Welcome back, and as promised, this episode will be all about Georgia (the country). What it's like, how it went, and whether I would recommend visiting again. If you've been watching the news over the last week you'll know that there are some developing risks in the region, so as always follow the latest travel advice (both for your final destination and transit countries!). The TLDR is that Georgia is a very cool country to visit and I'll definitely be returning in the future. Lets get into it.
I stayed in a southern coastal city called Batumi, which feels like it's positioning itself as the Las Vegas of the region. Lots of casinos, imported muscle cars for hire, LED lights on the high rises, and things like that. The vibe on the street is very much one of what I would describe as 'false luxury' in the sense that Prada coats and Versace bags are common, but as in Vietnam these are almost certainly not 'genuine' (whatever that means!). Instead at the local bazaar nearby you can get pretty much whatever you want for cents on the dollar, from bags and coats to tazers (not kidding), kitchen equipment, and more.
Another interesting thing to note is the sheer number of stray dogs, and when you think of stray dogs you think of some skinny, mangy cross-breed, but most of the stray dogs in Batumi are morbidly obese thoroughbreds including Huskies, Dalmatians, and Golden Retrievers. This is because as far as I can tell they survive on bread and biscuits tossed to them by cafes, restaurants, and tourists, and seem themselves to be abandoned by tourists rather than walked in from the forest. After all, where else would you see a fat stray Dalmatian? All this to say that it's definitely a culture shock compared to London/Marseille, but compared to Da Nang it's very peaceful and a welcome change.
Georgian food is the best I've had in any country so far, and in a significant break from tradition I found myself trying several local dishes. After settling on possibly the perfect dish (Adjarian Khachapuri) I admittedly didn't vary too much, but regardless I strongly recommend trying it plus a local/regional favourite which is pear lemonade. On the topic of lemonade I also need to write that the lemonade in Georgia might be the best in the world too. There are several different types and brands, each strongly distinct (unlike e.g. lemonades in the UK). But enough about lemonade and on to the real star of the show; wine.
Georgia is home to the oldest tradition of wine making spanning a whopping 8,000 years, and it shows. The wines are superb, very cheap, and have a huge variety. You can buy a Prosecco equivalent, reds, whites, roses, and basically any home brewed berry types like pomegranate or raspberry if you go to a local grocer/market/shawarma restaurant. Now I don't personally recommend buying a plain plastic bottle of wine which just says 'Raspberry' on it (which I've done), but do recommend trying literally everything else since it all seems to be pretty great.
On to another interesting thing about Batumi in particular as I'm not sure how true this is across Georgia as a whole, but there are several male (and female) archetypes you'll encounter if you visit. There's the local uncle; a probably short, probably smoking late-middle-aged man who can help with anything from a taxi to any local attraction, to a good deal on home-brewed wine, to any sort of construction task you can think of. There isn't really a British equivalent but it's reassuring to walk around at any time of day or night and see small groups of 5-10 of these uncles gathered around the boot of a car, a bench, or bakery, just chatting and drinking/smoking.
The second major male archetype is the semi-professional mixed martial artist. A probably bald/buzzed, probably bearded man in his 20's or 30's with cauliflower ears who could probably chop down a small to medium sized tree with one kick. Combat sports are very popular in the region (with Dagestan and Chechnya just across the north-eastern border), and again it shows. It's somewhat reassuring seeing the local gym bro equivaleants wondering around at all hours of the day, and with the heavy police presence in the city it feels like a generally safe place to be overall.
Just a random addition that I wanted to add in but couldn't find the right space, I saw on a delivery biker's helmet a sticker which read; 'No airbags, we die like real men'. I'm not sure how to interpret that, or if the taste of concrete at high speeds is a delicacy to explore, but the culture of masculinity either through the exclusively male communities of uncles or the combat sports is definitely more significant than in the UK, for better or worse as that may be.
On to a huge highlight of Batumi; the promenade (and pebble beach). There's an uninterrupted 6km stretch of walkway which runs from the airport in the south up to the center of the city along the beach, which is great for exploring, buying overpriced merch if that's your thing, or just chilling with a lemonade. There are many many coffee shops, stands, and other things to explore, plus all of the aforementioned dogs roaming around. Now just to note I wouldn't touch or interact with the dogs at all - if you look at one in the eyes even once they'll follow you for the next 20 minutes, across roads and in to shops which can be awkward.
Another nice thing about the promenade is the view at night. Lots of the high rises in Batumi have lights up the outside and some use them as displays similar to cities I've seen (on social media) in China, and indeed in Vietnam. These are nice if you're into that type of visual aesthetic, but I can imagine locals who have lived in the area before these were built might have very different opinions.
The last thing to note is something that Georgia shares with Vietnam and probably many other tourist-focussed economies, and that's the split local/foreigner market prices. As a foreigner you're probably going to book somehwere on AirBnB, but if you're a local you're probably going to use home.ge. The price arbitrage here could be as much as 200%, with a nice local flat being around $200/month, but with foreigners happily paying as much as $600+. As a foreigner you're probably going to buy clothes and expect to pay anywhere from ₾100-400 ($30-120) for a coat, but if you're a local you're probably going to pay under ₾80. This difference is of course expected, and as with anywhere you go you can pay as much as you like for something, but understanding and accessing the local price for goods is definitely worthwhile here as it is in Vietnam, and something to consider when you read up on visiting the area. I lived very well for easily under $1200 for the month I was there, so definitely don't be pulled in to the wrong side of the deal!
That's all for Georgia in review. It's a fun place to hang out and a really intereting country to be in. The language and alphabet are pretty crazy coming from an English/Dutch background, and comprehending menus and grocery labels is essentially impossible withot google translate. It's also the first post-soviet country I've visited and the overall feeling is one of growth, commerce, and general openness towards the opportunities created by globalisation without sacrificing culture or identity. I'm really interested to see how Georgia develops in my lifetime, whether it joins the EU, whether knowledge of its great wines and khachapuri reach more western tourists, and whether the perceived aim of Batumi becoming the Las Vegas of the region holds true in the longer term.
Next week I'll be formalising my thoughts and rationale on the country I'll be visiting next: Bulgaria. Also post-soviet, also bordering Turkey, and also low cost of living as compared to the UK and France. Looking forward to writing it up and hope everthing is going well where you are.
Thanks and all the best,
Oliver
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