A Midnight Bus to Baku

 

After an entire day in Sheki, we lugged our things to the bus station to catch a midnight bus to Baku, with plans to catch a continuing bus to Guba (or Quba on some maps). However you spell it, it is supposed to be colder there and maybe snowy. After several pots in the station tea shop, we made our way onto a relatively new Hundai bus, equipped with the latest multicolor disco party lights for a festive ride to Baku. We avoided the usual un-line by arriving early and boarding the bus. Our seats were all the way in the back, so it was easy to just settle in and relax. Scheduled as a six to six and a half hour ride, we figured to get as much sleep as possible before having to get off the bus in Baku, find a different bus station, find the bus to Guba, negotiate a new price, and then get moving. Baku during the day can be a tough place to figure out, but at night it is nearly impossible. We did manage to find the bus station we needed through trial and error, boarding a mini-bus headed to Guba by 9 AM. The ride to Guba was a smoke filled action packed time of "Grand Theft Auto" (tm) driving, alternating cold and hot conditions, and a regular potpourri of divers body odors and miscellaneous smells. Closer to Guba, the rain we had experienced since Sheki suddenly turned to snow, leaving about and inch on the ground by the time we arrived at the station. We trudged through the light snow to our new Soviet era relic of a hotel, only to be greeted by a very rude and demanding older gentleman whom we shall refer to from henceforth as "the gimp". "The Gimp" just kept showing us rooms and demanding money until we arrived on a satisfactory room and price. Welcome to Guba! Out the window, kids are just getting out of school, throwing makeshift snowballs, and having a great time in the new snow. It could be a scene from anywhere.