We headed towards Tbilisi for different reasons. One reason was to obtain firsthand information about the visa we would need. We learned that the process of obtaining it was more complex than we had expected. Since we were not convinced of the consequences of that process, we left Tbilisi for a national park called Lagodekhi to think it over. The park’s beauty lies in its wide river winding through a forest in the Greater Caucasus. In the afternoon, groups of locals sit beside or in the riverbed, preparing barbecues and picnics. Although many people go there for hikes, we chose not to see the popular waterfall. Instead, we took a refreshing bath in the river.
We slept a bit off the mountains to get away from the park visitors when a local came by and invited us to lunch. We accepted and drove to his sister’s home. But not directly—first, we stopped at several stations to buy bread, meat, and vegetables. He insisted on paying for everything himself, even though we tried to contribute somehow. While his sister prepared lunch, we started drinking homemade wine made from his grapes. Delicious. It was a very gracious invitation. However, communication was only possible through digital translators. After a short time and nearly two liters of wine, we got drunk. That was another stressful factor at that moment. It was still noon, so we took the opportunity to leave, even though we would have loved to learn more about his living situation and culture. The latter contains a lot of hospitality, as he gave us the rest of the huge bottle of wine. We chose a less spectacular point of interest so we could have time to ourselves. At least, more or less, since few farmers used this path to get to their land.
The next morning, we spontaneously decided to get an oil change at the first garage we saw. The owner was kind enough to do the dirty work himself. We weren’t sure if he was Georgian or Azerbaijani, but what was interesting was that he preferred to use a Turkish translation. He seemed to have a talent for languages. In the end, we only paid for the oil that he sold in his shop, which was not very expensive since we can buy the same oil in Germany for about the same price.
We were ready to visit a place we’d just discovered online. In between were fields where harvest takes place. Next, we crossed a curious bridge and a small but beautiful mountain range, and then we arrived. Mud geysers. But chilled ones. We never knew something like that existed. Some of them emitted raw oil that covered the ground. Crazy. We were close to Azerbaijan, and these geysers probably explained their wealth. However, we were a bit too close to the border. When we passed by the border patrol, they weren’t happy to see us there. We needed to obtain a permit dozens of kilometers in advance. We didn’t know that, but we were more than happy to be allowed to leave without further consequences. Lucky us! On our way back, we realized there was a sign informing us about the border zone. Ouch. However, it could have gone worse. We made our way back through the fields — literally, since one path suddenly ended.
Meanwhile, we chose to start the process for our visas. This forces us to go to Tbilisi again. While there, we first organized to get our laundry done. When we asked about the visas, we realized that the translation we already had was incorrect. After spending 40 euros on it, we would need to spend another 100 euros for a translation that is more or less the same. Notarization was needed. Besides the application for our visas, there seems to be no further need for that document. No thank you! We canceled the process because it was stressful and expensive.
Now, we’ve already invested another day in this hectic city, being stuck in traffic jams and searching for a parking lot for a lifetime. Nevertheless, this time, we tried to make the best of it. We visited the well-known sulfur baths in the old town. The one we chose was not the most luxurious, but it perfectly suited our needs. Fortunately, we didn’t smell as bad as we did after our open-air sulfur bath. Now, we just needed to grab our laundry and leave for a place where we feel more comfortable: nature.