Date: August 2nd, 2024
The journey from Batumi to Akhaltsikhe takes 6 hours, with only one bus departing daily at 8:30 AM and ticket costs 30 GEL (900 INR). Upon arrival, I was too tired to explore many places besides Rabati Castle. However, there are other attractions such as Sapara Monastery and Vardzia caves that I believe are worth a visit. Despite my exhaustion, I had a fantastic day in Akhaltsikhe, which turned out to be the highlight of my entire trip. Keep reading to learn more about my experience.
Akhaltsikhe is a small town located in the banks of river Potskhovi. Close knit community and seems like everyone knows everyone :).
City overview from the fotress/castle:
During my stay at Hotel New Star, which cost me approximately 45 GEL (around 1400 INR), I enjoyed a picturesque view of Rabati Castle. The wonderful hosts, Diana and David, made my evening truly delightful. Rabati Castle, originally constructed in the 9th century, suffered damage during the Ottoman Empire's reign. The empire even erected a mosque within the castle grounds. This castle stands out as one of the first to blend Christian and Muslim influences in its architecture. Subsequently, it fell under the control of Georgian monarchs.
Entering the dome requires a payment of 18 GEL (600 INR), which I find costly considering the dome lacks intricate paintings or architecture unlike European castles/museums. Nevertheless, I decided to go for it since it was a one-time experience.
Typically, houses in Georgia feature wooden interiors and are covered with either stone or concrete on the exterior to shield them from extreme temperatures. Below, you can observe a hidden room constructed entirely of wood, with a tunnel that leads to a location close to the river.
Secret room roof:
Prayer rooms for the muslims:
On the night that stood out the most during my entire trip, I spent 2 hours exploring the fortress before returning to the hotel to have dinner. Diana, who speaks English, acted as a translator for her husband who doesn't. We collaborated in the kitchen and engaged in a 3-hour conversation about Georgia, Russia, and kikes. It was a fantastic exchange of thoughts, and they seemed to enjoy my cooking. I prepared a salad and fried ground beef with potatoes, a dish that David particularly enjoyed. David kindly offered tea and beer, but I declined as I prefer not to drink them before bedtime. Diana also brought an array of Georgian delicacies such as Kada and Tklapi.
My paintings, previous Porsche car, and Harley Davidson were well received by them. Later in the day, I had the opportunity to meet their son, who is learning about computers and also enjoys painting. During this trip, I have encountered many young people who are deeply involved in the IT sector and engage in cryptocurrency trading.
Anyway as the night passed along, a couple friends of David and Diana have joined us. Our conversation later delved deeply into topics of Bollywood, apparently i heard Raj Kapur, Bappi lehri and Muthin chakrawarti songs are very popular in Georgia and other middle eastern countries, where these couples were singing some of the songs.
Later the conversation went around how kikes is causing all sorts of problems/wars/economic collapse between nations for their greediness. Then slowly the conversation settle down to finance discussing about crypto currencies, gold and land purchase. They expressed great enthusiasm for me to educate them and showed a keen interest in learning further. Ultimately, I concluded the discussion by offering to assist them in enhancing their financial knowledge in the future.
The following day, I said goodbye to David and Diana before heading to Tbilisi. Diana promissed to hook me up with some nice Georgian girl so that I can have strong bond with Georgia :), we will see what happens with that proposal. I had a feeling that I should have stayed one more day, but I accepted that all good things must come to an end. We exchanged contact information and vowed to stay in touch. I expressed gratitude to David and Diana for the wonderful evening.
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