Ragnar's World: Aqua Vitae

5.45. I looked in disbelief at the clock I had placed on the bed next to mine. "You've got to be kidding me!" I looked out the window. Just remembered that my room didn't have any curtains. So when the sun was up, the room was fully lit. I threw my head back on the pillow. Trying to get more sleep. Yesterday, I realized that the restaurant next door also had live music. Consisting of a one-man entertainment show complete with his own PA-system. Loud at such. But fortunately, the power in town went out a number of times. The room fell completely dark, and the music stopped. For a while.
In the dark, I tried to find a torchlight I usually carry when travelling. Being an amateur astronomer, I am used to finding my way in darkness. I use a mental map of the space around me. I found my bag easily. But when I bowed down to pick it up, I banged into something with my glasses. I was so perplexed that I almost fell to the floor. I thought I had smashed my glasses into my eye. I looked at the few scattered lights across the river. I could still see. Save from the fact that the glass was smeared with grease and sweat from my eyelids.
I tried to find what I had banged into, since I could not in my mental image of the room, remember any protruding objects from the wall my bag was resting against. In the end, I realized that I had moved one of the chairs in my room, and I had banged my glasses against the back of it. Sometimes, wearing glasses is a good thing...
I washed my clothes last night. My "quick-dry" pants wasn't so quick to dry as I assumed, and in the morning, they were still quite moist. So I sat in bed all morning watching a movie while waiting for my pants to dry. So today, they smell fine. Unlike yesterday. Traveling light has its ups and downs. This is one of the downsides. Having to wash every now and then, without any backup. The upside is that you do not have to carry a lot of stuff around. Or having much to pack when leaving a hotel. I can be out of any room in minutes (an advantage when I was escaping cerfew in Vientiane in 2004).
After my pants had dried, I wanted to check out the Borjomi Mineral Water Park. I had no idea where it was supposed to be. But after walking in the direction I thought it ought to be, contrary to the rules of the universe, I found it. It was like walking into a fun fair. Loads to do for the children. And in the middle of it all, the elixir of life itself. The Aqua Vitae. The Borjomi mineral water. I had decided that whatever the smell and taste, I should try to drink it.
After paying my 0.5 lira and passing through the gates, I headed through the park and soon came to the pavillion made around the spring. The spring itself wasn't much to write home about. A couple of modern industrial taps where people could fill they glasses or bottles with the wonderful water. Much to my disappointment, my suspicion was correct. When I stood close, I smelled the unmistakable smell I had feared the most. I filled my water bottle with the life elixir for my tasting experience. So without any further ado: Here is a description of the water.

Color : Since the bottle I used is slightly blue, I am unable to tell the color, other than that it looks clear.
Smell : A strong hint of rotten eggs. In fact, that's the only smell.
Temperature when tapped : Lukewarm. This sort of gives away the origin of the smell...
Taste : Not able to accurately define when poured, since I would have had to pinch my nose to be able to drink it, so I thought at first I would have to settle for "shait". Luckily, I decided to await the much anticipated tasting. When I got back to my hotelroom later in the evening, I opened the bottle, and much to my surprise, the smell was almost gone. So it was actually possible to smell the bottle without feeling like you were sticking your nose into a supermarket dumpster. I gave it a sip. My tounge immidiately began analysing the tastes that hit it. Hmmmm. Nothing particularly bad. The best description I can give is if you take a bottle of "Farris" (Norwegian brand of carbonated mineral water), add a pinch of salt, shake out all the fizz, and leave it open in the sun for a few days. Not foul, not good. Just taste. I have tasted something similar before, but even after turning every twirl of my brain, I am unable to remember what. The name "Selters" popped up, but I am not sure. Anyways : I do not believe I will die from drinking it. But it is my strong belief that it would benefit from being carbonated ever so slightly.
Conclusion : If you want so sell foulsmelling water, say it is good for your health and/or makes your skin look younger. Although, if you leave it to stink off for a few hours, this is probably not the worst recipee I have read for good health.

Just outside the park, there was a cable car to a mountaintop just above. It cost 1.5 lari, each way. I wanted to see the view, and to see the ferriswheel on the top. I bought a ticket, and the girl behind the counter gave me something that looked like it had been printed on a bad printer, xeroxed and handcut. I thought it would be a great keeper until the guy on the gondola took it away. Recycling...
At the top, I started walking up the first road I found. I saw from down below that the ferris wheel was a slight walk from the cable car, so I started walking. After half an hour, I realized that I had taken a wrong turn somewhere. All I could find, was a large block of flats in the middle of the forest, complete with mothers yelling at their kids on the playground in front of it.
But I didn't mind the walk. It led through some beautiful forest. Quiet except for the birds chirping away. I turned and walked back to the cable car. A slight drizzle turned into full rain. I brought out my umbrella and walked on. Passing men standing underneath trees. Sheltering them from the rain. Back at the cable car, I realized that I had badly misjudged the size of the ferriswheel. It was quite small, and was located about 50 meters away. Oh, well. Not easy to judge distances far away. Every mountain hiker would know that. So should've I...
I went into a restaurant located in the cable car building. Bought a soda from one of the three grey-haired women sitting there staring at me when I arrived. After refreshing my self on the soda, I took the cable car down again. Enjoying the swaying gondola-ride one last time.
The whole area surrounding the water park was a bustling building site. New hotels, houses and restaurants where popping up everywhere. A new revival of the town. In a few years, maybe this small town will no longer be a mere speck on the map. A speedbump for people on their way to Batumi. But rather a bustling town where tourists from everywhere are coming to drink foul-smelling water from a couple of taps? Who knows?
Here are todays catch on the photographic front. Enjoy!

The dog house (Down to the left. The rest is the back of my hotel)

The difference between an 80 lari hotel and a 20 lari hotel. The paintjob.

Entrance to the water park

Cable car

Pavillion with the spring

The spring

Not so romantic up close. And given the smell, drinking the water wasn't my first thought.

Waterfall inside the water park

Rollercoaster, not high season at them moment so most attractions were not in use.

Childrens train

Carousel

"Now, children. If you eat grandma's soup, your vegetables and those fine pills from our sponsor, you will stay as healthy as me!"

Cable car ticket

Top of the mountain, complete with ferris wheel

Meanwhile, in an apartment on the mountain : "Mommy, why does our chicken taste so different from the ones in the shop?" "Honey, that's because they eat the same food we do!"