Tbilisi - Ushguli, (1/X); 18th August - From Aqtau

Tbilisi - Ushguli, (1/X); 18th August

18th August

We decided to take the train out of Tbilist to Gori. We had met a couple of Italian cyclists who cycled into capital who said it was very busy with fast traffic, but on the upside it felt quite 'punk'.

After a porridge breakfast we got to the train station with time to spare and getting the bike on was also no problem. The conductor even gave me two free bottles of water during the ride.

Bike on the train leaving Tbilisi. Cost 5 Lari, no reservation just turn up

We had intended to just get some food and then head out of Gori. But a visit to look at the outside of the Stalin museum became a visit inside with a tour guide, and we decided to stay the night in the pleasant town of Gori.

Stalin's armoured carriage when travelling by train

After the Stalin printing press museum/ shrine in Tbilisi, I wasn’t expecting much from the official museum. It was still hugely commemorative to him, but the guide did briefly touch on the purges and the famine which offered a semblance of balance. The gardens and the building itself are quite elegant though IMO.

Inside the Stalin museum. Notice how only Marx, Lenin and Stalin and gazing in the same direction

As we were leaving the museum a taxi driver asked if we wanted to go to some caves dug into the side of a hill near Gori. He had some postcards of the site which looked appealing. We tried and failed to catch a bus there instead, and ended up getting taxi.

The site itself was really interesting. A now ruined city dating back thousands of years where they had carved buildings onto the rock face. Visitors can walk around and enter the rooms with no restrictions making it easier to imagine what life might have been like living there. There was one room with still visible red paint in the corner, and the audio guide also mentioned a painted palm tree which I couldn’t see — but just seeing the paint up close was quite exciting.

We cooked chicken soup in the B&B for dinner. We took the bones to the park in front of the Stalin museum and found a street dog to feed them too. As soon as he saw us with the bag he seemed to know what our intention was and with no hesitation quickly ate everything we gave.

It’s now been two weeks since we arrived in Almaty and I can feel some weight coming back — I’ve had to loosen my belt slightly. The food in Tbilisi was fantastic. Bread and cheese dishes rich in cream, cheese and butter and large servings of dumplings. The Central Asia food was more simple, with lagman, plov, and stews being highlights. They were simple and delicious dishes, but having not had rich, creamy food for so long made finally having them again a memorable moment.

Drying our clothes outside. Grape vines in the garden. Grapes common sight along residential streets in Georgia.

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