Azeri Transportation (or, How the H*** Am I Supposed To Get Anywhere?)

     I live in a village...a small village.  A village small enough that walking is the most reliable form of transportation.  I'm only 10 minutes outside of town, but those 10 minutes put a lot of distance between here and there.  In my first days here, I thought I was in the middle of nowhere, though I later found out I was only on the edge of nowhere, at the very far end of the village.  Now I was (and still am) a decent way from my school, and my host family would drive me to school every morning, and drive me back every afternoon, but if I wanted to get to school at a different time, or go to someone's house (not that I knew anyone at that point) or go to Agdash (the city), I was at the mercy of fate and Azeri time, both of which can drive a person to madness.  So, obviously, I needed to figure out transportation; and since then, I've had some enlightening and somewhat crazy experiences.

PCV's On A Bus!

   IN A CITY
If you happen to be in a city in Azerbaijan, you'r in luck!  You actually have transportation!  More than that, you might even have more than one option!  In Baku, besides having an airport and train station, you can get most anywhere using anything from the metro (subway) to buses, taxis, marshrutkas, heck, even bikes (if you're crazy enough to bike in Baku traffic).  In smaller cities like Sumgayit, you still have a number of options, and there are usually lots of bus routes, marshrutkas, and the inevitable taxi.  And there are usually enough of them that the wait is usually only a few minutes.  All in all, you are probably in the best position to be able to get somewhere if you are in a city.

A City (Baku)

   IN A TOWN
If you are in a town (or a small city) then you usually have less options.  Maybe 3-4 marshutka routes that cover the main part of the city, and a few marshutkas that run outside the town to villages.  If you need to get somewhere the marshutkas don't go, you can either catch a taxi (which are numerous) or walk, since the towns usually aren't incredibly large.  You might have to wait a while, (say 15-45 minutes or more) but you can usually get to where you are going without too much hassle.

A Town (Agdash)

   
     IN A VILLAGE
This is where I am, and the transportation options are pretty spare.  There are no taxi's in small villages unless they are dropping someone off from a nearby town.  If you are very lucky, you might be able to grab one on it's way out of the village, but this is rare and not to be depended upon.  The main way to get from one place to another is either to walk to go in a car with your family (should they have a car).  If they don't, well tough, you're going to need some good (mud-proof) boots, and preferably either a knee-length skirt or pants that end at least an inch above the ground. If you need to get out of the village, it's probably going to be a bit hard, and something you have to plan out in advance.  There might be a marshutka to the nearest town or city, but it likely only runs a few times a day. (I'm lucky in that the marshutka in my village goes to Agdash 6 times a day, but the last one is at 5pm)  So this is where all that guesting and networking comes into play.  The most common way I've found to get out of the village (and even around the village) is to know people, because in a small village, everyone knows everyone else.  I found out when the kids in my village catch a marshutka into Agdash, and will occasionally catch a ride with them; other times, I just go out to the main road and wait until someone heading into town stops.  I don't recommend this method for anything other than a small village, and not until you are known in the community, but once you are known, lots of people from the village will usually pull over and ask if you need a ride. (For women, proper young men won't stop unless they know you, so if a young man you don't know stops and asks if you want a ride, say NO.)

A Village (Dahna)

    INTER-RAYON TRAVEL

If you are in Baku, you can probably get just about anywhere using either the train or the avtovagzal (bus station) but all other areas have a pretty sparse schedule, (Only exception is if you are going to Baku from one of the larger cities, they usually have a decent schedule for that) There is no good way to know when a bus or marshutka is either arriving or leaving unless you have the driver's number.  If you can find a local who is able to call around and find out when, then that's your best bet.  However, something to keep in mind is that if you look on a map, and see two cities close together, that doesn't necessarily mean it's easy to get to.  For me, Agsu and Goycay are relatively close to me on a map, and it looks like there's a road connecting all three cities, but in practice, you have to catch a bus down to the main highway, then another one towards the direction your going, then another one going up to the city you're trying to visit.  Overall, travel is a lot more difficult here than in North America or Europe, but it can be done with some planning and patience.
 P.S. A note of caution: Don't travel around Novruz or Yeni-il if you can help it.  These are huge holidays here, and everyone is traveling.  Also, Azeri's don't line up, ever, if they are trying to get on a bus or marshutka they just rush the door, and with the crowds you get at Novruz and Yeni-il, if you want to get on, you have to literally elbow your way past all the others trying to get on and unashamedly claw your way into the vehicle.  It is not for the faint of heart.
  Keep Calm and Carry On,
      Aven