Kargaaad! An adventure in Georgia: August 1st. Botanical Gardens

Today I went to go see an Byzantine fortress called Petra. Located 7 km away from my village, I decided it is close enough to walk. My village, perched on a hill, was easy to walk down. Chakvi, the seaside town next to Gorgadzeebi took about a mile to get to. From there, Petra is 5 km north.

I also was hoping to stop at the Chakvi train station, which was on the way there to find out about train schedules. I could see it on Google maps, though it never mentioned that it was empty. The station only has trains stop there. There were no ticket stands, people or any information. Google maps failed me. Already, the day wasn't turning out so well, and that is when the rain started pouring in from the black sea. The "train" station had some covered benches that was shared by roadside workers, waiting for the storm to let up. The weather can be unpredictable in Adjara, when I started walking, it was hot and sunny, with very little clouds.

An hour later, the storm was reduced to a drizzle. I decided to continue north some more, when I hit some costal hills. Walking up those was a bit daunting, since there was no sidewalk. I had to walk along the road itself, which was heavily trafficked. It started pouring again, and there was no sight of the fortress, and I did not trust the awareness of the other cars, I felt it was time to call it a day and head back. I was able to hail a Marshutka heading to Batumi and head home. Although the transportation system of Georgia is haphazard, it somehow is extremely efficient. I have never felt stranded during my time here. There was also buses and I could always call up a taxi, and hitchhiking, although frowned upon, is always an option.

The Marshutka dropped me off at Chakvi and that was when the rain stopped and it became gorgeous. Instead of heading back home though, I decided to explore some more. One kilometer south of Chakvi is the Batumi Botanical gardens. There was some breathtaking Georgian scenery on the way there, proven in the photos given below.

Batumi's botanical gardens are an enormous park hugging the coastline, extending into the hills a kilometer inland. Composed of many sections, the gardens house a variety plant and tree species from all over the world. Green houses, headquarters, and a few houses dotted the park, but it was still so open! I highly recommend visiting these gardens. My favorite part of the park was old and run-down greenhouses. The plants outside are literally swallowing these buildings, while the plants inside are bursting out their broken panes, windows, and walls. I love old and abandoned buildings, something Georgia has in abundance. I would and plan on, going back with more volunteers just so see the greenhouses again.

I mentioned earlier how huge the park was, I spent about 5 hours inside, and saw about half of it. It was so amazing, that I missed the last shuttle into my village and had to walk the entire way back. Totally worth it, since I spent the next day lazing about the house.

On Friday, I am going to Zugdidi, a city in the Samegrelo region, north of where I am staying. A number of the TLG volunteers want to meet up and hang out. It has been about two weeks since I last spoke with native English speakers, and am excited to hear about everyone's families, regions, et cetra. Mostly, It is good to explore Georgia. TLG is literally paying us while we are on vacation and when school starts at the end of September, my time would limited to weekend excursions. Expect great stories and adventures in the next blog!