Back in Tbilisi

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So we have returned to Tbilisi, after 7 years, though it seems much less. We came winding up and down the mountains of Armenia in a marshrutka -minivan- with 7 passengers on board and a scary driver. The company was interesting. I sat next to a woman from China, Beijing to be exact. She was happy to chat away for an hour or more about her life and travels and green things in general. She said she had a degree in Chinese literature and an MA in Psychology and used to work in Human Resources in Unilever and Siemens. She loves travelling and could tell me stories from parts of the world I hadn't visited...Tibet she said was very beautiful but had a strange funeral custom. She showed me a picture of what looked like a huge flock of vultures or eagles running down hill together and then said that Tibetans chop up their beloved corpses into small pieces and then lift a curtain for the birds to come and eat the flesh. I checked this later on Wiki and found it is true... a sky burial which is kind to the vultures, a sacred bird in Tibet....but the way she told it sounded so gruesome, chopping up a beloved body...but it us done by special sacred Buddhists, and has been so for centuries. 80% of Tibetans choose this funeral. It was a strange thing to learn about on a trip across the mountains from Armenia to Georgia.

Here in Tbilisi the old part of the city, near where we stayed on our first visit, is very busy and touristy now. There has been a radical makeover since we were last here. The beautiful crumbling house with galleries are now now repaired and painted, the streets are paved and tiled and there are endless souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants. The old dusty charm has gone. It's still picturesque but overrun.

But there are lovely parks and ancient side streets still. Keep away from the tourist traps and it is a lively beautiful city.

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