In 2016, I went to Georgia for the World Chess Championship. This was one of the most memorable trips I’ve ever made. I had never before been anywhere else than North America (ignoring the fact that I was born in China), and going to a country in Asia was a totally different experience.
The flight from Montreal to Istanbul was relaxing. First, it wasn’t too long: 7 hours on a plane was just enough to watch some movies, like Star Trek Beyond, and sleep. Also, we were in one of the biggest aircrafts in the world: the Airbus A380. The size of this plane, as well as its weight, gives a very balanced and controlled flight, compared to other smaller planes. If the Airbus was to enter a turbulence zone, we wouldn’t have felt it much. In addition, we were flying with Turkish Airlines, one of the best airlines I’ve flown with, and the in-flight meals were amazingly delicious: we were served steak with grilled vegetables, potato bake and a Turkish salad before rounding off the meal with a chocolate cake. All the passengers on the plane also received a very nice travel kit, which included socks, slippers, a blanket, earphones, a toothbrush and some toothpaste.
We landed in Tbilisi International Airport, but we needed to get to Batumi, a city near the Black Sea. As a result, we took a taxi that could get us there. While the flight was relaxing, this car trip was the total opposite. To begin, the road from Tbilisi to Batumi had to pass a range of mountains, and we were in the middle of the night. The road made all sorts of loops and turns, never going in a straight line. This made me dizzy, and I couldn’t sleep. Furthermore, the driver was driving at a pretty high speed, and we were constantly worried we might crash. Imagine constantly worrying about a crash for four hours straight! However, it seems like the driver knows this road like the back of his hands. Therefore, in the morning, we arrived at our hotel safe and sound.
At the end, even if the trip to Georgia was complicated and rough, it was worthwhile. Georgia had so many interesting things to visit, from its castle ruins to a remarkably good remote restaurant on top of a mountain. I hope to come back again soon, not just for a chess tournament, but simply to visit the country.
If you are interested in the original version, here you go:
https://qyhuang.com/?s=georgia
Photo credit to: https://georgia.travel/en_US/adjara/batumi