OUR PEAKS AND VALLEYS OF GEORGIA - PART 2
In Part 1 of our peaks and valleys of Georgia, we left Kutasi wanting more. We ate some waffles at “Teahouse Foe-Foe” and were on our way to our next stop in Abrolauri.
Ambrolauri and the Dollhouse
We prefer the countryside and beauty over city life. The problem this time around was the lack of infrastructure. There were very few places we could eat, and accommodation was limited. On top of that, it was middle summer and HOT, and I mean 38’C hot for a country that gets snow.
We managed to find this adorable little cottage in the wood. It looked like a dollhouse or something made for fairies and pixies.
The problem was that they usually cater for winter and snow, which meant the cabin had almost no ventilation. Luckily they had this portable pool (which we stuck our noses in the air for at first) that ended up saving our lives.
The other problem was we’re not really the size of a doll, fairy or pixie to fit in this adorable tiny house. The shower is waist down, and the living room, kitchen or bathroom can only occupy one person.
After a sweltering evening and seeing their only main attraction (the love waterfall), we decided to cut this unique stay short and head to our next spot.
Bread, food and drink
Before moving to our next destination, we quickly have to talk about the food.
Ambrolauri did introduce us to something magical due to the lack of restaurants. The bread. The flatbread cost next to nothing but are mouthwatering yummy and don’t need any butter or condiments. They serve it on a piece of carton box so your hand won’t burn, as it’s usually fresh out of the firepit.
The other food also consisted of many “dough-type” food such as pizza, dumplings, and pastries. They do eat meat which they usually BBQ and I will get back to that when we eat at the same restaurant about four times.
Although we were scared of the wine we tasted, we did fall in love with what they call “lemonade”, which comes in a green bottle and different flavours. Our favourite had to have been the apple or pear.
Oribi Palace
The drive to our next spot was once again stunning. But after settling in at our new accommodation, we were once again met with some conflicting emotions.
On the one side, we were thankful and happy that our host managed to assist us with a two-day early arrival. On the other hand, we were bombed out about our stunning mountain view being obstructed with the construction and its noise which we did not know of.
However, the apartment was very spacious, clean and comfortable except for the kitchen not having its own basin. It’s quite a strange feeling washing your dishes in the bathroom.
Bakuriani – Our Highlight of the Trip
During our stay at Bakuriani, we started to get our “mojo” back again.
About a day after we arrived, the major heatwave broke, and we got loads of rain and fog. The town is usually a ski-resort town, but it transforms into lush green landscape heaven, with wildflowers, rivers, and stunning clouds during the summer months. We could go for long walks, and I felt like a kid in a candy store while taking photos.
Mimino Restaurant
If you ask us, Mimino is the only restaurant you need during your stay. I want to say that the food was affordable (cause it sounds better), but I can’t. The food was really cheap, so cheap that we couldn’t get it over our hearts to tip only 10-20%.
Let me clarify; cheap doesn’t mean bad quality. The food was nothing fancy but great, with a wide variety. The service was top-notch, and even the ambience was good. We went back about four or five times if I’m not mistaken.
Their “barbeque of pork” needs a special shout out.
Borjomi
We ventured out to Borjomi for a day trip from Bakuriani. Borjomi is a beautiful little town with loads of restaurants, food trucks, stunning parks, an interesting pedestrian bridge, and little birdhouses in the trees
I also think this is a good time to mention the dogs. Georgia is famous for all its dogs in the cities, next to the roads, and in the parks. Most of them are tagged and quite well looked after but doesn’t belong to anybody.
Travelers Home
Our last apartment in Georgia was in Tblisi.
What an amazing spot. Not only was it spacious, comfortable and super clean. This was one of the prettiest and most nicely styled places we’ve stayed at.
She had all these detailed touches:
Travel maps, and information about Tblisi.
Cute wifi name and passwords
A map to show where her guest have been from.
Even the location was amazing. Situated next to a huge park, and within walking distance from everything we needed.
Our Final Stop – Tblisi
After a trip with lots of emotion and loads of ups and downs, we were starting to feel a lot more relaxed. Sadly we did only one day where we did a bit of sightseeing. This was due to most of our time there being occupied by some “housekeeping”, such as covid testing.
From what we were able to see, Tblisi is quirky, old and new, and once again full of friendly people.
Before writing this blog, there was a sense of sadness and unfavourable feelings toward this trip. But now that I’ve relived the trip, gone through the photos again and written about it, I realised something. There’s no such thing as a bad trip. Actually, all trips are made up of good and bad, but it’s our mindset and what we choose it to be that determines how we feel about it.
Thank you once again to my best friend whom I love dearly for this trip and for always being there for me.
Next up, we go home to SA and see even more of the Cape than what we intended to
Wandering off now…
T & Me
