Springtime in Georgia
This entry comes to you from Tblisi, the capital of Georgia. The news is that we have arrived here, and that the weather is getting a little warmer, and the streets are bathed in spring sunshine, which is a welcome change from the weather of the last few weeks. This is, without doubt, the consistently coldest Overland journey I've ever been on, so its great to have a break from triple layers and thermals every day and night!
The truck currently has 15 passengers on it, ranging in ages from 22 to about 65, with nationalities composed of Brits, Canadians, Americans, Australians, and New Zealanders. Most people are getting on with each other, though there are the usual strange characters who do their best to rub everyone up the wrong way. Overlanding is a great gamble, depending totally on the people who choose to come on the same trip as you. Some you win, and some you lose. Still, there is the slight advantage, these days, that most people only stay on the truck for a few weeks. I am the only passenger who is making the full trip from UK to St Petersburg. Currently there is no one on the truck who is even going on to Russia. There was one American woman who was intending to do the last section, but she has cancelled due to a previously bad experience with the driver who is due to join in Beijing. 'There is no way I will ever travel on the same truck as him again', she tells us. I am keeping my fingers crossed that he is not, in fact, as bad as she makes out!
Its takes a little time to get back into the swing of travelling by truck. Its also easy to forget how handy it is to have 24-hour broadband internet access. Just getting ready to say something on the web, or replying to the mass of emails that can arrive takes a little getting used to when the only computer at a hotel is needed by everyone else staying there as well, so don't be surprised if there are frequent gaps between messages from me. I had thought this would be different following my experiences in Africa last year, but as is often the case, nothing is quite as you expect.
Every truck is different. It is easy to forget this when pre-planning for a journey. This time I took a laptop with me, to make things easier when dealing with my photos, especially the large file-sizes that today's semi-pro cameras produce. On the last Drago truck there was a 12v power point in the rear of the truck for the use of the passengers. I assumed this would be the same this time, so only brought a 12v power supply for the laptop, assuming that I would use it whilst going along, and in the evenings. This has turned out to be a silly move on my part. Not only is there no power point in the rear, but the driver is so worried about the state of the truck's battery that we cannot use it in the evenings. No sitting in the back, writing diaries, as in the past, and certainly no laptop charging. That can only be done in the cab, during the day, whilst we are going along. Also, we are spending much more time than I ever dreamt of staying in hotels, when the mains charger, if I had one, would have been really useful. My advice for other travellers on this route is that a mains charger is far more useful than a 12v one. Not only will you have plenty of time to use it in hotels, but you can also tap in to the occasional WiFi hotspots, which so far have been encountered in Salzburg, Istanbul, and here in Tblisi.
Away from technology for a while, and back to the journey that I am making. We had a fairly quick transit through Europe, stopping only for sight-seeing in Munich and Salzburg. The real journey started in Istanbul, where more passengers arrived. It was lovely to be back in Istanbul after all my pleasant experiences of the past, even though we didn't have a lot of time there. Its easy to forget just how long the journey is to Beijing - Turkey must be left for future exploration when I have more time. Apart from Istanbul, we visited Goreme, for its fascinating volcanic 'Fairy Chimneys', and the Sumela Monastery, near Trabzon. I'll add photos eventually: at the moment it is just too compicated.
I am enjoying Georgia a lot, which is handy as we have more time here to see things. Georgia is like Turkey was 20 years ago. The countryside is very beautiful, and the people, though rather guarded, are friendly. We started by exploring the seaside port of Batumi, then moved inland to see Gori, then crossed the high mountains near the Russian border to visit Kazbegi, and do a bit of trekking in the hills. We have visted many churches and monasteries, with more to come. I love the Georgian houses in the countryside - they are all 2 storey, with wide balconies and a large patch of garden. Many grapevines - it must be really beautiful in the summertime.
Tblisi is a pleasant capital, situated between 2 hills, and set along a river. There are many fine buildings to see, especially the Eastern Orthodox churches, which I have spent quite a while looking at. The people here take their religion very seriously, and are frequent visitors to church. The custom is to light candles before your selected icons, of which there are usually a great many, finely painted, and often surrounded with chased silver or gold work. I hope to visit Georgia again, one day.
Must dash now, but will add more soon. The next internet access will be in Baku, Azerbaijan.
