Tblisi is my next mission. But how to get there? I had asked a local to phone the buscompany a few days prior to inquire about timings they would pass through this village. I am sure they would, as it is on the way, and I do not see the point of backtracking to Yerevan. They said 8:30. So, I limp to the busstop at 8 in the morning, and not to my shock, I am told there is no bus, but there would be one in the next village, but no, they do not know what time and the old lady suggests I hitchhike there.
I do, but I learn it is a mistake accepting a lift from a truckdriver, as it goes slower than cars and I have no idea it will take us an hour to the next village. I sit in the truck with my bag on the seat between me and the driver and our conversation runs dry after about twenty minutes as we do not speak each other’s languages and we just stare peacefully in front of us in silence. After about another twenty minutes, he grabs something from behind and offers it to me, I cannot quite see what it is and assume he is offering me chewing gum again. It is not gum. It is a condom. I look at him in disgust and have an angry go at him, pointing at the cross in the front “what kind of Christian are you?” He obviously does not understand my English, but I can assure you, he does understand more than just a gist here. He pulls an apologetic face and gestures he will not come near me. I know he will not bother me (he has asked for consent after all), but it will never seize to puzzle me how and why certain men act in such a way.
At arrival he suggests to have a cup of coffee together, but I make sure I hop on a local bus to the station within seconds. At the station I am told I have missed the bus to Tblisi and after some back and forth, I am told one will arrive in two hours. I am not in the mood for hitchhiking anymore, so I decide to get a ticket for this one, and it finally arrives with another hour and a half delay. Bus is a big word here. It is another Mashrutka, full, so I am placed on a little plastic stool in the middle, which sends me in all directions with every turn until someone gets off and I can sit down on a proper chair.
I can tell Tblisi is more modern than Armenia, as when I walk into a pharmacy, they are actually familiar with the concept of blister plasters and have me remove the closed plasters that I had bought the day prior. The damage to my body from the visit to the forest is, besides some scratches and insect bites, the biggest blisters I have ever seen. One has opened on one foot and causes me terrible pains for a while (I had no idea an open blister can hurt this much!). On my other leg I have a painful knee and for the next two weeks I walk up and down stairs in a funny way (one step per two feet, instead of two). So all in all, unpleasant, but manageable, especially after I have bought a new pair of sandals.
It is early evening now and I am too excited to be here to go straight to my host and I find a free walking tour. Major Tip: any city you go to, type in the name of the city and ‘free walking tour’; they tend to be very good and just tip the guide at the end. In the next few days, I also go on the ‘alternative tour’ of Tblisi and the ‘hidden Tblisi’ tour, which are both fun and show different places with an explanation of its history and for entertainment one of the guides impressively whistles perfectly to ‘Carmina burana’ and another classical piece.
It is funny how quickly you get used to the local prices. The taxi is at least a tenfold of the busprice, so I think hard if it is worthwhile taking it, until I realise it will cost me just over two Euros...
My host lives out of the centre in a newly built block of flats and she has recently purchased her apartment. It is sterile and comfortable. She is a career woman, she does not fit the picture here, as the country is ruled by a conservative Christian ethos, just like Armenia (but different branch of Christianity). Even though she cares less about what her environment thinks, she also does not feel comfortable hosting guys, as it will set off talks from the neighbours.
Tblisi is charming and they have understood that tourism is a great provider, as the tourist information centre is well prepared for any questions in English and most of all the old central neighbourhood is clean and filled with quaint little cafes, but I do not notice many locals in that particular area. The city is known for its many balconies, churches, the ancient, the Soviet style and the new, with a fortress overlooking it all from the hilltop.
