Hotel Gtm Kapan Tbilisi

... English, one of the mechanics was extremely helpful and looked after us. We got the crankcase welded, a slow puncture repaired and understood my first entire Russian sentence. Pleased with our accomplishments, we found a serene place to stop in the rolling green hills beyond Rustavi.

... but the construction crew had left the door open so we still took a little "unorganized" tour...) and then wandered up in the direction of the church (yes, another old one) that overlooks the village. The fellow-hostelian and I decided it wasn't worth the effort long before we even really got started on the trail, but we got far enough to get some excellent pictures of the village and it's theoretical surrounding mountains...in the ...

... be a hour's ascent. My idea of hiking renders unpopular since it's getting hot and we can't find the way. So we relax by sitting in shade and eating sunflower seeds (Georgia's pastime #1) and decide for taking a taxi. I ask the only other tourist here if he wants to share the costs for one. But he's got his own car here and manages to pick us up even before we are able to find a taxi. That original guy is a Japanese and has been travelling all around the world with his car for some years ...

... momentarily to draw large breaths. It was so fast we could hardly understand a word, and in fact became quite comical. The building itself is interesting, but rates no comment. Full of very heavily carved furniture, ornate possessions of minor royalty, plus some interesting ethnographic artifacts. Back on the road again, through Kutaisi, on the bypass road with lots of abandoned industry and decrepit high rise apartment blocks ...

... I tried at David's mother cuisine. The khinkali is easy to make - but I told myself I must find the badrijiani recipee from someone. Some of my friends have roots in Georgia, so I believed one of their grandmothers are familiar with this fantastic dish. Michal really wanted to try the khinkali (and finish ordering the simple khachapuri), and since she didn't eat meat - she had the opportunity to try the mushroom and cheese khinkali. I helped her finish everything. After ...

... I was only at the beginning of the process to learn how to read the unique Georgian writing, so I couldn't really read the menu. I can also say that I was only 16 hours in Georgia, so I definately couldn't say what is the name of the dish I read. I didn't know what is "badrijani" or "mtsvadi" yet, even if I could read it. We ordered Lobio (I knew it was a bean broth because this dish was recommended in the guide) for both of us, and another salad (for Michal) and Khinkali ...

... frescoes, and paintings of saints and holy ones, with their gold and silver clothing plated in relief. Nearby, I ate lobio stew--thick, kidney beans, hearty, tasty--with bread, fueling myself for the hike to Jvari, a couple hours on foot. Jvari beckoned across the river, where White Pelicans rested. I crossed over a dam after getting permission from the guards--it was okay since I was on a pilgrimage to Jvari, that was clear. After crossing the highway ...

... ri otsa ja solgutati siis kuuma karamelli sees. Edasi juba jahtuma ja poodi. Ei olnud minu maitse.Tbilisi saabusime pimedas ja jagunesime hotelli "Diplomat" ja "Kala"(ei mäleta eestikeelset tõlget). Gruusia on ses mõttes lahe koht, et peaaegu kõik poed on 24h lahti ja loomulikult pakkuvad väga laia valikut napse. Meie hotelli vahetus naabruses oli selliseid auke 2-3. Kala oli mäe nõlval asuv mõnus hotell, kus kahestes tubades oli piisavalt ruumi. Vaade oli osadel sellidel väärt 1mln.$ :)

... it was a relief to get on a plane and I figured that I had already had had my share of potential disasters and if the flight dropped from the heavens well that was totally beyond my control. I missed Ethiopian Airlines I must admit as I went Kenya airways and KLM, which is extremely Dutch, and to add insult to injury Kenyan security took my little bottles of musk away - no liquid! Even ...

... soon after I got into the car - I was told that the distance to cover was 200km, but it was really only 1/3 of that. I only had myself to blame for not doing more thorough homework. But the driver wanted to to drop me off at a spot somewhere in the city of Tbilisi. When I reminded him of the address that I gave him at the border crossing, he wanted more money. Using my body language, if not my English, I made it very clear to him that I wasn't going to pay him a penny more ...