Traveling to Svaneti (by train and minibus)

Today, our travels took us across the country from Tbilisi to Zugdidi to Mestia. We were able to experience the Georgian rail system to get to Zugdidi. It runs like clockwork and lots of people use it as it is affordable and relatively comfortable. For us, our tickets were about $5 to travel across the country. There were lots of families with little kids and babies around us, so sometimes the crying was in stereo. It was also great to listen to the happy sounds of kids enjoying a train ride too. The bathrooms we a little yucky. They are locked when you stop because it is essentially a toilet shaped hole to the ground outside so you can only go when the train is moving.

Trying to figure out which train to get on and which platform to use is a little tricky. Georgian script takes some decoding sometimes.

After the 6 hour train ride, we quickly found a mashruka heading towards Mestia and piled in. We ended up getting the last 2 seats available and our backpacks were just squished in enough to close the door (a sure way to spread COVID). It was hot and smelly! The driver chain smoked the whole 3.5 hour journey. When he wasn't smoking, he was talking on his phone on the windy mountain roads that have lots of obstacles (mostly cows). To distract us, they had kind of music videos playing on a screen, but it was borderline pornography. This played for a few hours until the radio started smoking, so that was the end of that.

The scenery on the drive was beautiful. Some wild white water and gigantic mountains.

It felt good to arrive in Mestia and stretch our legs after traveling all day. It is a ski town that is well positioned in the mountains (if you can get there). It is a mix of old and new. Our guest house is great. And it has a sweet view of the mountains.

While we we were looking for our guest house, we bumped into the German guys we had met several days back on our hike to the glacier in Kazbegi. After our dinner, which was delicious (I ate 2.5 tomato cucumber salads - yum), we saw them in town and had dessert. I think we might try sharing a taxi to the next town we are going to as they are going on the same day.

Tomorrow we'll do a hike and we might even catch a locally filmed movie.