We took a Marshrutka from a Hellish bus station from Tbilisi, a bit more north in the Didube district of the city. A muffled announcer screamed out information in Georgian that I couldn't understand and would've been surprised if even Georgians could understand it. Roughed-up bus drivers shouted around the streets announcing which locations they were to head to so that anyone in the area would notice them a bit easier. This was a bit of a makeshift operation in terms of a bus station. Nothing around actually spoke of order, rather something that was birthed out of chaos itself and became a brief answer within this area in regards to transport out of the city. The Marshrutka is a common form of cheaper transport in post-Soviet nations, where you're thrown into a tiny mini-bus alongside a small group of others to which you'll be driven from town to town or hundreds of miles out to another city. They're a bit faster and cheaper than other modes of transportation, which makes sense given the lower wages of this part of the world. People often rely on these for getting to and from work, carrying fresh produce or various work items that they'd then sell elsewhere. I had seen something similar on the way to Borjomi with the old sleeper train that cruised at a snail's pace. Densely packed with tired faces and bags heavier than their own weight.
While these photographs were taken on the road from Tbilisi to Kutaisi in Georgia, they're not from one individual place, and I took them from the incredibly warm and cramped window of the minibus. Much of the sights along the more developed road weren't all that interesting, a few villages here and there. But the main road simply takes you through a mostly empty landscape. You could see the development along the way, the ways the country had slightly changed from its Soviet past to its present. Though the modernisation wasn't all that evident from the driving skills around us. The minibus coming to sudden halts along the motorway, those on the minibus pushed forward into the already limited space in front. This happened a few times along the road, and it was clear that this came from the dated mindset of trying to cram as many people into a minibus as possible, and get them to their destination as quick as possible. It didn't feel all that safe, but that's sort of how this method of transportation goes. Though on the way back we did notice that there was a more modern option available at a slightly higher price: a coach with a few additional luxuries. You take the minibus when you don't care for time, when you want to be cheap, and you don't have a ton of belongings with you.
With the rapid development of Georgia within the past decade, taking the main highways to and from certain locations isn't exactly the most scenic option anymore, while it may take you through a few small towns and villages here and there, they're mostly quick and without stops. You catch a very small glimpse at the rural life. It makes the trip feel a bit more strange, a little more eerie as you drive through the landscape of near nothingness for much of it. In some areas you'll find dense forests, a few mountains with bending roads, but also a lot of flat land that is either for local agricultural purposes or simply uncultivated. A few things from the Soviet Union remain. You might notice the odd Soviet bus stop with a unique design, no longer in use and mostly overgrown and crumbling. A few market stalls scattered along the road with purposes that seem harder to guess. Now no longer in use. For me, the main interest along the way to Kutaisi was a large mosaic on the side of a factory that remains. An art piece that celebrates the builder and the farmer within the Union. To the right, which is barely visible by the road, is something else far more rare to see in this era: a statue of Stalin. I had never seen one before, not here in Georgia nor in Armenia. Quite a rarity, particularly here where there is such a strong rejection of his actions.
Depending on where you are in the country, you do see how the landscape shifts. It goes from dry and void of colour to something riddled with snow and trees. Large mountains pop out of nowhere in the background and become something that surrounds. Dense highways of today's development appear and disappear before taking you back on dangerous old roads without much order. If you don't see the odd aspect of Georgia's Soviet past, or its cultural differences in farming and village life, then the next best thing is that natural environment. You see how diverse that landscape is, how temperatures jump up and down and how you barely notice the constant ascending and descending; only noticing it when you get a bit chilly suddenly or how your ears start to pop a little. Quick breaks in the middle of nowhere have you surrounded by the oldest looking shacks you've seen, where villagers have set up little shops in attempt to gain from whatever produce they can sell to those passing through. Most of the time these people aren't selling to tourists; it's mostly locals and natives using these roads, even the little minibus to travel between towns and cities.
It was fun taking these while looking out of the window along the way, finding something to distract myself from the lack of space I had, and the fact that the driver was constantly making rough breaks while speeding. A few words spoken to whoever might be up there listening in the process.
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Here I am thinking about getting into a Marshrutka, well not a mini-van, but a big truck that transports people like sardines in a can to Pinar del Río, a city to the west of Havana. But I've seen the 777 so many times that I'm going to look up its meaning to see if I should make that trip or not.
I looked it up after seeing you mention it and it appears it's a sign of good luck or being on the right path, so perhaps we're both doing well. ;^)
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If I see this pictures alone without you mention Georgia I wouldn’t think in United States.
It's probably quite similar in terms of landscape! Lots of mountains and forestry.
True! I was thinking more for the little wood house
Ah yeah, those little shacks scattered around are quite an odd feature. Very village-like things to see here. Completely different to villages I grew up in and around in England.
It's impressive how large village houses are, and how much of them are constructed by the owners alone. So along the roads which are becoming more populated, they're creating little shops for their produce with whatever materials they can find.
Interesting. That’s why I didn’t think of Georgia. Keep posting to learn more