I took an early morning flight from Delhi to Istanbul, with a two-hour stopover before my connecting flight from Istanbul Airport to Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. I had already obtained a 30-day visa through iVisa and was all set to explore the city for the next twenty-five days. Yes, this would be my longest stay in a country; my previous trips had been for no more than two weeks.
But, as they say, anything can happen when you’re on an adventure. My trip started with a damper. In my absent-minded state, I decided to sit at the Turkish airport’s local McDonald’s to have my lunch. I got so engrossed in my thoughts that by the time I reached my gate to board the Turkish Airlines flight to Tbilisi, the flight had completed its full boarding and they had closed the gates. I was late by fifteen minutes. I was told that I could not board the flight and would have to buy another ticket. I must admit, I panicked a bit and rushed to the Turkish Airlines counter. They informed me that there was another flight in three hours, but I would have to buy a brand-new ticket, which would cost me another thousand dollars. As you can see, my journey to Georgia did not have a very auspicious start. But what’s done cannot be undone, and that was the case here.
Tbilisi
I managed to finally get a new ticket and board my flight. It was in Business Class. I realized that as I get older, I prefer to travel in Business Class as it is the only way to get a good sleep on a plane, especially during long flights.
The journey to Tbilisi was over two hours long. As luck would have it, a very attractive and pleasant taxi and tour operator named Nino met me at the arrivals. After changing dollars into the local currency, the lari, I decided to take a taxi ride with Nino in her BMW taxi. She drove me right up to the Ramada hotel.
“I love India. I’ve always wanted to see the Ganga. India is famous for magic, mysticism, and voodoo. You know, we have a woman here who couldn’t have babies. She went to India, swam in the river Ganga, and soon after, she gave birth to a child,” Nino told me.
“I am an actor, you know. I’ve been a Bollywood actor. See, I’ll show you my videos.” I started showing her my videos on YouTube. I feel that all around the world, this is the best way to establish trust and credibility. Just tell the world you are a Bollywood actor from India, and soon enough, you will have made a few friends.
Yes, and I feel I have already made a new and attractive friend in Tbilisi: Nino Davitadze. I am hoping she will be such a friend.
