Meanwhile In Soviet Tbilisi

In Georgia it is really easy to hitchhike and almost every car driver will definitely , after some time , offer you a cigarette . May you be in the center of capital or in the middle of nowhere – Everywhere there are abandoned houses .

I was set off on the street and I came across my first obstacle …A normal Georgian road .It was unbelievable how many cars were coming from both sides and It was just impossible for me to cross the street . After trying to find an opportunity to cross It I gave up and just started walking up the street with no specific direction . I  even met a hippie on the way and we started talking until our paths separated and he went with these words” Its time to smoke a spliff ” Needless to say I laughed and walked straight ahead to find a place to exchange money . It took me about 5 minutes to find an exchange and the transfer was easy .The Exchange was a small Kiosk and later I found myself surrounded by exchange Kiosks . So my 10 euros turned magically into 20 lari . (1 euro was about 2 lari)

Searching for an ” Internet Cafe ” was hard .As much I heard was that most of them had been shut down and there were only a few left .By asking a few people I finally found a small corner in a back way alley where there was a magical cafe where Computer-Internet-use was possible for a small fee. The 50s something old lady showed me to my computer .

Needless to say I decided on my priorities .

1.Find a hostel

2.Contact my Georgian friend

3.Decide on a new travel Destination

I found a nice hostel in the Internet that was cheap with the cleaning facilities and Internet connection that would come handy .Send an email to my friend and decided that I would finally arrive in India in my travel . I closed the computer and as I left the cafe It started to rain .After walking aimlessly for an hour I finally got help from a policeman who even paid for the metro for me and told  to go to “Medical University” stop . I thanked him and started my journey throughout the old Metro .The metro for my surprise was clean and it was 10-20 meters under the ground . My friend later  told that It was left there from the Soviet times for the military but later used for transportation .People do look  at foreigners weird – Especially me .It seems as if they don’t see blond hair often .But my ride was quick – only about 5 minutes . I was again in the middle of nowhere surrounded by hieroglyphs from the Georgian language

<In Georgia it is possible to “hitchhike” with police cars. Due to the country’s desire to become more European, a major reform of the police was undertaken, affecting also the way the police work and deal with people. You should not be afraid of asking policeman for information or help. Most probably they will help you and even more. The police provide a special type of service – they can deliver you to the address you are asking – for people who are in a position to be harmed or injured, for example when you are a foreigner and traveling alone in Georgia. They can bring you to the address you name or to a hotel. Keep in mind that you will have to fill out and sign a form. It is recommended to use this service in the evenings and nights.>

I did not find the hostel in the Medical University station and I finally ended up in the Old Town with no luck finding the hostel since it didn’t exist anymore .

I found another “Internet cafe” and found information about another hostel with all the facilities I needed and it was cheap . “Tbilisi Old Town Hostel” was my new destination .

Searching for the hostel was useless and I spent hours on it until some people sent me to the right direction.I saw a magical thing . I saw Graffiti saying Old Town Hostel . It started steering me through the small alleys left and right and again left and then right .Seeing more and more graffiti as I arrived closer to the Address .

I ended up in a really small alleyway searching for the hostel .The Last Graffiti was pointing towards the corridor of an old building and I followed the sign without  any other indications of a hostel ever have existed there .

I started knocking on doors . Door 1 , 2 ,3 ,4 ,5 ,6 with no answer until I found the  door number “7” The Magical Door 7 .Somebody finally came to the door – He was a Georgian guy who spoke German so I told him my story how I had come from Estonia to travel one year before starting my years in University and was searching for the hostel . He immediately called his father to pick me up and brought me to  a park near the mountain where two gentleman came to get me . They introduced themselves as Dadek and Mark and showed me to my room where I put my luggage .

LIBERTY HOSTEL WAS MY SAVIOR!

The hostel was a nice place with a big veranda and a homey feeling to it . Mark left me alone with Dadek who I told my story .

In the evening I started talking with them and I really don’t know how I had done it but I became a part of the family and also found myself with the permission to stay in the hostel as long as I want being fed if I helped around for a bit .Basically a job with a place to live in the center of the city . At night we also went to visit the neighbors where I got my first cha-cha(vodka) and vino(wine) experience with the delicious food of Georgian Cuisine .

Everything was perfect .

It was a great adventure to go from having nothing in nowhere to a place to live and eat .