Planning The Trip
Kicked things off by staring at maps for days. Georgia and Armenia kept popping up everywhere. Heard whispers about mountains, old churches, and crazy good food. Grabbed my worn-out backpack – the trusty one that’s seen a few too many buses – and started throwing stuff in. Took ages deciding between hiking boots or comfy sneakers. In the end, just shoved both in there. Figured I’d deal with weight later.
Touchdown in Tbilisi
Landed late, everything felt dark and kinda confusing. Found a taxi driver who spoke maybe five words of English. Showed him the hostel address scribbled on my phone. We weaved through streets that felt centuries old. First morning, wandered out before the sun got fierce. Smelled coffee and fresh bread everywhere. Saw this massive old fortress up on the hill behind my place and just started climbing. Steep stairs, man! Got up, sweaty but pumped, and the whole city was spread out below me – crazy coloured houses, that weird modern bridge thing, smoky chimneys. Just grabbed a cheap khachapuri off some old lady on the walk down. Cheese overload and totally worth it.
Hopping Over to Armenia
Took a minibus next morning towards Yerevan. Border crossing was slow, just waiting around mostly. Armenian scenery hit different – drier, wilder. Found a cheap little flat in the city centre. First mission? Figure out the bus system to see that giant pink stone mountain everyone talks about – Mt. Ararat. Guides online made it sound simple. Yeah, right. After getting lost twice asking locals (using lots of hand-waving), finally found the right bus stop south of the city. It was bumpy! Dust flying everywhere. But seeing that snowy peak poke up above the clouds? Chilled vibe all afternoon just sitting near the little churches nearby.
- Geghard Monastery Stop: Got off the Ararat bus route way back. Followed signs into this rocky canyon. Place is basically carved out of the mountain wall – echoing music inside, dark corridors lit by candles. Really felt ancient.
- Armenian Brandy Time: Heard they’re proud of their booze. Tried some at a bar that night. Smooth? Sure. Powerful? Oh yeah. Ended up chatting nonsense with a friendly drunk guy named Artur.
High Up in the Georgian Mountains
Bus back to Tbilisi. Then jumped on another crazy early bus ride up north towards Kazbegi. Holy smokes, that road! Winding like mad up and up. Driver took corners like he was mad at the tires. Worth every butt-squashing bump. Got dropped off in Stepantsminda village. Tiny place dwarfed by these huge peaks. Saw that iconic Gergeti church way up on the ridge. Looked close. Ha. Started hiking the path from town. Got about halfway, breathing hard, legs screaming. Clouds rolled in fast and thick. Couldn’t see anything past a few feet. Turned around feeling dumb. Local guy chuckled at me, “Always the clouds before noon!” Took his 4×4 ride up the rough track the next morning. Yeah, cheated a bit. But standing there with the church and that giant mountain behind it? Cold wind whipping my face. Epic.
Wrapping It Up
Took the slow train back to Tbilisi for the last night. Lugged my dusty bag around the sulphur baths district one more time. Ate enough khinkali (those juicy dumplings) to sink a small boat. Stuffed my last souvenirs (mostly magnets and spices) into the backpack corners.
Main lesson learned? Forget the perfect plan. You want real Georgian wine? Just walk into somebody’s yard near the fields. Getting lost leads to the best chats. Those mountains and old stone churches? Pictures don’t breathe. Gotta feel them under your feet. Pack light, expect chaos, eat everything. 10/10 would get hopelessly confused by minibus routes again.
