Cliff(y) Goes Travelling

GYD-IST (3h 5m) Airbus 320 ETD: 8.50am (GMT + 4) ETA: 10.55am (GMT + 3) It was time to depart from Baku, Azerbaijan for Istanbul, Turkey. Before we jump into it, I need to let all of you know that I've unfortunately lost all photos from that point onwards, and am borrowing from my BFF to feature in the next few posts. Anyway, be honest: how many of us actually pay attention to the safety information card like Pikachu before we fly?

Airport Road, Baku, Azerbaijan Opened to the public in 1933, Heydar Aliyev International Airport is one of the six international airports, and the biggest one, serving the country. Formerly called Bina International Airport prior to 2004, the airport is located approximately 20 km northeast of the capital city. It's the hub for Azerbaijan Airlines, the flag carrier, and Buta Airways, the low-cost subsidiary.

Qobustan State Historical and Cultural Reserve, Qobustan, Azerbaijan Azerbaijan is known to be the country with the most mud volcanoes, having more than half of the world's 700 spready broadly across the country. The locals call them bozdag (lit. grey mountain). Still on the half-day group tour to Qobustan by TES Tour, we shall now move on to see those small mud-ejecting craters not too far from  Qobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape . 

Qobustan State Historical and Cultural Reserve, Qobustan, Azerbaijan Daily: 9.00am - 5.00pm Qobustan is a small municipality that's approximately 65 km from Baku, a perfect destination for a day trip. Located to the west of the settlement is a historical and cultural reserve, part of which features archaeological monuments with captivating rock carvings that have been preserved from the Upper Paleolithic era to the Middle Ages.

Baku, Azerbaijan Baku is the capital city of Azerbaijan that's situated at 28 m below sea level, making it the largest city in the world below sea level. It's also the largest city in the Caucasus region, covering an area of approximately 2,140 square kilometres. About 25% of the country's population live in the metropolis.

Zamkovskaya Side-Street, Icherisheher, Baku, Azerbaijan Daily: 10.00am - 6.00pm Maiden Tower is a 12th century tower that houses a museum showcasing the story of the historic evolution of Baku. Along with  Palace of the Shirvanshahs , the tower has been in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list since 2001. Till date, nobody has come to a foolproof conclusion of the design and purpose of the tower.

Zamkovskaya Side-Street, Icherisheher, Baku, Azerbaijan Daily: 10.00am - 6.00pm Erected in the 15th century within  Icherisheher , Palace of the Shirvanshahs is described by UNESCO as "one of the pearls of Azerbaijan's architecture". Shirvan is a historical region in eastern Caucasus, covering a sizeable area from the western shores of the Caspian Sea in the east to the Kura River in the west. The rulers of Shirvan were given the title Shirvanshahs.

Along Neftchilar Avenue, Baku, Azerbaijan Icherisheher (lit. Inner City) is the historical core of the capital city of Azerbaijan that's surrounded by fortress walls. Along with Palace of the Shirvanshahs and Maiden Tower that can be found within the complex, Icherisheher became the first location in the country to be classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

Southern end of Mehdi Huseyn Street, Baku, Azerbaijan Located on the highest point in the capital city, Highland Park is a terrace that offers the most fabulous panorama of Baku and the world's largest inland body of water, the Caspian Sea. It's also home to Martyrs' Lane, a memorial and cemetery dedicated to national heroes and civilians who perished during turbulent times in Azerbaijan.

Seaside National Park, Baku, Azerbaijan Happy New Year, folks! Let's continue with the sightseeing in Baku, Azerbaijan. Opening its doors, or should I say cabins, to the public since March 2014, Baku Eye is a Ferris wheel in Baku that offers panoramas of the capital city and the Caspian Sea. For some reason, it's also colloquially known as Devil's Wheel. The Ferris wheel features 30 cabins, two of which are VIP cabins.

Neftchilar Avenue, Baku, Azerbaijan Baku Boulevard is a promenade that stretches along a south-facing bay on the Caspian Sea, which is the world's largest inland body of water. Established in 1909, the promenade was originally built to connect the oil fields in Bibi Heybet, a municipality in the capital city, as part of one of the urban development projects.

32 Eziz Eliyev Road, Baku, Azerbaijan For the short stay in Baku, Azerbaijan, I managed to get an affordable room at the relatively quiet Center City Hotel Baku (3*) despite its location near one of the entrances to Icherisheher, the historic city centre surrounded by walls. A comfy enough bed, hot shower and adequate buffet breakfast were all I needed. 

IST-GYD (2h 50m) Airbus 320 ETD: 12.20pm (GMT + 3) ETA: 4.10pm (GMT + 4) Trying out a new airline is something that I always look forward to, so much so that I keep a  record  here in my travel blog. Even though I knew I'd be flying in a rather old aircraft, I was excited to hop aboard the flag carrier of Azerbaijan to its capital city, Baku. As a recap, Georgia is the first Caucasus country that I visited back in 2018, where I touched down at Tbilisi .