Ragnar's World: Stalin and me

I woke up today at around 10.30. Still drowsy. Got into the shower that changed from icy cold to scorching hot and back in the matter of seconds and at its own will. It seemed. So my gasping and moaning was part of the experience. After a quick breakfast where I spoke to a German lady, who just came here to wash her clothes, I went back to bed. After half an hour I decided that staying in bed all morning was not what I wanted to do with my life, so I got up. Grabbed my guidebook and read up on possibilities for the new day.
After a long day of walking through Tblisi yesterday, I decided to head north-west to the little town of Gori. But to get there, I had to take a bus or Mmarschherherh....something...something... Or minibus as we say in English. I had read in the guidebook that the Mmmm...something left from the Didube bus-station 4 km north of the train station. So I needed to take the metro to get there. Mmmmm... Metro! A new experience! Love it!
I looked for the M-sign, but didn't find any, so I decided to just walk into the biggest opening I could find. The unmistakable smell filled my nostrils. Mmmmm. Wet cellar. The sweet smell of subway. I headed for the escalator. I knew that it would cost 0.4 lari to take the sub, but didn't find any slot to put the coins. A uniformed lady came up to me. "Biljeta?" I said in an attempt to sound Russian. "Caad!" she said and rushed me to a counter. I put one lari at the counter. The lady behind the counter put three lari on the counter. Ok. Pay one, get three back? Before I realized she was trying to explain to "stupid western tourist" that I had to pay 3 lari for the card. Ah! I added two lari, and got the electronic card. Back to the gates. They gave off a sound of pure pleasure as I swiped the card across the reader, and turned green in excitement and let me through.
A long escalator next. The steps was far from stable and I stood there feeling my feet wobbling underneath me. Wooooo... I came down, feet first. And luckily, the signs where in both Georgian and "western". Didube to the left. Sniffing in the wet cellar smell, I felt a strong breeze as the train came rushing towards us with the familiar "Crash! Bang! RATTLEANG! screeeeeEEEEEEE(...muted to spare reader's ears...)EEEEEECH!". The doors flung open with a bang and everyone rushed in, while people on board tried to swim through the crowd to get out before the doors closed.
I hung in a steel bar as the train rattled its way through the tunnels. After a few stations "Didube!" sounded from the speakers. I got off. Looked around and immediately something familiar caught my eyes. A bustling collection of vans, food stalls, buses, noise, dust and smoke. I walked down throught the tunnels and out into an explosion of sound. The smell! Ah! The sweet smell of bus station. Unburnt fuel, open sewer, sweat and a slight hint of fear. I felt at home. This is what I am used to when travelling.
I hoped that the buses or minibuses would display destinations in latin letters. But of course none of them did. Another challenge. I got out my guide book and looked at Gori written in Georgian. A baby's head, two hearts and an upside down U. That's Gori : გორი
I searched high and low for anything that looked remotely like those letters. None where to be found. I started asking around. One guy looked at me as if I was stupid. Another didn't speak English, and the third said "On da odder side". But of course. I walked through the gigantic marketplace, with a roof that was about 5 inches too low for me, so I had to bow down the whole time. At the other side, I started looking for anything going to Gori. Finally, I saw a ma....something with "Gori" written on the front. How easy was that? It didn't appear to be going anywhere anytime soon, so I walked around. Found a shop where they sold some breadthingy with cheese inside. Bought one. When I walked back, the ma...something was heading out. I ran after it and banged on the side. They stopped and let me on. Ok. Stupid tourist thing of the day.
An hour later we entered Gori. I had no idea where I was getting off. So I just jumped ship at a convenient point and payed the driver 4 Lari (2 Euros). Walked back where I had spotted a large building when driving through the city.
So, why did I go to this godforsaken place in the world? Because Iosef Vissarionovitsj Dzjugasjvili or Josef Stalin, as most people know him, was born there. We may regard him as a dictator and despot. But in Georgia, he is still revered as a great leader. I wanted to see the big museum they have in his honor.
I soon found that the big building was a government building, of course. And that it lay on Stalin Avenue. I checked the guide, and the museum was, again of course, on the Stalin Avenue. I walked a few hundred meters. And a big building appeared on the left. I walked towards it, and the first thing that met me, was a large gaping hole. ("They stole the giant statue during one night!", Dodo told me later. Ooooki!) After the large gaping hole was the "shrine". The house where Stalin spent his first four years had become a shrine. A large marble building erected around it. Unlike the "humble beginnings of Great Leader" in North Korea, this WAS actually where Stalin spent his first years.
I entered the gigantic building and was pointed towards the ticket office. 15 Lari later, I was appointed a guide. He took me through the museum and told me of how great Stalin was, and how many wonderful things he had done. And how many people he killed, and should have killed. My replies consisted mostly of "Oh!"'s and "Right!"'s. Then an unexpected turn when he took me to the "execution room". "Ze nechative side!". He told about how many hundred thousand people where shot because they disagreed with Stalin. I guess we will never hear the guides in North Korea say anything of sorts...
Then I was taken to the house and I could take some pictures of the room his father rented when Josef was a child. And then to his private train carriage. "Mahogany!". "Venetian mirror!". "His private room with bathroom to the left!".Like I have written before. No matter the political system, the elite will always ride first class.
After finishing the tour, I had the new task of finding the bus station in Gori. I located the place I jumped ship, and kept on going in the direction my minibus had left. Finally, after passing a zillion small mobile phone shops, I found a roundabout (more like a ellipseabout) where there was a large number of ma...somethings and taxis parked. I started searching for Tblisi. A guy came up to me and asked me where I was going. "Tblisi" I said. "5 Lari! Share taxi!". I thought why not, and stood there for a few seconds before I asked him where the taxi was. He pointed halfhearted in one direction. Then suddenly a guy came up to him and started arguing with him. Then another. And soon the two of them stood in front of me, in spitting range of each other, screaming, yelling and waving arms. I stood there watching them for a while before I started thinking that the only thing missing in this picture was popcorn and a soda. But before I could locate any, they walked off. Continuing the yelling and screaming and handwaving. I stood there, watching them walk off and thought "Soooo, that happened..."
Second attempt. I asked a taxi driver where I could find ma...something for Tblisi. He pointed me to the other side of the road. After dodging a few speeding cars, I was safely on the other side. Only to find that the ma...somethings for Tblisi was on the other side. Another run across the street. Finally, I found a ma...something leaving for Tblisi. But not until it was almost full. Sitting there in the heat. Feeling the deodorant screaming for mercy as sweat poured out of me and into my shirt. I am sure the girl sitting next to me, speaking softly into her cell, were talking to her friend about the dead horse she had to sit next to. After what seemed to be an eternity, we were on our way.
An hour later, we were back at Didube. I jumped on the metro and headed back to my hotel.
More people have arrived at Dodo's. But tomorrow, I will be leaving. If Dodo allows me to... I have asked her several times to pay, but she always says "You go?" "Yes.Sadly." "Oh!" And then she changes the subject. Oh well. She must like me.
But now, the mosquitoes are really annoying me. So I'll stop for today...
Here are some images from today's trip to Gori.