September 2014: Carpet shopping is a must in Baku. There are carpet shops located all over the old city. It’s fun to spend an hour or two, sitting back and drinking tea while a carpet vendor pulls out a wide variety of different types and styles of carpets from various regions of the country, and some from other nearby countries too. But making a decision is another story altogether.

I thought it would be nice to pick out a carpet for MOKEN’s salon floor. By the end of visits to two different carpet shops that came recommended by Lauren and Don, I was totally overwhelmed by all the choices. There are so many factors to consider. Size, colour, material, pattern/design, weaving style, region of the country, age of the carpet, price.

In the end, I left the country empty handed but determined to find one eventually. I guess it just means Chris will have to send me lots of photos so I can shop for carpets on board MOKEN.

Baku is also home to the brand new National Carpet Museum housed along the waterfront in a building that looks like a giant rolled up carpet. It opened just a couple of days before I arrived but we ran out of time before we had a chance to visit it. Next time for sure!