Baku or Bust.......

Welcome Lisa Jane!

I wish you the best for this new adventure in Baku

How long have you been in Moscow? Did you like it?

All the best,

Julien

Welcome to Baku, Lisa Jane!

As a single guy, I'm probably not the best source of information on family life here, but I'll be happy to answer any questions I can.  I personally don't find Baku to be the most exciting place, but most of the expat families I know here seem to like it.  If you've lived in a lot of places, you probably won't find anything here too surprising.  Traffic is crazy, utilities are questionable at times, and most things seem pretty illogical to a westerner.  There's tons of construction in the city right now.  When looking for housing, I would avoid newer high rise apartment buildings, as construction standards are not closely monitored.  There are a lot of minor annoyances, but if you can keep a sense of humor about it all, it's not too bad.  I haven't managed to travel outside the city yet, but I've heard great things about the surrounding country side once you get a couple hours out. 

Good luck with the upcoming move, and let me know if there's anything I can help with.,

Andrew

Thanks Andrew,

  We should be there around the middle of August. Are there normal housing complexes there or just apartments? When we lived in Moscow we were in an apartment complex that had 3,000 units and we were on the 19th floor so it deffinetly wasnt the best situation for kids. Where is the local hang out for expacts? That was how we met our friends in Moscow, we just showed up at the "club" and started to socialize.

  Thanks for the info any advice on the best area for housing would be great.

Lisa Jane

Julien wrote:

Welcome Lisa Jane!

I wish you the best for this new adventure in Baku

How long have you been in Moscow? Did you like it?

All the best,

Julien

Hi Julien,

Well we arent in Moscow anymore, we are in Michigan. But i will say that it was a time in my life that i will never forget. If your a single guy Moscow is the place to be, if your married with kids stay away...... far far away!! I met loads of wonderful people there, but as far as living there (with kids) I woudnt go back.

Lisa Jane

If you're looking for a house, there a few areas in town, mostly away from the city center.  The only place I know of that resembles a 'normal' neighborhood, with front and back yards, driveway, etc, it Stonepay.  I think it's mostly inhabited by BP employees and their families.  In most other areas I've seen the houses are hidden away behind tall stone walls, which is probably because even the nicest houses are surrounded by pretty cruddy looking streets and alleyways.  If you can afford it and have small kids, that might be the way to go, since there's not much in the way of parks for your kids to play in. 

As for apartments, most of the new construction is high rises, but alot of the old buildings are 3-6 stories.  House hunting can be a bit of a pain in the rear because the real estate agents will tell you just about anything and the places they advertise in the paper don't seem to actually exist.  If you find a good, friendly landlord, grab onto  'em.  They're worth their weight in gold.  Most places come furnished, and strangely, part of the bargaining might involve asking for a bigger TV or a new microwave.  And don't be turned off if the outside of the building looks like junk, most of them do.  There are some beautiful big apartments in the older buildings.  There's even some good ones inside the historic "Old City." 

The expat social scene is centered around the bars, of which there are many.  There's not really a "club" per say, at least not that I'm aware of.  The Hyatt has an excellent health club.

So what's bringing you to Baku?  Work I assume.  Are you guys with one of the large companies?  If you are they may have resources to help you find housing.  Also, if you picked up some Russian while you were in Moscow, that will come in very handy.

Thanks for all the wonderful help. It looks like we are going to settle in at stonepay? My husband is getting ahold of a company realtor, so im excited to start another adventure...... he he he Can Americans/Canadians get a drivers license there? Or will foot patrol and taxis be my only options? Also what should i assume the weather is going to be like in August and what should i purchase to move over that will not be readily available there?

Thanks for all the help.....

Lisa Jane

Hi,

I've just been offered a job in Baku. I have type 1 diabetes. Can anyone give me information about where to get diabetic supplies (insulin, needles etc) and related costs? Or can anyone suggest where else I may get this info?

Thanks,

hovis.

Lisa Jane, if you're living in Stonepay you'll definitely want either a car or a regular driver.  Expats can drive, but I'm not sure if you have to get an Azeri license or how that works.  Bribes to the traffic cops are a regular part of expat driving and the crazy traffic will take some getting used to.  A lot of expats prefer to hire a driver, you're company can probably help with that too.

Weather in August will be hot and sunny, probably in the 90's.  We have a lot of very windy days year round.  There's not much you can't get here, the trick is figuring out where to go since there is no Wal-mart.  The clothing shops in town are very expensive, so I wouldn't plan on buying much of that here.  Electronics also tend to be expensive, laptops, cameras, MP3 players, etc. are all cheaper in the US.  A lot of people I know bring food back with them.  We actually had a friend bring a turkey for Thanksgiving (you can get them here, but they're insanely expensive).  If there's anything particular you want to know about, I'll look around and see if it's available.  English books and magazines are also in short supply.

Hovis, I don't know about diabetic supplies specifically.  There's a Turk-American Clinic that we generally use for non-emergency medical treatment, and there's tons of pharmacies around town.  I'll ask around at work and see if anyone knows where to get diabetic supplies.  If your company has a clinic they may be able to get it for you.    So when will you be moving here?  Let me know if there's anything else I can help out with.

Andrew