A Bad Day Ends Well in Tbilisi

Tuesday June 2.

Woke up in Tbilisi back in the Rennasiance Hotel, this time in a room with a terrace. I had the day all planned out. On the agenda was getting duplicate auto keys made, going to the Georgia History Museum, and contacting our local contact who was going to help us store the car while we were in India. But the first task was to go to the insurance office to sign and pay for our Georgia auto insurance. This had taken on the trappings of a holy grail quest. The tour books and websites had led us to believe that Georgian drivers were homicidal maniacs, that the pedestrians were suicidal, that the roads consisted of little-car-eating potholes and that the traffic laws were strictly enforced. We sought auto insurance from western companies, but they unanimously do not provide primary auto insurance in Georgia. (We were, however, able to buy secondary insurance from a Dutch company.) In Batumi, when we entered Georgia, we purchased primary insurance, but the paperwork was not able to be prepared prior to our departure. The arrangement was that we would sign the paperwork and pay for the policy in the company’s Tbilisi office. It was not ready until late Friday when we were at the baths and the office was not open on the weekend.

In anticipation of going to the office on Monday, I got a map and pretty detailed direction from the staff at the Rooms Hotel. They were very cooperative, but as it turned out, very wrong. We set out in the morning by Metro to the station specified by the staff. Turned out we were in a quasi residential neighborhood. Walked around for a while and then took a taxi, but could not locate the office. Finally called the office to get better instructions, but aside from learning that the office was downtown (I should have known that myself), I could not understand the instructions. Boarded the train and went to the Tourist Information Office. They were very helpful and gave us more maps. She suggested a taxi, as she claimed it was a long way from a Metro stop and kindly suggested that I would not be able to find it myself by car.   We went out to the taxi stand and when we showed them (several cab drivers were grouped together) the address, it caused an immediate conference and a seeming debate about where the office was. One driver finally agreed to do it, but he wanted three times what the information officer said a taxi should cost.

So we walked away intending to try the taxi stand at a hotel. They called after us and it turned out an unlicensed driver was willing to do it at the requested price. He was flying through the streets and finally arrived at a nondescript office building with no address. He and Karen went into the building and I am told he interrupted a meeting to determine that in fact we were at the correct location.  We gave him a big tip and then trudged into the office. We had now been at this process for 5 hours. The insurance company staff was very helpful. Water and toilet facilities were made available and then we began to sign papers. Finally we were ushered upstairs to pay. We had been quoted a price in euros, but learned that this office only accepted payment in laris, the local currency. Fortunately I had cashed out our Russian friend of his laris (sending him home with dollars), but even with that I was one lari short. The cashier made up the difference.

With no local money we jaywalked through a large square to get to a bank. Then the most remarkable thing happened. We were walking to the Metro station and who did we see but the very lady, the groom’s mother, who was going to help us store the car. Over a million people in Tbilisi and we bumped into her. I am reminded of the line from Casablanca, “Of all the gin joints in Casablanca you had to walk into mine.”   

I did not have any doubt that she would do this, but I was concerned about getting in touch with her and working out the details. We did that on the street and arranged to meet at the Holiday Inn the next day. One anxiety addressed and it would not have occurred without all our prior misadventures.

We walked to the Metro and rode two trains back to Freedom Square. [I managed a transfer without getting lost. I am better on the subway than driving in Tbilisi.] Walked a bit into Old Town and then found a wonderful restaurant.

Pur Pur is housed in an old building overlooking a small park. It was wonderfully decorated with retro furnishings. Even the bathroom was done that way. Several musicians played and sang. We had a table on a balcony to ourselves overlooking the park. Wonderful meal and experience after a maddening day.

Walked back and had a little ice cream. The Peace Bridge was a nice visual experience on the way home.