Tbilisi

  Tbilisi, Georgia
Sunday, June 18, 2006

We've arrived in the Georgian capital and are hungry to sample the nightlife after two nights high in the Caucasus. We're coming to the end of two days and three nights in the city and we've had a blast.

View of Tbilisi

It didn't start well though - a word of advice, should you find yourself in Tbilisi avoid the Hotel Morkinali like the plague. It barely escaped the last earthquake and clearly all the guests have been chain smoking to calm their nerves ever since. The place stinks and is filthy - some of our fellow passengers found a half eaten mouldy meal in their wardrobe - nice!

Mother Georgia

Things improved hugely though once we'd left the hotel. We went straight to the Sunday art and antiques market and managed to get some very nice traditional Georgian drinking horns and bowls - we've started as we mean to continue. To celebrate our purchases we went for dinner and then to sample the delights of The Beatles club - they had a special evening on there to celebrate the birthday of "Sir Poul MacCartney" (sic) - classic.

Orthodox Priest

Last night was more hard core - after a day of sight-seeing we went for dinner at a Russian restaurant and drank neat vodka all night - I knew things weren't looking good when we switched from the vodka costing 34 Georgian Lari a bottle to one costing just 16 GEL - hangovertastic!

More to come tonight though as we're heading to a traditional Georgian sulphur bath (apparently sitting in eggy water with seven other hungover grimy overland travellers is very good for you) and then for dinner at a traditional restaurant - I feel more toasts coming on...

You probably won't hear much from us for a while now - tomorrow morning we head east to visit some vineyards for a couple of days and then it's over the border to sample the delights of Azerbaijan - we can't wait!