Christmas in Central Asia

[Mattg]

We spent our one full day exploring Tbilisi. After a hearty khachapuri breakfast we joined the Tbilisi Hack free walking tour, which was great. This gave a pretty good overview of this fascinating city, covering the old town, a number of churches, the Bridge of Peace, a ride on the cable car, Narikala fortress and the Georgian bath houses. It was also a beautiful sunny day and the temperate was around 12 degrees, so that was a nice change.

Some pictures from around Tbilisi:

 

[Mattg]

For dinner we had more khachapuri (that stuff is addictive) and another of my favourite Georgian cuisines, khinkali (dumplings), accompanied by some good Georgian wine.




After dinner we took the furnicular up to Mtatsminda Park, a theme park located on the top of a mountain overlooking Tbilisi. It was quite late so the park was already closed, but the view was nice.



If we had more time, I have had liked to take a tour to somewhere outside of Tbilisi. I’d also have liked to do some proper wine tasting. After all, Georgia is famous for its wine. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to go back again sometime.

 

[Mattg]

Sadly, the trip was almost over and it was time to fly home. Almost all flights from Tbilisi to Europe depart between 5am and 6am, and this flight was no exception. We were booked on a 5.55am LOT flight to Warsaw, with an onward connection to Düsseldorf. This meant a 3.30am taxi to the airport. The 30-minute taxi ride cost a fixed price of 22 lari (around $11).

Tbilisi Airport was the busiest I've ever seen it when we arrived at 4am. So many flights come and go during the night. We checked in and headed up to the Primeclass CIP lounge, which has an interesting artwork display and a reasonable range of food and drink - but no showers.



Flight 8: LO724 Tbilisi - Warsaw
Boeing 737 MAX 8
Departure time: 05:55
Arrival time: 06:45

As this was a LOT flight, it was predictably delayed. The departure time came and went, and boarding still hadn't started. We left around 30 minutes late in the end. This was a slight problem as we only had a 50-minute connection in Warsaw. I was convinced we wouldn't make it.

The aircraft was a brand new Boeing 737 MAX 8. On this flight there were only two rows of Business class; we were in row 3 but had an empty middle seat between us and pretty good legroom, so this was no different to the hard product we would have got in J. There was no curtain dividing the cabins; only the headrests were a different colour. There was no in-flight entertainment whatsoever, which seems like a bit of an oversight for a brand new aircraft that's operating on medium-haul routes. There was at least a power outlet at every seat. The cabin was otherwise clean and modern.



The cabin crew were all professional but they seemed tired. Fair enough - they'd just operated a redeye from WAW to TBS prior to this service. The crew welcomed us on board at 6.15am with "Good evening and welcome on board your LOT Polish Airlines flight". I was quite impressed with the level of detail in the pilot's announcement, though - he explained in great detail where we'd be flying over and at what time, at what altitude we'd be flying, the type of approach he expected to take into Warsaw, and so on.

The service on board was almost low-cost carrier in style. We were offered complimentary tea, coffee or water followed by a single chocolate wafer bar. Other snacks and drinks were available for purchase.

The flight took 3.5 hours and most passengers slept. We landed in Warsaw at 7.10am, 25 minutes late. Before landing, the purser announced that passengers flying to Amsterdam and various other destinations had missed their connections and would need to see ground staff to get re-booked. Düsseldorf wasn't on the list, so I was still hopeful for our connection - even though boarding was supposed to start 5 minutes before we arrived.

 

[Mattg]

We raced through the airport to clear immigration and security, before running to the gate for our flight to Düsseldorf. We got to the gate about 5 minutes before the scheduled departure time but the rush was in vain as the flight hadn't started boarding yet. The sign just said "delayed", but nobody could tell us how long the delay would be. After several minutes of waiting it became clear we weren't boarding any time soon, so we headed up to the LOT lounge.

Probably the most frustrating thing about flying LOT was not the fact that all our flights got delayed, but that they never gave us a new estimated departure time. They would just say it's delayed and not give you any more information. In this case it worked in our favour though as we made the connection.

LOT's Schengen lounge was larger than the non-Schengen lounge and was really quite nice. There was a pretty decent breakfast buffet and drinks selection. I also rather liked these hammocks.



Our stay in the lounge was short-lived as the flight did actually start boarding not long after we arrived. Apparently there was an aircraft change so our exit row seats had been changed, but not a big deal on a 2-hour flight.

Flight 9: LO409 Warsaw - Düsseldorf
Embraer E175
Departure time: 07:35 (scheduled)
Arrival time: 09:35 (scheduled)



This was another uneventful flight. The same "tea, coffee, water and chocolate wafer" was offered.



We left 45 minutes late and arrived 30 minutes behind schedule. There were a few passengers connecting onwards from Dusseldorf that were worried about their connections, so the crew moved them to business class before landing. We all then disembarked onto the same bus.

From Düsseldorf, I took an ICE train back home to Utrecht, where this trip report ends.



I hope you've enjoyed reading, and I hope that this inspires you to visit somewhere in the world that you'd never even thought of going to. Whether it's in Central Asia, or perhaps somewhere completely different, there is so much to see in the world beyond the usual tourist hotspots (Europe, USA, Bali, etc.).

 

[henleybeach]

Great trip report matt, thank you very much.

 

[RooFlyer]

In contrast to the flight we'd just left, the Turkish Airlines Lounge at Istanbul Ataturk Airport was excellent! Aside from being an architectural masterpiece, it's huge and covers two floors. I would dare say that it's even better than the Qantas First lounges in Sydney and Melbourne.

Both times I've been in that lounge its been a zoo, without relief.

I'm really looking forward to using the lounge in the new airport later this year - it should top them all .

 

[craven morehead]

There were plenty more statues and memorials around Bishkek. The largest was Victory Square, a massive monument dedicated to the Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War (WWII).

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Here are some of the others we found...

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I spy a Pub in the background! Did you slip in for a pint ?

 

[VPS]

Great TR thanks - so many more places to go and Georgia sounds great. The most annoying thing about talking about going to Georgia is people assuming you're talking about America WTF

 

[jase05]

Wonderful trip report. As someone who loves driving is there any chance of a self drive holiday in this part of the world?

 

[drron]

Wonderful TR.So different and very interesting.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

The Georgian writing looks interesting and totally different from the cyrillic alphabet seen elsewhere in your travels on this journey. Looks more like signs you'd see in Sri Lanka or Myanmar.

 

[clipped_wings]

Totally immersed in this trip! I would be lying if I said it was on my bucket list - but reading your report is an eye-opening reminder of how big and diverse our planet actually is. Loved your humility and honesty - thank you for bringing home a part of Earth I never knew existed

 

[OZDUCK]

Thanks for a very interesting TR.

 

[RooFlyer]

Wonderful trip report. As someone who loves driving is there any chance of a self drive holiday in this part of the world?

If Matt doesn't mind me chipping in ... I've toured Georgia, with a driver and guide. I'd say a self-drive holiday would be difficult, but not impossible, as long as you were prepared for the consequences of something going wrong outside a big city. The Georgian language script is incomprehensible and the amount of English spoken outside the major cities of Tbilisi and Kutaisi is very low. In the wine growing areas, to the east of Tbilisi which is a major tourist area, you would be able to get by (there's a signposted 'Wineroute').

My trip report will give you an idea of the roads and infrastructure.

Most of the tourist sites we visited had Georgian, Russian and English explanatory signs and the major highway signs are bilingual. You won't get lost in Sighnaghi following George W Bush st.

 

[jase05]

Thanks for that. Obviously the language barrier is huge but how easy is it to obtain a vehicle and cross into neighboring countries and what are the roads and infrastructure like. Maybe a driver and guide is a better option.
Also what is the rail or bus infrastructure like and is it possible to get between Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan by PT?

 

[Mattg]

I spy a Pub in the background! Did you slip in for a pint ?

Actually, I did go in for a Guinness! I was the most expensive beer of the trip - 500 som ($10), which was the equivalent of 62 bus fares in Bishkek.

 

[Mattg]

As someone who loves driving is there any chance of a self drive holiday in this part of the world?

Are you talking about the 'Stans or the Caucasus region?

Either is certainly possible, although the language barrier could be a problem (more so in the 'Stans perhaps, although as RooFlyer says, the Georgian script is even more incomprehensible than Cyrillic). Also, the roads are variable in quality outside of the major cities and highways. But it could be done and I'm sure you'd have a great experience. I did meet Germans in Kazakhstan who were driving around the countryside for 6 weeks.

If Matt doesn't mind me chipping in ...

Don't mind at all

Thanks for that. Obviously the language barrier is huge but how easy is it to obtain a vehicle and cross into neighboring countries and what are the roads and infrastructure like. Maybe a driver and guide is a better option.
Also what is the rail or bus infrastructure like and is it possible to get between Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan by PT?

There are trains from Tbilisi to both Baku and Yerevan. I believe they run overnight and are quite acceptable, but I haven't tried them out myself. There's also a small network of long-distance trains within Georgia. Otherwise, I think the most common way of getting from town to town is by private minivan. They work in the same as as the marshrutkas that we used to travel from Shymkent to Turkestan.

 

[RooFlyer]

Maybe a driver and guide is a better option.

I went that way, in Georgia and it went really well. You get so much more explained to you about what's around you, what are the social customs, how to visit certain attractions etc, where to get a good lunch in the country! etc. Not to mention lining up a number of winery visits. If just visiting a city, I'd do it by myself - local walking tours etc, but for a longer trip across the countryside, i'm happy with a private or very small group tour.

Also what is the rail or bus infrastructure like and is it possible to get between Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan by PT?

You cannot travel from Azerbaijan to Armenia and vice versa. Borders are closed. Nagorny-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia.

Georgia is OK with both of them.

W went to visit the monastery at David Gareji in Georgia. It was foggy and we traipsed up a hill to hopefully see one of the outlying structures. Came across this funny low fence.



It was the Armenian border! We carried on, so I can tick that one off the list

 

[craven morehead]

Actually, I did go in for a Guinness! I was the most expensive beer of the trip - 500 som ($10), which was the equivalent of 62 bus fares in Bishkek.

I knew you wouldn't let me down regardless of currency. Nice work mate!

 

[Dudditz]

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For dinner we had more khachapuri (that stuff is addictive) and another of my favourite Georgian cuisines, khinkali (dumplings), accompanied by some good Georgian wine.

If we had more time, I have had liked to take a tour to somewhere outside of Tbilisi. I’d also have liked to do some proper wine tasting. After all, Georgia is famous for its wine. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to go back again sometime.

How good is khachapuri and khinkali! Always a go to for me when in Georgia, Russia and CIS countries if you can find it. I did visit Kakheti when I was there a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. Some fantastic wines that are incredibly aromatic and ballsy reds which I loved. If you like obscure wine regions I'd also thoroughly recommend Romania and Moldova.