The beautiful inviting emerald green river we were camped by didn’t make it through the night; washed away by the overnight rain and replaced with dirty muddy brown rapids. Our plans to enjoy the morning in the hot spring and river were dashed. Thankfully we had made the most of the clear starry night before the rain and laid in the hot, some very hot, pools in the dark under a stars. With now no point to hang around we packed up, said goodbye to the dog patrol, and hit the road again to Batumi. Winding down further out of the mountains the landscape turned from alpine to lush coastal forest as we hit sea level and the Black Sea. It has been two and a half years since we’ve been at sea level with the Troopy and it felt like we were now making real progress again and it felt good! The drive south along the Black Sea to Georgia’s second largest city was quite relaxing feeling more like somewhere on the Caribbean coast of Central America, mountains in the distance, lush farmlands, and roads lined with tall leaning palms. Small pockets of fishing villages dotted the coast with simple timber roadside stalls displaying the days catch for purchase. Between the villages ‘Official’ camping areas packed the coastline and we could only imagine this area would be very popular with city-dwellers during holidays.
Batumi is actually the capital of the ‘Autonomous Republic of Adjara’ and is a strategic port not only for Georgia though also for China and their BRI project. We encountered several significant road projects being constructed by the Chinese during our travels across Georgia all of which form part of the BRI. Batumi is also a popular tourist destination and a gambling hotspot, earning the title of ‘Vegas of the Black Sea.’ A huge amount of money has been poured into the southern section of the city with high rise apartments and hotels of varying quality crowding the beachside. Contrastingly the northern port side of the city is a picturesque heritage area with beautiful old restored architecture, cobblestone streets, and trendy cafes and restaurants - very similar to Tbilisi. We had a quick stay over for the night to get some work done, information printed for Turkey, and catching up on some washing.
The following morning we made the push through the peak hour traffic of the city to make the short drive down the coast road to the Turkish border. After the entry into Georgia saga we were uncertain now how this would play out though the only thing we could do here is try. In the time since entering Georgia we had talked to a lot of other people, some Australian, who had had no problems entering Turkey with the same paperwork which was good for a confidence boost. The lines were long and the terminal congested with freight though in general it was a relatively well run border. The Georgians however again tried to flex their knowledge and insisted we wouldn’t get into Turkey without a PCR test though we knew this wasn’t the case and continued on. Between the borders we purchased the compulsory road insurance for 250 Lira for a period of 3 months. The Turks were a friendly bunch and we were stamped through with little question; and just like that we were in Turkey.
From experience, leading up to borders the countries on both sides usually invest a lot in infrastructure (India/Pakistan being the most significant), from huge roads to fancy architecture often trying to outdo each other. This is also usually a good indication of the countries pride vs GDP. This was no exception with the Turkey side being a monster of a building dwarfing the Georgian. We had thought that the quality of the following roads into Turkey were also part of the extravaganza though they didn’t change the further we got from the border. Beautifully smooth 4-6 lane highway bypassing all the towns while hugging the coast. Not ideal for a cultural experience though good for covering ground and taking in the view. We stopped for lunch in one of the seaside towns and had enjoyed an authentic Turkish coffee (or is it just a coffee now?) and our first taste of an authentic pide which did not disappoint.
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11 окт 2024