After landing in Kutaisi at a reasonable time of day, namely lunchtime, I realised that the slightly late arrival meant that I had missed the airport bus that departs every two hours. There was a wait of ninety minutes until the next one which felt a little sub-optimal as I was tired.
Out of interest, I had a look to see how much a Bolt taxi would cost, as Uber doesn’t operate in Georgia, and I realised that it was a fixed price of £6.90. This was twice the price of the bus, but I decided to treat myself to this almost unimaginable level of financial extravagance. Given that it was a 40 minute taxi journey and I’d be taken straight to the hotel, I considered this as a reasonable option. Anyone travelling as a pair might as well take a taxi, unless they particularly enjoy waiting beside an airport to save no money whatsoever.
The driver arrived after around ninety seconds and I realised that there is a little waiting area for them. He seemed very positive and I was pleased to discover that he spoke no English, allowing international friendship to remain within manageable limits while I looked out of the window. I had no mobile roaming in Georgia, so I was temporarily forced to observe the country I had travelled there to see.
I tried to put my seat-belt on and the driver turned around and said “no need for that, I am a safe driver” which filled me with zero confidence. This is something that he must have learned in English to appear welcoming. The journey proceeded smoothly until he became lost in the city centre, uttered something that sounded suspiciously like a Georgian swear word and performed a brave U-turn in the road.
I was ultimately pleased that I got a taxi as I discovered that my hotel was at the top of a substantial hill, so not only did I save myself over an hour, I also saved myself a challenging walk.