In October 2019 my mate Hamish and I took the overnight train from the Georgian capital to the Azerbaijani primary city on the Caspian Sea.
We left at 20.35 from the rather boring train station set around a shopping mall. Trains are few and far between in Tbilisi with all the daily trains fitting on a single departure board.
We had time to get some snacks at the small station kiosk before being welcomed aboard by the female Provodnitsy (train conductors) common throughout the former Soviet Union.
We were brought our bedding – we had booked a private compartment with both beds at floor level. No top bunk clambering on this journey. A provdonista then showed me how to operate the samovar – a metal urn situated at the end of each carriage full of hot water for making tea or rehydrated pot meals.
The advantage of an overnight train is cheap accommodation and the amazing joy of falling asleep in one country and awaking in another.
The downsides are that you do not get to see the countryside slipping past your window. I sleep very well on overnight trains, but I know many who don’t. Added to that can be the annoyance of late night border controls and uncomfortable loco changes.
We awoke about two-hours from Baku to a desert landscape punctuated by factories and industrial complexes. Not very inspiring. We arrived into Baku to an almost empty train station. It was a Sunday and few trains would be operating that day.
After a few photos around the station, the not inconsiderable task of changing money was undertaken. The station ATM was broken and we shunned the scores of unofficial money changers who frequented the station steps. The nearest ATM was 500 metres away across two busy streets.
Finally, around 11 we found a taxi with a decent fixed price to take us to our old town hotel.
