The title Gmadloba (as told to us by our guide, Ms Eka) means “Thank You” in Georgian language. And thankful I am indeed for the wonderful time we had at such a beautiful country. The holiday at Georgia was one of the most exhilarating experiences I have had in all my life and I have travelled to many countries on a vacation including London, Paris, Barcelona, Munich, Berne, Austria, Sicily, Rome, Amsterdam, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Egypt, US, etc. I will try to jot down my travelogue to this Gorgeous Georgia starting from our take-off on September 10 to landing back in Kuwait on September 16

Start of trip :

SEPTEMBER 10, 2016 :

Four families took off to explore the highly recommended country of Georgia with an open mind. We were a little apprehensive about the place because it is not a very popular destination yet. (But not for long, I am sure). What lie in store for us was beyond my wildest imagination. A country SO SO BEAUTIFUL ! Breathtaking locales ! It borders the Caucasus Mountains in the east and the Black Sea in the West with Russia, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan being the neighboring countries. An experience worth undertaking.

The flight to Georgia (Tbilisi Airport) itself was rather routine, nothing to write home about. The moment we landed at the airport, things changed dramatically. At the airport, the airline staff were so friendly. The immigration procedure was “just a breeze”. All over and out in less than 5 minutes. No biometrics, no serpentine queues, no inquisition by the officer, simple process. One stamp on the passport. That’s it ! VOILA! What is even more surprising was that when I put my hand in my pocket to take out my wallet for the Visit Visa fees, the officer smiled at me and said “NO FEES” ! I was stunned. Never have I experienced such warmth at the airport immigration and that too getting my visa in 5 minutes, without paying a penny. THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF OUR JOY !

Outside, our guide, Ms Eka Gontsadze was waiting for us with a broad smile and a placard with our name. She was so courteous and friendly that it seemed as though we knew her from ages. A minivan was waiting exclusively for us with driver Mr. Giorgio at the wheel. The drive to the hotel was about 40 minutes, but we never felt the time fly. Eka was already in command giving us a brief about Georgia : its history, its location, its people, education, currency, population, healthcare, factories, ethnicity, food, what have you. The children in the group and elders had many questions to ask her and she was prepared to answer all of them. The hotel “Hotel Coste” was located at Kostava Road, Rostaveli, an important centre of Tbilisi.

The entry into the hotel was another pleasant experience. The reception clerk was so well behaved, so were the ground staff. Rooms were very comfortable. We settled in and were free for the day. Our guide said she would arrive at 9 AM the next day for the start of the tour proper.

SEPTEMBER 11

All excited, we had a sumptuous breakfast and set off for our first day like a schoolkid’s first day at a new school , not knowing what to expect. It was a day of Tbilisi city tour. This city is full of churches, it also has a synagogue and a mosque. A very religion-tolerant country is Georgia with Eastern Orthodox Christianity being the majority religion. There are churches all over the city with a few on top of hills and mountains. Worth mentioning are Metekhi Church which is atop a hill, a classic example of Orthodox Church and A Catholic cathedral “Tbilsi Sioni” which is named after a place in the Holy Land. There was also a fortress called Narikala Fortress which had some simply beautiful sceneries to present of the whole city. Among other places of interest that we visited that day was the Sulphur Bath which is at the bottom of the fortress and has some natural sulfur springs. Belief has it that the water has therapeutic capabilities curing many illnesses. Nature at its best. We also visited modern glass bridge called “Bridge of Love” across the River Kura (called by a more complex name, Mtkuari in Georgian ). Lunch was at a typical Georgian restaurant where we had the favorite Georgian dishes : Khinkali and Khachapuri. Khinkali has a very special way of eating, first biting into the round Modak-like dish (also resembling the Malayalee Kozhakutta) and then sucking the juice from it and finally tucking into the delicious meat. Very tasty. Khachapuri was very much like our own stuffed Khubuz ! We even tasted the traditional Georgian sweet “Churchkela” which is made of walnuts, hazelnuts, raisin dipped in honey and grape juice. Very popular sweet found all over Georgian streets.

After lunch, which was around 3:30 PM, we had a ride of the city Cable Car. It was a joyride like most cable cars, nothing too special about it. And we ended the day early by about 6 PM. Evening was spent leisurely visiting some nice spots by the river and enjoying the night lights before we had dinner at an Indian restaurant “Hollywood Hotel” and crashed to bed. Talking of food, what is a notable feature is the free-flowing wine (both white and red) and Vodka (including the local Drink Chacha) and this must be a great attraction to those who would’nt mind indulging in a few drinks before and after food.

SEPTEMEBER 12

This day also started at 9:00 AM with Ms Eka reaching he hotel at sharp 8:45. This was also a tour of countryside Tbilisi. Started with the picturesque fertile region of Georgia, Khakheti which borders the Caucasus range. The Alazani valley where we went has summits of over 3000 metres. This place is supposedly the place where viticulture, the science of grape production and wine-making originated. Every place is full of grapevines which presents a marvelous scenery. Fruits of varied nature are grown here, all very sweet and appeared to be organic in nature without use of fertilizers.

Next was a visit to the Nunnery where Saint Nino, the female priest responsible for the spread of Christianity in Georgia was buried. Before that, this place was known for the Pagan following. This was followed by the visit to the heavenly Sighnagi , which is a fortified town famous for its wine-making and carpet weaving. Along the way the sights of Kizhiki area was simply awe-inspiring. Finally, before sunset, we visited the family estate of the Tsinandali family where the wine cellar was just too good. A taste of the best Tsinandali wine awaited the thirsty mouths of the tourists. The estate itself was full of natural beauty, all of 12 hectares. That brought us to a close of Day 3, a very long drive back to Hotel Coste. This was the best part of the tour : We did not change hotels or final locations at all unlike most tours where one has to pack up, go to the next place, unpack again and waste a lot of time and energy in the bargain.