Mit der Kaunas nach Batumi

On Friday morning (August 10, 2018), I wake up promptly shortly before six and start the day quite abruptly. I treat myself to a walk on the nearby beach, where I am not completely alone despite the early hour. Then I pack up and finally, around eight, I make my way to the port with Rango. We walk to the nearest store. The chubby one gets something to eat and I get a coffee before continuing our journey to the ferry by tram. Shortly before eleven, we finally reach the service point, from where a shuttle bus is supposed to take us to the departure point at a quarter to twelve. The ladies at the counter work at a rather leisurely pace, so I only receive our ticket shortly before twelve. But since the shuttle also operates with Eastern European punctuality, there is still plenty of time for a hot drink. Customs clearance proceeds relatively quickly and the visit to the veterinarian goes without a hitch. So we are finally on board the ferry named Kaunas at half past three. At the reception, I receive our cabin key upon presentation of the ticket. I go with Rango to our accommodation. When I open the door, I am surprised. The room is already occupied by an Azerbaijani with a large German Shepherd. The Ukrainians have a sense of humor. We both agree that we cannot share a cabin with our dogs, especially since I had to pay a generous surcharge for a single room. So back to the reception. I make it clear that I am very dissatisfied with the situation, also due to the pricing policy. The first mate will take care of it. A short time later, I have a key for a single cabin, which I immediately occupy with Rango. After a round on the deck, a little training in the cabin, and a shower in the private bathroom, it is already half past six, time for dinner. I am assigned to table 18 in the first serving. There, a rather international group gathers to eat. Afterwards, I take a walk on board with Rango, watch the sunset, and go to bed around eleven after the ferry has departed.

Saturday starts for us shortly before seven with a walk on deck. I can see some coastline and the silhouette of a city, and after looking at my map app, I am somewhat surprised to find that we are about 30 km northeast of our departure point, in international waters. So the silhouette is Odessa. During breakfast, Matthias and Ioanna report that the evening before, about 1 hour after departure, a few people boarded the ferry by small boat and under spotlight. Who knows what else found its way onto the ship overnight... Otherwise, everyday life on board is quite monotonous. Apart from some training, eating, sleeping, and the occasional walk on deck, not much happens. The sociable group at table 18 regularly provides some variety. In the late afternoon, we pass Crimea, with the ferry operating exclusively outside Russian territorial waters.

On Sunday, August 12, 2018, we are scheduled to arrive in Batumi around noon. However, a look at the map as well as the different information provided by the crew suggest that we will not arrive until the evening at the earliest. The further the deadline is pushed back, the more restless some of the other passengers become, as according to the crew, we must also leave the ferry overnight. Fortunately, this turns out to be Ukrainian humor again, and we are allowed to spend the night on board.

On Monday morning, breakfast is served half an hour earlier than usual, around half past seven. Since we are now almost a day behind schedule, the request "please don't be late," which concludes every loudspeaker announcement about meal times, is quite amusing. Afterwards, we exchange our cabin keys for our passports again and wait for Georgian customs. Around noon, we finally pass all the border posts and are allowed to leave the port. On board, I was able to get a tip for camping from a Georgian, and I set off with Rango to the conveniently located campsite. As it turns out, it is a meadow near the city center, where camping is only tolerated but actually prohibited. After letting a rain shower pass by, we take a walk along the nearby marina and the beach promenade. Then I set up my tent on the meadow, not far from a dozen others. Afterwards, we go to the nearby city beach for a swim. In the afternoon, we take a first stroll through the Georgian port city. The vegetation and some buildings give a Mediterranean flair. The city is otherwise characterized by a colorful mixture of historical buildings (some better preserved than others) and modern architecture. The beach promenade and extensive green areas complete the picture. I immediately noticed some fully veiled women. We seem to be approaching the Islamic world or at least its vacation spots.

On Tuesday (August 14, 2018), we continue to wander aimlessly through the city, and I go for a swim in the Black Sea several times. I give up on another one of the countless repair attempts for my expensive air mattress. I was able to patch up the holes caused by Rango quite well, but now the top layer is peeling off from the inside and becoming leaky. It can only be repaired, if at all, by injecting glue. After using it for just over eight months, I am very disappointed with the price-performance ratio of the Therm-a-Rest. Once again, expensive equipment does not live up to its promises. Back at the campsite, I have to witness Rango being fed bread by a neighbor in the tent. Very annoying, especially since he once again refused his chicken in the morning. Maybe I will completely stop feeding the chubby one, and he will get by without it...

On Wednesday morning, I wake up at seven, but then doze off until nine. After breakfast, I am invited for tea and can find out that trains to the north run regularly (supposedly every 20 minutes). I decide to continue my journey towards the Caucasus on the same day. While packing my stuff, I strike up a conversation with a Russian woman who wants to go to a nearby hippie settlement and is looking for company. In principle, it sounds like a solid plan, and I am inclined to adjust my plans a bit, especially since I quite like the girl. Unfortunately, the place called Rainbow is located about 100 km east of Batumi somewhere in the middle of nowhere. It is unclear how we can get there quickly with Rango, and continuing the journey to the Caucasus seems extremely difficult. It is already too late in the year for such spontaneity, and I set off alone to the train station. There, it turns out that the trains to the north run much less frequently than claimed. The next possibility to get to Kutaisi is at nine. From there, I hope to be able to change to the night train to Zugdidi. We will see. During the waiting time, I upload some pictures and write this travel report. Then I go to the nearby beach again for a swim. After a small dinner, we wait for the sunset, overlooking the skyline of Batumi. Shortly before half past eight, we find ourselves back at the train station, and the tickets are only issued half an hour before departure. At the counter, there is a brief uncertainty; the lady does not know if Rango is allowed to come along and refers me to the railway personnel. After consulting with them, I can purchase a ticket and sit on the train with Rango at a quarter to ten.