10. Stage "Tiflis, Georgia

Today, due to the bad weather, I changed my plans and didn't go to Vardzia but went straight to Tbilisi. I will be staying here for at least the next 5 days and exploring the city and the surrounding area.

The journey itself was OK, as I decided to take the motorway for the 130km stretch. After I had already had a little taste of the crazy driving style of the Georgians in Batumi, today's drive through Tbilisi was the full program. When it comes to driving, the Georgians are really crazy. The key is to stay cool, swim in the traffic and hope that everything goes well.

There will be pictures tomorrow, after my first sightseeing tour of the city.

15.05.2024: Today I explored the city in ideal weather. Lots of light but also lots of shadow. Occasionally I was reminded of Cuba.

An attempt to get tickets for Rezo Gabriadze's puppet theater has failed for now; all performances are fully booked until May 19. I'll try at the box office on the evening.

Here are the announced pictures, because pictures speak more than a thousand words.😀

05/16/2024: Today I treated myself to a bath in one of the city's public sulphur baths. With a massage, of course. The public baths are much simpler than the private ones, but also much cheaper. There was also a cup of tea at the end. Overall, it was very worthwhile and a good way to get in the mood for a visit to the National Museum. I was particularly fascinated by the gold jewellery on display here and of course the connection to Colchis and the legend of Jason and the Golden Fleece.

After a short break in the hotel, I set off again to get a ticket for the puppet theater. Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one with this thought, so I had to leave without accomplishing anything. Mission impossible. 😔 Regardless, I made extensive use of the local public transport today. I was surprised at how punctual and frequent the buses were. A ride costs about 33 cents. 👍

17.05.2024: I had two things planned for today. Firstly, I wanted to see the Davit Gareja Monastery, and secondly, I wanted to take this opportunity to drive to the border with Azerbaijan to see for myself that the border is actually closed.

The drive to the monastery was quite bumpy over the last few kilometers, although the stony, dirt-track-like sections were easier to drive on than the more or less tarred sections riddled with potholes. The monastery itself doesn't offer much other than the great landscape in my opinion. However, I was glad to escape the city and have a bit more peace and quiet around me again. The route to the border was similar in one section. When I got there, a friendly border guard explained to me that the border was closed and shortly afterwards there were some soldiers in a pickup truck. They stopped briefly while I was still busy using my sat nav for the return journey. Now the only route left is through Russia. I should receive a response to my visa application tomorrow. I'm excited to see how it turns out.

05/18/2024: During the course of this morning, I had to do some organizational things first. At the top of my to-do list was doing the laundry, then the coming days would have to be replanned due to the impending bad weather in the Caucasus. This also included extending the accommodation and organizing tickets for the puppet theater. Last but not least, I wanted to use the rest of the day sensibly. The extension of the accommodation was done with a phone call and so was the purchase of a ticket via the Internet. Meanwhile, the washing machine was already running. For the rest of the day, I had planned to visit an old monastery in Ananuri. It is about 60 km north of Tbilisi. Driving through Tbilisi is always not a very pleasant experience. The traffic volume is considerable and so are the traffic jams. The rest of the route was very easy to drive. The monastery itself was in a rather deplorable state. Only the location and the church with its icons offered a point of attraction. On the way to the monastery, a wine route was signposted several times, which I then tried out on the way back. However, there was hardly any wine or wineries to be seen. I don't know what went wrong here. I've now adapted to the way of driving here. Nevertheless, there are always unpleasant surprises. But there was also a nice surprise, because my visa arrived today. This means there's a good chance that I'll meet Barbara in Tashkent at the beginning of July. 😀

05/19/2024: There's not much to report today. Spent the morning viewing and saving videos/pictures and doing some organizational tasks. In the afternoon we went into town for a stroll and a coffee. At lunch we met a cyclist from South Africa and in the evening we had small talk with a couple from Voronezh, Russia. The cyclist from South Africa has been on the road since last year and said he needed a break from cycling. He will spend the next few months in Tbilisi. He has an acquaintance here. The Russian couple had a similar experience to me. They actually wanted to go to Azerbaijan, but are now going to Armenia first. I am currently filling their gap in Russia.

05/20/2024: This morning, the next stop was in Stepanzminda and the journey continued through Russia. Then I explored new paths in the city on foot. I came across a car-free street with lots of cafes and restaurants. A real treat.

05/21/2024: Today's day began with a little gymnastics to compensate for the motorcycle riding. After a hearty breakfast, it was time to find out which platforms you can currently use to book accommodation in Russia. The platforms we use don't work there. After that was sorted out, with the help of the Russian couple, I was able to book my first accommodation in Vladikavkaz. Today I finally had a proper and extensive Georgian meal. A bit meaty but very tasty. I also had a very tasty Georgian red wine and a Turkish coffee to finish.

Tomorrow it's time to do the laundry and slowly start thinking about setting off for Stepantsminda. Unfortunately, the weather forecast for there doesn't look so good. We'll see 😸 😜

PS I bought a bike that should be able to cope with the local traffic conditions. 😜

05/22/2024: Today was very quiet. Apart from a few things like changing money and getting provisions for the trip tomorrow, there wasn't much left to do. The only highlight of the day, a visit to a performance of Rezo Gabriaze's puppet theater, I almost missed because I was packing. That would have been really annoying after all the effort to get a ticket. In the end, however, it worked out and I was able to watch a wonderful performance. Tomorrow we'll be heading on to Stepanzminda. I'm excited to see what awaits me there and hope to be able to implement my plans there.

05/23/2024: What was a clear prospect yesterday is already yesterday's news. It has now been established that it is not possible to travel on to Kazakhstan through Russia with an e-visa. This means that my plans and reservations from yesterday are already obsolete. First I canceled all hotel reservations and then racked my brains about how to proceed. By chance I came across an article in a travel blog that described in detail a possibility of entering Azerbaijan by moped. On top of that, the author had also included the contact details of the organizer. The man's name is Anton Polikarpov, is Azerbaijani and organizes these transports from Baku. The whole thing looks like this: the moped is transported to Azerbaijan by truck, while the drivers fly there from Tbilisi. His counterpart in Georgia is Eyyub Transport, named after its owner Mr. Eyyub. As my Georgian SIM card had no credit again (I have no idea why), the waitress in the café where I was sitting agreed to call Azerbaijan. Anton answered immediately and after I explained my request, he explained to me that my moped could be on its way tomorrow. This was a huge surprise to me, but somehow it was unstoppable and meant extending my hotel stay, checking flights to and accommodation in Baku, and gathering and preparing documents. In the evening, all preparations for the transport were made and after Barbara also encouraged me in this decision, it was clear that I would do it.

05/24/2024: After a restless night and a quick breakfast, this morning I first had to pack my belongings so that I had everything I needed for the time until departure, but did not exceed the 10kg for hand luggage. Around noon it was time to pack the moped and drive to the meeting point in Marneuli, about 45km southeast of Tbilisi. Here I had arranged to meet Mr. Eyyub to prepare the transport of the machine. Also with us is a young Brit who has just finished his studies and is on his way to Japan with his Honda 500. First we drove into town to a lawyer who drew up the necessary papers. Then we drove to the local bazaar, where Mr. Eyyub invited us to dinner. Then we drove back to the motorcycles, where there was still a lot to explain and stow away. After everything was done, Mr. Eyyub drove us back to our accommodations in Tbilisi. The man is super helpful and nice. Simply great. Now the rest just has to work just as well.

05/25/2024: The machines should be ready for pickup in Baku next Tuesday. Anton will meet us there and hopefully help with the customs formalities. Yesterday I got a ticket for a flight to Baku. Ben has the same flight, so we can pick up the machines together. Today I mainly had to get a new pair of glasses. My actual glasses apparently got lost in a taxi and, despite all my efforts, I couldn't find them. It's now quite difficult to be without glasses. I also had to print out some documents for the flight in a copy shop and organize an airport transfer. That, along with a long coffee break, pretty much filled the afternoon.

BTW: The weather is rather modest and therefore ideal for such tasks.

05/26/2024: Today was a rather quiet day. This gave me the opportunity to explore the area a little, talk to my daughter on the phone and take care of the entry formalities for Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. If everything goes well, I should arrive in Aqtau/Kazakhstan next Saturday. This means I am two weeks ahead of schedule. This gives me more time for my first visit to Kazakhstan, I will enter again later, but I would have liked to have seen a little more of Georgia.

Since I still haven't received confirmation of the taxi I ordered to the airport, it seemed sensible to check alternatives using public transport. Fortunately, there is a train station and a bus station not too far away and there are good connections to the airport.

Today Georgia is celebrating independence and just now (around 9.30pm) there was a big fireworks display. Unfortunately I couldn't see much of it.💥💥💥

05/27/2024: The day could actually be completely relaxed if it weren't for Bolt, through whom I ordered the taxi to the airport for Ben and me. I haven't received anything so far that I could consider as confirmation. To be on the safe side, I checked public transport. Around noon, I took the bus to the Chronicles of Georgia. A very impressive monument, even if the ravages of time have taken their toll on it. After that, there wasn't much left to do other than enjoy the day.