Tbilisi

After the hassle free border crossing between Azerbaijan and Georgia (Balakan to Lagodekhi), I head to the marshrutka stand via taxi which I pay for in Azeri manat. The Georgian driver in his thick Georgian accent tells me about the difficulty in finding work in his country, how much he hates the current president and finally asserts that being Russian has no negative ramifications for my travelling in his country.

With absolutely no Georgian lari on hand, I tell the driver that I have manat and dollars and will need to stop somewhere to change currency. No problem he says and we leave twenty minutes later with myself as the only passenger, though that quickly changes.

After arriving in Tbilisi and quickly running to a money change kiosk, I pay the driver and am to spend the night couch surfing with a Georgian by the name of Luka. Apart from an address, an invitation to arrive any time and a phone number that’s currently unreachable, I don’t have much more information. I pick a random direction and decide that it’s the way to Luka’s place and so start walking.

Arriving at the metro station and not knowing where to go, I ask the first person I see if they speak English. Irakli does speak English, helps me buy a sim card ($1USD gets me 3 minutes talk time and 300 free SMS, much better compared to the high prices I was paying in Azerbaijan). Since he’s not busy at the moment, he agrees to join me for the next hour before meeting his friend.

Walking around Tbilisi, I’m glad that I’ve picked such a lightweight backpack. We head straight for Tbilisi’s star attraction, Sameba (Holy Trinity) Cathedral. Georgians mostly follow the Georgian Orthodox faith.

After visiting the cathedral, we head into the centre of town where we meet Irakli’s friend Shota (named after the famous poet Shota Rustavelli, after whom the main street has also been renamed). Irakli, Shota and myself find the location of Luka’s place and find no one home. The neighbour’s seem to be aware of this and happily open the door and let me in.

Walking inside, I find another four backpacks on the floor in the living room, the walls of which are covered in maps, drawings and pamphlets, typical of many hostels. Many of the comments left by previous guests are along the lines of Luka it was great to stay at your house and I’m sad that we didn’t get to meet, but thanks for your hospitality. I find this absolutely amazing that someone can be so trusting and hospitable to strangers. I decide there’s nowhere in Tbilisi I’d rather stay, leave my bag, lock the door behind me and head outside with my new friends.

« Video gallery | Home | Tbilisi continued »