Batumi (GEORGIA) - აჭარის ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკა

Batumi (Georgia)
13 September - 15 September 2016

After a few eye opening and wonderfully surprising days in Tbilisi we jumped a train heading west and dialled in the Black Sea resort and port city of Batumi. To me this was another one of those 'mythical' style stops, a location that my mind had somehow conjured up images of for years but due to the tyranny of distance, and lack of association, there was no real hope of me making a visit. The Black Sea had always been one of those places, not the city of Batumi itself, just to be clear. As massive body of water, that's almost lake like, the narrow t only has the narrow straits of the Bosphorous to redefine it as a marginal sea of the Atlantic ocean rather than being a grand lake. What can I say, geography has always been a fascinating topic for me.

                                                           Trouble in Batumi ;)

Batumi - Georgia

The fantastic wines of Georgia - a great accompaniment to ALL the FANTASTIC Georgian food

Blue Steel in Batumi - Georgia

Sunset on the Black Sea - Batumi - Georgia

The Awesome Foursome - Batumi - Georgia

When this photo was taken Inga & I weren't engaged and Davis & Annija weren't even a couple ....

Absorbing the rays on the Black Sea - Batumi - Georgia

Lunch in Batumi - Georgian food and wine is just outstanding

A few years prior Inga had been to Batumi with her family and had sent me photos of a city that at the time I couldn't reconcile with its geographical location. What I saw was a striking city of modern architecture, sidled up to a calm, greyish looking sea. Even more dramatic at night, the lights of the city were blinding in their brilliance. Here was a city of the 21st century in the age old country of Georgia, modern and proud.

Batumi is known as the 'Pearl of the Black Sea' and is located in the autonomous Republic of Adjara. Another fascinating piece of information in that this region, pressed up against the border of Turkey and bounded by the Black Sea is effectively a DIY region. Which got me to thinking, could Batumi actually be a capital city in waiting? Could Adjara actually become a country in the near future? My only guess is that if there's a willingness by the people then there's no reason why it couldn't happen.

Running tracks and bike paths in Batumi - Georgia

Black Sea - Batumi - Georgia

Black Sea - Batumi - Georgia

Black Sea - Batumi - Georgia

Batumi - Georgia

Batumi - Georgia

The Alphabetic Tower - Batumi - Georgia

This 130 metre high structure symbolises the unique nature of the Georgian language and combines the double helix design of DNA into its own design

The Alphabetic Tower - Batumi - Georgia

Batumi - Georgia

The Batumi skyline

This city is of course different to Tbilisi. Sleek, shiny and new, there's a Gold Coast type of feel about the place. Apparently there's been a lot of work that has taken place in the city over the last 10-15 years. One of the most visitor friendly pieces of work is Batumi Boulevard or the Batumi boardwalk, which is a 7km stretch of beautified beach side walking track that has nice bungalows, cafe lounges, restaurants, children's attractions, sculptures, etc. It's a great place to walk at any time of the day but particularly at sunset. And whilst this isn't what we'd commonly thing of as a beach in Australia (since when is a stone beach really a beach?), for those that live here I assume it would be a real pleasure.

Batumi - Georgia

Night antics - Batumi - Georgia

Batumi - Georgia

Davis - our Georgian taxi

Batumi - Georgia

The thing about Batumi is that once you get away from the boardwalk and have dealt with the plethora of casinos, then the modern buildings themselves can only hold your interest for so long before you yearn for a little bit more substance. Of course outside of Batumi the country side is wonderful and there's a lot of satisfaction derived from those looking at the city for a launch point for something in the 'eco-touristic' domain but because we only planned a limited stay in this area we only really intended on seeing this city. Still, no complaints from my end, it was definitely worth the travel time and having the business card of Batumi in my back pocket.

Batumi - Georgia

Georgian style coffee, heated in sand pit in the back of someone's car

Flying dolphins - where else but Batumi - Georgia...??

One of the truly cool events of the stay here was the fact the Davis and Annija actually started their relationship whilst in Batumi. All it took was a few dolphins, a nasty down pour, some violent lighting, evil thunder, and hey presto, tomorrow (18 MAY 2019) is going to be their wedding day. So with that said, here's my best wishes to them! All the best for their future and a toast to where it all started, under a blanket of grim cloud & nasty thunder. All it took was a simple hand hold and the rest, as they say in the classics, is history. Personally, I am very happy for the both of them, a fun loving, nice and genuine couple!

Kazbegi (GEORGIA) - under the shadows of the mighty Caucasus

Kazbegi (Georgia)
12 September 2016

Today was my the birthday of my future brother-in-law and we collectively decided to spend the day discovering how insane Georgians become when they're put behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.

I think there's something to be said for the discovery of the core characteristics of a people when you hit the streets and observe the way they handle themselves on the road. Part of their psyche is bared for all to see. Driving in its raw state, with all of its individualised emotions whilst in a vehicle, I believe, can give you a somewhat accurate portrait of that society when looked at in a whole. Here are some of the insights I've gathered from my time on the road in various parts of the world;

Serbia: There is an incessant use of hazard lights in the hope of ratifying an illegality, i.e., parking like an absolute dumb arse. They double park, triple park, just stop in the middle of a street to take or make a call, ignore lane lines, etc. They're constantly doing stupid things on the road, either because, they are stupid, or, they believe in the standard Serbian philosophy of 'f**k you'. That view is the egotistical stand point where Serbians believe that they, as an individual, are entitled to get away with everything under the sun but in the same breath where they truly believe that nobody else should be afforded the same entitlement because, you know, they are so much better than everyone else and they are the only ones that should be entitled.

Serbian cultural insight: Stupid, idiotic, plain dumb at times with self-inflated ego's born out of inferiority complexes.

Vietnam: These guys operate in some crazed world where traffic lights and street signs have no baring upon directing the actual nature of traffic. This frenzied and chaotic approach to driving somehow flows in an organic and fluid mass of confusion. It works, 'just'.

Vietnamese cultural insight: Amidst the chaos there's a strange sense of harmony

Australia: Oddly polite, structured and well mannered on the road, some might say even cultured. The only use of the car horn is in extreme anger or under polite duress

Australian cultural insight: The nanny state has made it onto our roads with politeness infiltrating our ever fibre, seeping into our mode of transit.

Italy: Frenzied brutality with constant chaos. Moves are made out blatant aggression and machismo. If you can't accept the rules of the wild then 'Vaffanculo'

Italian cultural insight: Full of sass, male bravado and dumb angst.

.....which now brings me all the way to Georgia. Oh dear, Georgian driving....

Georgia: Mad!  Mad men, mad women, blatantly crazy. They are insane and take risks that are beyond the border of dangerous, entering the world of suicidal. Lanes are mere guidelines, speed limits are there to be decimated, smoking and drinking whilst driving is accepted as good behaviour.

Georgian cultural insight: Georgia is a mix of everything meaning that their style of driving reflects an environment where all things are allowed and a place where friendliness amongst the populace is released through ludicrous kamikaze style manoueveres on the roads.

                                             Zhinvali water reservoir - Georgia

Zhinvali water reservoir - Georgia

Ananuri fortress - Georgia

Ananuri fortress - Georgia

Ananuri fortress - Georgia

Ananuri fortress - Georgia

On the road to Kazbegi - Georgia

I say all this for the fact that we had hired a driver to take us to Kazbegi. What I witnessed from him and what I witnessed from Georgian drivers generally, makes we wonder to this day the debt that I have to the universe in still being alive. These guys are MAD, make no mistake about that. This dance with death was my take away from the morning 'driving experience' as we made our way the 150kms north to Kazbegi. It was a drive punctuated by errant games of chicken, speeding beyond the means and capacity of the van and a sleepy eyed drivers whose name may have been Andre or Anatoli for all I can remember.

Our route to Kazbegi was punctuated by a stop approximately 75kms out of Tbilisi, called Ananuri fortress. The fortress/castle build on right bank of the Aragvi river, is located on the main route out of Tbilisi to the Russian frontier and in the past was part of the Great Silk Road. The bell tower, the castle, three churches and the fortress walls are beautifully carved from stone and make for an attractive focal point in what is a scene of serene beauty.

Ananuri fortress - Georgia

Ananuri fortress - Georgia

On the road to Kazbegi - Georgia

On the road to Kazbegi - Georgia

On the road to Kazbegi - Georgia

On the road to Kazbegi - Georgia

                                                On the road to Kazbegi - Georgia

On the road to Kazbegi - Georgia

A few hours later we made it to Kazbegi and onto the northern slopes of the Caucasus range, very close to the Russian border. The draw card here, aside from the dramatic scenery, is silhouette of the famous Gergeti Trinity church as it stands, perched high upon an empty, lonely grassed hill, in front of the almighty Mt Kazbek. The imposing ranges look down on this holy place and provide a reverent and regal backdrop to the site.

 The start of our walk to Gergeti Trinity Church - Kazbegi - Georgia

Gergeti Trinity Church - Kazbegi - Georgia

Gergeti Trinity Church - Kazbegi - Georgia

Gergeti Trinity Church - Kazbegi - Georgia

Gergeti Trinity Church - Kazbegi - Georgia

Gergeti Trinity Church - Kazbegi - Georgia

Gergeti Trinity Church - Kazbegi - Georgia

Gergeti Trinity Church - Kazbegi - Georgia

Gergeti Trinity Church - Kazbegi - Georgia

Kazbegi - Georgia

 Kazbegi - Georgia

Climbing up to the church from the town of Kazbegi takes all of an hour, and its mostly a 'huff and puff' affair. Ever upward and relentless, the walk is enjoyable enough but unscrupulously deceptive in the level of effort needed to hike up. As we discovered, there are roads to be utilised to make it up should you choose to do that. Knowing the company I was in however the reality was that the option was one that would never be taken. Still, when you earn each step up you get to really appreciate the vista for both the effort you put in and also the natural beauty that surrounds you, and without question, the scenery was beautiful. The landscapes of the Caucasus in this part are grand, vast, and completely fill up your field of vision. Coupled with that, we were also lucky enough to have encountered a really nice, comfortable day, that simply enhanced our entire mood.  

The road down from Gergeti Trinity Church - Kazbegi - Georgia

The road down from Gergeti Trinity Church - Kazbegi - Georgia

All in all, another fabulous day in the understated and utterly surprising country of Georgia.

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