Aktau Baku ferry - lesson of patience and bribing

Aktau is not an attractive city. It has oil, gas and a lot of expats working for oil companies. And it has the Aktau-Baku ferry. But there's hardly anything to do there and the accommodation options are pretty poor too. There are many top end hotels, but unfortunately they were way out of our budget, so that we were left with the low cost options... I will spare you the details, let's just say it was nearly as bad as the road we just drove. We were praying we wouldn't have to stay in the city for too long.

We went directly to the harbor to check for the ferry. Only one person spoke some English and the information he gave us was not a happy one. The ferry has just left yesterday and no one knows when the next one would be ready to leave, but we should come back tomorrow. We already heard about tourists, who were asked to come back tomorrow for two weeks, so we were not in the best moods. We even considered making a small trip around Aktau and skipping the appointment, but we finally decided against it and went to the harbor as we were told to. For the first half an hour everybody simply ignored us. They were speaking to each other, pointing in our direction from time to time, but no one seemed to want to talk to us. And when they finally did, all we heard was “OK, tomorrow morning 6 o'clock you go”. We were shocked! We were not expecting that, so we had to go back to the hotel to grab the money and all the papers do deal with the customs. It wasn't an easy job, I can tell you that. The harbor workers were not much help either. We got some ferry declarations on which we had to collect 5 or 6 stamps and some signatures, but everyone seemed to know only his part of the job, so finding out where to get the next stamp was quite a challenge (especially that the documents were mostly in Russian). And some of the workers after finishing their part told us everything was OK now and we could go home, though we were still missing some signatures. All in all it was one big chaos and we really had to breathe deeply and try hard not to explode. But the thought of leaving Aktau and our hotel was helping us get through it all. And we finally knew the cost as well. The price was nearly 100 USD per person, and for the car 80 USD per meter of length. We had to pay around 50 USD of harbor fee as well. Fortunately it was still in our budget.

We woke up early the next day and came to the harbor at 6, just to find out we can not enter before 9 o'clock anyway. So we parked our cars and went simply back to sleep. At 9 we turned up at the gate again just to be told that we should have come earlier and that we have to park quickly and run back to the passport control immediately. We did it just to discovered that the passport office would not open for the next 20 minutes anyway, so that we started wondering why the hell they told us to come at 6 o'clock in the morning in the first place. We had even more time to wonder about it after we went through, as it took a few hours before we could actually drive onto the ferry. In the end we left the harbor at 8 o'clock in the evening, slowly swimming in the direction of Baku.


The ferry was nothing like the ones we've seen so far. It was made to transport railway wagons and heavy goods and definitely not tourists. Our cars were the only ones they took. There where only three other passengers on board, all coming from the region, traveling for business reasons. At the beginning they wanted us to sleep on the chairs in the waiting room, but since the tickets were not exactly cheap, we argued till we got a room. And it was quite a nice one, comfortable enough to spend a nice day in it. If it wasn't for all the unwanted guests... We heard Azerbaijan had some serious problems with corruption and we experienced it shortly after getting on board. A few of the workers offered to testify that our cars were shorter than they actually are, if we paid them 50 USD. Already at the beginning of our journey we decided not to pay any bribes if we can only avoid it, even if it means wasting some of our precious traveling time or our money. We have sticked to this rule so far and were not willing to break it now. And to be honest the deal wasn't good anyway. They wanted 50 USD to help us save 10 or 15, so we weren't even tempted. We told them we didn't approve of bribing and want to pay the correct price. That was more than they could understand. One after another they were knocking on our door telling us that we didn't get it and that we would actually save money, so it is not a bad thing to pay them. We tried to stay polite, repeating that we understood everything perfectly, but were not willing to do it anyway. Finally we lost our tempers and told them to get out and leave us alone, as they're not getting any money and it's final. They left smashing the doors, so that we were a bit scared they may try to make our day on the ferry as hard as possible, but it was not the case. And surprisingly, from that moment the rest of the crew and the other passengers started showing us a lot more sympathy.

The ride took around 20 hours and we spend most of it reading and talking. We also got quite a nice food, which was included in the price. I have never been on a ferry for such a long time, so I was excited like a kid before Christmas, enjoying every minute of it. But we were still happy when we finally reached Baku, especially that we were able to see it by sunset. The view was splendid. It still took some time before we could drive out, since the wagons had to leave first, but it went quicker than we thought. We were supposed to pay for the cars when we leave the boat and to our surprise the guy who sold the tickets was not relying on any papers he got from the crew, but came to check the length of our cars himself. And he actually insisted they are both 5 meters long, so that we had to measure them to prove him wrong. He was not in his best mood either, as it was already late and I guess he wanted to be done with us and go home. And here we stand insisting upon measuring the cars and getting a receipt before we pay him any money at all. He wasn't happy about it. He got even more angry when the border officials told him we have to deal with customs before we can go to his office. He started yelling and threatening that he would go home and leave us at the border and we wouldn't be able to leave until morning, but we told him we didn't care and could sleep in the car if necessary. That made him really furious, but David showed him we can yell too if we need to and suddenly the whole border personnel was there trying to calm us all down, telling the guy to leave us alone and wait for his turn. And so he did. We went to his office as soon as we could, got the bill for the money we paid and he even actually apologized for everything, telling us he simply lost his temper as it was late and he was working the hole day already and still had to go to another harbor. Finally we were free to go!

Baku felt like being back in Europe. They had street lights, roads without holes and although it was late there was actually some life on the streets. There was even quite a lot of it. And there was a McDonald’s too! We haven't seen one for months, so we couldn't miss such a chance! The city itself was quite impressive. We got the feeling they have way to much money there and are running out of ideas on how to spend it. Splendid buildings and decorations are one thing, but marble sidewalks and subways seem a bit too much. Especially compared to the standards of living in the country. We didn't have much time to explore it, but one thing is sure, the people are extra friendly. Though they try to be as European as they can, they know how to show real Asian friendliness and hospitality too. We didn't really understood the political situation though. It is supposed to be a democratic republic, but when I mentioned it to the locals they started laughing so badly they could hardly breathe and told me I should try living there if I really believed that. And I have to say I found it suspicious that they had photos and quotations of the president and his father all over the country, in every office, most shops and even on big billboards around the highways, which is not a typical thing for a democratic country. It looked pretty scary to me, but I guess you need to spend some more time there to be able to judge it. But I would leave it to others as we were anxious to get to our next stop, Iran, the expected highlight of our trip, where the political system was certainly even more complex then what we have seen so far. 

The road from hell

The decision was made. If Turkmenistan doesn't want to see us in October they would not see us at all. Well, to be totally honest we don't really know if they wanted to see us or not, as we never gave them the chance to officially express their feelings. After talking with a few tourists and confirming the information with visa agencies we decided not to apply for the Turkmenistan visa at all. We could have applied, but we would have to wait for at least 3 weeks and from what we were told the chances of getting the visa were close to none, so we decided not to waste our precious time. We want to go to Iran as soon as possible and we want to be home for Christmas, so there's no time to waste.

Getting a visa for Kazakhstan in Bishkek was not a problem, but we had to wait three days for it to be ready. The visa for Azerbaijan started badly, as the guy at the embassy told us he's not doing any transit visa for the ferry. He could give us a tourist one, but only if we had a letter of invitation and it would take 3 days, unless we want to pay 50% extra. It took a little time and a lot of negotiation, but at the end we paid the normal price and got the visa in one day, without any additional formalities.

The Aktau-Baku ferry was a bit more complicated. The only thing that's sure is that there is a ferry. And that would be about it. It goes when it's ready. Sometimes it means twice a week and sometimes once a month. So you never know how long you'd have to wait. Costs were not clear neither. But well, we have made up our minds and decided not to question this decision anymore. We'd go to Aktau and check it ourselves! We would make it work somehow!

It turned out that getting to Aktau was the hardest part of the plan. It seemed easy enough, until we crossed the border. People were warning us that the road is not the best one, but we thought that after driving for a month through Mongolia and crossing Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan before, we would be fine. But we didn't know that the road we were facing was worse than anything we have seen so far. It was actually worse than anything we could have ever imagined. I can't even tell you how bad it was, as it's something you would have to experience yourself (but you rather shouldn't if there is any way to avoid it!). It was a nightmare! And the worst thing about it was, that it went forever!

After an hour of driving we wanted to turn around and go back, but unfortunately it was not an option. We only had a single entry visa for Uzbekistan, so there was no coming back. Getting ahead was not easy either. We never had any problems buying fuel in Kazakhstan, so we were hoping to tank directly after the border. We lost our hope when we reached Beyneu, the first big city. “Sorry, no fuel” we heard. It wouldn't surprise us in Uzbekistan, but here in our beloved Kazakhstan we could hardly believe it! At least until we saw how the road looks like. After that we no longer wondered why no fuel trucks were getting to this part of the country. We wouldn't be willing to drive it again either.

Fortunately one of the stations still had some 95 octane fuel left. Of course only unofficially and the price was three times higher than usual, but we could take 20 liters and mix it up with 80 octane which would be enough to get us to the next gas station. By the way, we keep complaining about buying fuel on the black market and paying two or three times the price and some of you started worrying about our budget. No worries, the highest black market rates are around one Euro pro liter, so we are still way below what we are paying in Europe. Unless the prices went down significantly since we left, but somehow I don't believe that's the case.

So we had fuel. And we had the road before us. And trust me when I say it, it was the worst road experience of our entire journey. The car was shaking so badly, that we though it would fall into pieces. We though we would fall to pieces too. The vibrations were going through our bones, cells and brains, certainly leaving some irreversible damage. And the huge holes were making our stomach jump up to our ears every few minutes. But the worst part of it was the dust. There were tons of it, so that we had to drive with our windows closed, though it was quite a hot day. But even that didn’t really help and we soon had dust absolutely everywhere. It gets under the bed, between the teeth and in the ears too. What can I say, the road was a nightmare and it went for miles and miles, so that we though it would never ever end. But it did. It ended around Shetpe, where they had both fuel and asphalt and we managed to get to Aktau after all. You can't believe how happy we were.

The magic of the silk road

The Silk Road. The magical words that made us travel through half of Asia. We wanted to see its cities with all their magnificent buildings and feel the atmosphere of the old trade routes. We were traveling along it for some time now, but we knew the best was yet to come and we were expecting to see it in Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. The names alone are enough to make the travelers blood run faster.

Armed with newly bought fuel we headed towards Samarkand. We decided to drive directly, as there was not much to see on the way. Driving through Uzbekistan is not really thrilling, it's either one village after another or just one big desert, with not as much as a house to see for hours, so we decided we won't be missing much. The roads are always a bit of a surprise, you can get anything from proper highway to earth roads full of holes in all sizes. The only thing you can be sure of are the police checkpoints. You can hardly drive for half an hour without seeing one. Normally you just have to slow down and drive through, but from time to time without an obvious reason you may be asked to stop and register (you could be a terrorist after all!). Registration means that some officer will take your passport and write your data down in his copybook. He will not always get the data right, but I guess it's all the same, the important thing is he managed to fill another line in his precious book.

It was already dark when we were getting to Samarkand. And we were really lucky, as shortly before entering the city we managed to find a gas station that was open and yet with only a few cars waiting around. And they actually had 91 octane fuel! The wanted us to pay the price for 98 though, but we agreed without hesitation, as the difference was not that big. Our full jerrycans remained untouched. We also didn't have to worry about finding a place to stay. It is common in Uzbekistan that the hostel you're staying in recommends you another one in the city you are heading to, booking a room for you if you wish. It worked perfectly for us.

The best word to describe Samarkand is “impressive”. It is packed with magnificent, richly decorated buildings. You can choose between countless mosques, madrasas (traditional Islamic schools) or mausoleums and the entrance prices are reasonable too, though as a foreigner you are often expected to pay up to 5 time more than the locals. But at least in Samarkand we have found the tickets worth paying for, as the atrium and the insides were often even more splendid than the buildings themselves. The only drawback was, that they were all a bit too well renovated. Some of them were really looking brand new, so that we found it hard to imagine, that they have really been there for hundreds of years now. The modern soviet streets between them were not making things easier. But we still liked it a lot. Unfortunately we didn't have much luck with the weather. It started raining on our second day in town and we were told it won't stop for at least another day, so we decided to head to Bukhara.

We fell in love with Bukhara instantly. The buildings were as magnificent as the ones in Samarkand, but instead of wide modern streets we found narrow downtown passages and covered bazaars. The right atmosphere was definitely there. The place just seemed real and it seemed old. It was exactly what we were looking for. We instantly decided to spend a few more days there. When we found a restaurant offering a perfect view on the main square we knew we are at the right place.

Bukhara is packed with tourists, but it's a common problem in most Uzbek cities. No matter where you go or which restaurant you choose you can be sure some bus full of French or German tourists got there before you. But then again, seeing all those places you can not really blame other tourists for wanting to visit them too. But for us it was still a bit of a shock and something we had to get used to first. Especially that we were hearing German everywhere we went. The only really bad thing was, that all those tourists were spoiling the prices! We were planning to buy some more souvenirs and a few presents, but we soon discovered it would have been a better idea to buy it all in Tashkent or Fergana or even Samarkand, where the prices were far more reasonable. In Bukhara we had to fight hard to get down to a price that was somewhere near to what we paid before. But it's no wonder if you see that two minutes later some other tourists takes the same thing without even complaining about the price, paying 20 EUR for a thing that is not even worth 5. But then again, one of the things I managed to learn at my university was, that the real value is not important, a thing is worth as much as you're ready to pay. And we were definitely not ready to pay 20 EUR.

With so many tourists around somehow Bukhara still didn't manage to develop proper restaurants. In most places the food costs a fortune and we never really found it live up to the price. And some places, like the restaurant near the small lake in the city center have menu in English too, only that somehow magically the prices are 3-4 times higher than in the Russian one! So I guess Lonely Planet was right when they wrote “ you don't go to Bukhara for food”. Unless you like to pay a fortune for cold overcooked rice and meat without much spices.

For food and few other things too you can definitely go to Khiva. The city is tiny, but full of wonderful buildings and monuments. Surely, it is very touristic, but it still has a nice atmosphere. It feels great to walk inside the old town or on the top of the city walls. But most buildings are really not worth getting into. As lovely as they are from the outside, there is hardly anything they can offer once you enter. We made a mistake of buying the entrance ticket, but it was a biggest waste of money we did so far. They promise you entrance to all the buildings and 20 museums for 2 days, but you will soon notice it's all a waste of time. The insides are very plain and often falling apart and the famous “museums” display water jugs from... late XX century!

All in all we liked Uzbekistan a lot! We didn't need long to come to this conclusion. It may not be a country we'd like to live in, but it's definitely worth visiting. It is famous for its magnificent cities and architecture, but what we liked most were the people. They are incredibly friendly and open, trying to help foreigners whenever they can. When they speak to you they address you as “brother” or “sister”, treating you as the most welcomed guest. It all makes the trip even more enjoyable. But local people are sometimes hard to find. Tashkent proved not to be the only deserted city and after dark there is hardly anyone on the streets, no matter how touristic the place is. Most restaurants close pretty early too. But the best place to catch a glimpse of a local life is always the bazaar. It's a place full of life and colours, that I guess hasn't changed much since the silk road times. They sell the best and cheapest food too. So the best thing to do is to seat, eat and watch all the people passing by, going around their business. Local fashion is worth observing too. We were surprised to find that most women in the country where dressed in what we in Europe would describe as a bathrobe, with matching slippers and obligatory socks. Some of them wear local silk too, which is anything but what we understand as silk in Europe. The material is pretty thick and warm, painted in all colours of the rainbow, making the narrow bazaar streets look even more lively.

Our biggest problem remained the shortage of the fuel. At the end we have always managed to get some, it was just the question of price and time you have to invest in finding it. But even the most expensive 95 octane we bought in Nukus (from plastic cans in some guy's backyard) was still much cheaper than what we regularly pay in Europe.

Finding a proper toilet was a harder job. It's not a problem in hostels that are used to European tourists, but in most restaurants and even private houses you will only find a small wooden shack outside the house with a hole in the floor and no toilet paper. But you get used to that as well. Though it does make you appreciate all the comforts of everyday life in Europe a bit more...

No fuel no problem

Uzbekistan has no problem with fuel. At least that seems to be the official version. First we were just wondering why so many gas stations looked totally deserted. We have seen quite a lot of them on our way to Tashkent, but for 10 stations 9 were closed and the one that seemed open was surrounded by dozens of cars. We got a bit suspicious... Fortunately our cars were full, so we got to the capital without problems. The problems begun when we wanted to leave the city, trying to buy some fuel first. We have been sent from one gas station to another for nearly an hour before we found one, that actually still had some 91 octane fuel left (the other ones didn't even have 80). Seeing how hard it is to get fuel in the capital, we didn't want to risk getting stuck without it somewhere in the middle of the desert, so we planed to fill our jerrycans as well. But we soon found out that (as usual in a land that has absolutely no problem with fuel) such practices were strictly forbidden. We asked if we will be able to get some gas on a way, but the station workers only shook their heads and advised us to drive to the next parking place, fill the cans by sucking the fuel out of the car and then get back to buy some fuel again. First I though they were joking, as I can't remember seeing anyone doing things like that since I was a kid. But they were deadly serious. And the guys who borrowed us the right tube to do the job didn't really seemed surprised neither. And there we were, sucking fuel out of our cars, like I heard people used to do in old communistic times. And David can confirm that neither the leftover cooling fluid in the tube nor the gas itself is anywhere close to tasty. First we thought we may be overreacting and acting stupid, but the further we drove the happier we were that we filled those cans in the first place!