Batumi and Back

Last week several volunteers from my region and I traveled to Batumi. We took 7hr marshutkas (public minivan) to and from Tbilisi and taxis from our region to Tbilisi. We stayed in a hostel located in the center of the city. 

The main attraction of Batumi is the boardwalk and the pebbly (the pebbles are an inch or bigger) beaches of the Black Sea.  But for me, Batumi had something else better than a potential tan. I spent most of my time walking from one café to the next sampling Batumi’s lattes. “What a peculiar activity? “ you may ask, but when the nearest espresso drink is an hour and a half away from your home-sipping espresso everyday then becomes an activity of luxury only to be experienced on vacation.  

One café called the Boulangerie was a stellar commercialized (at least it seemed so) café that was the closest to an American café. To be honest, it is actually a bakery that just happens to sell lattes and European hot chocolate (the kind that resembles a thick pudding rather than a liquid). Obviously, I frequented it daily.

The cafés of Batumi not only fed my addiction to caffeine but it also quelled my craving for internet (at least for a few days). Living without wifi has definitely been the biggest challenge since entering the village. Back home in the US, I could instantly wiki an answer to a question, or constantly know what all my friends are up to via Facebook, but here, I have to wait and make a daily list of things that I want to search on the internet.

Overall, the most enjoyable part of the trip was being able to communicate in English with people who shared the same cultural literacy as me; therefore, our conversations were colored with jokes and familiar references that communication in the village is often lacking.

Getting from Point A to Point B for TLGers

This post is for future TLGers with some advice.

Before departing, make sure you join the TLG Facebook page, you will not only get updates about the program, but you will meet people who are leaving from the same airports as you. In Istanbul,  I had planned to meet two volunteers at the Starbucks during our layover. 

Don't worry you will meet TLG volunteers along the way (aka you're not the only crazy one). Before I arrived at Istanbul, I met several volunteers in Chicago. There can only be so many young American backpackers who are traveling in Istanbul/Warsaw- the rest are volunteers. If someone has a huge pack and 'looks' American at your layover, go say 'hey'. Worse case scenario, the person won't be from TLG, but have an amazing story like the guy who I met in Chicago. He is a student at UT who is taking a semester off of school, traveling to Germany, and working on a horse farm in order to spend time with his German girlfriend. 

When you arrive in Tbilisi, go through customs, collect your baggage, and walk through the sliding doors. There, you will find TLG representatives. Don't forget to exchange some money ($100 usd or so) and pick up a map from the information kiosk.  

One last piece of advice, drink as much liquids as possible at your meals in the hotel and eat the cheese. Each sweltering day you are allotted four water bottles. Even though this is generous, do not be alarmed if you glance down at your hands, only to find kielbasa. Eat the cheese. It has salt that will return your fingers to their previous condition.  Also, air conditioning doesn't really exist in the hotel either....good luck sleeping.