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Kutaisi was just a 1 night stop enroute to our mountain destination of Mestia. We were picked up by our taxi at 8.30 and by 9.00 our bus to Kutaisi was pulling out of the Tbilisi bus station. So far we have done fairly well with our transport arrangements, albeit more by good fortune than brilliant planning. The first hour of the journey was a route we had travelled before. The country side was nothing special, mainly rural with the odd town or village. Kutaisi at first appeared to be a place that had seen better days, but as we got closer to the city centre it improved. A passing comment about the bus to Mestia as we left the bus station prompted our taxi driver to tell us that the bus left at 8am. Our understanding was that departure was 10am. He was adamant so to be on the safe side we arranged for him to pick us up at 7.30 next morning. There is only 1 bus per day - we couldn't afford to miss it! The biggest attraction in Kutaisi is Bagrati Cathedral. Built in the 11th century it sits high on a hill overlooking the city. It holds what is probably a rare distinction, being on both the UNESCO World Heritage listing as well as their World Heritage in Danger listing. The latter due to some renovations which are not at all in character with building. Think modern metal and glazing work. However the 2 wedding parties who were having their photos taken in the grounds of the cathedral were obviously not concerned about that. On the way back to the hotel I decided to have a rest on a seat in the rather nice park in the middle of the city. I hadn't been there long when i was approached by an elderly woman I thought was a beggar. When I raised my hand to say no and wave her away she pushed my hand out of the way, showed me a coin she was holding, pointed at the seat in an indignant manner and proceeded to sit down next to me. The message I got was that she owned that particular seat so I should move on. I did. Dinner and a short walk around the town in a light drizzle effectively bought our brief stay in Kutaisi to an end. The next chapter is a 4-5 hour drive to Mestia, in the Svaneti Ranges, about 20 km from the Russian border.
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