Turkey is over and Georgia is ahead of us. A rather significant border crossing with changes in religion (Islam to Christianity), culture (Asian to European), language (Turkish to Georgian), landscapes (highlands to 5000m peaks), food (kebab to khachapuri), drinks (raki to chacha), etc, etc. As a matter of fact, the Caucasus was the former Soviet Union's southern border and Moscow's fingerprints are still visible everywhere in the country.We crossed at Posof - Akhaltsikhe and had no problem at all, despite the police having carefully checked all medicines that Natalia was carrying. They finally let us go but a friend of mine who tried to cross the border a few days later had serious problems... I'm not going to mention his name or nationality because he is still in Georgia trying to get out. His offence was trying to carry 'drugs' into the country, which in fact were regular painkillers with a small amount of codeine. This medicine can be legally bought in many countries, including Georgia, but cannot be introduced into the country. He did not even have a box, just a strip of tablets, but the amount of codeine was over the limit and he got arrested. He is not in prison but cannot leave the country until the legal process finishes... a few days ago he was still trying to pledge guilty and agree to a fine with the authorities in order to finish that nightmare. These lines are meant to support him and also a warning for travelers... watch out which medicines you take with you into Georgia.

That said, the border policemen were extremely nice with us and we could continue without major delays. We drove first to the provincial capital, Akhaltsikhe, and then followed the Mtkvari river until Vardzia. After a couple of hours of search and comparison, we decided to sleep at a guesthouse way up the valley. Ironically, after a whole day drive, the Turkish border was again not too far. The first difficulty we met in Georgia was the language... almost nobody speaks English in the villages, only Georgian (Kartvelian language totally unrelated to anything else but other minority languages in the Caucasus like Svan and Mingrelian) and Russian. Since I still remember some Czech from the time I lived in Brno and it is also a Slavic language, I can understand some very basic Russian and that was how we managed to say we want to eat, ask for prices and such basic travelling needs.

The main attraction in that area is the partly ruined but still functional cave monastery of Vardzia. Many outer walls have collapsed, exposing the caves, but some monk cells, a church and many other chambers and passages are still in one piece. It was very similar to other places we had seen in Cappadocia but better preserved, bigger and with more space to explore.

The main church was very well preserved and still holding masses, although I could not get in because I was wearing short pants. Natalia had to cover her hair, as in most Georgian churches, and also had to wear a skirt, which was solved by borrowing a piece of dark cloth whose purpose is exactly that. However, I could not wear one of those 'skirts' over my trekking shorts because men have to wear trousers... it is not about covering your skin, it is about proper clothing styles for men and women. Taking pictures inside was not allowed in any case but here you have the church bells and some frescoes painted on the outer walls.

After a couple of days mainly spent hiking, we went to the Black Sea. We wanted to avoid the resort town of Batumi but other places we saw were really awful with crumbling Soviet-era factories and apartment blocks. So we ended up in Batumi, the main beach destination in Georgia. In my opinion, it is not a beautiful city but there are nice things to enjoy, like the huge pebbled beach and the park that lies at its back. Every night there is also a light and music show at the dancing fountains, which we attended beer in hand.

To be honest, urban planning was non-existent in Batumi. Illuminated skyscrapers were standing next to working class old blocks while casinos, fast-food joints and eccentric buildings were spread all over the town center. There was even a cheesy Venetian piazza... however, since everything was illuminated very colorfully, nice pictures could be taken at night. Here you have an Egyptian-style obelisk with a depiction of Jason and the Argonauts on a background that reminds too much of Prague's old town square and its astronomical clock. That is Batumi.

When we were done with beach and sun, we headed north to the mighty Caucasus.
I was planning to test my off-road driving skills (non-existent at that time) in the high Caucasian valleys, famous for their inaccessibility. If you want to know whether or not I managed to drive my GS Adventure out of those valleys, please read next post in the coming days.