(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) I'm mostly an avid and pretty open-minded solo traveller, willing to weather the vagaries and erratic nature of events that are a part of mostly-unplanned jaunts. Even so, my first venture into Georgia throws me off. There's no prepaid taxi system at the airport, and the cabbie who ferries me overcharges quite a bit, and there's nothing I can do about it, because he absolutely refuses to hand back the change. Such incidents set the tone for the slightly neurotic experience that an ex-Soviet Union state can be - Georgia is one of them.
This tiny little Caucasian gem of a country became indepen-dent from its Russian rulers in 1991, but the nation went through a long period of unrest and crime - even a war with Russia. But change came with the event Georgians call the Rose Revolution in 2003. Post this, Mikheil Saakashvili took over as President and went on to become something of a hero in the country for the reforms he created. Trouble still brews in the independent areas of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the north (akin to the breakaway Kosovo from Serbia), and tourists aren't allowed to go there, but the rest of the country currently enjoys economic and social prosperity.
Funny thing is, Saakashvili, born a Georgian, is also a Ukrainian politician. The idea is not to bore you with geopolitics, but give a picture of how different peoples and cultures - mainly Russians, Ukrainians, Armenians and other eastern Europeans - have moved freely within the Georgian populace and become integrated into it.
The other related interesting tidbit: Georgia's most famous son is Russia's Communist-era despot Josef Stalin (born Jugashvili; most surnames you'll see here end in the suffixes -vili or -idze). Born in Gori, not far from Tbilisi - you can drive the length or breadth of the whole country in a day - he scarcely acknowledged his Georgian ethnicity later in life. But Stalin's considered something of a folk hero in his birthplace, where there's a museum dedicated to him.
Tbilisi Loves You
My first day in Tbilisi is eye-opening but uneventful - just as I want it after getting made by the taxi driver. After a hearty breakfast (I take food seriously during travels) of the local specialty khachapuri, a traditional cheese-filled bread, and fresh, delicious salads, I set out to explore the town, which is a surprisingly easy feat if you're a good walker.
The entire city is linked by the central Rustaveli avenue. It may have nothing on, say, Barcelona's La Rambla or the thoroughfares of Zurich, but it's unfair to compare, and besides the high-end shopping spots, the avenue has all the main museums, opera house, churches, and even the Georgian Parliament building... and a certain dilapidated flair. It ends up - or starts, depending on which way you're heading - at the lovely, cobblestoned Freedom Square, highlighted by the gold-covered statue of St. George atop a tall pillar.
Yes, the land is named after this patron saint; even its flag is heavily influenced by the St. George's cross, but the locals call their country an entirely different name - Sakartvelo - and there's a Persian-Turkic name accorded to it as well: Gurjistan. The Russians and Polish call it Gruzia/Gruzja. Makes perfect sense, since I come from a country that has functioning multiple names as well: India (in English), Bharat (locally used; Sanskrit), and Hindustan (Persian).
Tbilisi is as quaint as it sounds - the 't' is almost silent and you get to say "bileesi" in a very singsong, lispy way. Most of the outdoors, and indoors, seem strangely stuck in the 1970-80s Soviet-era. You see it in everything from the construction to the interior décor and furniture, in the very air, and it can be a tad depressing at times, for it takes you back to a time when you know Communism kept the people poor, controlled, and without access to even the basic luxuries we take for granted today. But, modern-day Tbilisi seems to have rectified many of the wrongs.
To my delight, I find the entire city is connected on free WiFi! Now how many places in the world can claim this distinction? Okay fine, the 'Tbilisi Loves You' network doesn't work in many spots in the city, but it does along most of Rustaveli, and just the fact that they've attempted something like this before other hotshot cities is commendable. Go from Rustaveli avenue, through Freedom Square, explore the little bylanes of the old town where you'll see everything from museums dedicated to certain ethnic communities to bread bakers operating out of basements (you pick up the bread from the little basement grill window), and on to the vibrant, hangouts-and-waterholes filled Meidan Bazaar. Linger around here, eat, drink and soak in some atmosphere. I have dinner at a joint called KGB Restaurant; it's a cheerful little place, hardly secretive like the former Russian spy machinery.
Stroll into the various churches (mostly Georgian Orthodox); they pretty much all look the same, except for the imposing, palace-like Sameba cathedral atop Elia hill in the old, historic Avlabari neighbourhood, which itself warrants a walkaround for its alleyways and bylanes. Ultimately, Tbilisi is all about the views, especially the orange glow-lit ones at night. From different vantage points in the city, you can see the city rolling about, moving from the striking, modern LED-lit Bridge of Peace to the canopied Public Service Halls. Take the cable car up to the Narikala fortress, and run down to the popular sulphur baths and botanical gardens. Just wing it as your whim takes you.
I end my Tbilisi jaunt by backtracking through Rustaveli avenue and taking the stunning funicular rail ride up (it's practically a vertical slope) up to the Mtatsminda park, where you can try the great restaurants, enjoy a beautiful ferris wheel ride - giving even higher views of the city - and get close to the lovely, lit up Eiffel tower-esque Tbilisi TV tower, which can be spotted from anywhere in the city.
At the Public Service Halls, you can get any kind of paper-work and registration done quickly, meaning you don't have to plod through various governmental departments and bureaucratic red tape. For instance, a Georgian tourist guide later tells me you can file for and get a divorce there, in a matter of hours! Smart city, indeed.
Caucasus are the coolest
The mountains are where my heart belongs, and I quickly get done with Tbilisi to start with the first in a series of daily day trips and treksoutside the city. Kind-of-cheap (by Dubai standards) local travel agencies offer you a number of trip options and I opt for Kazbegi, with a bunch of mountains around the town offering great trekking options. The drive itself is fantastic, along the historic Georgian Military Highway, which connects all the way to Russia, once an important route the former rulers used to control this tiny nation with.
Thanks to their history, most Georgians are bilingual now - speaking both their native tongue and Russian fluently - though the younger generation is eschewing their Soviet legacy for fashionably American-accented English. Down the Military Highway, a snowed-out stretch with tunnels, via-ducts, wayside viewpoints and churches dotting the land-scape, you feel like you're in Dr. Zhivago or something. Old Russian-made trucks and cars still ply these roads.
Mount Kazbegi is too high for us to climb, but we attempt to go half-way up, until the waypoint with the Holy Trinity Church perched on it, at 2,170m. This time, I've overestimated my fitness levels and have to take frequent rests during the three-plus hour climb; however, it is mitigated by the beautiful views all along the way up, and the high from the 'top' of the mountain is really worth it. Thankfully, we hitch a ride on one of those old Russian '4WDs' to get back down.
Later, enjoying khorcha, a hot zesty soup much recommended to revive the heat in your body after snowy treks, our guide tells me and my trek-mates, two Russian girls who'd come over for a long holiday weekend, about the beautiful Rooms hotel in Kazbegi, a modern designer hotel that has an amazing library-cum-lobby area. Well, maybe next time.
The higher slopes of the Caucasus beckon now, and I travel up to the Svaneti region, the highest inhabited area in these mountains. The journey convinces me Georgia is not much of a family destination - unless you stay put in Tbilisi and do some day trips from there by car. The nine-hour bumpy ride on the mashtruka, or mini van, is 'adventurous', to say the least, and terrible on your back; I can't imagine taking small kids on it for a whole day. Arriving in the Svan town of Mestia, we head to Manoni's guesthouse, on the recommendation of my tour guide friend in Tbilisi. Manoni is the owner herself, and her lovely two-storied home has been converted into a guesthouse, the highlight of which is the food. Till date, I don't know the names of the dishes the amiable hostess spread out unfailingly thrice a day, plus lavish cakes at tea-time, but it's among the best I've eaten anywhere.
Mestia is tiny, serving as the region's capital and base to continue onwards into the mountains and other towns, but it has an interesting highlight in the form of fortified buildings with museums, and tall towers that were once used as lookout points. Along with me is another trekker-tourist, this time a skinny Japanese youngster who was hurtling all over Georgia and Armenia on a 10-day holiday (of which two are taken up flying from and to Japan - well, lucky us in Dubai). We climb one of the towers and end up on the rooftop - no terraces, only sloping tiles. Let's just say, the views were worth it.
The next day, another bumpy ride - at least, this time in a modern 4WD - takes us to Ushguli, another trekking village in Upper Svaneti. Winding and squelching up and down the muddy village - it rains without warning here - you're privy to some of the most beautiful mountain vistas, with peaceful monasteries, like oases in the desert, dotting the landscape often. Yet again, I'm convinced you don't need to spend precious dirhams going all the way to expensive Switzerland or other Alpine spots when you can experience equally beautiful locales this side of the world.
Sadly, there are many more valleys in the Svan region to visit, especially in autumn (between August-September) when these spots break out in a riotous carpet of flowers and colours. But I'll just have to go back next year.
Back at the guesthouse, we find we can't take the small plane back to Tbilisi because of bad winds and rain. Yes, there are flights thrice a week between Tbilisi-Mestia, but only if the weather gods allow it. So back again on the mashtruka it is!
Heritage mapping
Back in Tbilisi, I have a couple more days left and opt for a day trip to Vardzia, a cave monastery site in south Georgia; the castle of Rabat; and the spa town of Bor-jomi. In true tour package-style, we're hard put to see all three places in the same day; the distan-ces between each town are consi-derable. Vardzia, with its carved out cave dwellings is quite stri-king, and arriving at Borjomi after sundown, we realise the resort town, famous for its mineral water, is so balmy and relaxing that it warrants at least a night's stay or two here.
The trip ends on a weekend, and I get to see Tbilisi's famous Saturday/Dry Bridge market, a flea market so extraordinary, it brings shoppers from all around the neighbouring countries here. I've been lucky enough to catch exciting street markets during my travels, and end up gawking at the wares on offer - paintings, vintage cameras, glass, silver, jewellery, antiques. name it.
The day fittingly ends with a traditional Georgian dance performance - in a true display of Georgian high spirits - while eating khinkali at Chakrulo restaurant on Rustaveli avenue. Khinkali is Georgian-style dumplings filled with succulent meat and juices. Apparently, the trick is to eat it without spilling the liquid inside all over your fingers, and no tourist can manage that!
This year, Georgia has become something of a popular destination from the UAE, and the visa has been made easier now with UAE residence holders getting it on arrival, as opposed to the e-visa I had to get. You see more and more group and package tours going from here, so there's no reason you can't hop over to this Caucasian cluster. Try to combine it with a jaunt to neighbouring Azerbaijan or Armenia as well, if you have the days for it. marypaulose@khaleejtimes.com
Go Georgia
Getting there: Various tour packages from the UAE; flights between the UAE and Tbilisi available on flydubai, Azerbaijan Yollary, Aeroflot, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Pegasus
Best time to go: Autumn (August-October), when the fall colours transform the landscape; March-May (when the weather is still cool and you can escape the heat over here)
Other places to visit in Georgia: Aside from the ones mentioned here, you can also do day trips to Mtskheta (the old capital), Gori (birthplace of Stalin), the David Gareja monastery, the Kakheti valley, Kutaisi (another old city), and Batumi (the Mediterranean-style holiday city on the Black Sea coast)
Visa: Visa on arrival now available for UAE residence permit holders
Spending: Georgian money is called lari; the country is generally cheaper, but some things are as expensive as in Dubai
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