The Post Soviet Excursion

Alat is strange. First of all, it’s the major port area for Baku and has the largest port footprint of any dock in the country.

Small problem in that Alat is in the middle of fucking nowhere

You take two one hour buses from Baku, first bus is lovely, modern, A/C and has contactless payment. Second bus looks like it was ferrying Soviet soldiers to and from the eastern front 80 years ago. Hot as fuck, cramped, old, somehow more expensive than the first bus and had the doors open going 60 on a motorway, attached is proof.

Once you leave this bus you do not actually arrive at Alat. You enter a town that from what I can see on the map, has no name. Which matches the horse with no name you’ll probably see since the town is in a desert in the middle of fucknowhereistan. Once again, proof is attached. You have to walk an hour in 40°c heat across a desert to the port itself and when I arrived YESTERDAY, the gentlemen told me after depositing my $70 that there was no ferry today, so I had to come back at 4am the next day

Problem is that the bus only comes EARLIEST at 6am, and I was not spending 40 manat on a taxi that may or may not pick me up in time. What occurs next is not embellished, it is a honest to god recollection of the strangest accommodation I have ever stayed in.

So, after being told I have to come back at 4am I had to find suitable accommodation within walking distance. Luckily the folks over at Carivanistan were great help in saying that there *MAY* be a hotel in the town with a big blue roof. Okay fine, just walk towards to the town and see what I can find, bear in mind that the town is literal metal and mortar shacks with wild dogs and no electricity.

I find said Hotel after 30 minutes of walking which was easy to find with the large PORT HOTEL sign on the front. This building was huge. And not only that, it was surrounded by a ten wall that encompassed the entire complex. Once I entered, there was a large courtyard with four buildings, one labelled office in a large sign, one labelled dining area in an other big sign, the hotel itself and finally a building dedicated to chickens.

This place was a ghost town. A hotel that could easily hold 100 people and there was not a single soul there. The actual courtyard and hotel itself was immaculate, a far cry from the town itself where there was no roads.

After wandering around the courtyard for ten minutes, a man approached me and I greeted myself and asked for a room. “80 manat” he replied.

For reference 80 manat is 40 pounds roughly or 50 USD, criminal price but I needed a place to stay for the night so fuck it, but I only had $30 on me, I offered to pay some £ but he had no idea what that was so I said I’d get some more dollars later.

I entered my room and it was actually quite lovely, but here’s the strange part, there was British plug sockets? So the man had NO IDEA what pounds where yet his hotel had type G plug sockets?? Fine, whatever, I had a nap and got some dollars and paid him. Now when I say that this place felt haunted, imagine being in a Travelodge and there being zero people there, including staff. Very ominous place, and when i tried to leave at 3am, a Russian man stopped me and told me to “be careful” in what little English he knew. He was a guard for the place and to let me out, unlocked a set of doors with three locks, beat up some wild dogs and sent me on my way.

Once I arrived at the port, I was told to just wait, and so I have. I’m still waiting and it’s been 12 hours, the marine tracker does say that a ferry is in the vicinity so hopefully I load up soon.Read more