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.
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