Getting up, shower, breakfast and saying good bye. Always very hard to do. This family has embraced me, looked after me and locked me into their hearts. Their incredible hospitality was overwhelming. Never to be forgotten. Saying good bye to Jayme at the bus station, a big lump in my throat and I had to hold back my tears. It is without a doubt the hardest part of travelling. Meeting beautiful people and then saying good bye, over and over again! The bus trip to Macae wasn’t too bad. I fell asleep as soon as the bus left, woke up for lunch four hours later, only to sleep a further four hours!
Gina and Maria came onto the platform just as I arrived! Gina and I had met eight years ago, when I looked for accommodation in Rio de Janeiro, not realising that this was a province as well as a town! It was like we only met yesterday! We went to Maria Eduarda’s flat. Dumped my luggage and hit the town! The foreshore was amazing! Lots of restaurants, pizza places and bars. We shared some drinks, ate some food and were home by eleven. The next day we caught an Uber to the foreshore, walked along the beach and the lake. Our waiter told us that tonight there would be life music. Of course! There is life music EVERY night! Ah, Brasil! How I will miss you!
Later that afternoon Maria cooked a wonderful lunch and her friend Daniela, came over as well. We went for a long walk along the foreshore, where we encountered a snake eating a gecko! This woman wanted somebody to stop the snake doing this! Eh?? Only its tail was just hanging out. The photos is on my camera. This is animal love taken too far. It is life. It is nature.
We all went to watch an amazing sunset, over the lake! There was an empty derelict hotel across the road and Gina and I fantasised bringing it back to its former glory! We then joined the party on the foreshore. My favourite song was played, “Let it Be” and “imagine”, and lots of Brasilian music afterwards! I even got up to dance! Later that night we all snuggled in the lounge to watch “Rocketman”, another magic day had passed. In the morning Maria Eduarda and Daniela needed to go to work, while Gina and I caught the bus to Barra de Sana. The bus took about an hour to Casimiro de Arbeu. Beautiful scenery, mountains, rivers and sunshine!
Daniela and I enjoying our evening.
Coming back after eight years to Gina and Luiz Miguel’s hostel, was like coming home. We had a marvellous lunch and spend the afternoon in the garden. Gina is a painter too, so I looked at her art work, we shared a bottle of wine and talked! Boy, did we talk! I am always amazed when I meet people again after a long time, that a connection is still there. This is not a given! We shared another lovely meal, and after a shower it was time for bed. These last days are flying by.
My last day on the island. Gina and I sat in the garden, watching. Humming birds and finches in the huge Hibiscus tree. Then Gina went to work, and I went kayaking. Letting myself drift along, enjoying the bird song and the sunshine!
Gina and I talked about a lot of things, as Gina is a painter as well, also she told me about the Hawaiian meditation of Ho’Oponopono. “I love you, I am sorry and I forgive you, THANK YOU! “I had never heard of this before, but since then I have googled and read about this meditation. It is a better form of what I have been doing for years. Some people come into your life just to change your life! Gina is my guide, my inspiration, I think it works both ways, but I will certainly look into a course I can do in Oz!
Luiz contemplating what to cook for lunch!
The island hostel is one of the most magic places I have ever visited! It is so peaceful and quiet, with the bird life just around you. A woodpecker playing his kind of music on a tree. Bright red birds, yellow ones, and lots and lots of humming birds. Luiz made lunch, I did some washing, and together we watched a horror movie about a Toxic Shark!! Lots of blood, guts and very bad acting! My bus to São Paulo is at nine o’ clock at night, but the last bus from Barra de Sana left at six thirty. Lots of time to sit at the cute bus station watching people and the world go by!
I WILL BE BACK,!!
After five days of rain and wet weather, the sun was shining when I left Kutaisi for Borjomi. What a shame! I had a backpack full of dirty clothes, which would not have dried in the humidity and wet weather of Kutaisi. I had booked a guesthouse in Borjomi, but when I arrived I was not impressed with the store -room the old lady wanted to put me into. I thanked her, and walked on. Higher onto the hill were more and more guesthouses, although, most catering for two and more people! One person was NOT welcome! I had not encountered this before, so it surprised me.
Then I walked by a lovely house with gladioli in planter boxes, making me think of Dame Edna Average! A sign from above! Temo, the young owner, cleaned out his room, put clean sheets on his bed, and voila, my room was ready! First things first! Washing! Doing domestic chores is un -avoidable, although I do as little of it as possible. I mainly do hand washing on a daily basis, but my travel pants and fleece jacket were long overdue for a proper washing machine wash!
Afterwards I sat on the balcony and met Salome, a young Georgian film maker, who just a week ago opened the first night club in Borjomi. I would have loved to have seen some of her films and visit the night club, but alas, the old body gives up around nine at night! Bummer!
Next door was a luxury hotel, and I decided, since I walked all this way to have a sticky beak into how the rich people live! It was unbelievably beautiful! I pretended that I was interested in a major overhaul, eg. Facials, massages etc. I received the price list, didn’t choke, kept a poker face and asked if I could see the facilities! The rooms were U$155 per night, this included breakfast and free use of every thing on offer! The Hamman was stunning, the swimming pool amazing, but not warm enough for my liking! The young girl showing me around was very friendly, she left me when I asked to go yo the toilet. Afterwards I wandered around on my own, found a lovely quiet spot and used their excellent wifi to update all my homework and social media. Pleasant, very pleasant!
The next day I planned to visit the famous mineral baths. Borjomi is famous for its mineral water. I quit like it despite the slightly salty/ sour taste. As my maps.me was not working, for some reason it refuses to tell me where I am, unless I have wifi, I was lost. I asked the young woman at the cafe where to go and she sort of waved her hands in a general direction, indicating that I should go up the mountain. Great! All I needed was another five kilometre walk up a mountain. My legs had not yet recovered from the last ones I visited! But, hey, I walked the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, so what is another five or ten kilometres up a hill!? So I started walking, and walking, it was hot, I was sweating like a pig and just contemplating if I really needed to see these mineral baths, when a car stopped and offered me a lift.
Not one to look a given horse in the mouth, I accepted gracefully. It was a young Azarbijan family, going to Bakuriani. Amin, the husband, was intrigued by the fact that the mineral baths were so closed by and his young family decided to join me. This was marvellous, as the path down had been washed away by the heavy rains of the last week. His wonderful wife Nara, and young Ismail ( five years old) enjoyed the slippery slide down the path.
Ismail and I went into the bath, the water was pleasantly warm, but filthy and overcrowded. I had to sit in the sun to dry out my bathers, and the three of us discussed how we could get back to the car! It was impossible for me to climb up the muddy slopes, when Nara asked an old woman how she got up here, and was shown a broad path that led all the way down to the mineral park! Oops! That was where I was supposed to take! It was agreed that Amin would climb the path back to fetch the car and meet us down at the park entrance. The way down was much easier, but also three times as long!
Borjomi mineral water park occupies a narrow, wooded valley and is a lovely place to go for a stroll. This was where the original mineral water was discovered and named Yekaterinsky Spring after the governor’s daughter who was cured here. The park itself dates from 1850. Warm mineral water flows from taps in the magnificent pavilion. There are many attractions , a funfair attractions, cinema and a cable car to take you up to the Ferris wheel on top of the mountain. Ismail’s eyes couldn’t take it all in, but he was keen to get back and find his father.
When I arrived back in my room, and collapsed of total exhaustion, I received a message, Filip and Ewa had arrived, would I meet them for a drink and a chat! After a lot of back and forward messaging, I walked to the restaurant, and had a pleasant couple of hours. When you re-meet people while travelling, it is like a meeting of kindred’ souls. It was just wonderful. Tomorrow Akhaltsikhe