The man who rode a motorcycle from Tbilisi to Portugal — the adventurer I met on the train to Batumi.
The morning I left Tbilisi after one month
Today is the day I'm going to Batumi! It feels like traveling again after a long time, and I'm really excited. Lately my circadian rhythm had been off, so I wanted to reset it and stayed up without sleeping. I posted to my blog and did some work during the night. At dawn I ate the remaining vegetables and fruit, packed, cleaned, and checked out!
The place I stayed for a month had an amazing location; the landlady was really kind and supportive, and the cat came by regularly and was so cute. I thought I'd like to stay here again if I come back to Tbilisi.
It reminded me of Russian sleeper trains.
I slung my backpack on for the first time in a while and took a taxi to the station. It was my first time using that station, but it was really simple and I found the platform right away.
Batumi was on platform 1, so when I headed there the train had already arrived. Many people were boarding.
It reminded me of Russian sleeper trains. There are no gates — each train has one conductor, and she stands by the door checking everyone's information.
I ended up in an upper-level seat. But my backpack was too big to fit on the luggage rack above, so I had to put it in a nearby gap. While I was settling into my seat and getting ready, an older man sat down.
I quickly greeted him with "Gamarjoba." I used to put on my earphones right away and enjoy my alone time by listening to music, but now I actively greet people like this. I thought that's a good thing. He also seemed to love communicating — he asked, "Do you have a charger hub?" I also asked him if it would be okay to put my backpack here since I was worried.
Vasil — a born adventurer
His name is Vasil. Apparently he bought a Toyota and was going to pick it up in Batumi. He said he'd drive it back to Tbilisi. It's apparently the tenth car of his life. That surprised me. I wondered if even Japanese people change cars that often; he also said he owned about four motorcycles.
As we talked I learned he was a true adventurer and loved the outdoors. He'd gone alone to places like Dagestan in Russia, Chechnya, Azerbaijan, and had even ridden his motorcycle all the way from Tbilisi, Georgia to Portugal — an incredibly wild adventurer. Really fascinating! It made sense — he was obviously super communicative and chatty.
Talking with him, I felt I received a lot of inspiration. He told me about many places in Georgia worth visiting, and I pinned them. I realized it's a shame that I've spent so long in famous places like Tbilisi and Batumi — I thought I should see more nature and go on more adventures.
The downside of a round-the-world trip without a driver's license
But I don't have a motorcycle or car license, so I can't rent a car or ride a motorcycle. That was the only drawback.
I realized that if you're traveling around the world, it's definitely better to be able to drive a car. Truly natural, beautiful places are usually in very rural areas, so driving skills are necessary. I decided I'll get a driver's license as soon as I return to Japan.
Message card and Facebook
In the end I gave him a message card I had written and had him write a message in my notebook too. He was on the phone a lot during the trip and seemed busy, but I found a gap and went to talk to him.
I hesitated a little, but I mustered the courage and thought, "Now!" and went. I'm glad I did. He suggested we exchange Facebook info, and we did. It became a great memory and meeting him really sparked my adventurous spirit!
Arrival in Batumi
I arrived in Batumi. I was starving. While hailing a taxi, a group of three young guys said "Hello my friend" and I instinctively replied "Hello," but I wished I'd expanded the conversation more.
I took a taxi and arrived at the apartment! The view from the apartment was amazing. You could see the sea, there was a large park, and a shopping mall nearby.
It was a location I could only call perfect. But it felt like there were many families and couples, and very few young people.
It reminded me again that being young means being full of opportunities — it's all chance and it comes with dreams. I felt once more that I want to take on many challenges while I'm young and act so I have no regrets.
