Terra incognita - Bakuriani
It all started with the fact that one friend found out back in May that Wizzair was taking her from Donetsk to Georgia. Why don't we go skiing in Georgia? Why not. Several friends were in Gudauri, they liked it. We always went skiing at the end of February, in March, and even in April. But this year, March has disappeared due to Lent (to be in Georgia and not eat something delicious is just stupid). February was dropped due to the need for my presence at work. January left. The rest agreed to the second half of January, it was not important for them when to go, but so that the New Year's boom was already sleeping. Tickets for the dates we chose cost either 309 or 319 UAH. Freebie! Get it fast before the price goes up! But then I remember that our passports with my dear end in December, we urgently need to make new ones, because we heard that the transcription might change, and it is not known how our surnames will be written in a new way. Therefore, we did not dare to order tickets using old passports, but decided to wait for new ones. We poked ourselves into the OVIR, and there - fear and horror, such a crowd! And time, as they say, is money. Well, hang him in the bath here. We stomped into our TA, and there the girls told us that 900 UAH. from the nose and the issue will be resolved. However! But still, laziness defeated the toad and we, reluctantly, laid out the required amount. Then it turned out that we still have to visit OVIR to take pictures. We were assigned a non-reception time, and we entered the building from the back door. But, as it turned out, we are not the only ones so smart. There was already a line of thieves, but it’s true, there were 3-4 people in total, but still! And then we had to visit the OVIR again to get a passport, since it is issued only in person. Fortunately, the queue was relatively short, about 30-40 minutes. So what, nothing in the spelling of surnames has changed, it was possible not to bathe. They left us old passports, cutting out a piece with a series and a number on one of the pages. I recently read on the forum that they took money from someone for this service. Maybe they took it from us, I don't know. 900 UAH - this is more than 2 times the official amount on receipts.
Well, there are passports - you can take tickets. The price has remained the same (seemingly). There is no time for men, so my friend and I took up this issue. And I must say that we are in this business, not just teapots, but just suckers. Girlfriend's daughter offered to do everything for us. Well, no! We ourselves! And there is such a tricky system - you order 2 tickets - the price is one, you order 4 - already a hundred more expensive. Moreover, it turned out that non-standard luggage (skis, that is) costs 460 UAH. Well, never mind! Having found out the approximate cost of ski rental in Gudauri, we decided that it would still be cheaper to bring your own if you put two pairs in one case. In short, after all the fees, the tickets cost us about 1500 UAH. per person in both directions. Then there was another mess with the payment. Something didn't work there. In the end, a friend entrusted this business to her daughter. Well, that's it, we bought it, and since it was still summer and there were many other plans, they were safely forgotten about.
In the fall, they began to deal with the issue a little, looked at the map - it’s too far out. Friends who were in Gudauri flew to Tbilisi - it is closer to go from there than from Kutaisi. I asked a question on the forum about the cost of the transfer - at least $ 160 per car. Yeah! And then one friend said that there is still such a resort in Bakuriani. Someone once (back in Soviet times) was there, but no one knows the details. We looked at the map - closer than Gudauri. They began to search on the Internet - zero information. Or rather, there is some, but a hundred years ago. At the same time, we read that the so-called cuckoo goes from Bakuriani to Borjomi, and a friend was so fired up with this opportunity that she began to beg us to go there. OK. We didn’t bother looking for housing, deciding that since this is an old Soviet resort, there should be a bunch of old hotels and various other housing like Dombay and Terskol, where we went before. Already in December, we found one single fresh review about the Bakuriani ski resort on some Russian site. It turns out that there are new ropeways. A certain Sergey from Kyiv described everything in detail and indicated all the prices, for which many human thanks to him! He lived at the Edelweiss Hotel and praised this place and its owners very much. According to his story, I roughly estimated the budget of the trip, it came out to $ 500 per brother without a flight (tickets, as you remember, we have already bought). Well, okay! According to Gudauri, I did not have such a budget. Then the user tatiana2828 wrote to me on the forum that it takes 6 hours to get to Gudauri and through the pass, which is often closed in case of snowfall, which finally convinced me of the correctness of the choice. In addition, she wrote to me in a personal message about how much the transfer really costs, for which special thanks to her.
The day of departure was approaching. The weather forecast for Bakuriani was not particularly encouraging. Full sun and no snow. From various sources, rumors began to reach that there was no snow at all in Gudauri. Friends who went there for the New Year, after spending a couple of days, went to Bakuriani and, it seems, rode there. Once again, we were glad that we did not bind ourselves with any obligations in the form of a hotel reservation.
Departure at 6.40 am from Donetsk. We left Mariupol at half past three in the night. Friends scored so much junk that we were just amazed. We have everything, including two pairs of ski boots, fit in one bag. They also had two 100 liter backpacks and two small backpacks. Well, for four more - two covers for two pairs of skis. And we managed to cram all this stuff into a passenger car. Skis were placed in the salon in the middle between the front and rear seats. Well at least they got in. No one even bothered to try it on beforehand. Well, with all this crap, we tried to fly in (sorry, go). Fortunately, both of our friends are small-caliber, and we are not too corpulent either. We arrived safely. The track was dry, the streets of Donetsk at night were deserted. We put the car in the airport parking lot (as I wrote earlier, this service is free). All inspections passed. My friend has diabetes, she had syringes with insulin in her hand luggage, but they didn’t raise any questions, but they took away her nail scissors, which she forgot to put in her luggage, they didn’t take the corkscrew. They took whiskey on a dutik and settled in the cafeteria, ate their sandwiches. The people pulled themselves up, but mostly Georgians - there were few skiers, besides us there were a couple more companies. Georgians, unlike us, did not spare the hryvnia - they bought food in the buffet. And there prices - mom do not worry! One man paid more than a hundred hryvnias for a cup of coffee and some bun.
Landing was announced, everyone rushed to the exit. And then an ambush - the exit is not through the sleeve, but into the bus, so whoever sits down first will come out last. We still managed to take good places in the sasolet, however, as always, I didn’t guess, I thought which side it was better to sit on and sat on the right, but it should have been the other way around - there the panorama of the mountains was better. We landed safely in Kutaisi. There are no arms or buses - the airport is small. They entered the building. Immediately to the right is the currency exchange, although it is not marked in any way, but I knew where to look. I asked the course - 174.3. I didn't like it, but I still need GEL to pay for the transfer. Changed hundreds. A friend stood behind me and everything broke on her. They said that there is another exchanger at the exit. Passed through passport control quickly. The girl-border guard told me - we kindly ask! Well, I also got a little prepared - I answered: “gmadlobt! ”. We received the luggage, we leave the customs zone. I'm going straight. There is a counter in front of the exit from the airport where they sell SIM cards. For 2 lari I bought a local beeline. They said that this is 10 minutes of conversation with other operators and free of charge in their network. We called home once and many times at the place, subsequently replenished the account by one lari, and this, in principle, was enough for us. Friends called home often, so they spent a little more money.
Two girls are standing next to the sim cards offering a transfer. From tatiana2828 I already knew that before Bakuriani it costs 30 GEL per person, regardless of the size of the group. Went up to the girls. They told me - 35 GEL and even showed me such a pretty ticket with a snow-covered forest and a hut, which really says 35 GEL. But I know it must be 30! Therefore, I am not in a hurry to buy, then they say that if there are at least 2 more people, there will be 30 each. Well, let's wait. Immediately behind the red ribbon fence, taxi drivers are hustling, trying in every possible way to attract my attention. I go up to them and ask the price - at best, the same 35 GEL. Well, why should I go with no one knows who, if there are quite official girls who, by the way, periodically growled something at too active taxi drivers. I returned to the counter - I ask if there were still people? Yes, found. I pay 30 GEL each, they give me tickets (which cost 35 GEL) and another booklet that entitles me to a 20% discount on the return trip. After 10-15 minutes we were served a Mercedes-Vito. I sat next to the driver. He says: "You got to me anyway. " It turns out that he also stood in the crowd of taxi drivers, but I have a complete failure with the memory of faces. Subsequently, it turned out that taxi drivers unfasten a third of the proceeds to those girls. “Why don’t you tell us the price a little lower in the first place? ” - I ask. I didn't get a clear answer. Well, nothing, we go - we communicate. The people behind are sleeping, but everything is interesting to me! Kutaisi, of course, is such a shabby town, but palm trees, cypresses, ivy and all sorts of evergreens grow there, which cannot but please the eye after our dullness. However, it is possible that we were driving along the outskirts, and in the center the picture would have been better, I don’t know. We stopped near the exchange office - there the rate is 175.5. I change the entire remaining amount - $ 900 for two. Friends exchanged for a hundred less, because a friend after a screw fracture of her leg rides weakly and little (and her husband does not let go of herself), they planned to spend less money on ski passes.
The road was mountainous almost all the time, so it was quite picturesque, I didn’t feel like sleeping at all, and I chatted with the driver all the way. He turned out to be very sociable, told everything about himself (Santa Barbara is resting). He said that planes from Israel and Poland still fly to them. Once he was driving a group of Israelis who, having eaten something, immediately began to wash their hands with water from a bottle in the car. The driver dropped them off and did not take more passengers of this nationality. Poles, on the other hand, all hitchhike. I asked how much the transfer to Gudauri costs. It turned out to be 50 GEL per person. And my friend was going to go a little later than us and agreed on the Internet with a taxi driver for $ 160, which is almost twice as expensive. I told the driver about it. He says I'll take them for 100 dollars. Ok I'll tell her. Looking ahead, I will say that I told my friend at home and asked the name of the person she contacted via the Internet. It turned out that the same as our driver. Hee hee. Well, maybe they have a very common name:?
Our fellow travelers arrived almost simultaneously with us from Kyiv. They bought a tour for two for 10.000 UAH. This amount included UIA flight and hotel accommodation with three meals a day. The transfer was separately - 260 dollars. They refused. Their hotel was called Lomani (or something like that). And the driver promised us something to pick up from the housing. We arrived in Bakuriani. They began to search first for Lomani. Found with great difficulty. We decided to ask how much it costs and, if anything, stop there. She didn’t go to reception, she drove for me. Something long ter in Georgian with the girls. I think so, I wanted a rollback, but in my opinion, they did not agree. I asked, so what? Forty dollars per person with three meals a day. So far, I'm not happy with it. I expected less.
We went out, the driver tried to open the trunk to give things to our fellow travelers, and broke the key in the lock. And he has one and from the ignition! Got it! My friend and I decided to walk around the neighborhood for now, ask for housing prices, leaving the men to deal with the problem. It turned out that this hotel is on the most settlements. In search of the central street and the bus station, near which there should be somewhere the Edelweiss hotel, painted by Sergey from Kyiv, we went to several mini-hotels. Everywhere the price was the same - $40. Yes, what is it! We finally found Edelweiss. The hostess was not original, and again tells us the same amount. In lari, this comes out to 140 for a room with three meals a day. I ask the hostess: “Your name is Nana? I found out about you on the Internet. "Yes? And from whom? “From Sergey from Kyiv. He wrote that the number cost 100 lari. ” “So these are the March prices! ” Ah-ah-ah! Semyon Semyonitch! Indeed, I remember that Sergei was in March, but ku-ku then somehow did not work. Well, what to do? “Can you at least skip lunch? Why do we need lunch? To come to him from the mountain, and then go riding again? “No, lunch can be shifted by 16-17 hours” “And what time is dinner then? No, we're so uncomfortable. " “Well, so be it, then without lunch it will be 120 lari. ” That's what they decided on. By the way, we called up our men, and they said that in Loman they also agreed to cancel lunch for us, but we had already decided that we were staying in Edelweiss - it was more conveniently located. I went with the owner to pick up the boys with things, but my friend stayed. We arrived at Lomani, the poor driver had already lathered to run somewhere to look for a hammer and a chisel. Our host said he would bring it to him. We agreed with the driver that he would take us back to the airport.
At the hotel, it turned out that a friend had already chosen rooms for us - for herself with a balcony, and for us without, since we do not smoke. He says: “We can change, but then we will run to you every half an hour. ” No, thanks. Their number was even newer. Well, what's the difference. The bathroom in the room is good. It was already 17:00 local time (a difference of 2 hours). We were fed either lunch or dinner. Let me describe the food. Invariably, for breakfast and dinner, there was on the table: cottage cheese, sour cream, cheese, butter, honey, plum jam and a lot of bread (I don’t eat anything at all at home, but here I ate, spitting on all the principles). In addition to this, there were several more dishes, sometimes Georgian, for dinner there was also the first (soup, as a rule), which other guests had for lunch. All in all, a complete rip-off. And the girl who set the table invariably came and asked if we wanted more, which caused our nervous laughter. Having agreed with the hostess that breakfast was served to us at half past nine, we went to bed. There were quite a lot of guests and a lot of children (mostly Georgian) in the hotel at that time. And they made such a running around the corridor with wild cries! It's good that we were tired from the road and fell asleep anyway.
We had breakfast in the morning. The hostess came and said that, according to her husband, there was nothing to do on the mountain before half past eleven - the lift works from 10 until the snowcat passes, then and there. Well, our friends were overjoyed, because they are owls, and at such an early hour they don’t have a piece in their throats. At half past ten the owner came for us and took us to Mount Didveli. I had to drive 6-7 kilometers. It must be said that even from the hotel of the same name closest to Didveli, it is still problematic to walk in ski boots (about a kilometer). Last year and the year before last, we rode in Bukovel and lived in Polyanytsya. The owner also drove us up the mountain about the same distance. It cost 50 UAH. one way. Here, this service (according to Sergey's review) cost from 5 to 10 lari (if it's rough, then multiply by five - you get hryvnias), but often the owner drove them, as I understand it for free. We discussed this issue with the hostess the day before. She said 140 lari with transportation. We agreed, and only then I realized (ku-ku broken) that these 20 GEL per couple, and not from all, that is, 40 GEL for transportation in two directions - well, that's too much! We decided to pay for that day, and then look for a cheaper taxi driver.
On the mountain, we bought two subscriptions for a day for 30 lari (20 dollars), and friends - for one climb for 3 lari. The first stage consists of eight-seater trailers, but without containers for skis outside, as, for example, on Elbrus, so you need to go inside with skis, which is not very convenient. In addition, the subscription must be inserted into the slot of the turnstile, and not just carried in your pocket, as, for example, in Bukovel. This is also quite inconvenient, my scarecrow, in the end, lost the subscription, it’s good that at the very end of the day. The second stage is a four-chair with a cap. This is a big plus. The cap protects them only from snow and rain, but also from the wind. Hochma was with us last year when we had to ride in Bukovel for two days in the rain. This is tin! Came home wet to the underpants. And in Dombai, it used to be that before you get to the top, you turn into an icicle - such a breeze blew.
But on this day the weather was - lovely. Sunshine and no wind. We did not lower the cap and tried to sunbathe with the muzzle of the face while we were rising. The landscape, however, did not please with special beauties. There are no coniferous forests here, as in Bukovel, nor wild beautiful rocks, as in Dombai or Elbrus. And there is very little snow - only on the slopes. The rest of the mountain is gray-brown, lightly powdered with white. On the horizon, however, is a ridge of the main Caucasian ridge with white caps, but this is only in clear weather. There was also a third stage - a rail along which a yellow trailer for 40 people went, but for some reason it did not work. As for the tracks, one red track went down from the second stage, and two (red and blue) from the first. The tracks themselves are normal (especially after the snowcat), but only three . . In general, we were not impressed. On this day, the snowcat passed, but it is clear that there is little snow, there were pebbles. But, despite the meager number of tracks, there were very few people, especially on the second stage. Below, however, more. There, on the blue track, they teach a local children's ski school. There is practically no one on the red line. At the very bottom, I had to stand in line for a trailer for four minutes (this was the maximum). The problem is that there are practically only children there (reckless, as a rule), hence, respectively, a flea market and a mess. I was tormented by the question - why are they not at school? It turned out that holidays in Georgia are from December 20 to January 20. And then it was January 17th. This is what we got! We didn't go down anymore and rode at the top.
The small number of people for me outweighed all the shortcomings. In addition, at the top everyone rides well and very well, there are no jerks-crowbars, as in Bukovel. Therefore, there is practically no injury (I have never seen it), while last year, even on a simple highway 16-A, two people were injured in my presence within an hour.
We rode until four o'clock, not that tired - tired. To roll out a subscription, you need to make 10 descents. We did ten and a little more (5 or 6). Not enough. On Buka they managed to do more than forty. True, they rode from 9.00. And then we fully felt happiness when you come home and take off your shoes! It's such a thrill! Here we were deprived of it. Not so tired. At home we changed our shoes and went to see the village, at the same time to buy some local goodies (we haven't had a drink for a long time).
January (and without that is always difficult) this year turned out to be especially rich. 6 days in Yalta (marching before lunch and drinking after), then Christmas, then my protracted birthday, three days of sobriety, and here it is again. In general, rest, in fact, is hard work. There are quite a lot of shops on the central street of Bakuriani, a wide range of wine and cognac, prices are different everywhere, you need to walk and choose. Eyes, of course, fled from the abundance of goodies. We decided to try everything in order (well, as far as health and finances, of course). For today, the choice fell on pirosmani (red semi-dry). To warm up the slope, we took Iverioni cognac (due to poverty, we decided to get by with a three-star one). Then we looked at what the local market offers. What I liked was that no one molested, didn’t grab by the hand, and didn’t even beckon (by the way, this applies not only to merchants, but also to taxi drivers). Everything is very unobtrusive. But we were all allowed to try. We walked through the market - there is wine and chacha, here tangerines and kiwi and all sorts of nonsense. We bought homemade wine for 5 lari per liter and chacha for 7. You can buy tangerines for 1 lari. There was also jam from cones and pollen from them (they say it is terribly useful for the bronchi and lungs). We haven't tried this yet. We looked at the children's park - just a paradise for kids. Trampolines, rental of sleds, carriages on skids, horses, ponies, two ski lifts, a rather impressive slide, a chute for descending on inflatable pucks, what else? Popcorn, cotton candy and other attributes of dolcevit. A yoke for 50 kopecks of theirs for a lift.
Having worked up, they returned to the hotel and settled in their hall with wine by the fireplace, though not burning. We talked with the hostess, saying that today we will pay, and later we will get there ourselves, because it is too expensive for us. She took the money and left, but after a while she returned, gave the money back and said that they would take us for free. We were taken aback, tried to object, they say, it’s inconvenient, but it’s not necessary. But Nana firmly told us that those 120 GEL per room would include travel to the mountain and back. Now that's a big gesture! Our hoteliers should learn. But we were kind of uncomfortable. We were not used to this, we felt obliged, but how can we repay them?
The next day was almost no different from the previous one, only there was no snowcat, since new snow had not fallen, and the old one could be completely scraped off. On the way home, in the course of a conversation with the owner, it turned out that he works as the director of the cable car. Well, never mind! And no one has a crown! And how he cares for the cause and for his village, he said that a very big man has his own interests in Gudauri, so he did everything to simply forget about Bakuriani. Now it is clear why there is practically no information about Bakuriani on the Internet. He complained that the owner did not buy guns, although there is water on the slope (springs), and the third line was built by the Austrians and it breaks endlessly. And they come for a couple of days, rake off a bunch of dough, but without really doing anything. In general, there are enough problems.
And there is still no snow. On TV they showed that Sochi was simply covered with snow (well, not Sochi itself, but the mountains). Well, everything is clear, Putin grabbed all the snow for himself. And what? After all, there are technologies for dispersing clouds, and the reverse process is certainly possible. Since such a thing, we decided to stop and go to Borjomi on the notorious cuckoo, at the same time drink some water until the kidneys fell off. We went to the station for reconnaissance, since it is close to the hotel, however, like all other necessary places. The hotel is very well located. All the doors of the station building were boarded up, on one of the windows there was a timetable (we intuitively guessed that it was) purely in Georgian in the form of a table with some numbers. We didn’t understand anything from it, but we photographed and showed it to the aunt in the market, from whom we bought wine. She told us that the cuckoo leaves at 10 am.
The next morning, properly equipped (we took empty bottles for water, food, cognac, a towel just in case) we came to the station. It was Sunday and the feast of the Epiphany, so we took a towel in the faint hope of climbing into the river somewhere. We had the experience of swimming in relatively cold water - for several years in a row we swam on New Year's Eve in the Black Sea and in a mountain river above Yalta. And last year they climbed into their own river at the dacha for Epiphany. The air temperature, however, was positive, but the water was colder than in the Crimea and steam literally poured from us after swimming.
The cuckoo is a narrow-gauge railway, a small diesel locomotive of a strange shape, two trailers - a reduced copy of an ordinary electric train, and one VIP trailer with seats like in a bus. Despite their venerable age, the trailers were clean, not shabby, under each seat there were stoves that fried so much that they had to lower the window. Imagine, it opened without problems. In the vestibule of each car there is also a toilet and a room for the conductor on duty. The toilet, however, without water, but in case of urgent need, it is quite possible to use. And this happiness cost 1 lari for a seat in an ordinary carriage and 2 for a VIP. There were very few people - except for the four of us, there were 5 more people in the car. I doubt that this enterprise is profitable, but still. The cuckoo covered a distance of about 30 km in 2.5 hours, but we were not bored at all - either a rock on the left, or a cliff on the right, in addition, we had it with us. Half-ruined stations of pre-revolutionary construction with inscriptions 680 m above sea level passed along the road. seas (that's right, with a solid sign). All in all, it's worth a ride once.
We arrived in Borjomi, went to look for where you can get the famous water. Kind people suggested the way, and we crossed the bridge and entered the park. There was a church and a festive service was still going on. We collected a bottle of holy water from a large plastic tank and moved on. We came to the source of Borjomi, stood in line for 45 minutes, there were not so many people, but with a bunch of containers. We drank. It is very reminiscent of Narzan, which I said out loud and heard in response from one Georgian aunt that Borjomi is not like anything! Well, it doesn't look like it, it doesn't look like it, they didn't argue.
Further along the course was another source, more ennobled, but with hot water. We had nowhere to draw this water, we just sipped from the palm of our hand, since we took everything except the glasses, and we had to take turns sipping brandy from the throat in the train. The park is very long and narrow, between two rocks, from one of which a waterfall flows. A river flows in the middle of the park. We went down to the river. Darling set out to swim, I dissuaded him, because it is quite stormy, almost all in ice, shallow and rocky, you can slip and dislocate your leg - do we need it? Washed faces, and okay. The time was approaching 16.00, and we didn’t know exactly what time the last minibus was at 16 or 17, so we decided not to go further, there is hardly anything else interesting there. We went to look for the bus station. On the way we found a supermarket and bought more wine and cognac. This time it was kinzmarauli (red semi-sweet) and sarajishvili 3*. Here the prices were better than in Bakuriani. They got on the bus. It costs 3 lari. I sat next to the driver again and we chatted all the way. To our deep disappointment, it turned out that at the end of the park, which we did not reach quite a bit, there are sulfur baths. As I understand it, this is an open-air pool with warm water, completely free of charge. Here's the damn thing! I was unspeakably upset. When else will we get there! On the way, the driver stopped and took water from some source. He said that it was very good water, and he always adds it when making wine. I wondered why there is water in wine? And he told me: “Hey, where do we get so many grapes from? ” Indeed, only cones grow in this area. Nana said that even their apples do not ripen, so they hang on the trees (we saw, they saw). Then I remembered that we also add water in the production of second-hand. The driver said he would bring us some wine to try. We refused, but he insisted, took the phone from us and said he would call. After dinner, it was unusually quiet, the holidays were over, and we were practically the only guests in the hotel.
We rode for the next two days. There was still no snow, but a strong wind blew, and on the second stage a little snow fell from somewhere. The sun was gone, which, perhaps, is not bad - at least the last snow will not melt. The owner agreed, and my friend and I began to let in for free through the gate. Another feeling of embarrassment. In the evening, the driver of the minibus called and said that he left us wine at the ticket office of the bus station. Went to pick up. The cashier gave us a package that contained 3 liters of wine and half a liter of chacha. They asked how much from us? Auntie said it was a gift. Well, never mind gifts! Well, how are we to deal with this? To tell the truth, we didn’t particularly like the wine or chacha (we drank it anyway). We met acquaintances in the village, they, it turns out, ride on another mountain - Kokhta. There are old, still Soviet lifts, at the top there is a very steep track with hillocks, like on Cheget, and a complete absence of wind. We would also like to see it, but we could not afford it, because we were afraid to offend the owner (after all, he told us that there was nothing to do on Kokhta). In short, we became hostages of our I don't know what, conscience or something, if you can call it that.
Since there was no snow, we decided to go to Tbilisi. We saw minibuses - small, seats for 12, so thinking that they might not be enough for everyone, we decided to buy tickets in the evening. We arrived at the bus station, and the ticket office was already closed. But then a man came up and asked what we want. We explained, he took the phone from us and dialed the minibus driver, asking him to book 4 seats for us. Departure at 8.00. I was told to come at half past seven. We asked the hostess to serve us breakfast at 7.00.
At half past seven (in the dead of night), having come to the bus station, we were convinced that we had done the right thing by filling the seats in advance. There were more people who wanted to leave than places. Two aunts were sitting in the aisle on stools that the driver's partner had taken out of some yard along the road. Tickets cost 10 lari. I again sat in front between the driver and his partner. But they turned out to be rather silent and pious. All the way we were baptized at the church and I still don’t know for what - I often didn’t see anything suitable. The journey took 2 hours 40 minutes. and was rather boring - flat, only low mountains on the horizon. They asked the driver when the last bus to Bakuriani was. He said that at 16.00. Too early. How to be? The driver said that you can go to Borjomi, the minibus runs until 19.00, and then by taxi to Bakuriani. It will cost 25-30 GEL per car. If anything, call him, he will take us. They also asked how we can get to the Avlabari district, he said the number of the minibus (I already forgot which one, 137 or something). Someone told us that it was beautiful there. We got into a minibus, paid 80 kopecks each, arrived, got out - nothing particularly beautiful. We saw a liquor store, went in - our eyes ran as usual. There are so many, it's impossible to choose. We saw it in a plastic sealed liter bottle of Saperavi for 5.50. The saleswoman said it was factory. Well, cheap and cheerful. We asked the girl for directions, it turns out that there is nothing to see here, we need to go back a bit, which we did. On the way we saw an exchanger with a very attractive exchange rate - 176.7. We decided to exchange a little more denyushek, suddenly not enough? There, a man changed such a press of bucks, apparently it was really a very profitable exchange rate. We went further, came across a monument to the heroes of Mimino, then turned towards the river. There are a lot of churches with beautiful courtyards. We got to the cable car. The rise cost 1 lari each, but since we did not have a transport card, they gave us one for 2 lari. Judging by the picture on it, it is also suitable for traveling by metro, and maybe even by something else. We climbed the mountain, wandered around the ruined fortress, drank wine (good, albeit from a plastic bottle), captured everything from a height and, saving 4 lari, went down on foot. Theoretically, it was possible to climb on foot, nothing complicated. They started looking for somewhere to eat. Arabic cuisine, Indian and even Spanish, but where is Georgian? A woman stopped near us and asked how to help us? We outlined the problem, and she showed us a restaurant with local cuisine. Once again I was amazed at the hospitality of the local population. In the village and on the cable car, many people themselves speak up, asking where we are from, but do we like it in Georgia? Many relatives live in Ukraine, someone served in the army on our territory. And we also heard from two different people (Georgians) that Bakuriani was founded by Ukrainians in 18. . some year. However, we did not bother to ask for details. In general, people in Georgia are very hospitable, hospitable, good, in general, people.
The cafe was completely empty. The boy brought us a menu in Russian. A very extensive menu. We ordered two halves of kharcho soup, each of which was enough for two of us, a dozen khinkali, four eggplant rolls with nuts, a pot of lobio, fried beef brains, assorted salted vegetables and a glass of local beer. In total, we ate for 47 lari, the bill was printed out and, of course, in Georgian. In short, check, no way. But I do not think that we were deceived, it seemed to us at all and inexpensively. We left fifty dollars in a notebook and left, and the waiters did not take the money until we left. Also an interesting point.
We walked along Shota Rustaveli Avenue, and since we had already, in principle, walked up, we decided to try to catch a minibus. We asked the man how to get to the bus station - we had to walk a little more to McDonald's, there is a metro station, and drive only two stops. This is where the map comes in handy. They put 2 lari on it and passed the turnstile one by one. We arrived at the bus station. It was fifteen to four. We rushed to look for a minibus, but we are told that minibuses go to Bakuriani and Borjomi not from this station, but from Didube. They asked other people, they say that they left from here to Bakuriani at 14.00 and will not be there again, you need to go to Didube. Ugh, you're late! Why didn’t the minibus tell us anything, he hoped to take us for 30 lari? Well, what can we do, we sat down at the bus station at a table, with grief finished our wine in front of the policemen, no one told us anything (on the mountain, by the way, too), returned to the subway and drove 4 stops in the opposite direction. They asked (so, just in case), where is the minibus on Bakuriani? A man led us somewhere, the minibus driver gurgled something and told us to take our seats, departure at 17.00. What happiness! The driver turned the sign on the windshield upside down. And I would love to know what it says. I thought, I thought, I remembered that in the photo of the cuckoo on the car it was written Bakuriani-Borjomi in Russian and Georgian. It can be compared with the inscription on the minibus. Puzzled by this dear. He consulted for a long time and said that it seems to be, it seems. The Georgian alphabet is something with something, well, no associations! Absolutely unmemorable. I think so, the minibus was to Borjomi, but then four passengers piled up and the driver decided to go to Bakuriani. We were lucky, in general. When the bus was already moving, two girls jumped into it with hysterical laughter. You, he says, have no idea how lucky we are! Why, we can even imagine!
We liked Tbilisi, but it's a pity that I didn't see it in the dark. Many objects there should be highlighted (we saw searchlights), beauty, I guess! Well, okay, we got the general impression. The driver put in a cassette. A long-forgotten song began to play: "Two palms, gentle cats... " We listened with pleasure. But for the next forty minutes she played without interruption, which caused our nervous laughter. In this regard, I remembered the story told by the guide in Turkey in May of this year. The guide spoke Russian well, but, of course, he didn’t learn all the subtleties of the Russian language right away, and therefore, he once got into a mess. And it was back in the 90s, when the Russians had just started to travel to Turkey. And then one merry company arrived, which terrorized the entire hotel, and brought with them a cassette with one single song. When, finally, this company left, they left this cassette in the hotel, and it lay in the car with the guide. After some time, the guide was taking a Russian somewhere, and he asked to put on some music in his native language (he got bored), and the guide, remembering the cassette, told the passenger about it, warning that there was only one song on it. When asked what the song was, the guide replied: “The wind blew in from the sea. ” The man was already twisted with laughter. Guide for a long time could not understand the reasons for such fun. When they explained to him what he had just said, the poor Turk blushed like a poppy flower (well, that's what he said, such a modest one! ). In general, the Russian language is great and powerful! And what do you think, just remembered this song, how its performer crawled out of oblivion with the hit “Oh my God, what a man! ” Wow, what a coincidence!
In the evening, the long-awaited snow began to fall and the remaining two days it became more pleasant to ride, if not for the strong wind above. You still need to come in February, and even better in March. According to the owners, there is a lot of snow, and the prices are lower, and there is more sun. Despite, however, its lack and unrestrained drunkenness (or maybe thanks to it), my complexion improved somewhat and became slightly different from icteric.
By the way, about drunkenness. Maybe because I don’t really like semi-sweet (either dessert or dry is better), neither kinzmarauli nor khvanchkara impressed me. And the price is unreasonably high (15-19 GEL and more). For example, our Cabernet Sauvignon (Golitsyn wines) is at least as good, but much cheaper. Pirosmani and Saperavi liked it. The price-quality ratio is normal. Homemade wine on the market costs 5 GEL (which is with water and sugar) and 15 (!!! ) GEL for the one without water and sugar. This is per litre. Our local craftsmen make it even tastier. But we are not at home (then we were). Chacha should be tried by everyone. It costs 5-10 lari per liter, as you bargain. Everyone's taste is different. Fortress at 50 degrees. We don’t like white, so we didn’t drink (but in vain, probably). Cognac Iverioni - soft, similar to Metaxa. Sarajishvili is more expensive and noticeably better. Another saleswoman praised David very much (he has no stars at all). Well bought. It costs less or the same as Iverioni. But it turned out that we tried it, right after Sarajishvili - it seemed that the muck was rare. The rest was poured into a flask - it will do on the slope. When they drank on the slope - very pleasant, with a taste of chocolate. Yes, everything is relative. But after a few days, the wine tired me. I really wanted beer (well, I'm not an esthete). Local beer strikes with a variety of brands. It costs 5 GEL for a two-liter bottle, but there is a shop on the main street where draft beer of the same brands costs the same 2.5 GEL per liter. True, they are poured into bottles, there are no tables to drink on the spot. The same store has a pretty decent assortment of salted fish. We chose for ourselves a hefty bream with caviar, which cost 9 GEL.
In general, the village has everything for happiness. There is also a cafe, but we were not, because we did not have the slightest need for them, so we do not know the prices. There are also mini-bakeries where they bake a local variety of lavash, khachapuri, lobiani (bean pie) - all for about 2 lari.
On the last day, the owner arranged for us to be taken to the very top of Didveli in that broken trailer. Unfortunately, the weather was not at all suitable - crazy wind and almost zero visibility, and it was not possible to take beautiful pictures. And in sunny weather, they say, you can see the entire Caucasus range. From above there are two black slopes (at that time, due to the small amount of snow, they were implicitly expressed). One to the very bottom, the second - to the second stage. Two more local guys rode with us in the car, they drove along a long highway (we had to go with them), our friends went back in the car, and we decided to go down to the second line. Eh, right! Very big slope, absolutely oak slope, crazy wind. Pleasure, in general, is below average. You wanted extreme - get it! In places I had to remember the sliding style of riding. Somehow they scraped off without loss. When we returned home, it turned out that the whole day there was sunshine in the village, it’s abyss, you know. Soaked up on the balcony with friends for half an hour (the sun was still high).
The owner said that for dinner there would be kebabs, which he started to fry in the fireplace on our floor. By the way, it was a revelation for me that Georgians eat pork barbecue, and never lamb. In order to somehow thank the owner, they presented him with a good cognac (the cost of one day subscription, well, at least somehow), bought Bagrationi champagne for myself and my girlfriend (there was no brut, I had to choke on semi-dry). They don't have natural champagne, only soda.
Champagne has been around for a long time. About seven years ago, we were sitting in Novy Svet in a pavilion near the bus station, where you could drink cold local champagne from glass goblets, and drank semi-dry Novy Svet. And at the next table, two tramps settled down and drank some kind of muck (I don’t remember what). And one of them, turning to us, says: “What are you drinking? Brut must be drunk! ” We looked at him so sideways - some drunk will point us out! And he began to beat his chest with his fist and shout that he was a blender. A few days later, we went on an excursion to the champagne factory and really saw a photo of our handsome man on the honor roll. And the aunt-guide said that the company mainly employs women, because men cannot stand the temptation and quickly become an inveterate drunkard. That's how it is. And I must tell you that brut at that time just made me skewed. But several years have passed, in the same pavilion we again took semi-dry - it seemed cloyingly sweet to us (but we drank, of course), we took dry (sometimes this) - not much better, and finally, the turn came to brut - something that need! Since then, we have been drinking only brut, but, thank God, we still do not look like a master of blending. And my boss, once in Paris, went to the Moulin Rouge, and there two (I think) bottles of champagne were supposed to be on the table. They brought, of course, brut, but the whole company shouted in unison to take away this garbage and bring semi-sweet (brr). But the taste and color, as they say. . .
For dinner there was borscht, kebabs, khinkali (oh, mom) and something else, a liter of chacha. We called Nana to drink champagne with us for the departure. She came and brought a jug of homemade wine (which costs 15 lari), but she hardly drank, citing poor health. We were amazed that in such a place people still get sick. We had a very nice conversation. But we must get together. Home bought wine and cognac. We bought in Bakuriani, because in Tbilisi at first they didn’t want to carry bottles around the city, and then they were in a hurry to leave and didn’t have time, although the prices there, of course, are more pleasant. But we saved 30 GEL on a taxi. Since everyone knows how “gentle” airport loaders treat luggage, it was necessary to pack very carefully. We decided to put the bottles in our ski boots, and since there are only four of them, there should be four bottles too. But I, a greedy loshara, having bought two bottles of cognac and two wines, coveted a jug of wine. They are so cute there! Or in the form of an amphora, or a copper jug (ceramics are painted with copper paint). That's exactly what I bought. It was packed in my ski pants. Everything, the bag is ready. After that, a friend came and said that it was -16 in Donetsk. Oops! I was going to ride in jeans, but then I somehow doubted, but I was too lazy to repack, and it was hard to imagine what minus sixteen was. There was a plus here. In Tbilisi, it was generally plus eight. Come on, maybe I'll run to the car somehow.
In the morning we had breakfast, the driver came for us. True, the other one, he could not for some reason and sent us a friend (35 GEL each). We kissed the owners, I ran to the stall to buy khachapuri for the road. The owner asked why we didn't say Nana would have cooked dry rations. Well, yes, and this! It's not baked in the stall yet. Okay, we'll buy it on the way. We left money back to back, only for khachapuri. The weather was sunny, I didn’t want to leave at all, but what can you do! We arrived without incident. By the way, everyone in Georgia buckles up - both drivers and front-seat passengers. A fine of 20 euros. Even our host, not the last person in the village who greeted all the cops, too. On the way, we stopped to stretch ourselves at a tray with all sorts of jugs and other ceramic products. They also ordered khachapuri, here they, however, were 3 lari, but larger.
We arrived at the airport an hour before check-in. They gave money to the driver. He did not count them (and not only him, they have such trust in people). What a nice nation! The Sri Lankans are also, of course, good people, but the language barrier, you know. And it's so nice when you understand! It is true that young people speak much worse Russian than middle-aged and older people. But, they say, Russian is taught at school, however, not very demanding. And in universities, some faculties introduced an entrance exam in the Russian language. On the hill I heard how one mother (obviously Georgian) addressed her two little ones in Russian.
The airport, as I already wrote, is small, but very cleverly arranged. Ring-shaped. Inside there is a patio for smokers, but you can only get there from the duty free zone. Along the windows overlooking this courtyard there are soft, long seats, on which you can even lie down. A big screen showing a documentary about freeride, snow-covered peaks, ancient temples and all that. In a glass case - items prohibited for transportation in hand luggage. Among them are a nail file, and tweezers, and (horror) a corkscrew, and even a mug. I had to put the corkscrew in my luggage. There is still a lot of time before registration, so we left the men to guard the junk, went outside with a girlfriend, taking cognac and tangerines for a snack that had not been drunk on the slope. The sun is out, about 10 degrees. Some kind of pond with pebbles. We drank some cognac (David), it’s even nothing if you don’t drink it right after Sarajishvili. Grabbing a couple of heavy pebbles (similar, however, to Yalta), she stuffed them into the pocket of her bag. We have a dry stream in our dacha, probably already laid out with a ton of pebbles, mostly Crimean, but there are pebbles from the Adriatic, and from the Indian Ocean, and from Turkey. Friends think we are nuts (more stones to carry in our suitcases! ), Well, there is a little, but so what? Everyone has their own jokes.
They announced registration, passed without problems, there was no overweight. The border guard girl asked me about my impressions of Georgia. Exceptionally positive! We went into the waiting room. Wow, a dutik has opened, although they wrote just recently that there is no dutik in Kutaisi yet. However, the prices there are uninteresting, even for Georgian wine - even higher than in Bakuriani! Some Georgian guy came up and said that it is cheaper in Ukraine. We said that in Ukraine we are afraid to buy it, afraid of fakes. The guy said that in vain, this is being monitored very carefully. Well, maybe we'll buy it. I just don't understand why it's so expensive here. But the cognacs pleased (more precisely, upset, since we had already bought) - Sarajishvili 5 * 0.5 cost 9 euros, which is cheaper than the similar one bought in Bakuriani. And after drinking cognac, the soul requires the continuation of the banquet. We have spent lari clean. I had 5 euros, which I decided to spend on wine (we found the cheapest Kakhetian red dry for 4.5 euros). And the corkscrew is in the luggage! What to do? The soul asks. We went to the buffet and asked if they would open the wine for us? They said they couldn't. The girl from the dutik went with us, talked it over - it's still impossible. Yes, what is it! Okay, Emirates, but here is Georgia! I still bought wine. Deciding to drink with a girlfriend in the car. The flight was delayed for half an hour. We just languished in the heat. Everyone crowded at the exit for the landing, but first of all they let passengers with children through, which was not the case in Donetsk. In general, in Georgia, children seem to be allowed to do everything. They did what they wanted at the airport. In Donetsk, this number did not work. The border guard quickly reined them in.
On the plane, we took seats from the right side, though not far from the wing, which interfered with the view, but still we managed to admire the majestic panorama of the Caucasus Range and take a picture of Elbrus. The truth is not clear. They flew and even landed well. Looking out the window, I was horrified - a skating rink. At passport control, the Georgians were held back for a long time, almost everyone was taken somewhere, and there were more than half of the plane, so the process dragged on. What vigilant border guards we have! We were so easily let through in Georgia! We went out into the street - and there is a nightmarish horror! How I remembered the heat at the Kutaisi airport and my ski pants in the depths of the bag! We went to the parking lot - a sad sight, icy cars in long icicles. Ours categorically refused to start, apparently the solarium was frozen, although it was sold as a winter one (and at night it was -20 - the guards said). After digging for half an hour, we decided, before it was too late, to tear our claws at the bus station. And we have junk, as you remember, a bag, two huge backpacks, two cases with skis and three small backpacks. Yes, even wine-cognac-pebbles. Somehow we boarded a trolley bus, drove to the bus station, and literally five minutes before departure we bought the last four seats on the bus. And there was a track - God forbid! Maybe it's for the best that the car was abandoned. On the bus, at first, unfinished cognac was found from the second flask, and then the Dyutik wine was used, the peasants no longer needed to drive, they also drank. The road passed unnoticed.
In general, we had a good trip, especially considering that during this period there was no snow either in Gudauri or in the Carpathians. At the very least, we rode, looked at something, ate and drank deliciously, talked to good people, what else is needed for a good rest? True, the car is still at the airport, and when we get it out, God only knows. But that's a completely different story.
