Georgia 2026

Day 6 April 26, 2026 Tbilisi Georgia to Baku Azerbaijan

Today we leave Georgia so time for some parting thoughts. Tbilisi is a busy modern city. They are replacing the Russian structures as fast as money allows. The city suburbs have modern apartment complexes. Everyone has cell phones. The city is clean with very little graffiti. The Russians destroyed much of their history although maybe not as much as in Armenia. Georgia has a different alphabet and language from Armenia. The natural gas lines are above ground here as well. Natural gas is available throughout most if not all the country.

Now we fly to Azerbaijan because its too far to drive and the train is not available for passengers. Oh, and the ground border is closed. The trip to the airport took about 30 minutes because this is Sunday morning and traffic is less. The suggested arrival time is 2.5 hours before flight time. We arrived on time but the check-in counter wasn’t open yet. Going through passport control was easy enough. The wait was very short. The airport is small compared to many large city airports. On the other side we see several members of our tour group waiting for their flights. They won’t post the gate for at least another hour. There is time for us to twiddle our thumbs.

We boarded the plane which was full of passengers. The flight is very short only about 50 minutes. In that time they served a sandwich and juice or water. You had a choice of cheese or turkey sandwich. We both chose turkey. Sure could have used some mustard. They are not polite getting off the aircraft. People jumped up and raced down the aisle. They do like to push and shove.

Passport control was easy again. Our visas seemed to be in order. We did notice a kiosk where you could get a visa on entry. Our luggage made it so that is good. Rob had downloaded an app for the Azerbaijan form of Uber. It is called “BOLT”. Seemed to work just fine. The driver would be there in 2 minutes and we were still inside the airport. With the help of a policeman we got our ride. The pick up point was hard to find. Nice car and what seemed to be a good driver.

The drivers here may be crazier than in Georgia if possible. They stop only inches from the car in front. They change lanes on a whim assuming there are lanes. Intersections are wild because streets come from numerous directions. Roundabouts are very common. Traffic lights, stop signs and yield signs don’t exist much. Some of the streets are three or four lanes in each direction but some are only one lane period. Not sure how they know which direction they go. The thought is either. Cars are parked on the sides so close together I don’t know how they got in nor how they are going to get out. There are very few pickups on the road. Some of the cars have self-installed flat racks on top of the roofs to haul bigger items or building material. There are many police cars scattered around. Most of the police are doing something on the cell phones.

The buildings in the outskirts are very modern looking. The architects have had a wonderful time. Lots of glass and buildings that look like a flame. The closer we get to the city center the architecture looks more European.

The address given for our hotel is wrong. Not unusual for the booking apps. Given the name of the hotel our driver managed to find it. We got out of the car and opened the door to what we thought was the hotel. Major construction was going on so we thought we had the wrong place. We started down the block when a man came out to see if we were looking for the hotel. They are doing major renovation to the lobby.

Two people are at the reception desk. Rob worked with one and Connie talked to the other. Breakfast is served from 8-10 but best to be there by 8. The American Embassy is located just down the street. The hotel doesn’t get many Americans. The room is not bad but it also is not great. Rather small and with only one chair. The hotel looked much better on the reservation app.

We learned of a small market just about a block down the street. We went out to get something for supper and some additional water. Rob asked about an ATM. A man who works for the embassy told him where to go. Connie stayed in the store and looked at options. We ended up getting some big cup of noodles, bread, salami, mustard, cheese and cookies. What an exciting meal on the town. We don’t skimp on most meals but it can happen when you travel with Rob.

Sorry no pictures today. I guess we just forgot.