The worst part is waiting for everyone to unload. No one else seems to have the drive, the hurry, the strong desire to burst out of the confined space and finally pursue a dream. Inch by inch, I scoot closer to the exit until finally I'm out. It was a small plane and airport, the terminal unloaded outside and we were to get onto a little bus to take us inside.
My first impression was the smell. I wasn't sure if it was just the airport or not, but the essence of cigarette smoke lingered everywhere (later insight: it wasn't just the airport. Cigarettes are crazy cheap there so it is super common to smoke there, and smoke a lot.). We packed onto the bus, being hurried along by the adults who probably had no more idea where we were going than us teenagers, and eventually we got through the area where they take your picture (I don't know, to prove you're in the country?) with super strict and scary-seeming airport employees, and we walked the short distance to one of two luggage disposal round abouts.
After collecting our bags, I conformed to where the group was heading- out the doors. Apparently I missed a hello from one of the Azerbaijani coordinators, a sweet lady named Sevinj. We were brought to this bus that happened to perfectly fit our 20-odd group, and the driver took on the task of loading our bags while we tried to take in everything around us. Granted, the view was limited, being in the parking lot of an airport, but it was already amazing.
Buildings were shaped amazingly. Right next to us there was a dome building, still in the process of being put together, but intriguing nonetheless. The airport from the outside was gorgeous- it looked like it was pieced together with toothpicks, and I don't say that in a way as in "it looked cheap," I mean it literally looks like giant toothpicks were strategically placed together, and the inner glow gave a pleasing affect. I noticed an Azerbaijani flag majestically waving a few lots away. I felt a swell of emotions.
Some were tired and just wanted to get to the hotel we were to spend our first night in, but besides the practically 40 straight hours of no sleep, I just wanted to drive everywhere and see the city. The hotel was about half an hour away, and the entire trip I rode in silence, gazing out the window and watching the city fly by.
One word: lights. Lights everywhere. Not just classic, yellow-ish lights, but neon, colors, sparkles. The amazing part was how classy it was, nothing like the tacky showiness of Las Vegas but gorgeous, magical.
It's difficult to describe just how eccentric and wondrous the city is. I can't forget the sensation of flying, the desire to feign blinking so I could take advantage of every single second of feasting upon the sights of Baku. But we arrived at the hotel, were split into groups of 4 and sent to our rooms with instructions to where breakfast would be in the morning. But really, who was listening to that?
We lugged our bags to our rooms, the tiny elevator being useless as it held about one or two, but our room being only a couple floors up it wasn't an issue. Heck, I wouldn't have cared if I was on the top floor.
It took us a while to settle down. The adult instructors brought us snacks, not having had a meal in quite a while (I didn't even have considerations about eating with everything going on), and it was about 3 am until we were all thankfully showered, and laying down I didn't really want to sleep. I wanted to go out. But when I closed my eyes, it took approximately 3.7 seconds until sleep hit.
No comments:
Post a Comment