Arrived in the Middle of a Big Rally in Central Tbilisi

Sunday, Aug. 31, 2008--Istanbul (Continued)

I walked down the walking street enjoying myself by just watching people. I had gotten too much Turkish money, so I stopped at an exchange counter and switched most of what I still had into Swiss currency which I can use later when I am in Zurich for a long weekend.

I went to a local place near the hotel to eat. I chose stuffed eggplant. It was good, but I am starting to notice too much similarity among my meals here. I have read that Georgian food is similar to Turkish food, so I hope I won't be bored to death of eggplant and stews by the time I leave there.

Monday, Sept. 1, 2008--Istanbul to Tbilisi

Passport Control at the Istanbul airport is as bad going out of the country as it is coming into it. It is far too slow and disorganized. They need more counters open, and they need someone at the head of the queue to direct people to counters as they become available. People were cutting in line just as they did on arrival.

Prices at the Istanbul airport may be the highest I have seen anywhere. I checked a few things that I knew about--Burger King prices which I had checked in town, meals at a locanta restaurant, etc. In general, the prices at the airport were THREE times what they are locally! Glad I don't have to spend any money here before departing. There should be a meal on my flight since it is an international one.

The plane was very empty. Only 33 people flew in tourist class and two people in business class. Most people are still uncertain about the safety of coming to Georgia. The meal was a light one--cheese and tomato sandwich, a small salad with two slices of chicken breast, crackers to go with the salad, and a small portion of chocolate mousse. A young man with Asian features sat beside me. He was so active he would have been bouncing off the walls without his seatbelt! His legs were bouncing and moving in and out. His arms were flittering here and there for various reasons. When he got his food, he ate the mousse first. Then he ate his female companion's mousse. Only after that did he go for the other food. She has a problem on her hands, I think.

There was a huge rally in downtown Tbilisi when I arrived. Maybe it was shown on TV as part of the continuing coverage of the situation here, but you can read about it by clicking on the link I attached in the previous sentence. At the airport, I waited for the local bus which should have brought me downtown. But it stopped at a metro station and all of us had to get off. Fortunately, a woman near me spoke English and communicated that we had to get off and take the metro, but she didn't know why. Georgia using a totally unique alphabet that is very swirly, so it is difficult to learn quickly; and because of it, not everyone here reads our western alphabet. (Due to having been part of the Soviet Union, people here may also read the Russian alphabet which is also totally different from the western one, so the western one typically isn't known.) To get a token for the metro, I had to say the local name of the station I wanted. Well, I tried pronouncing it, but it didn't work. I couldn't show the woman the printed name, since it was in western lettering. But another person who had been on my bus came to my rescue. He and about 5 other men had been speaking sign language togeter, and he himself could not speak. But he got me the right token and motioned for me to follow him. We went down to the metro and got on the train with his other friends. Then when we got to the station I needed, he took me off the train and showed me to go up the escalator.

That's when I realized that there was a political rally and that it had been the reason why the bus stopped. There was no way it could have made it along the usual route which would have brought us through Freedom Square. The square was full of people marching while holding huge Georgian flags and shouting pro-Georgian/anti-Russian chants. On the main street leading to/from the square, cars were moving with people leaning out the windows holding more flags (including one USA flag that I saw). There was a sense of euphoria. The excitement on faces made me think that this must be the way people felt when WWI and WWII broke out and all the young men were so excited about joining the military without any sense of what it really meant.

I worked my way through the crowd so I could go the one block behind the square to find the apartment where I am staying. For once, it is a family hosting me in a private apartment rather than a widow. I was greeted by a handsome young man of 21 who introduced me to his father and mother. Both the son and the father speak English, so we talked about my plans, and they confirmed I am going to good places. Matching my guidebook's description of Georgian hospitality, they insisted that I eat a dinner. So the son and I sat down to a baked chicken thigh, mashed potatoes, homemade ketchup, homemade beat/garlic/mayonnaise salad, homemade Georgian bread, and wine. It was delicious!

I went out of the apartment around 18:45 for a walk. I went down the main street of the city. The rally was still partially going. Many people were walking on the sidewalks with their flags rolled up. Many were wearing the flag draped over their shoulders or wrapped around their bodies. I walked a long distance, then I turned and came back the same route.

The city cannot compare to the cities I visited in Latvia and Estonia last year. The magnificent buildings here often are still derelict. They need restoration. But there are many storefonts that are vacant. Therefore, there may not be any demand for the buildings to be restored. There is more of a feel here for what it was like during Communism than I expected. Where there are stores, however, they are well stocked versus the way they were in Communist times. Maybe the city will appear better in the daylight.

It was 20:30 before I returned to the apartment. I just sat in my room and planned for my trip to Lithuania. I need housing there that is halfway reasonable in price. I planned an itinerary so that I will be able to write tomorrow to make reservations. It was 23:15 before I stopped and went to bed.

Spending Update: I spent $198.65 over 6 days in Turkey for an average of $33.11 per day. Since leaving Texs, I have spent $4811.62 over 119 days for an average of $40.43 per day.