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It was around 3 in the morning, we were still on the plane hoping to land at the Tbilisi International Airport very soon. We were trying to see how Tbilisi would look like from the plane window. Until a couple of minutes, before we landed, we were not able to see anything outside except darkness. However, we started seeing sloppy and tilted lights which were coming from mountains. We could see some lights coming from bit higher altitude and some from lower levels. It was because the plane was making turns as a preparation for landing and it was also because Tbilisi is surrounded by mountains.
The lights coming from these small mountains were really satisfying and beautiful to watch. As soon as we landed, the warm welcome from the immigration staff at the airport was worth mentioning. What a good impression in our first visit to Georgia!
Super Host:
Alex, our host who has been Airbnb super host from Tbilisi for quite some time, was already at the airport waiting for us. His reviews at Airbnb are quite impressive to read. Even though we never met before, he was able to recognize us from the picture that he saw on our facebook page. Alex welcomed us with a bottle of wine and some fresh fruits that were grown in his own garden. They were really tasty. He was available any time whenever we needed to talk to him. He was very helpful. We made sure everything in his house worked during our stay in Georgia. He was really good at replying promptly whenever we needed something to ask him. Even though his English was good enough to communicate with us, he brought his friend who had fluent English, thinking that we might have several questions to ask. 
Common Things:
We noticed that almost all the houses in the Delisi II (Saburtalo) area of Tbilisi have at least couple of trees in their garden. We saw grapes and pomegranate as the most common plants. Many people have persimmon trees as well in their garden. It was also amazing to see green plants on both sides of the roads. Another interesting part about Tbilisi was that within few minutes of the drive, one gets to see small green and rugged mountains every now and then.
Warm-Hearted People and Mind Blowing Heritage Sites:
Magnificient view of Mtskheta Church from the top of Jvari Monastry
Uplistsikhe Caves
Jvari Monastry
Outside Mtskheta Church in the evening
Georgia is a small country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia with the population of 3.71 million and it has amazing places to visit. It is a beautiful country with well-maintained heritage sites. Tbilisi is the capital as well as the largest city of Georgia. Tbilisi, no doubt is a vibrant city. People are always ready to help if asked for. 24/24 superstores make anyone feel much better. Taxi services are cheaper if compared with some other European countries and as well as North America. Whether it be in Tblisi or outside of Tblisi, there are so many places to see and visit. One would be amazed to see preserved heritage sites. Some of the wonderful places are: Jvari Monastry, Narikala Fortress, Peace Bridge, Freedom Square, Borjomi National Par, Uplistsikhe, David Gareja Monastery, Mtskheta etc.
Taxi Experience:
Outside Mtskheta Church in the evening
Tblisi downtown from Narikala Fortress
Surprisingly, most of the private vehicles that we saw on the roads were BMW, Mercedes, and Audi. Even the taxis that we used while were in Tbilisi were Mercedes and BMWs. Our host, Alex suggested that renting a cab was much cheaper and therefore, recommended us to take taxis in Tbilisi. He gave us the names of two popular taxi services (1. Maxim and 2. Taxify) in Tbilisi which can be used either by calling or using apps. We had to go to Freedom Square which was about 20 minutes drive from the apartment that we were living in. We called the MAXIM taxi service and the phone call was transferred to a person who was able to speak English. After we gave the pickup point as well as the destination addresses, the text with the information of the vehicle plate number, colour of the taxi, driver's name and the price was sent into our phone. Unlike Uber, Yellow Cab and Co-Op Taxis, it was a good feeling to receive that information. It was kind of peace of mind since we exactly knew how much we were going to pay, meaning we did not have to bargain with the driver. It does not matter how long does the taxi take to get to the destination, the price is going to be the same.
After about 10 minutes of our call, the taxi driver, who was supposed to pick us up called us. Since we did not understand what he was saying, he took the help of a lady who he met on the way. The lady asked us the pickup point location since the drive was not able to locate. The lady communicated the driver accordingly. We waited for a while at the gate and the taxi driver did not show up for another couple of minutes. After a while, a taxi stopped in front of us and we quickly rushed into the car. When the taxi stopped at the intersection at the red light, we asked him a couple of questions to verify if he was the driver from Maxim which we should have done before we got into the taxi. However, he did not understand what we were asking. We showed him the address that we wanted to go. He did not understand that either and we had to show him the address that was written in the Georgian Language. It took a while for him to figure it out that address. He said something and moved ahead getting on the main road. However, we were still not sure if he really was a driver that we called since it took a while for him to figure out the address. If he was from MAXIM, he would clearly know where he had to take us.
After a couple of minutes, we received a call from a phone number that the driver from MAXIM taxi called to ask our pickup point. Then we became 100% sure that we got into a wrong taxi. We were in dilemma whether to pick up the call or not. We decided not to pick up the phone not knowing how to answer him. There was no way that we would be able to communicate what we wanted to say. We really wanted to say sorry that we unknowingly took another local cab. However, he kept calling us over and over. We got more than 10 calls within a couple of minutes. We picked up the 11th call and gave the phone to the driver who was taking us to Freedom Square. We thought that the driver of MAXIM might have understood that we took the wrong taxi and that he did not have to pick us up. We again got another call but could not do anything and just felt bad for not being able to communicate in the Georgian Language.
In about 5 minutes of being inside the taxi, the driver started smoking as if he was the only person inside the taxi. He did not bother asking us if he could smoke and at the same time, he was busy talking over the radio. Within fifteen minutes of the drive, he smoked two cigarettes. Neera had to close her nose and breathe through her mouth and let the windows open. The driver stopped talking on his radio only when his engine stopped reaching next to our apartment.
Once we got out of the taxi, we took deep breaths and thought MAXIM indirectly made us pay for taking the wrong taxi and wasting their time in the morning.
Later we realized that we might have messed up in giving the proper address. Our address was 'Delisi 2 street'. However, number 2 is pronounced differently in the Georgian Language. That might be the reason for the whole confusion. Therefore, we got our host to write down the address in the Georgian Language. And whenever, we need to come back to our apartment, we would just show that piece of paper with an address. From the third time, we started getting whichever taxi we could find on the road and we never had any problem since then. Hats off to the driver for his multi-tasks; smoking, talking over the radio, taking a call on the phone (hands-free) and shifting the gear. It needs lots of experience, coordination, and confidence.
Smoke is in the Air:
It seems like smoking is allowed everywhere in Georgia and therefore, smoking publicly is very normal in Tbilisi. The only time, we did not smell smoke in the air was when we were out of Tbilisi city to visit some historical places. We found people smoking everywhere. The food courts and restaurants in the Tbilisi Mall were also full of smoke since smoking is allowed inside the mall as well. We also saw a man smoking a cigarette inside ZARA store at the Mall. The most unusual part was to see people smoking inside the Tbilisi International Airport. A non-smoking person will definitely find the airport as a 'Gas Chamber' since it is a kind of situation whether you like it or not, you have to inhale the smoke. There is no separate designated area for smoking. As per the joint statement from WHO and UNDP in May 2017(Click here) stated that approximately 57% of men smoke making it the highest in the world. Hopefully, there will be strong anti-smoking regulations implemented in future for public benefit.
Traditional Georgian Toast:
We were not aware of Georgian culture of toasting until we really got to experience one. We were so happy to meet Bacho, Sofia and Nick at Czech Beer in Tbilisi on our last day in Georgia. Bacho arranged this meeting. Nick who did the role of TAMADA proposed toasts with wine. Tamada is the person who leads and proposes toasting. Toast Master, Nick said that people in Georgian do not drink wine to get drunk but instead, they take it very seriously. As soon as Nick proposed toasting, we thought it would be over very soon. However, it went on and on and then we realized that it was really different than any other toasting culture. It was a unique one. The toasts were made to: our meeting, friendship, parents, ancestors, women, children, peace and so on. Nick kept telling us that there was a certain sequential order for toasting even though he was breaking the rule. He was very eloquent while toasting. He also said that women have special respect in Georgian society. To clarify it, he shared an analogy: "If men are head, women are neck and neck can turn the head whichever way it wants." We really enjoyed that toasts even though we could stay at the bar more than two hours. Initially, we did not have to speak up to communicate in our table at the bar. However, as time passed, all tables became louder and louder and it seemed like we all had to shout to be heard. Drinking could have played a little bit role on it. It was a memorable and an amazing experience which we really enjoyed to the fullest. We were there for a very short period of time meeting with our new friends. However, the friendship and good impression about people in Georgia stayed in our hearts forever. Longing for a day for longer toasts sometime in future.
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