REFLECTIONS: September Sojourn: Part II

Soundtrack: Walk On

Monday, 10 September 2018

We arrived at the border at 03:35 and after taking my bag, I joined the queue to clear passport control. It was a slow process and I stood queuing for about 35 minutes. Malaysians don’t need visa to enter Georgia but the immigration officer managed to find some problem with my passport and had to consult his colleague. I was then told to stand aside and I stood waiting for another 15 minutes. I didn’t know what the problem was and was slightly relieved when after some time a man was also asked to stand next to me. I was then called and after asking a few questions, my passport was stamped. We had to walk down and into a long corridor and about 200 metres into Georgia. The first thing I noticed even at that hour was the dogs.

After clearing the Georgian passport control, I loaded my suitcase then went across the road to find the washroom. I also performed ablutions as it was nearing Subuh then. We boarded the bus shortly after and I performed prayers in the bus. We reached Ortachala bus station in Tbilisi an hour later at 05:55. I had wanted to get a marshrutka to Yerevan from Avlabari metro station but I didn’t have any local currency and worse, hardly anyone spoke English except for a cabbie who said he could drive me to Avlabari for 20 Lari. Ortachala was a sad bus station but you can catch a bus from there to Turkey and Russia. After a while, I decided to climb up the stairs and I was glad I did because I found buildings and more importantly, I also saw a money changer. The advertised rates were USD1 = 2.55 Lari and €1=2.95. I sold off the 3 Manat I had, USD20 and €20 and received 144.35 Lari in return.

I was then approached by a minivan driver who offered to take me to Yerevan for 40 Lari. I had read that you could take a marshrutka for 35 Lari to Yerevan from Avlabari but figured it would cost me more than 5 Lari to get to Avlabari by cab. I tried asking but no one seemed to know if I could take any bus from Ortachala to Avlabari so I decided fine, I’d take the minivan to Yerevan from Ortachala. I freshened up with my suitcase opened in the car boot. After about 10 minutes, I was told to join another minivan to Yerevan. This second minivan was older and dustier. I tried to bargain the price down but either they really couldn’t understand me or pretended not to but when I showed 35 Lari, there was a lot of argument. Sigh. I agreed to pay 40 Lari because the first minivan looked newer and more comfortable but they couldn’t see it from my point of view. Oh well.

We left at 07:15 and I almost dozed off after a while because the Georgian countryside along the way to Yerevan was a bit dull. There were farms and cattle but that was about it. We reached the border at 08:30 and the process began again. We didn’t have to bring down our bags this time. After clearing the Georgian passport control, I exchanged USD10 for 4,300 Armenian Dram. I received a lot of coins from the exchange office and got a bit confused. We boarded the minivan then got down again to clear Yerevan immigration. I had to go to an officer who processed my visa on arrival application. A 21-day visa cost AMD3,000. After obtaining visa, I queued to clear the passport control and before long, I was in Armenia. Three countries in one day, woohoo! The road wasn’t good and bumpy in some parts. It didn’t help that the driver stopped a few times along the way. I wasn’t sure whether he did so because the engine was overheating or there was some other mechanical problem but he re-started the car again after a few seconds.

We arrived Yerevan at 13:00 and the driver let us off at Hrazdan Central Stadium. I refused his offer to help me find a taxi and went to ask for directions for Republic Square at a shop. I then set off down the hill and across Victory Bridge. I stopped again at Hotel Metropol and asked for directions and a map before continuing on to a park for shelter from the hot sun. There I sat down at a bench and studied the map again. After getting my bearings, I walked back and confirmed with two girls my direction before finding Feel Inn Hostel. There was no one at the reception and an Iranian fellow guest helped to ring the receptionist who turned out to be a Filipino. She told me there was no vacancy and I told her I had a booking with hotels.com which I had paid for. She told me the hostel only accepted booking from bookings.com and I insisted I had paid for the hostel. She told me to wait for her. An Aussie bloke and the Iranian guy offered to help me out if there was no vacancy by offering their beds. Whoa, thanks guys. I’d only met them like minutes and they were already so helpful and friendly. But yeah, I didn’t fancy the thought of sleeping in a men’s dormitory or mixed dormitory...

I decided to perform prayers and charge my devices while waiting. It wasn’t bad because I had access to the kitchen and bathroom and also WiFi. Plus it was still too dang hot to venture out.

The receptionist, Lot, came back and after a call to her manager, she acknowledged that my booking was good. She then offered me to stay in the female-only dormitory at the ground floor but I would have to share the dormitory with some school girls. Having sorted out the accommodation problem, I then ventured out to explore the city centre. My first visit was to the Blue Mosque, an Iranian Shia Mosque. A few German tourists arrived shortly after I did. I left after 20 minutes and walked to Republic Square. After some Kodak moments, I left and took the Northern Avenue to Freedom Square where the Opera Theatre was. The building didn’t impress me much though.

I left and went to search for a money changer. Then suddenly, the skies opened up and it started raining. Whoa. I continued walking and tried to find shelter or cover beneath some trees. I had earlier liberated my poor feet from the enclosed space of my Converse and was wearing my flip flops and after a while I had to walk gingerly as the rain fell harder and it became more slippery for me to walk in those flip flops.

Before returning to the hostel, I stopped at a supermarket to change money for the bus back to Tbilisi the following morning.

The rain finally petered off and stopped just before I reached the hostel. I had a shower and performed evening prayers before having a light dinner. The school girls came back then and my, were they a noisy lot. Noisy or not, I was too exhausted after the sleepless night of the preceding evening and was in bed before 23:00. I also had an early start the following morning.