OUR PEAKS AND VALLEYS OF GEORGIA - PART 1 — Wandering Wolfs Travel & Photography

This has been the longest I’ve ever taken to post about a trip. At one point in time, I even thought of giving it a pass altogether.

Poor Georgia got us without our rose-coloured glasses on this time. We were supposed to be heading on our big Norway trip (cause covid would definitely be gone by then). On top of that, we were one of the fortunate ones to have only lost one person to covid. Although it was only one, it was an important one. This chunk of heartbreak happened just before our trip.

Our journey from Dubai to Varjanisi.

The flight started a bit less pleasant since we were delayed on the plane for more than 40minutes in the scorching Dubai summer without any aircon. The mood was lifted for T and me when a hysterical lady jumped up screaming due to some insect falling from the overhead storage compartment. The spraying for insects on the plane then led to some more delays.

The flight was to Batumi, where we would get our car rental, grab a bite, and head to hotel Chataux Iveri in Varjanisi.

Batumi was a beautiful holiday town that reminded us of Durban in South Africa about 20 years ago. Although I still think that South Africa’s beaches are some of the best in the world, the whole vibe and feel felt amazing as we took a stroll in search of dinner.

The restaurant was about 800m away from where we parked. This started as a non-issue. During dinner, the clouds, which we didn’t make anything off, started opening up, and it just didn’t stop. Needless to say, a wardrobe change was needed once we reached the car.

With dry clothes on again, we were on our way… We did pass through Batumi again on our way to Kutasi, and this time we saw a bright, busy, sunny side of Batumi.

Hotel Chateaux Iveri

The drive to our first spot was beautiful and alternative. Google maps apparently don’t work as well in Georgia as in Dubai. The roads are challenging in many ways, but more on that later.

Still pouring with rain we arrived at our hotel and were greeted with friendly faces and poor English. The room was spacious, with the most comfortable bed. Our favourite part had to have been the doors, which could have been picture frames, and they framed the stunning scenery of the mountains and vineyards.

Playful kittens provided us with early morning entertainment, and the dance of fog and clouds between the mountains provided us with a stunning backdrop. The food was nothing to write home about, but the Wine… It was the WORST thing we ever tasted!!! We might have had a bad first experience, but we were scared and didn’t try any wine again.

There’s a difference in Georgian winemaking by being fermented in clay pots instead of wood barrels.

Medzibna Waterfall

We came about the waterfall by chance. We saw a sign and started to follow it. The road was gravel, twisty and longer than expected. The moment we saw it, we forgot the road. We vowed to return the following day, but things didn’t turn out that way. Sadly we didn’t take enough photos. I realised once again to make the most of every opportunity, live in the moment and don’t bargain on “next time”.

Driving in Georgia and the “Georgia Look”.

Every time we arrived safely at our destination, we were grateful. The roads itself isn’t as bad as we’ve seen if you stay off the gravel roads. But the driving is insane.

Most cars seem like it’s been in bumper cars and needs a panel. We think we understand why.

Google refered to them as “dashing daredevils”.
They would overtake around a blind corner or height.
Flee past you.
Overloaded cars are common.
To top thing off, the livestock having right of way everywhere.

We come from South Africa and are used to “challenging” road travelling and informal housing. Georgia took this to a new level.

The house reminds me of what the Weasley home from Harry Potter would look like. They seemed to be held together by a magic spell instead of screws and nails.

We now have a new term for anything buggered up after seeing the cars and houses: “The Georgia Look”.

Kutaisi

Kutaisi was only an overnight stop. We regret that we didn’t make more time to stay here, as we think we missed a lot. It seemed that there was quite a bit to see and experience. Maybe next time…

Teahouse Foe-Foe

One of the places we did enjoy thoroughly was Teahouse Foe-Foe. It has an amazing vintage and eclectic feel, with a friendly staff.

Levani’s Design House

The only night we stayed in Kutaisi was in Levani’s Design House. Levani is an architect who designed the spaces inside and out. The space was way too big for the two of us, and the stay was way too short.

Levani has a special kind of style somewhere between classic, modern, industrial, and simplistic. We did, however, see some Russian influence as well.