We last left the story of our journey from Kathmandu to Istanbul in Yerevan, Armenia. It was here that some of us had a great night out,
starting with a feast of Armenian dishes washed down with Armenian wine, and
then heading to a local bar for drinks, dancing and socialising with the locals.
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Andrew E, Jacq, Simon, Nigel H, Teresa & Al |
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Armenian feast |
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Jacq & Ann S |
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Teresa & Al |
Armenia is a new location to Odyssey this year and hasn’t
disappointed, providing stunning scenery, good night life and culture to boot.
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Genocide museum, Yerevan |
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On the walking tour of Yerevan |
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Yay for Yerevan! |
We left Yerevan to head back to Georgia through the Kasagh
Gorge, stumbling upon a livestock market en route to Haghpat monastery. The monastery
is a Unesco world heritage site and is steeped in history and its evolution is visible
in its architecture. We found a nearby farmer’s field to camp in for the night,
with a great view of the valley below, and a good spot for Norm to declare that
‘he felt fine, but his legs unstable’.. (After a little to drink).
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Georgian scenery, simply stunning |
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Jacq at the livestock market |
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Paul S |
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Calypso at Haghpat monastery |
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Lunch at the monastery |
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View from the bushcamp, we were camped a bit further back from the edge though! |
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Teresa |
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Ann S |
In Georgia once more, after a speedy border crossing,
quickest yet at 45 minutes and also the smartest, with clean toilets and a cafe
serving tea and coffee!
We spent 2 nights in Tbilisi, where most of the group went
on an insightful walking tour with Zaza where we saw the new and old parts of
the city. It was a day of culture and
history as we went around the art gallery and Georgian National museum where
there was an interesting exhibit on the history of Georgia’s Soviet occupation.
Here also Toby, Paul S, Jill and Fraser went to town (well actually to a steak
house) with outfits picked up and improvised from some of the local charity
shops.
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Toby, Fraser & Paul S |
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Toby, Paul S, Fraser & Jill |
Then it was on to Gori which is home to the Stalin museum as
it is the place of his birth. The tour guide Comrade Svetlana had an interesting
take on his history with much of the dictator’s actions being overlooked, and
many details of his younger years.
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Stalin's death mask |
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Cathy and Mignon in Stalin's train carriage |
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Comrade Svetlana giving the tour |
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Outside Stalin's childhood home |
From here we headed to Uplisticke, which is
an ancient ‘cave city’, dating back to
2000 BC. The best way to describe the site is a little piece of Petra. The
whole site is hewn from natural sandstone, and of its remains we saw what would
have been a pharmacy, bread making areas, prisons, and a more recently-built
church. Also various different Halls.
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Al and Nigel C |
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Al doing an Ann H photo pose |
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Ann H |
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Carolyn, Al, Paul O and Teresa |
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Teresa |
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On tour in Uplistsicke |
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Simon |
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Nice (Phil) Hall |
That evening we camped in the shadows of this amazing
ancient site in a meadow by the river, not far from an abandoned settlement
which was only left in the mid 60’s due to a massive flood.
We had another great Georgian home-stay experience in
Kutaisi, Georgia’s second city. This was more like a guesthouse than a
home-stay – but no complaints there! Wining and dining with Georgian
home-cooking, and Georgian wine that comes cheap by the litre. After we’d had
our fill, the evening continued with Toby starting the entertainment off by
reciting a poem he’d written about our trip and the expedition members. You may
be able to check it out on facebook. That was followed by more poetry, singing
and dancing, as well as some acrobatics: a new way of using a broom –
illustrated by Al and attempted by others, notably Andrew E. (He did get a
sneak preview and attempt at the bushcamp the previous night.)
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Bagrati Cathedral |
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Kutaisi by night |
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Andrew E doing the broom trick |
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Phil attempting the broom trick |
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In the homestay |
The next site of interest was another first for Odyssey. The
Prometheus caves were only recently discovered, in 1983, and only opened to the
public in May this year. The cave system open to visitors is 1.4 km long and the
total underground system covers a distance in the region of 21km. The
sightseeing path in the caves has been very well done with subtle lighting
making the most of the impressive stalacmites, -tites and curtains. As one
group member put it “it’s like a fairy land”. Coupled with the optional boat
ride out at the end (yes, there is an underground lake) made for a very memorable experience.
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Coming out of the caves |
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Phil & Annie |
Just around the corner was
another site with more caves and Georgia’s very own dinosaur footprints.
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Dinosaur footprints |
From here just a couple of hours drive put us camped on the shores
of the Black Sea which enticed a few for a quick dip as the sun set over the
hills a magical experience and not as cold as you may think once over the
initial shock upon entering!
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Andrew E in the black sea |
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Camping on the Black Sea coast |
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Norm, Simon, Toby & Al |
And that is just about as far as we have got – in anticipation of our final Georgian feast in Batumi
tonight (details to follow in the next instalment).
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Paul S |
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Phil |
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Batumi |
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Jacq |