Postcards from Tbilisi

For my PTO this year, I decided to Visit Tbilisi, Georgia. My choice of destination was a bit peculiar to my friends when I told them, as it seems to them that it sprung out of the blues (more on this later, maybe, who knows?). Of course, it helps that Georgia is Visa free for UK BRP holders. So, bar a 5-hour flight from Heathrow and some serious grilling at airport customs, you’re pretty much good to go with a packed bag and a mind full of adventure.

Tbilisi is a fine mix of the old and new. There’s a certain calm that pervades the city, but you can feel beneath this layer of seeming peacefulness, there’s some chaos tethering on the edge. The city reminds me so much of Lagos, without the chaos of our renowned public transportation. The variety of cars, the pop up and roadside shops, The late night buzz. You could tell that the city had more to offer than meets the eye. You only had to be willing to explore.  

The Georgian people were lukewarm, and excluding the occasional (painfully glaring) stares, they mostly kept to themselves. They didn’t quite have the coldness of the London populace, or the jovial (but sometimes hiding a layer of sinister) vibe of Lagosians. But they were willing to help where they could, and simple courtesies were also pretty common. 

The architecture was reminiscent of Georgia's time as part of the USSR. But new buildings bring new life to the city. The modern blends in outstandingly well with the old, and they thrive side by side. 24/7 Fresco stores and stone monuments atop hills, the city has a little bit of everything.  

 The stray dogs and cats were very captivating. They all looked well fed, and well groomed, yet no one claimed ownership of them. They chose when and where to sleep and were all welcomed and ignored simultaneously by everyone. Almost as if they were a part of the everyday life there. Just another thread in the Fabric of society. My heart broke initially when I found out they were all strays, as I couldn’t understand why there were so many dogs on the streets. And I also worried that they might go on biting sprees or even worse…

 The vaccine tags on each of them brought some respite to me. However, it felt as if someone was watching over them, from a safe distance, but not showing enough confidence to bring them into the fold. To bring them into a home with love, and laughter.  

They just watched over them from far and made sure they were of no harm to ordinary, everyday Georgians. Better than putting them down I thought to myself. But was it though? 

The feeling of just hanging in limbo, somehow it felt like a worse punishment. But anyways. 

The stench of Cigarettes was heavy in the Cabs, almost nauseating. It was a way of life here, almost like a rite of passage. Some corners of the streets littered with the stubs. I think it is the cold that attracts them to it. When it is cold here, it is reallyyyyyyy cold. But reason is the first stage, then habit, and old habits die hard. Thankfully I chose the summer to come, and what a time to be here too. The weather was pristine. 

 One of the things I didn’t think through before coming was the language barrier. Although I picked up a few words before I left, I Would have been lost without google translate and great company. My experience at the store where I went to buy some groceries, and a travel adapter, were really eye opening. The Attendant didn’t speak English, and I discovered how terrible I was at sign language.  a match definitely not made in heaven.

She was kind enough to point me in the direction of someone who could understand what I was saying.  I had a similar experience at the drug store, on that occasion, I had to type ‘sore throat and cough’ on google translate, thank God that worked out well eventually. But it was pretty interesting to see how life casually moved on around the language barriers.

 The Visit to the zoo was a stark reminder of human nature, and how we leave our footprint all around nature. The Zoo is bang right in the middle of the city and had quite the collection of animals including a Rhinoceros (no, not the endangered one,...I hope) a Hippo and two Elephants, and a vast collection of snakes in frankly too small a space for my liking LOL. The zoo had some high rises overlooking it. The kids living there probably got a decent view of the entire place. It was amazing seeing how they squeezed in so many animals’ right around everyday Georgian traffic. Freedom, what a fickle thing it can be.

 And then there was Vako, my Airbnb host, who graciously volunteered his car to take me back to the airport when I was leaving. Vako embodied my human experience in Georgia, with our relationship starting off a bit rocky with the lack of hot water and the weird request to pay for the space off the booking platform. but eventually, beneath all the layers, I came to see him as an honest, everyday guy, trying to make a living in the 'big city’.

 Amongst other things, Georgia was a chance at new beginnings, although with hindsight, an exercise in futility, but hey, you never know until you try right? I look forward to many more adventures, in search of the many joys of life. Love, laughter and Happiness. But until then, we return to slaving away to capitalism.

 

It’s taking me a while to find my pen again. So much has happened over the past few years, hopefully I get to curate my thoughts and chronicle them here. But for now, I'm grateful for the gift of life, for the ability to see shores far beyond my home and for a chance at experiencing the glamourous and the mundane, on this journey called life.

 

Till I write again. 

Madloba, nakhvamdis. 

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