Back to Baku

I have a natural prejudice against countries run by dictators and supported by oil money. But I have to admit, Baku is nice. Maybe it's because I had come from Afghanistan, and just about everywhere looks good by comparison. But Baku's clean streets, friendly and well-educated populace, and air of peace and security is slowly winning me over.

From a tourism perspective, Baku is still NOT the Paris of the Caucasus (have you noticed how many "Switzerlands of" and "Parises of" there are in the world?). But the narrow alleys and architectural details of the old city are charming for an afternoon's stroll. And the pedestrian streets, lined with hustlers selling everything from nesting dolls to KGB paraphenelia are surprisingly orderly. In short, it's not a bad place to kill a day while waiting for your flight to London.