Baku, the place where neon signs and bad decisions collide

i woke up to a sky that looked like someone spilled a can of blue paint outside my window. it’s 6.95 degrees, no one cares. i just checked and it’s freezing out here, but i’m bundled up in rentalsuit. the kind of clothing you buy in a rush when you realize your hostel didn’t include a blanket. the weather here is like a bad breakup-unexpected and slightly uncomfortable.



the neighbors? they’re either asleep or trading stories about the local mafia. i heard that from a guy who might’ve been high when he told me. something about a guy who runs the kebab stand and takes payments in Monopoly money. i’m not sure if that’s true or if he just likes to make stuff up. if you crash here, tabriz is a chill drive for some mountain vibes. don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.



i walked around and took pictures of things. the first was a building with a clock on it’s side. why? i don’t know. it felt important. the second was a forest of brown trees on snow covered ground during daytime. the third was a cat staring at me from a fire escape. it had judgment in its eyes. stuff like that. i also saw a sign that said ‘free yoga in the park tomorrow at 9am.’ i didn’t go. probably because i’m too lazy to move.



reviews here are all over the place. someone told me that the spa at the luxury hotel is just a room with a bucket of ice and a towel. another person said the metro is haunted because a guy died there in 1998. i’m not sure if that’s a urban legend or if the guy actually exploded. i heard that from a person who acted like they’d seen a ghost. either way, i’m sticking to the sidewalk. so far.



the good news? the internet here works. like, sometimes. i streamed a show from netflix for 17 minutes before it buffer-checked. solid. the bad news? the power went out for 10 minutes while i was making scrambled eggs. they don’t call it the ‘electricity lottery’ for nothing. i linked to a local blog on tripadvisor for more ‘personal’ stories-here. another link to yelp for snacks-here. and a map to find the least touristy places-here.



the photo of the cathedral? that took forever. i stood there for 20 minutes while the camera pretended it was ashamed to take the shot. the door thing was closed, but i pretended it wasn’t. i framed the shot with a piece of bread i stole from a vendor. it’s a work of art. probably. i uploaded them to unsplash. click here for the first one. second one. third one.



i’m leaving tomorrow. probably. the next city is either confusion or desperation. either way, i’ll take it. if someone asks why i’m going, i’ll say ‘i need to find a place where the coffee isn’t lukewarm and the Wi-Fi doesn’t judge me.’ it’s a valid reason. maybe.

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