Computer Troubles and Trips to Baku

First I wanted to apologize for such a long break between entries. As some of you already know I had a small computer melt down. It’s the first time I actually yelled at people here, which is surprising considering my frustration levels sometimes. So my computer is fixed – I hope- It was quite an ordeal. No shops in Ganja could help me and the internet here is so bad that I couldn’t get online to talk to Dell people for any length of time before the connection was cut off. So I took a crazy quick trip to Baku. A friend and I took an overnight bus (which I DON’T recommend!) on Saturday. There are actually many buses going to Ganja- one every 15 minutes or so- I think even more at night. But you don’t just buy a ticket at the ticket office. There is little regulation and each company does its own thing to try to get as many passengers as possible. So we had to negotiate bus tickets around 11 O’Clock at night with tons of other people shouting and taxis and buses coming and going. Thank God my friend was there or I would still be standing there in semi-shock wondering what the hell I was supposed to do.
So the bus ride was pretty uneventful but it takes FOREVER. Its not that the distance is so long its that the road is so bad the buses can’t drive very fast. The roads are so bad because really heavy trucks carrying cement blocks across the country ruin the road. They are not supposed to be on the road but all they have to do is pay a bribe to the highway patrol and they can do what they want. Its also under construction in parts. Needless to say it is a very bumpy and slow ride. And there is also the fear of the driver falling asleep, which does happen on occasion. But to combat that on this trip there was a T.V. blasting Azeri and Turkish music videos ALL NIGHT LONG. Which made it difficult for the rest of us to sleep- but I would rather be tired than dead. And the absolute best part of the trip is that the bus was AIRCONDITIONED!
I really do feel like a spoiled little princess here. I never thought I would say it but I love air conditioning. When its over 100 degrees everyday with NO breeze it’s a miracle of GOD. So I actually quite enjoyed the 7 hours of coolness. There was almost a full moon so I could watch the barren landscape jog by. There really is nothing in the middle of this country. No trees, no towns, no mountains. Nothing. Its eerily beautiful but lonely and desperate at the same time. Around 7:00 we rolled into Baku- just in time to see the brilliant sunrise over the Caspian Sea. It was breathtaking.
In Baku we spent the day circling the same streets trying desperately to find the computer shop that services Dell computers. Unfortunately unlike the rest of Azerbaijan, Baku has taken up western traditions and many stores are closed on Sunday. In other regions Sunday is the shopping day. Sunday in Azeri is called Bazaar as it’s the day that everyone goes to the bazaar to buy their food. Anyway. Everything was closed. So we gave up for the day. Then on Monday we tried to connect online with a Dell support person. And I don’t know how- but some guy named Gavin- whose name probably wasn’t really Gavin was able to fix my computer – from his cubicle in Bengalore, India, I imagine. Amazing, really. So now my computer is fixed- for the time being, and it didn’t cost me anything. Except the trip to Baku which was worth it. I needed the break from the oppressive life here in Ganja. Seeing Baku again after 2 months, I realized that relatively speaking and compared to the rest of the country, Baku really is very westernized. I can walk freely about the city without being stared or approached and talked to by strangers. Its very nice. And I probably did the worst things of all in Baku. I went to McDonalds (the only one in the country) to use the bathroom because it’s the cleanest one in town. There is toilet paper and soap; luxuries in the rest of the country.