Day 11 Türkiye to Tbilisi
Today was our flight to Georgia, and after a battle with the traffic and a very unpleasant stint in SAW airport (one of the worst I’ve ever been through), we were crammed onto the two-hour Pegasus flight to Tbilisi.
After navigating past a grumpy immigration officer and finding an ATM, we were pleased to discover that Bolt works in this city, so no taxi rip-offs. We were whisked into town in less than 30 minutes in a brand new Tesla with the Georgian Lewis Hamilton at the wheel.
Our inconspicuous Airbnb was located down a tiny cobbled street, hidden away yet still central, and the apartment, which cost around $50 per night, had everything. We were starving, having had no breakfast or lunch, and refusing to pay 15 euros for a sandwich in the airport, so hit a local Spar shop (their version of 7-Eleven) to discover that food and drink were way cheaper than where we’d just come from and even cheaper than in Thailand.
Laundry was overdue, so that was the first task, and we took a walk down the touristy Kote Afkhazi Street, lined with wine bars, cafes, tourist shops, tour agents, car rental outlets, bottle shops, and nightclubs, while it dried. From first impressions, Georgia is the total opposite of Türkiye, with wine being the tipple of choice instead of tea, and as a result, a much more vibrant restaurant and nightlife scene.
Day 12 Tbilisi
For the first morning of the trip, we were not woken at 6 am by Allahu Akbar being hollered from every tower and tannoy in the city, but it was a chilly 7 degrees outside, so we had a coffee or two before venturing out.
Tbilisi is a city of contrasts; on one side of the street are crumbling, derelict buildings covered in graffiti, and on the other are swanky restaurants and high-end shops. I have also never seen as many Porsches in a morning stroll, so there is definitely big money here.
We walked through the old town to the Abanotubani area, which is famous for its sulfur baths. I was also unaware that there was a waterfall right in the city feeding the baths from the very picturesque Leghvtakhevi Canyon.
From here, it was along the river and across to Metekhi Church, which resembled a medieval castle. We crossed back into the old town and through the very touristy restaurant district with its overpriced menus on offer and up to the famous crooked clock tower, which was swarmed with selfie-seeking tourists. I have come to the conclusion that Gen-Z are ignoramuses who can’t see beyond the end of their phones and have zero concept or regard for the people around them.
It was time for a rest and a vino on the balcony before we headed out again in the late afternoon, walking across the pedestrian Bridge of Peace over to the ropeway (cable car) to take us up to the Mother of Georgia for a dollar at sunset.
This large and iconic female aluminum figure was erected in 1958 and looks over the city of Tbilisi. Naturally, it was very crowded as the sun dropped and the city lights winked on. We took it easy, had a beer and watched the crowds ebb and flow.
We took the cable car back down to save our knees and went in search of an ATM, which proved to be a challenge. There are more Bitcoin ATMs than bank machines in Tbilisi, and the ones we did find had a withdrawal limit of 400 GEL (about 128 euros) and charged 5 GEL per transaction … once again, the banks were getting the better of us.
It was time for dinner, so we found a local restaurant with Georgian food, music, and dancing called Pirosmani’s Dukani. Eating out in Georgia is much cheaper than in Türkiye, but we realized we were still paying tourist prices.
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