars but they aren't any easier to negotiate!! Most of the roads are tree-lined which offers lots of shade but the steep hills are no less difficult because of that. The imposing Greater Caucasus kept us company to the north today and the Lesser Caucasus to the south, but we knew it was only a matter of time before the road had to cross one or the other. Just our luck it crossed both!!! Still we are safely in Shamacki and ready for a bit of a party - three parties in fact as we have three rider birthday's today: Clive Dan and Knut - photos (appropriately censored!) will follow!!!

Posted August 18, 2008 by Ben Shillington
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Video Updates in

While we wait for an update and pics from Turkmenbashi, check out the new video clips just in.

Posted August 28, 2007 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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Crossing the Caspian Sea - All Aboard!

The Silk Route bikers, their bikes, all the gear and the trucks are all safely stashed aboard the Merkuri 1 and are crossing the Caspian Sea - bound for Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan. 450 foot long, with 3 decks above the water, Merkuri 1 has been described by the riders as a 'cruise ship' complete with cabins, cold drinks and views to enjoy.......especially those of the oil rigs all round! The riders are feeling rested after a day off in Baku... so with the 18 hour ferry crossing and another rest day in Turkmenbashi on Tuesday, they should all be feeling dangerously fit before riding out once again on Wednesday to explore enigmatic Turkmenistan. For now, the riders are reading their books, listening to their music, chilling with cold beers, enjoying cool breezes, catching up on some sleep (there are some party riders in the crew) oh... and of course... eating! Another day in bike heaven! Life on the TdA Silk Route is good!

Posted August 27, 2007 by Shanny Hill
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Baku - 26th August

Well we have been warning the riders since the very start that the tour (being the inaugural pioneering trip) will be prone to many unknowns and potential delays and problems. So far things have gone very smoothly from my perspective, but we're always on guard for what might be lurking around the next corner and one of those major unknowns is the ferry crossing the Caspian Sea. If all goes to plan we expect to depart from the Baku ferry port at 2pm tomorrow afternoon (Monday 27th August) and arrive in Turkmenistan the following morning, clear customs, and have the better part of the day to relax, repack, and re-energize for the next 4 days in the desert heat on our way to Ashgabat. The riders have been very cooperative with all the deadlines we have laid out for them to ensure that all bikes, bags, trucks and people get on the ferry on time. This morning we were told that instead of having all day and night to pack up red boxes that the trucks will have to head to the ferry tonight to clear customs and be boarded on the ferry and sit there overnight. Meaning that all red boxes and permanent bags have to be loaded tonight. Hopefully our drivers will not need to stay there the whole night too. So hopefully everything else will go smoothly - the ferry ride promises to be an adventure regardless and I am personally really looking forward to the expereicnce. In the meantime - the riders have been spreading out across Baku like ants in the shopping mecca of this region. Every western brand name is available here and the restaurants and bars are very familiar to what we'd see back home in North America or Europe. The Ministry of Tourism has been very supportive to us since we arrived in Azerbaijan and again today they provided a complimentarty city tour for the riders. You'll hear from us again in Turkmenistan.

Posted August 26, 2007 by Shanny Hill
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Samaxi to Baku - 25th August

Another warmish day in the saddle today as we lost some elevation and continued on our merry way towards Baku, Azerbaijan and our first glimpse of the Caspian Sea. Actually, the temperature soared in the wee hours of the afternoon as riders made their way to the Police Checkpoint on the outskirts of the city and our meeting place for the 15 – 20km convoy into the city. What stood between the riders and the convoy meet up point was around 100km of rolling hills or ‘undulating ups and downs’……..these no longer deter these finely tuned athletes anymore……however the bunch of wild, ferocious, snarling, barking and biting dogs did……a group of naughty but big and ugly dogs had formed a small pack on the side of a hill and took great delight in terrorizing the riders as they went by (and smart too as they hung out on a steep uphill section so the riders couldn’t pedal away fast). Riders had different ways of dealing with it all……grabbing hold of passing trucks and getting whisked up the hill (we call this the ‘quite dangerous escape’), getting a handful of rocks and throwing it at them (we call this one the ‘ok, you have a fairly good chance of escape’) and barking right back at them (we call this one’ yes, you will be fine as the dog will be on its back laughing at you’ escape). All jokes aside…..we were lucky as the riders all made it to the meeting point in one piece albeit a little tired and hot. Unfortunately, poor Phil our mechanic did not adopt any of the above methods and was bitten by one of the nasty beasts……a high risk area for Rabies meant that he was taken on ahead to get the shots whilst the rest of us hung out drinking sodas, eating yummy cookies and devouring chocolate at the checkpoint. Once the convoy began, it was all business as it was a huge convoy group…..TDA cyclists plus the contingent of Azerbaijani cyclists who had been riding with us all week plus our van, two support trucks and police cars and let me tell you……we needed it because if you were under the impression that Georgian drivers are completely crazy then drivers in Baku win the Gold star award for their crazy driving. Nevertheless, the vehicles did a fine job of protecting everyone and by 4pm we were in at the Velo Trek Hotel sorting rooms, getting red boxes and permanent bags, hiding from the heat and having cold waters and beers. A few riders took a spin on the cycle track next to the hotel while most were happy to have showers (40 riders all wanting to showers at once wreaked havoc on the water system but it somehow survived), put laundry in (a luxury as the hotel does your laundry here……yeeehah!) and then headed off a check out the sights of downtown, mostly westernized Baku. Tomorrow is a rest day and if it is as hot as it was today……many riders will be hiding in internet cafes, restaurants and shopping malls to get some respite from the heat before we board the ferry for the Caspian Sea Crossing……see you in country number four…..Turkmenistan!

Posted August 25, 2007 by Field Writer
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Amazing Azerbaijan - 24 August

Aaaaaah the total bliss of another beautiful, fast and early riding day for the Silk Route contingent…… I mean, at present most of the riders think that ‘life is good’ again today as the majority of the crew were in at Olympic Park (yes, it really is and complete with the Olympic Rings as well…..and all the other nice facilities that we have no access to) by 4pm and were they happy or what????!!!! As Jan G summed it up……’my best riding day so far!’ The day included some ups, more so after lunch where we had a sweet little 3km ‘grunty’ climb that so far no one has complained about (I dare say that the riders have become immune to the word climb and just go ahead and do it anyways now) but was also complete with the fast little down hills that only our mountain bikers could love just a little too much. The road was oh…. ‘so, so’ with a few off road sections (nothing to write home about) and some bumps and potholes but the best was saved till last……I mean with lunch at 60km and the road finishing at 99km instead of the predicted 115km….who couldn’t be happier????? Scenic vistas dotted the route, mountains in the distance, rolling hills at our doorstep and the usual speeding traffic but right now……soup and bread on offer, tunes on the stereo, cold beers up the road, hot showers that make you appreciate having a hot shower, a grassy place to pitch our tents, ipods and books getting some use and word has it that apparently we are getting some traditional meat dumplings for dinner. Samaxi is a fairly small town on the side of a hill……what the riders really want are ATM machines and markets that sell beer, chips, icecream and whatever other snacks they crave. Samaxi has all of this so of course it is ‘a hit’. Our accommodation is on the outskirts of town so most riders have done the quick dash in to get supplies and it seems that many have decided to hang at Olympic Park (it really is set up for athletes and elite sporting programmes) and rest up before the onslaught into Baku tomorrow……a full riding day plus our normal convoy into a city may mean for a long day…..but with a few rest days coming up……no one is complaining……Yeeehah! Riding the Silk Route in Azerbaijan just rocks!

Posted August 24, 2007 by Field Writer
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Camping in Qabala

After a sleeping in, a breakfast of bread, eggs, coffee and tea and a departure time of around 9am, the riders were on their way on a fairly flat and mostly downhill ride (well, flat and downhill for most for the morning – they would kill me if I said most of the day!) made a wee bit tricky with signs that we cannot read and a lunch truck that had decided that it enjoyed the carpark in Seki last night and didn’t want to leave this morning. Thankfully, Wimpie (African Routes) worked his mechanical magic and it was on the road around 10ish. The day was a fairly short one (100km is a short day for these guys now) with a few twists and turns here and there. The uphill, of course, came at the conclusion of the day just to remind the riders that they are actually riding and that they do still have legs. Most took it in their stride and the view of the campsite plus the satisfyingly good hot showers at the campsite made sure to make the riders all feel that much better. Everyone was in camp by 3pm, showered, tents up, soup eaten and most spent the afternoon stretching, eating, reading and enjoying the scenery. Our campsite is in a beautiful park on the outskirts of Qabala, complete with the river noises, a cute dog that wants to chew on everything and everyone, majestic mountains rising up in the distance, pine trees, rocky meadows full of sheep and goats and boys that bring chai to your tent on a tray. It is a perfect place to spend an afternoon and allow the riders to rest up and relax before tomorrows ride. Apparently, it is a fairly up and down sort of a day! Sshhhhh, don’t tell the riders about this just yet…….

Posted August 23, 2007 by Field Writer
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