Day 48, 17 July 2012 Samsun to Goreme Valley

Whirling Dervishes

In a spectacular landscape, entirely sculpted by erosion, the Göreme valley and its surroundings contain rock-hewn sanctuaries that provide unique evidence of Byzantine art in the post-Iconoclastic period. Dwellings, troglodyte villages and underground towns – the remains of a traditional human habitat dating back to the 4th century – can also be seen there.

Samsun hotel carpark

Donor kebab for lunch

Cappadocia cave hotel was definitely a place to stay. All of us put up in a cave hotel in Goreme Valley and we never regretted it. It was very beautiful; with each room has different interior. The room was clean and the bed sheet was beautiful. There were very little we could ask for more.

The original Goreme Valley cave hotel 

We decided to signed up for an evening dinner package that comes with various Turkish performances such as the famous Whirling Dervishes, traditional Turkish folk dance and belly dancing.

Day 47, 16 July 2012 Batumi to Samsun Turkey

Turkey border crossing was easier than we anticipated. The queue into Turkey was rather a short one and both Georgian and Turkish authorities were very helpful to ensure we have all the necessary documents to move around in Turkey.

The only additional requirement by the Turkish authority was to purchase a local vehicle insurance policy which cost us additional Euro 40 inclusive of agent handling fees.

There were heaps of such agent lobbying around the Turkish duty free shopping complex offering such services to foreign cars. 

Sarpi Beach, Georgia

The Black Sea coast before we enter into Turkey

Sarp Turkey

Clear water of the Black Sea

Coincidentally, we met another 'Malaysian' on the road... Mr Proton Wira

Day 46, 15 July 2012 Tbilisi to Batumi

We started our day with a half day tour around Tbilisi old town before we heads to Batumi.

Metekhi is a historical district of Tibilisi in Georgia which is located on the hilly areas above river Mtkvari . The district is one of the oldest areas around the city of Tibilisi. 

Metekhi Church

Narikala Fortress

Equestrian statue of King Vakhtang Gorgasali

Sameba Cathedral is the religious center of Georgia . Its construction took 7 years and was finished in 2003. Holy Trinity church is one of the grandiose churches in the orthodox  world.

Sameba Cathedral 

Our guide Keti inside the beautiful Sameba Cathedral 

Svetitskhoveli, known as the burial site of Christ's mantle, has long been the principal Georgian church and remains one of the most venerated places of worship to this day.

The current cathedral was built in the 11th century by the Georgian architect Arsukisdze, though the site itself is even older dating back to the early 4th century and is surrounded by a number of legends associated primarily with the early Christian traditions.

The place where Sidonia is buried with Christ's robe is preserved in the Cathedral

According to Georgian hagiography, in the 1st century AD a Georgian Jew from Mtskheta named Elias was in Jerusalem when Jesus was crucified. Elias bought Jesus’ robe from a Roman soldier at Golgotha and brought it back to Georgia. Returning to his native city, he was met by his sister Sidonia who upon touching the robe immediately died from the emotions engendered by the sacred object. The robe could not be removed from her grasp, so she was buried with it.

Georgian bride

 

The Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is one of the most venerated places of worship for Georgian Orthodox Christians

Evening in Batumi

Day 45, 14 July 2012 Sheki to Tbilisi Georgia

On arrival to Yukari Karavansarai Hotel, we were very impressed. The entry has a high vaulted ceiling, is dimly lit, and looks very much as you would imagine a caravanserai would have looked like. The courtyard is lovely, with very well tended gardens full of roses in full bloom. 

The garden beyond, where meals are served was wonderful, garden well kept, and peonies and roses in full bloom. 

View from our breakfast courtyard

It took us approximately 2hours to drive from Sheki to Lagodekhi border checkpoint. The road condition was good and we started to see the vast improvements as we moved towards Europe.

Azerbaijan border gate

The nation of Georgia (Georgian: საქართველო sak’art’velo) was first unified as a kingdom under the Bagrationi dynasty in the 9th to 10th century, arising from a number of predecessor states of ancient Colchis and Iberia. The kingdom of Georgia flourished during the 10th to 12th centuries, and fell to the Mongol invasions of Georgia and Armenia by 1243.

Metekhi Church (13th century) with the equestrian statue of the city’s royal founder standing above the steep cliffs of the Mtkvari River is one of the classic images of Old Tbilisi. The church has been destroyed many times by the enemy. During the Tsarist regime there was a prison there and in Soviet times Metekhi was used as a theatre. In was only in the late 1980s that the church was reconstructed again.