This year I could afford going to virtually any place I would love to. I might not be able to enjoy the luxurious experiences but I would be able to choose a convenient hotel, a dream destination and simply have great time there. But I would be able to do it alone. And although during my travels I have come to the conclusion that traveling alone is the best you can do to yourself I decided that this time family travel should be a priority. Nevertheless, my dad was not able to join us in the end, and although I was about to cancel all plans, I finally decided to go for the travel with three of us — my mom, sister and I, plus my closest friend.
Photo by Ani Babayan
I was inviting my mom and sister and so all travel related expenses were on me. It was great but it also meant that I had to choose a cheaper destination and together with my friend we focused on Georgia, more precisely on Batumi. However, just like in all travels, in ours as well there was a last minute change and we decided to go to Kobuleti.
The best way to understand the difference between Kobuleti and Batumi is to compare them, but comparing them would not be that fair, as Batumi more resembles a mid-class European city, while Kobuleti — a developing Soviet village. So there you got the difference. And these two Georgian cities have only one thing in common — the sea that pulls people to them.
Photo by Ani Babayan
Had I known what Kobuleti was actually like I guess I would never go there. Well, we got to know a very nice woman who was the host of the house we had rented a room, my mom got to know her friends and was always invited for a morning coffee and sometimes even for afternoon and evening coffee with them. But the fact that I wanted to go to a nice city with a beach and appeared in this “village” was kind of a bottleneck to enjoying the whole fun.
As they say, people adapt to everything. So I adapted to the view of this city and concentrated more on the sea. But there came another challenge — the beach was full of stones. I knew it before going there but never imagined their scale and there size. What I was expecting to see were very small stones much like sand. I was badly mistaken. It was very uncomfortable to walk on them, and even more, to swim in the sea, especially when your swimming proficiency is close to zero.
Photo by Ani Babayan
In this regard, however, there is not any difference between Kobuleti and Batumi. If you need a sandy beach in Georgia, you should go to Ureki. But we skipped it, just because Ureki was said to be a village with nothing to do. And then again, if I knew what Kobuleti was like I would definitely go to Ureki.
If you ask me, I didn’t like Georgian food too much. I tried their khatchapuri and some other dish, but I didn’t like them. Of course, I understand that the Georgian cuisine is not limited to only these two, so I’d rather rephrase it by saying I didn’t like the foods I tried.
Photo by Ani Babayan
We went there in mid-August, and the weather was excellent, with the one disadvantage — the air was too humid and even suffocating. I have been to other sea countries but in none of them I have felt like there is no air at all. Because of this lack of air, I ended up sick and it continued even when I was already back to Armenia. I should say that my health state was great compared to what my friend had to go through. If I were badly coughing, then she had flu, earache, stomachache, and more. We needed air.
Overall, I wouldn’t say I am fully contented with my vacation in Kobuleti but I had set several missions for me and presently, I find them completed and in reality, it makes me very happy.
Photo by Ani Babayan
For all people planning to visit Kobuleti, I would recommend that you beware of the rains (although we were lucky and it rained only once during our stay; people reportedly say it tends to rain continuously without even a single day of clear sky) — check out weather forecast and also be sure to go there without having booked any accommodation option, since as soon as you appear there a group of people will approach you offering their houses or rooms for rent. In general prices start at 4-6 Euros per day.
Photo by Ani Babayan
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