Please hail me an "Aubergine"

British visitors to Fairmont Baku, Flame Towers in Azerbaijan are often surprised to see a London taxi pull up when they are ordering a cab. These metered vehicles are based on the London originals but are coloured purple.

When they first appeared overnight on Baku's streets, the locals immediately labelled them "aubergines" after the purple vegetable and this endearing sobriquet has taken hold.

Tip for Baku explorers flying solo - When exploring the city on one's own, taking an "aubergine" to one of Baku's extensive range of attractions, shops or museums, pick up a handy reference card from the concierge desk. It features the names of all the key attractions / locations in both English and Azeri. It's a very useful tool for the intrepid traveller.