28/09
After
a sleep, following a long day of travel the previous day, our first item on the agenda was to go to the
Azerbaijan embassy to get the wheels moving on the visa before the weekend. But
following a quick chat with the hostel staff, people in the hostel and then
consultation of Thorn Tree, the travellers online bible, we decided that rather
going directly to the embassy it was in fact much easier for us to acquire a
visa through a tour company near the embassy. With them it would only take 3
business days and no interaction with the embassy. However with election day
happening on the following Monday this would mean we would have our visas by
the following Wednesday which would work perfectly. So after the hostel got us
a taxi and we paid our $1.50 we were at the tourist agency putting our
passports in. Before long, we were out of the tourist agency and in their
drivers car getting driven to the main shopping/sightseeing drag of Tbilise-
Rustaveli Ave.
Starting
our walk at the crazy bicycle we headed down the main street getting a feel for
Tbilisi before it was time for a coffee in a lovely little patisserie/café on
the same st. After Harro wowed me with his coffee and smooth muscle facts we
were back walking past more shops, museums, galleries and government buildings.
Before long, we had reached Liberty/Freedom Square, named Freedom Square in 1918, during the foundation of the First
Georgian Republic following the collapse of the Russian Empire, the main
roundabout of Tbilisi. In the middle stands a pillar adorned with a gold statue
depicting St George slaying the dragon. From Liberty square it only took a short
walk before we were back at the hostel.
As
we wandered down Rustavelli Ave (or Beggers Ave) we were constantly harassed by
little gypsy rat kids asking for money. Then at one stage I said no and shook
my head at this kid he decided to latch himself to my leg. In my post illness
state of nonchalance I didn’t break stride as this child swung from my leg like
David attached to Goliath. Eventually this gypsy kid grew tired of this and
dropped off. Finn and I looked at each other both quite amused.
For
dinner we whipped up a Turkish chicken, cous cous and roast vegetable feast
from the special spices that we purchased in the spice bazaar in Istanbul. Nom
nom nom
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View from the cablecar
After
a sleep in the day before, we were ready to get up early. Not voluntarily but
because it was GRAND FINAL DAY! And in the Australian spirit we were up and
ready with enough time to navigate through the hostels dodgy internet and onto
the live stream. After connecting to the live stream 2 minutes before the
bounce we took our seats in front of the computer. As we rode every bump from
13,519 km away most of the hostel gave us strange looks as we, real weird dudes
with beards, watched a foreign Australian sport at 9 in the morning in Georgia.
As quarter time came around we rushed to the kitchen, picked up our free
breakfast platter and headed back to the computer to finish the game in peace
and quiet. SWANNIESS WIN!!!
As
the presentation concluded we thought it might be a good idea to get off the
couch and head out and see a bit more of the city. After Harros thongs blew out
our first stop was to a market recommended to us by the hostel staff that may
stock some kind of ‘slippers’ as they called them. Heading out from the hostel
without a map (apparently there are no free tourist maps of Tbilisi) we
attempted to find the closest metro station but soon arrived at the
Presidential Palace on top of one of the many hills around Tbilisi. Equipped
with large glass dome, and huge lawn with modern sculptures we quickly had a
look through the steel fence and then conceded that finding the metro could be
a bit of an effort all for a pair of thongs. So we decided that we would head
back down the hill and to the cable car station in a newly developed park on
the banks of the river flowing through Tbilisi. For 25c a ride we couldn’t go
past it! So as we reached the top of the hill we hopped off and started walking
along the ridge to check out what might be there. First stop was the tin lady
as she came known to us, a large steel statue of a lady with a sword
overlooking the city and then a ridiculous large modern mansion made of all
things steel and glass. As we reached the end of the road we walked back in the
direction from where we came to the castle and church. From their we got a
great few of the hammam district of the city, the oldest part of Tbilisi, as well as another Grand Designs worthy house
in a quarry area on the other side of the ridge. But soon enough, our hunger
pains kicked in and we were down the hill and ready for some dumplings!
Thinking it might be a good idea to try somewhere new we headed to a small
cellar bar where we settled in with some dumplings and salad while watching the
main opposition party rally on the TV which we found was being held only 5 mins
walk away at Liberty Square. After finishing lunch, we thought we would head to
the rally but were soon stopped by a big guy in jeans, t shirt and thongs who
had just come into the bar. Hearing us speak English he asked where we were
from- this was Pieter from Pretoria who as a compliance officer with an
insurance company from South Africa was in Tbilisi setting up a bank at
ridiculous interest rates provided by the Georgian government. It wasn’t long
before we were coaxed into a few lunchtime beers and then organised to meet up
late to watch the rugby union at the only Irish pub in Tbilisi. But the beers
had given us the confidence to head to Liberty Square to check out the
opposition party, Georgian Dream’s political rally- led by their leader
Iranashvilli who we found out later in fact owned the ridiculously large steel
and glass house directly opposite the Presidential Palace that we had visited earlier in the day.
After
a quick visit to the rally we headed back to the hostel, had a quick nap, ate
last night’ s leftovers and then headed off to meet Pieter at The Hangar.
Meeting him there just before the game started we witnessed another horrible
display by the Wallabies; made even worse by watching it with a South African.
However, Pieter’s generosity was definitely a highlight. Understanding that we
were young travellers and on a budget, and seemingly enjoying our company, he
did not allow us to pay a cent. A great bloke! On the short walk home, grabbing
some fruit and a Georgian ice cream sandwich topped off a great day- now though
we were exhausted!
Dreaming of a new Georgian Future
30/09
Another day meant another major Australian sporting event-
today it was the NRL. Played at a much more convenient time, we were granted a
sleep in. But soon it was time to log in to the stream and cheer on the storm!
After 80 minutes that result was in- STORM! With a great result we were up and
about for the day and ready to organise some stuff. On the agenda was what we
would do for the next couple of days while we waited for our visa. After
researching the possibilities and weighing up what would be the most unique
experience we decided on heading to the Kakheti region in the southeast of the
country. What drew us to heading there was that it was the wine growing region
of Georgia and as the first country to make wine, let alone in 500 different
varieties we thought it was necessary to try on our trip to Georgia.
After skyping and a bit of reading it was time for dinner
and time to whip up a quick pasta dish and bit of salad. Then it was time to
organise our bags and get ready for our mashrutka ride to Sighnagi, a town in
Kakheti that would be our base to explore the region in the next couple of
days.
01/10
Leaving
the hostel at 9 30 am we headed to the Mashrutka station to catch our small
shared mini bus. With irregular timetables, really only consisting of drivers
preferences for leaving when their bus is full, we waited in the bus for halfa
before the driver was ready to leave. 3 hours later we arrived in Sighnagi with
our new friends Mathias from Belgium and Bryan the former Peace Corps volunteer
from the US. At the bus station we called the hostel we had booked the night
before to make use of their free pickup service but the person on the phone
told us that the hostel had closed for the season so we were left at the bus
station and no accommodation. But we were soon approached by some dudes
offering beds at their guesthouse. So we took up their invitation with the
backing of Mathias and Bryan and were driven there to dump our stuff in our 4
bed dorm. Then we thought lunch would be a good idea. On the recommendation
from the young Israeli at the guesthouse we went out in search of a small
restaurant with a yellow façade. After nearly walking through the whole town we
had yet to see a restaurant with a yellow façade so we called off the search
and settled in at an outside table at a homely looking restaurant. After
browsing the menu and then ordering we soon saw the young Israeli and her
boyfriend walking down the street. As we queried them to the whereabout of this
yellow restaurant they replied saying that we were at the restaurant she
described- herself unsure as to where she got the yellow façade idea when most
of the façade was done in wood.
Har-ros making the wine
After
lunch, the 4 man team decided it was a perfect time to go on some sort of wine
tour. Approaching the two dudes in charge of the guesthouse, they quickly
organised two cars and drivers to take us on a tour of some surrounding
wineries. An hour drive from Sighnagi was the first winery where we had 3
glasses after checking out both the modern and traditional methods of Georgian
winemaking. A short drive took us to the second winery where we had 5 glasses
include a bit of cognac but also a tour of the huge wine factory. Then it was
to the third where we had another two and a tour of the huge underground wine
cellar carved into the side of the hill and approximately 8km in length. Bryan
decided it was a good idea to sleeze onto the young Georgian tour guide and
make some awkward yet mildly entertaining remarks. After a quick phone call by
our guide and some seriously worried body language she was replaced by a less attractive
tour guide who didn’t take any shit. Tour over. After arguably too much wine we
were ready to head back and get some food in us hoping that would make for good
result the following morning because this would include a trip to Davit
Gareja. Back to the same restaurant as lunch we demolished some more dumplings
and khachapuri then headed back to the guesthouse for some late night back
gammon. Backgammon for me and Harro had some slightly different connotations
for the other members of the 4 man team…
The wine tour crew in the tunnel
02/10
The
next morning required us to be up and about early as we were to get in a car
and head to the Azerbaijan border about an hour and a half away. During the
drive Bryan informed us of his courting of one Chinese girl who had a
peculiarly long nipple hair. At the Georgia-Azerbaijan border is Davit Gareja,
a monastery complex founded in the 6th century. Some more info and
history can be found on the Davit Gareja wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Gareja_monastery_complex.
After sussing out the first monastery we were soon on the long walk up the
mountain/hill to the ridge where we got a great view of the rolling steppes of
Georgia and on the other side, the flat desert of Azerbaijan. With our
knowledgeable Belgian friend we followed the steel railing as Lonely Planet, via
the Belgian, told us and sussed out the 50 or so caves carved into the
mountain. The caves were not only
important meeting points for the monks of the monasteries in the area
but also sites of many frescos, religions rock paintings depicting various religious
scenes. Then as we finished with the caves with arrived at the end of the path
where we spotted two border posts; one Azeri and one Georgian. As we continued
to proceed up the ridge to the second border post we were stopped by the
Georgian army who told us to turn up towards them to ensure we didn’t reach the
Azeri side and aybe cause some kind of international dispute. Then as we left
the ridge peacefully we headed down to the car along a bushy track, stopping to
speak to so some elderly Swiss tourists along the way. However it was on the
walk down that we spotted some wildlife; tons of lizards but even better, a
snake. Not wanting to be stuck on the Azeri- Georgian border with a snake bite
we hightailed it back to the car and were soon on our way back to Sighnagi.
view of Davit Gareja
some frescos
The
drive home was at times even more interesting than the monasteries. First we
had to navigate through the thousands of herds of sheep, goats and cows that
were all over the road home. It seemed the local herdsmen and their mangy,
ridiculously sized dogs had no interest in keeping the roads clear of their
livestock, This upset our driver to the point where he nearly took his
frustrations out on the herdsman and his horse with his car! Then as we
returned to the main highway, away from the livestock and their owners, we were
confronted by a small green lada driven by an old man in army fatigues dragging
a dead dog behind his car attached to the car by a wire around its leg. It made
us all feel a bit queezy! Im not sure how you could do that to any living
thing!
But
as we overcame our sickness we thought we better eat and instead of heading
back to our trusty place in the old town we decided to try somewhere new- a
restaurant just up the road from our guesthouse that was rumoured to have some
good food. So after some dumplings, corn bread and mushrooms we thought it
might be time to have a good workout. We had already spotted a location so it
was just a matter of getting there with a firm touch ball and we could smash
it. However with a flat caity pooz a good session wasn’t looking likely. After
asking our driver though it wasn’t long before he produced a 100 yo pump with
no needle. Resigning to the fact that a ball cant get pumped without a needle
we were deflated. But as the driver shoved the rubber tube over caity pooz
valve and I started pumping we soon had a pumped ball. Yeeooww!! Not
understanding how we ended up with a pumped ball we trotted off down the street
and headed to the football pitch. As we arrived though, for the first time since
we had arrived in Sighnagi there were kids on it! Being 6pm we thought that
throwing the ball around for a bit would be a good way to kill some time before
the kids were called in for dinner and we would have the football pitch all to
ourselves. But as we through the ball, we were soon confronted by kids who had
left the football pitch and thought it was better to throw the ball with us.
After half an hour throwing the ball with them we tried to shake them and head
to the football pitch but our attempts failed as all they wanted to do was
follow us and the ball. This left us with no option but to head elsewhere and
work out as best we could. On the run home we came across some stairs which
provided some amusement but then it was time to head home.
Reconvening
with the Belgian and American we thought it was time for dinner and again it
was back to our trusty restaurant in the centre of town. More dumplings and
beans in our stomach left us ready for bed- especially knowing that we were
heading back to Tbilisi at 6 30 the next morning with Rui, the Portuguese man,
and Mathias.
03/10
We
were up and about early catching a taxi back to Tbilisi with Rui and Mathias.
Living without thongs had been painful and I needed to free the feet. So we
went on a mission to find some sweet thongs. Eventually we found a shop which
sold some decent thongs and unfortunately/fortunately the only colour they had
left was green. Although Finn took the piss saying I should wear my green
watch, shirt, hat and thong combination I thought they looked quite fetching!
We also found the train station where we could buy our overnight train tickets
for Baku the next day. Next stop was back to Rustavelli to go and see the Vera
Pagava exhibition at the National Galley. Vera was a Georgian born painter who
moved to France for the majority of her life and died in Paris. She was able to
produce some amazing sketches which I compared to an old school dot matrix
printer. Channelling Vera we eat a couple of baguettes and sipped some coffee
in Tbilisi, she would be proud. Next we were off to collect our first ever visa
for the tour, Azerbaijan Visa check!!! To celebrate we found a Thai restaurant recommended
in the lonely planet for dinner then back to the hostel for a game of OG
(Original Gangster – card game) while listening to Nas, like a boss.
Vera Pagava painting
04/10
This morning we met an Aussie couple, Cheryl and Norm who
were staying in our dorm. They were about 60 and had traveled though most of
the Stans and Iran, which was very impressive. However they could no longer
carry big packs on their backs so they had strapped travel bags to wheelie
trolleys which they towed behind them. We checked out of the hostel and headed
off to the train station to get the train to Baku. There we had a few hours to
kill so Finn indulged in a coffee that tasted like dishwashing detergent, mmm
what a treaty! and sent a few emails to investigate tours we could do in the
Fan Mountain of Tajikistan. It was time to board the train so we found our cabin
and met our cabin mates; Louise a Russian girl from Samara who had been
visiting her grandma in Tbilisi and was on a 3 day train ride back home. Louise
didn’t really speak any English but it was great to practice speaking Russian
to her and she was bemused about why an Australian was learning it. Our other cabin
mate was Farmail an Azeri man from Baku who worked in Tbilisi as a safety
advisor. He spoke Azeri, Russian and English and was our translator for the
train ride. Our carriage also included a Baku Volleyball team who were coming
back from Tbilisi victorious. The whole carriage found it incredibly
entertaining that two Aussies were there and every 5mins or so someone new
would pop their heads in to say hello. The funniest was the conductor lady who
was a short stocky 40year old soviet woman who kept asking if I was married and
when I said no she indicated that she wanted to marry me. This sent Finn into a
fit of hysterical laughter. As we arrived at the border control the Georgians
stamped us out and then along came the Azeri border police who were a bit more
difficult… They took our passports and gave us a few strange looks which we had
been used to at this stage and then left for about 15mins. Returning they called
Finn and I into a cabin where they had set up a laptop and camera like you see
at the airport passport control. Finn
went in first and I had to wait at the door. He was confronted with two bearley
men, one who had gold teeth and looked like the character Jaws from James Bond
films. Jaws spoke little English and was grilling Finn in Russian which he couldn’t
understand. I was eventually called in and we worked out that Jaws was asking
why we had beards (obviously because they are cool). I though I’d lighten the
mood and told him that every day at work you must shave but when you are on
holiday you don’t have to. Jaws understood that it was image based and
eventually stamped our passports on the condition that we must shave our beards
off in the morning. 2 months of hard work all down the drain we thought!!! Reluctantly
we said yes and we were in Azerbaijan!!!! A little shaken we drossed how ridiculous
the request was and decided that since they had let us in we would keep our
beards and that probably Jaws and his mates would be laughing at how they
freaked a couple of Aussie dudes out! Exhausted I put some Amity Affliction on
my ipod and dozed off to sleep excited to wake up in Baku the next morning.
Finn tucked up in the train blanket
Finn's interrogator - Jaws
