Getting to Tbilisi is Half the Battle: Caucases Pt. 2

Getting from Yerevan to Tbilisi is a bit of a challenge. Although trains are the ideal form of transportation virtually everywhere else in the FSU, the trains in the Caucasus are a different matter, as lines to Russia and Ukraine are closed since they go through the disputed territory of Abkhazia between Russia and Georgia. In fact, there are only two ways to leave Armenia - by plane, or via border with Georgia, since borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan are closed due to ancient animosities.

As such, we determined to hire a driver to take us from Yerevan to Tbilisi, an option recommended by a friend of mine who had done it before. We haggled with a few drivers and even made arrangements with one, but the next morning, when we were set to leave, he did not show, so we ended up with a toothless Armenian who spoke broken Russian and drove a rusty Lada. Obviously, it was going to be a great day.

Initially, everything was fine as we drove through the picturesque countryside. As we approached the border, about 3 hours into the trip, the cabbie explained that he couldn't take us across the border since he didn't have a valid passport, but that he wanted $100 anyway. After a lot of arguing, I ended up givinghim the money.

We crossed the Armenian border without too much hassle, alhough my father's e-Visa got some attention. The Georgians, on the other hand, didn't seem to care at all about Amerikanskis. Although many cab drivers offered to take us theremaining 60km for $40, we were done paying out the nose anddecided to take a marshrutka. Big Mistake. The marshrutka's bouncingnearly took our teeth out, while the lack of ventilation threatened tosmother us. Plus, the driver seemed to stop as his whim, doing somegrocery shopping along the way.

The marshrutka finally dropped us off by a Metro in Tbilisi, about an hour afterwe first crossed the border. Luckily, we found a currency exchangeand figured out how to buy tokens for the Metro, although none of the signs are in Russian or English. With some help from locals, we made it to our Metro stop and then on to our hotel. Unfortunately, local signage is exclusively in Georgian (virtually all of the Russian signs have been removed), so getting around has proved to be a challenge.

That evening, we indulged in Georgian cuisine at a restaurant on river, where we ate khachapuri (gooey cheese bread), phkali (vegetable/nut paste), tomato, cucmber and herb salads that put American produce to shame, and ground lamb kofta cutlets, seared on the traditional Georgian clay pan (kitsi).

The next day, somewhat refreshed, we began our tour of Tbilisi. Starting at the Rustaveli metro, just down the street from our hotel, and continued down Rustaveli, the main street. Similar to other Soviet-style boulevards, the wide street continued for several kilometers, linking several main squares. The parliament and other government buildings stuck out, true to their Socialist Realist form, although they were now adorned with Georgian flags, a charming series of red Maltese crosses on white background.

We met a friend of mine for lunch, who is living in Tbilisi for the summer, interning with a local NGO as part of her Masters. It is always interesting to get an ex-pats point of view, and she shed some light on Georgian popular opinions regarding Saakashvili (a dissapointment) and Russia (a sworn enemy). She also suggested we try to meet up with some locals, since homebrewed wine and chacha, traditional Georgian firewater, are best homemade.

In the afternoon, we visited the Tbilisi sulphur baths, which consisted of a very middle-eastern looking, blue-mosaic structure that contained both communal and private baths. Evidently, a personal scrub-down is also available, but my friend warned me that both the masseuse and the client are totally naked during this procedure, which struck me as a greater level of intimacy than necessary with a masseuse.

Since men and women are seperated in the communal baths, my father and I opted for a private cabin, which consisted of a giant black, granite tub that contained hot, sulphur water, plus showers that poured hot and cold sulphur water. A small private living room outside the bath area looked like an oligarch's den, with plush leather couches and green, blue and red mood lighting. All in all, it was a bizarre experience and both of us noted that our skin was exceptionally soft afterward.

The rest of the day was spent wandering the Old Town, although it is quite touristed and there were few local Georgians around, except cab drivers. There are many old churches and even a synagogue, but the area was suprisngly desolate and, as usual, the streets poorly marked.

Today, we ventured to Gori, the birthplace of my favorite dictator, Joseph Dagashvili (Stalin). An hour's drive out of Tbilisi, the town centers around the bizarre museum, buillt a few feet from Stalin's childhood home, which is maintained to this day. A tour of the museum led by a member of the local staff, proved to be fairly entertaining, especially since she acknowledged that some key figures (Trotsky, Bukharin, to name a few) were mysteriously absent from the chronology of Stalin's life.

Although the majority of the exhibits consisted of photos and portraits, they also included "gifts" from the various republics, including rugs from Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, that were essentially woven portraits. Amusingly, the gift shop below sold Stalin t-shirts, key chains and lights, although I ended up walking away with a miniature bust, that I hope to use as a paperweight during law school.

This evening, we are taking a nightrain to Baku, which I expect to be a typical Soviet experience. Luckily, the main market in Tbilisi is across the street from the train station, so hopefully we can get some homebrewed wine, chacha and fruits and vegetables for our trip. Rumor is, the train has a tendency to run late, so it never hurts to have an extra meals' worth of food.

Anyway, as a whole Georgia was an experience. I can't even imagine what Azerbaijan will entail.