8 June — the report from Day 22.
Yesterday we finally crossed the Caspian and arrived safely in Azerbaijan.
Our partner the Buick, parted from us for a while, arrives by ship today, so the morning began with going to the port to collect her.
Azerbaijan sits between the Black Sea and the Caspian, with Iran to the south and Russia to the north.
The original plan was a route across Russia, but with the war breaking out we switched at short notice to this first-ever crossing of the Caspian.
I never once imagined coming to Azerbaijan in my life, so I am thrilled.
And another day over 40 degrees. The sun beating down without mercy, we reached the port soaked in sweat.
We stopped at the port kiosk to buy a drink — cash only.
Getting hold of each country’s currency on this journey is genuinely difficult.
We had no Azerbaijani manat, of course, so a cold drink was out of the question.
In heat like that you feel the value of cold water all over again.
In Japan you turn a tap and reasonably cold water comes out.
Over 40 outside means close to 50 in the car, and the bottled water we carry turns to hot water in no time. Japan really is a fortunate place.
While I was fretting about wanting water and having no money, the Buick was finally lifted off the ship.
I write this up on the blog every day,
but for something like this the video really gives you the feel of it.
Trouble the moment we entered Azerbaijan (video)
Seeing her running safely, I breathed out.
But the head gasket causing the overheating still has to be repaired. We were in a hurry to reach the workshop by the appointed time — and then,
a few hundred metres on, the car suddenly went snaking and would not run straight.
What — again?
Trouble the moment we set foot in Azerbaijan?
We got out in a hurry to look, and there it was: a splendid puncture.
Changing a tyre on that rough road last time had given us plenty of practice, but here we were lying on the ground again.
Tyre changed, we finally reached the workshop.
Unlike China, in Azerbaijan the workshops stand in rows, one after another.
An unusual car had arrived, and young men came pouring out.
Two or three times as many as in this photograph.
While the handsome workshop boss and the driver were talking, one man looked at me and beckoned: come over here. Am I being abducted? — no, he was the owner of the oil shop next door.
We had no shared language, and yet oddly we managed to communicate, which is the fun of it.
First he told me to wash my dirty hands, and while I did as I was told he showed me to a sofa, asked if I was hot, turned an electric fan on me, and offered coffee and chocolate. Nothing was too much trouble.
Best to accept gratefully, and without standing on ceremony.
He even offered me a hand-rolled cigarette. Remembering what I had been told in China — that offering a cigarette is a sign of closeness — I tried it, and of course fell into a coughing fit.
That made him laugh out loud, and it seems I had won him over.
“Are you hungry? Have you eaten Azerbaijani food yet?” When a menu appeared, I did briefly wonder whether I was about to be fleeced,
but having come this far there was nothing for it but to let events take their course. What I ordered was bread, delivered by something like Uber Eats.
It had all sorts inside and it was delicious. I was starving and was tucking in when the driver appeared, looking for me.
Abducted the moment we reached the workshop, lounging happily on a sofa and being fed — he laughed wryly at the sight.
In the end, warmly welcomed by everyone at the workshop, we left the car on a promise that it would be repaired by tomorrow evening, and went back to the hotel.
I am a little uneasy about whether it really will be properly repaired, but today we went to the welcome ceremony for the Peking to Paris rally held in Baku.
The other cars were on display in a park and the whole city was in a welcoming mood.
Among the crews chatting with beer in hand, we arrived late from our tour of workshops and were welcomed back with applause: “You’re back!”
Twenty-two days in, and people call out “KOMO!” and know who I am.
Though, still barely able to speak English, I can hardly join the conversation and simply smile away.
Looking back, there has not been a single day in twenty-two that went smoothly. It is one heart-in-mouth moment after another — and a little beer felt remarkably good that night.
Today too, feel it through the video.
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Tomorrow is a full day off, which for everyone means a maintenance day.
There is apparently a Formula One event at the Baku circuit in a few days, so I intend to sneak in and have a look.
Continued in Day 23 …