The next 48 hours involved a quick overnight stop in Pamukkale (more on that soon) but mainly it was 30 hours on coaches to Sarp, the border with Georgia. I set off early for a gruelling coach journey to Pamukkale, packed with tourists, even at this time of year. But I arrive with just over two hours to explore Pamukkale park and the Roman city of Hierapolis.
The Pamukkale pools with the salt crystal surroundings are beautiful to look at but once again it has become an Instagramers dream site. People in trunks or bikinis are all vying for that perfect shot in the blue waters with either the sunset or the crisp white of the salt cliffs behind. I decided to try and get a couple of pictures with the red of the sun on the cliffs.
More interesting at the same park are the ruins of the roman city of Hierapolis. It is sizeable and has an amazingly preserved amphitheatre which used to be sealed on occasion for battles on water. I like to think that if we tried anything like that now, we would be reading headlines of a swanky London theatre underwater with the front row demanding compensation for getting wet!
After a night’s rest in a hotel that either had single rooms for males or a dormitory for women only I made my way to the multitude of shops to sell tickets for buses. There seems to be an endless supply of coach companies in Turkey, one of the main forms of public transport and in some cases with trolleys of refreshments. However, the Turks have made the process seamless and easy for the traveller, even helping you when you need to change to other cities. I had two changes, firstly in Denizli and after in Ankara.
Batumi and getting fined!
24 hours later I reached Sarp and made it to the border where I met Alex, a Frenchman also heading round the World. I asked what his plan was for winter but he was still planning to cross central Asia, even when the temperature drops to minus 20! I honestly didn’t think there would be anyone willing to do this mad journey.
Once again I regret sending my bike back! Oh well, no point in regretting the decisions made.
As we reach passport control, Alex mentioned he wasn’t initially entered into the system correctly and still wasn’t sure they would let him leave Turkey. Unfortunately, it looked as if Turkey’s right and left hands still weren’t talking correctly because it took him about 3 hours to clear control. We caught up in Batumi. I had to get from the border to Batumi and took the local bus service, unable to figure out how to pay for it and I ask the bus driver and he just waves me on.
As we enter Batumi we pulled up to a stop and a set of inspectors get on and I haven’t got a ticket so I get pulled off and have to pay a 20 GEL (£6) fine. Fine paid and hostel found I meet up with Sidney again. We head for a walk through the city and it feels like a little bit of Britain and this would make sense. After WWI, Britain set up in this region of Georgia to aid in its protection until the Bolsheviks started the ideological push South from Russia. This inevitably changed the feeling among the people in Georgia and Britain decided it was time to leave. However, the feeling you get is that Britain didn’t leave.
The Las Vegas of the Black sea
Batumi is also nicknamed the Las Vegas of the Black Sea and this title is well-earned. It has a high concentration of casinos. Gambling is illegal in Turkey and this pulls people over the border combined with its proximity to Russia you end up with a lot of Russians as well. It’s worth noting at this point there is a lot more at this time of year because of Russia’s war with Ukraine and avoidance of the draft. Georgia is one of the few places remaining where Russians can enter without a visa. The Casinos and hotels here have considerable extravagance, maybe not quite as grand as Las Vegas but still amazing. There is also a selection of beautiful buildings, again it is a city of architecture and is well worth a visit.
Meeting up with Alex and Sidney in the evening we cook a risotto, Sidney instructing me. Another food to add to my repertoire. We rope in a Russian named Galina and afterwards, Galina shows us to a wine bar. Georgians produce vast quantities of wine and are often known as the home of wine. We also discovered the Georgian spirit of cha-cha.
It’s an acquired taste, not to my liking. Best described as a cross between brandy, wine and vodka rolled into one.
Tbilisi and a reunion.
After the experience with Turkish trains I was hoping for better in Georgia and it was better. The trains are modern after purchasing new trains from Switzerland. The journey takes its time as it weaves through the mountains. It took me a few days to get a grip on Tbilisi, I feel this is partly down to my hostel choice, Fabrika, and I was getting tired of travel by this time. The constant movement and not having a set place to return were starting to take their toll.
The hostel was a part party and part remote working hostel. But it was full of many Russians escaping the war and call up. This created an odd atmosphere and made it difficult to meet other travellers. Luckily I was aiming to meet up with another traveller, Alessio, who I met in Istanbul.
We meet up with another from his hostel as well and head to a local restaurant. The restaurant, Mapshalia, has been run by the same lady for over 50 years, Aunt Elsa. As a result, it is very cheap, even for Georgia, and the wine is brilliant and at 1L for 5 GEL (£1.50ish) very reasonably priced!
It took me a few more days to get to grip with Tbilisi, but it is a beautiful city with a mixture of old-style buildings, some rather interesting designs and some very modern artistic designs. I don’t think I got to see the best of the botanical gardens whilst I was there. It was autumn, which at least gave the trees a beautiful mixture of off-greens, browns and oranges. I do feel that a summer trip might be more enjoyable.
After Sam and TJ along with Sidney all arrive through various modes of transport I arrange for us to watch an international rugby match of Georgia versus Samoa at their national stadium. It was fun explaining the rules and watching the match. Samoa just beat Georgia in the closing moments of the match. Sam, TJ and I hired an apartment for an extra week and caught up on our travels. With Sam having, unfortunately, caught a cold/covid, TJ and I did a bit more sightseeing and in TJ’s case some rope walking.
I’ve now taken a break for Christmas and New Year. I will start back initially with a month’s hiking through Scotland in January and then come up with a plan for February and March.