Welcome to Georgia, my 128th Visit and 123th Run UN Country out of a total of 193. As usual, below the last lot of photos is a brief summary of the country of Georgia and ten interesting facts that set this country apart.
Before entering Georgia we set out at 745am to drive the remaining 52km to Sumela Monastery in Turkey. Another thrilling drive but this time with sunshine pouring through separating clouds and fog. It was cold and packing up wet tents a real chore. We were glad to see the sun at the Sumela Car Park set in a steep valley and surrounded by pine tree forests. We jumped into one of several mini-vans to the Monastery entry only 4km away. Sumela is a Byzantine Greek Orthodox Monastery built in 386AD by Emperor Theodosius I (375–395 AD) into the side of a cliff face on a very steep mountain. It is reminiscent of Agia Lavra near Kalavrita in Peloponnesian Greece only a fraction of the size. We visited a small church 70m from the entry followed by the main Monastery only 350m walk along a stone path from the entry. The Monastery was cleared and shut in 1923 at the same time as the expulsion of Greeks from Smyrna (now Izmir). The site is at 1305m above sea level and comprises a main quadrangle with several building surrounding it. In the cliff face are the monks quarters and against the mountain are two old Churches and three chapels. The complex faces a mountain across the valley. The two older Churches are adorned with icons on every wall on the outside – first time I have seen this. Inside are limited icons since they have been stripped away by the then Turkish expulsions. A huge Turkish flag hangs in front of what use to be the Iconostasis (Icon Screen). Sad to see. On my way back to the mini-van I stopped by the entry Chapel to fly my drone back towards the main Monastery. What a stop. What a moment. Probably the best Drone footage I have ever taken for your viewing pleasure…
By 10am we were on our way, this time to meet the Black Sea at Trabzon Turkey where my cook group shopped. From here it was a 1145am bee-line for the border which sat 189km away. The border itself was quite well organised. A huge building like and airport terminal – you walk upstairs like you are going to the departure gates, go through Turkish customs which was quick and easy, then walk through more building to the Georgian side which was also quick and easy. Only one snag. All of us got through except our leader Brett !!! Of all people !!! We had to wait 70min until he emerged. Turns out he was missing a Turkey Entry Stamp on his passport and had to “negotiate” his way out of Turkey.
By 510pm we were off and running hugging the Black Sea Coast for another 45min until the lights of Batumi came to meet us and pass us. First impressions of Georgia is that it was definitely inferior in infrastructure – roads were unkept and lots of unbuilt houses and roadside garbage – this may be because of proximity to the border so I will reserve judgement till later. We stayed in a huge house converted into a hotel about 10km north of Batumi. It was a late 7pm when we arrived since we gained an hour crossing the border into a new time zone. I dumped my gear and headed out to collect my first sample of the famous Georgian wine – the first country in the world to invent it !!! There is wine in every supermarket and corner store and in huge quantities of 3L and 5L plastic containers since Georgians drink wine for lunch and dinner every day. I had a choice of three supermarkets in this small neighbourhood. I was glad to be back and clean, even after a cold shower – anything beats a muddy bush camp. Stayed up a bit given the strong internet.
I had brekkie cook group the following morning (prep 7am to 8am) and we were lucky to have a fully equipped kitchen to make it very easy – what a contrast for the last cook group that cooked in a cold damp rainy muddy “outdoor kitchen” !!! We hit the road at 915am driving 3hrs to the Sataplia National Park. We got our first real rural look at Georgia under full light, even if it was overcast. Lots of gentle hills covered in evergreen trees with a mix of well-kept and ill-kept houses, most of which are two levels and very large – I suspect this is because parents and their married children are all living together due to low wages and property prices. Soon the landscape expanded into flat fertile farmland with distant snow-covered mountain ranges. Georgia appears to have its share of high peaks but not the grandeur that we saw in Turkey – at least not yet. We passed many villages and towns and they are definitely more run-down than Turkey. The people I saw last night and this morning appear to be more Slavic / European in appearance – far less black hair and brown eyes as in Turkey. Food and drink is far cheaper than Turkey – in most cases up to half.
Sataplia National Park is only 11km from Kutaisi, Georgia’s second largest city and where we will stay tonight and the night after in a bed thank goodness. The park is 6 sq km and sits at 503m above sea level. It features two main attractions: dinosaur footprints and a terrific cave. There are 163 footprints discovered in 1933 and the oldest are 120 million years old. The footprints belong to the following dinosaurs: Stegosaurus, Satapliasaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Allosaurus and Triceratops. Sataplia also has life-size motorised models of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, Allosaurus and Triceratops all moving, blinking their eyes, roaring and moving their heads. The cave was discovered in 1925 and is easy going at only 900m in length and lit by multiple rotating colours. The stalactites and stalagmites themselves are nowhere near as good as many I have seen but the coloured lights make them look exceptional in photos and film as you will see. The park also features two great lookouts over the park, Kutaisi City and snow-covered mountains behind the city. The best view is from a horseshoe shaped glass balcony that protrudes well forward of the edge of the cliff – scary as long as you do not look down. The park is lush and green with over 76 species of flora and fauna. Family and elderly friendly and well worth a visit.
Kutaisi (Pop 125,589) is the second largest city in Georgia. We arrived at 530pm so just enough time to set up truck brekkie and race off to buy food from FAMILY FOOD, easily the best place in the city. This is a big deli that sells 50 different cooked Georgian dishes, hot and cold and ready to eat. Delicious looking meats, casseroles, rice/potato, salads and special Georgian pulverised veggie salads with walnuts. Lucky for me, the lady behind the counter knew some English so she explained to me the dishes I pointed to. She then puts them in a small plastic container so that I could sample 6 dishes altogether. What a great way to cover the myriad of Georgian dishes which all have a reputation for being delicious. This place was also dirt cheap. Ticked all the boxes. I quickly discovered that most Georgian dishes have walnuts in them so if you have a nut allergy you are going to go hungry fairly quickly in Georgia !!! My twin hostel bed with shared bathroom was warm and cosy and equipped with a powerful Wi-Fi so it was off to blogging. This place had a microwave so I heated up my Georgian feasts and enjoyed them with plenty of Georgian wine and some Netflix. Georgian wine is terrific. They like mostly dry reds which are a combination of grape varieties. I shall explain the white and red varieties unique to Georgia when I do the wine tour from Tbilisi.
I woke at 8am to kick-off brekkie service and by 9am I was running this city to complete my 123rd UN Country run !!! And a good time too. I was elated. By noon I was solo walking this city. Lots of older Russian buildings, most abandoned mixed in with European styled architectures. The city is compact and easy to cover. It features an old Russian Cable Car which looks like it came from World War II. The weather was terrific. Sunny and 23C. I visited the following attractions: Colchis Fountain, Central Garden, City Hall, Glory to Work Monument, State Opera & Ballet, Vladimir Mayakovsky School (1st in Georgia), St Ekvtime Takaishvilli Statue, Old Town Park, Cable Car to Cabashvili Park (Kids Amusement Park), Huge Grandma Building Painting, Bagrati Cathedral, St George Church Ruins, St Giorgi Church. The highlight was definitely Bagrati Cathedral set atop a hill that overlooks the entire city and background snow-covered huge mountain peaks. Brilliant. Made my way to FAMILY FOOD and stocked up on another 8 dishes which I filmed that night. It was a terrific day and worthy of the higher end Rose and Dry Red that accompanied my food and movie. Enjoy the views of Kutaisi…
GEORGIA IN A NUTSHELL
Georgia (Pop 3,694,608) has been inhabited since prehistory, hosting the world's earliest known sites of winemaking, gold mining, and textiles. The earliest peoples were called Colchis and Iberia, that formed the nucleus of the modern Georgian state. In the early fourth century, Georgians officially adopted Christianity, which contributed to their unification under the Kingdom of Georgia. Georgia reached its Golden Age during the High Middle Ages under the reigns of King David IV and Queen Tamar. Beginning in the 15th century, the kingdom declined and disintegrated under pressure from various regional powers, including the Mongols, the Ottoman Empire, and Persia, before being gradually annexed into the Russian Empire starting in 1801. After the Russian Revolution in 1917, Georgia briefly emerged as an independent republic under German protection, but was invaded and annexed by the Red Army in 1921, becoming one of the republics of the Soviet Union. In the 1980s, an independence movement grew quickly, leading to Georgia's secession from the Soviet Union in April 1991. For much of the subsequent decade, the country endured economic crises, political instability, and secessionist wars in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Following the peaceful Rose Revolution in 2003, Georgia strongly pursued a pro-Western foreign policy, introducing a series of democratic and economic reforms aimed at integration into the European Union and NATO. This Western orientation led to worsening relations with Russia, culminating in the Russo-Georgian War of 2008 and continued Russian occupation of parts of Georgia. Georgia is a representative democracy governed as a unitary parliamentary republic. It is a developing country with a very high Human Development Index and an emerging market economy. Sweeping economic reforms since 2003 have resulted in one of the freest business climates in the world, greater economic freedom and transparency, and among the fastest rates of GDP growth. In 2018, Georgia became the second country to legalize cannabis, and the first former socialist state to do so. Since October 2024, Georgia is immersed in a deep political crisis.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT GEORGIA:
1. It invented WINE 8,000 years ago.
2. Home to the first Europeans – 1.8 million year old skulls of married couple found in Dmanisi.
3. 12 different climate zones.
4. Home to the deepest cave on Earth: Veryovkina Cave 2,212m underground.
5. Part of Europe’s highest mountain range: The Caucusus.
6. Home to Europe’s highest village: Ushguli at 2,100m above sea level.
7. Has its own unique language: 33 letters derived from Greek & Iranian.
8. The Georgian Jews have lived here for 2,600 years, one of the oldest in the world.
9. Joseph Stalin was born here: Gori in 1878.
10. Invented the Polyphonic Choir in the early 4th Century.
GEORGIA SUMMARY
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