Finally - Georgia!

Early this morning I encountered the first border passing of the trip, the Turkish-Georgian border. For many border inspectors it’s their first time to see someone riding a bicycle to China, with their curious questions, they stamped on my passport super fast.

Then first city - Batumi. It was a resort in the Soviet period. Along the coastline of the Black Sea there was a beach of stone. I entered the city as if I had returned to Europe: the city was covered with gravel roads, and finally the driver stopped to let me pass first.

After arranging the accommodation, Old City is really a vibrant place to perceive the Georgian vibe: There are not many vehicles passing by; You can linger with the church or the plaza. Then I spotted a billboard: “-10% for rider” It’s a bar called "Free Space" and I thought that the owner was also a bicycle lover. Indeed, she wrote this billboard to encourage more people to ride the bike for environmental sustainability. But there’s another reason to open this bar - she wants to create a more inclusive environment for people with disabilities, so that they can work here without barriers, or come here to communicate with others without barriers. That’s why its name is “Free space”

Walking on the beach, I jump into the water and swim in the Black Sea. There are Russian speakers around, and people in the bar are watching the World Cup.

Going further, I see the famous statue, “Ali and Nino”, with two statues of men and women facing each other, gradually approaching each other, merging with each other without touching, and finally leaving the other. Their love is over but the story is still circulating with people reading the book or watching the movie. Highly recommended!

At sunset, I was riding the cable car overlooking the city and watching the endless stretch of the Black Sea coast. I couldn't help but think about the past five days of cycling on the Black Sea Coast, but also anticipating the ride along the Caucasus Mountains in the next few days until I reach the Caspian Sea.

Jerry

Today it’s time to leave my comfort zone of Batumi, to head for the capital-Tbilisi.

The feeling inside Batumi and outside the city is completely different: inside, it is a peaceful and orderly city, but when leaving the city, the traffic is a bit loaded and messy, and there are many holes on the road. Cycling on that road is like riding a roller coaster.

In the afternoon, I enter a more rural inland area. Cows can be seen from time to time, and similar to India, drivers must wait for cattle to cross the road. So idyllic!

In the evening, it is an hour away from the sunset and it was also close to my hostel. The pinkish sky shrouded over the town of Samtredia. I passed through the Orthodox church that was being renovated. There is a post-modernist industrial-style cross, which is welded with only two steel pipes, without other superfluous decorations; both sides of the road have exquisite buildings, rusty fences tell the traces of years; in one bakery, a girl is practicing dance in front of a phone; in another bakery, a girl asks another girl to look up at me.

I have seen similar things in the past 18 days, but even if they are quite similar, I can always feel the energy of life, like the glow of sunset: strong and gorgeous, giving people a touch of the soul: young people are always exploring curiously, aged people are always observing silently.

After having dinner, I saw a piano. I asked the hostess if anyone in the family could play the piano. The answer was no. The hostess allows me to play when she sees my curiosity. Sitting in the chair, the dim yellow light shines on the keys, and the C4 key hasn’t been tuned. With my unprofessional skills, I gradually started with the prelude of Canon. When the music spreads around, the host and his old mother came over. It ends with their applause. I feel music crossed the boundary of time, language, and culture, and bonded us.

The world is huge, but at the same time, it's very small. When trekking in this journey, I gradually notice that it is not the grandiose epic that touches people most. Instead, it is the trivial emotions and events, that leave the deepest ripple in our heart.

I wake up relatively early (7 AM :) ) and start riding on a spacious road. In the first hour there are only a few cars. It’s quite pleasant to ride during that time.

At two o'clock, the sun releases its full energy. I avoid the heat in a restaurant by the road. I ask the owner whether there is meat dish besides hotdog. The owner takes out a black plastic bag from the refrigerator, which has black sausages inside. In fact, I could not tell it is sausage at first glance. To try it out I ask the owner to heat it. And actually, even though it looks kinda weird, it tastes amazing! The meat is hidden under the crispy skin and there is a unique taste of vegetable puree in the middle. I ordered the second one afterwards, highly recommended!

Then I ride in the mountains, rising from 150m to 867m. After riding for 4 hours, my stomach was hungry again. I went to a restaurant by the road and order two more sausages.

After passing a tunnel, the rain suddenly arrives. The thunder is in the sky, the road is slippery, so I find a room in the small town Sumari and take a warm shower to prevent a cold. Tomorrow it’s time for Tbilisi, and the hometown of Stalin - Gori. Stay tuned!

Here I am, Tbilisi!

In the morning, since my shoes are still wet, I tie 3 plastic bags on my feet to keep it warm. While at rest, I recognize the accent of a group of Italian tourists and order a pizza for lunch to celebrate this encounter, in the city where Stalin was born - Gori.

I come to Stalin Memorial Park with many expectations, but only find out that there is no water in the pool, and Stalin’s memorial statue has been torn down.

In the museum, there is mostly introduction in Georgian and Russian, but I happen to meet an old lady who is touring in English. The tour ends with visiting Stalin’s private carriage, but I still have a few questions in mind and start asking her.

In our conversation, what intrigues me is that Georgia and Bosnia and Herzegovina share many similarities after their independence in the 90s. Georgia was independent after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and Bosnia was independent of Yugoslavia. They were both socialist country before independence. People had jobs, free medical care, education, and housing. However, after the collapse of the socialist state, the country’s unemployment rate rises, pensions decrease, and political mechanisms are still under construction. But undeniably there is progress in the politics and civil society, where more voices are represented. Old people generally have the nostalgia towards those “Good Old Days”, but young people generally have less favorable impression towards their country’s past. Both voices are present in the country’s politics, and the country is still struggling to seek their orientation in its transition.

In the evening, I missed Mostar where I studied for two years: dusk is coming, there are valleys and fields on both sides of the road, and there are several houses a few kilometers away-the symbol of a town. This reminds me of Mostar: I entered the city and passed by the old town to look for dinner.

Before it was completely dark, I made it to the capital, Tbilisi. A light rain begins and I find a restaurant for dinner. The lamb soup warms my stomach and puts a cozy end to today's ride.

After finishing the last lunch in Tbilisi, I head for Azerbaijan——the 3rd country on my Silk Road journey.

When crossing the border, it takes less than 3 minutes for exiting Georgia but more than 20 minutes for entering Azerbaijan. Not only do all the luggage go through the X-ray machine, but also the passport is interrogated by multiple officers. In the end I realize that the reason that takes such a long time for one officer to confirm it’s a real passport, is that I have grown some little beard which is not shown in my passport. Fake passport!

After crossing the border, there are many animals on both sides of the road. Horses, sheep, ducks, and sheepdogs. People are riding on the horses, and some driving the carriage. What an idyllic scene! Many people even stop their car and take photos with me.

Finally, before the darkness I arrive at the city of Ağstafa. What draws my attention is that I haven’t yet seen a mosque, nor heard the praying sound. I am not sure whether this has anything to do with the secularization of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan formally declared its independence in 1918, and became the first secularized democratic republic with Muslim majority. It is the first Muslim country with opera and theater and modern university.

Tomorrow, I will meet Raghdan from Syria——the second member of our project. Can’t wait to see him!