Tskaltubois a small resort town, 10 km fromKutaisi. It is famous for its springs. Today, Abkhazians refugees are living in some of sanatoria buildings. Still there are functional cure facilities.
Spa # 6, is known as Stalin Spa. He really was here and underwent someprocedures.
The Stalin Spa is situated in a nice, big park so we decided to overnightthere.
Specially for us, fountain was on. We wereflattered.
Sanatoria’s building is in a classical soviet style. Beautiful high hall, still impresseswithitsgrandeur.
Our Georgian guide, Marika and sanatorium director organized a tour forus.
One of swimming pool of sanatorium. Used for watergymnastics.
Composition of water spring #6. Water is nicely warm and has nosmell.
Stalin pool. Nobody swim here for longtime.
For its time, I think, this changing room was a stylish one. For me, excursion at sanatorium was a excursion back in soviet time. The entire building breath it. Personally I like thisstyle.
We decided to go for a underwater massage. An half hour of peace andpleasure.
Excursion to David Gareja is finished and the group goes to the parking. We go to our camper, everybody else go into minibus. They left their campers in Shignaghi, as the road to the monastery is a not an asphalt road. Our camper is 4x4, so have no problems in driving it.
Tomorrow everybody will meet at Georgian-Armenian border. But now we are looking for a place to overnight.
We decide to take other road than the one we came to. We are on a mountain plato, on about 900 m altitude. Further from the monastery and from higher mountains, more and more landscape looks like a steppe. And around us, nothing to see, no houses, no evening lights, no electrical mast. One big steppe. And stillness. Like this I imagine Mongolia. But now we are in Georgia. It’s wonderful to see, how in such a small country like Georgia one can see so different landscapes – steppe, forests, high mountains, see and mineral springs, and even desert. Everywhere in Georgia you can enjoy breathtaking views.
This night we’ll spend in Georgian steppe landscape. Super place. We stopped next to the road. No traffic. Nobody.
We take out chairs and table from the camper and sit to enjoy surrounding beauty. A jeep is passing by. It is slowing down. We see foreign tourists in auto. They go to visit monastery. We nod each other and auto continues its way. A bicyclist is passing by. A Polish. He looks very tired. We invite him to pitch a tent next to us and to joint us for the dinner. He refuses, as tomorrow he has to catch a plane from Tbilisi.
From far, somebody else is coming. It’s coming not from road, but from steppe itself. A rider! We are looking like at a moving picture - the horseman and the steppe around him. It’s a cliché, but anyway its splendid to see.
Finally we can distinguish horse and rider separate. It’s a teenager. He is hundred meters from us. He is sitting confidently on the horse. He watches us curiously, but do not dare to come closer. We wave him to come closer. We are also curios to find out what he is doing here. I try to speak with him in Russian. He hardly understands me. I offer him beer. He refuses categorically. Asking, what he is doing here. As I understand, in the near valley he has cows and he came to milk them. I ask if we can buy some cheese. He doesn’t understand me. We say goodbye and he rides away.
- people check, which is performed by police and/or border militaries.
- Goods and auto check, performed by custom, which also prepare documents for temporary import of auto into specific country.
Turkey – Georgia, Batumi border crossing
We are crossing Turkish side without problems.
On Georgian side, very, very many people, majority Georgian. Passengers of all means of transport mandatory have to get out and pass through passport control. Non-drivers from campers also get out and go to passport control. As passport police saw we are foreigners we are passing passport control without staying in long line. Young passport lady is smiling: “Welcome to Georgia”. Our drivers, meanwhile, also passed the control, with some pushing and pressing from Georgian drivers There were any documents f or auto needed.
As a conclusion Georgian border was not difficult to pass, just crossing capacity is very small comparative to number of people who want to go through it.
Going out from Georgia was no problem. On the Armenian side, we had to wait 3 hours in order to get documents for temporary import of auto. Also, we had officially to pay something for it (depending on engine and autos characteristic). Armenian side, seemed a little more chaotic than Georgian side, both on entrance and exit of the country.
Armenia – Georgia, Bavra crossing point.
Very quiet border. At the begging we were the only one at Armenian side. It’s good, as to close auto documents officials needed about one hour. Also officially we have to pay something.
We have to wait, because the border is closed. Opens at (Georgian time, Turkish time). It’s a pity there is no exchange offices (on both sides), so we are left with relatively many Georgian lari.Georgian custom is curious to look inside of the camper. Then a long check for passports, but everybody passed of course.
On Turkish side is not really clear which officers are doing what and where to go for procedures. At the end, our passports are checked and documents for temporary import of auto are arranged.
This border crossing is still a small point, but I would recommend it for crossing from Georgia to Turkey, comparative to Batumi, the main Turkey – Georgia border crossing, which is full with busses.
Few kilometers long row with Turkish trucks, full with cement sacs. But real business is diesel. Trucks are filling with Syrian diesel for 0,2 euro/lit, and sell it in Turkey, where diesel is 1,6 Euro/lt!. We are passing the trucks and out-checking auto on Turkish side. There is a small problem with my passport. I am not allowed to get out of Turkey through this specific border crossing. What a non-sense!It’s allowed to get into a country, but it’s not allowed to get out! But as on every border, officer are also people. So after a convincing talk we can go out of the country.
Because in Moldavia there is no Syrian embassy I am getting the visa without a problem at the border. Syria is recognizing Carnet de passage, so we are getting the right stamp on it, and leave the border.
A lot of touristic buses, so getting an exit stamp is taking a while. An exit fee has to be paid. We get a small paper for us to collect different border stamps. To get all stamps took us one and a half hour. Going out of Syria. Jordanian post check is about 3 km further. On Jordanian side it was no problems with border procedures.
We are the only autos at the border. We pay exit fee at Jordanian side. It’s always a problem how much local money to leave for the last day, as you never know how muck you have to pay at the exit. Stamps in the passports and we are ready on Jordanian side.
Israel side – the most unpleasant entrance in the country.
On Israelian side a young man with dark glasses and with big gun over his shoulders sign us to stop. Other boy sign us to go further. We stop and go and ask what actually we have to do – stop or go further? We can come. We are coming till a electronic barrier.A young girl looks with a mirror under campers. Barrier is opening. Few girls of 19-20, tell us that we have to take everything out of the camper. How so, everything? If you want to checkeverything, please go into the camper and open everything and check. But to take everything out, what for? No, for girls it’s no good. Everything has to be out. We fill 40 plastic sacs full with our staff – from spoons and toilet paper till cloth and shoes. Everything goesthrough the scanner. Of course, they found nothing. Suspicious ball of chess is taking away for a deeper check. The girl is bringing it back – no, it is not a bomb.
Our passports were laying in the cabin. One of the girl just took them without saying anything. It’s mean she stole them, isn’t it?
The auto is also taking away. What they are doing with it? Maybe they are mounting bugs in it? We are told it’s a security check.
Yea, a security check. What kind of security check it is, with a suspicious box on the camper’s roof nobody wants to check? Girls are asking what is there. We say – the BBG. Do you want to check girls, here are the steps. No, we don’t go on the roof, they say.
The plastic carpet, which is hanging at the reserves wheels is also not checked.
It’s not a security check – the girls just are playing in “security check”. After four hours of a bad and useless check we can enter Israel.
Israel – Egypt, Taba – Eilat border crossing.
On the Israelian side, a big poster is hanging with the information that Egypt is not allowing autos:
- 4x4 autos
- the autos which has on board navigation systems (GPS)
- autos which are using diesel
Sooo, we can’t cross because of all these points. We are making a visit to Egyptian counsulat in Eilat, and asking if we can enter Egypt. Consulate says we can enter Egypt with no problem.
But first we have to pass Israelian side. Paying and exit fee. Stamp the passport. At the custom officer , we are closing the documents for temporary import of auto in Israel. Good buy Israel.
On Egyptian side border control. Young officer politely is informing us he has to check auto. Methodically he opens every door in the campers andpolitely asks what is what. He see, of course the navigation system, but says nothing. Inside check is finished. Outside he asks what is in the box? We say – BBQ. He wants to see it. OK. Here are the steps. He goes up, on the roof and looks in the box – indeed a BBQ. Respect for him. At any borders so far, nobody went on the roof yet. We are done with border check.
Further is immigration check. Stamp in the passport. Further custom procedures. To get a stamp in Carnet de passage and to get mandatory Egyptians number plate for auto takes about one and a half auto. We pay, two euros for them not to bother with looking for engine number. We can enter Egypt.
Egypt – Italy, ferry Alexandria – Venece.
Alexandria port is one of the most ineffective border check. Maybe, it’s because the ferry from Alex to Venece is new and Egyptian officers do not have enough experience doing quicker.
In the port there are few groups of jeeps. Mostly French. All the passports are collected. About 40 all together. Also, officers are collecting all Carnet de passage-s. All the papers are moving back and forth from one office to the other. The procedures are taking so long, that we witness border officers for their prayers two times. Also, engine numbers are checked. At the auto, where drivers can not show where engine number is, an Egyptian mechanic is imprinting with a hammer some numbers. For a fee of course. After five hours of waiting and border procedure, we can go on ferry.
In Venice is raining and 4C, so we are checked only the passport. Custom and border control do not want to come out of their warm offices. We have no problem with that.
