And now Georgia

(Lesley) Whenever we enter a new country there is an adjustment period for learning the language. Top priorities are the numbers 1-10, thank you, hello, water, How much does it cost? Bus and train station. Toilets are usually obvious so we rarely need to ask for those. And “hotel” seems universal enough. We have been occupied with picking up these basics; without which we are lost.

Here in Georgia, because the script is difficult to read and there is not often an English or phonetic translation, we have been a little challenged but we now know these basics so life is getting easier. Mhari has been working on learning the alphabet and is managing to read some signs but it is early days and she is not able to read mini bus signs while they drive by at 50 km an hour.

Our entry to Georgia was not difficult; first we joined the queue of people getting stamped out of Turkey, mostly woman and young men returning from shopping excursions in Turkey. Some of the woman where pretty pushy and Mhari and I really had to stand our ground to keep our place in line. John and Sam, being true gentleman, let the eager women pass them by. These women were masters at cutting. By getting her shopping bag ahead of my leg, one woman nearly made it. Little did she realize that I enjoy such challenges. Moments later I was able to use my pack to block her progress and stay in my rightful place. For me, it was just a game: seeing how many ways they would try to sneak their way ahead and how I could manage to hold my ground politely. Of course with John and Sam further and further behind I was prepared to let the women cut me if it became more than just fun.

Once stamped out of Turkey, the queueing game was over; the lines into Georgia were well organized and supervised by a friendly security guy. The border officers (all women) were friendly and happy to welcome us into Georgia. We were directed to a mini-bus into Batumi which we managed to get off of only one block from where we wanted to go.

Back in Turkey, we had not been able to find a Georgian guide book so we bought and downloaded a PDF copy from the Lonely Planet website. We knew this wouldn't be ideal but we hadn't realized just how awkward it would be until we arrived in Batumi and didn't know where to go, didn't have a map and didn't feel great about starting up the laptop on a street corner while juggling our backpacks. This situation has not resolved itself but we are learning to read up a bit prior to setting off to a new area and we are ever so good at just winging it.

While in Batumi, we looked into departure options from the port then decided to move on to Tbilisi and save Batumi for last. Unfortunately, there were no spaces left on the train to Tbilisi so we hopped on a marshutka (a mini-bus).We got a good deal, but 6 hours on a bus with a smoker isn't great fun.

Irina's in Tbilisi is a travellers' hangout, so we hung out. We met lots of nice folks, did some day trips around the capital and checked out the town. (More from John on Irina's)

The smoking thing got to us in Tbilisi. A few times we were fogged out of restaurants and even at Irina's it was sometimes suffocating. I suppose it is one of the biggest things we are tiring of this year. In the Middle East and in some parts of Europe people have to put up with smoking habits that I would never tolerate at home. It is depressing and unhealthy, and being powerless to do anything about it or escape it (short of returning home early), is frustrating. We hate the smell, and fell bad about the smoke's impact on our bodies. We also feel guilty about subjecting our kids to second hand smoke. However it isn't enough to get us on a plane back home yet. There is too much to see, we still have some time and we still hold out hope for finding some smoke free zones.

In Kazbedgi, we found such a place! Emma's Homestay. We haven't smelled or seen cigarettes since our arrival. We have two big rooms with a gorgeous view of the mountains, even from the toilet! I'm not sure how long her guesthouse has been set up, but we feel lucky to have found it. Tonight she is cooking us a fish dinner. There was a sheep grazing in the yard when we returned from our hike today we can witness it's demise tomorrow morning and taste it for supper. Mmm.

Kazbegi itself is a small town but it is set between the mountains near the Russian border. Everywhere you look your a greeted with dramatic views. All the travellers stay in homestays where breakfast and supper are included, which is nice because you get a good sampling of local fare. Everyone hikes all day so lunch is as you like. Ours was dried apricots, dates, a cucumber sandwich and a bottle of water which we put together in a meadow at 2000 meters. After lunch the kids descended to rest and read while John and I carried on toward the glacier. We needed another hour and better fitness levels to make it comfortably, but we got some good views and challenged our bodies.

Georgia is beautiful. There is no need to find a complicated way to explain it because beautiful really describes it. The landscape amazes. In Tbilisi many of the old buildings are beautiful too, but some of the family homes and apartments in the backstreets are anything but beautiful on the outside. Irina's looks like a dump until you enter: inside it is well appointed, two good kitchens, 5 modern bathrooms, high ceilinged rooms full of antiques. Some of the older places have been spruced up and look great with big balconies that wrap around often on each floor. There are lots of trellises with vines offering shade and later a batch of grapes for eating or wine making. Georgia boasts about being the birthplace of wine. We have a bottle for tonight. Our first, as John has been so enamoured with the local beer we hadn't got around to the wine yet.

We are enjoying the churches. In Georgia they are everywhere, usually high on a hill, beautiful to gaze at and with a stunning view as a reward for having hiked up to visit. The are old, empty of chairs or pews and busy with locals and tourists alike. We have seen a wedding, a funeral and other unknown services. Women cover their heads and wear skirts or sweaters tied as skirts over jeans. Men must wear long trousers. The churches are full of images, icons, relics, candles and carved wood. Irina, from Tbilisi, carved the Patriarch's chair/throne in the big Cathedral in Tbilisi.  Sam's blog includes more details of what we have been doing and seeing.

But here are some photos: A church in Batumi; An example of balconies in Tbilisi; Lunch in Gori; Didube market/bus station; Ladies at Didube; John's birthday cake (AKA The Big Turkish Couch); Irina's.  We are posting this from here. 

Photos from Kazbegi: Traffic on the roads in Georgia; We climbed up to that church from the town!; Two old guys in Kazbegi; Daring man walks between cows; Photo break; Mount Kazbek; Family shot next to Holy Trinity Church, Kazbegi.