Borjomi Adventures - Part One

I just wrapped up a little series on my train adventure from Tbilisi to Borjomi, a trip that took over four and a half hours in length to complete. A transition from the chaotic city into the density of mountains and trees, as the sun set over the horizon and the night swallowed up everything but the dim light within the carriages. That train ride went through various landscapes all the way to Borjomi where the train would stop at its final destination. I spent several days here, in a small town that was once one of many Soviet natural escapes for its more elite groups. Resort towns for people to get away from things and refresh within the beautiful natural environments. These areas of the former Soviet Republics were once riddled with huge industries catering to the needs of tourists, Sanatoriums as they call them would be built with incredible designs, scattered across the towns with great architectural beauty and various services offered. One of the main appeals to a small town like Borjomi is its natural mineral water which flows through the mountains and through the town. If you ever played Red Dead Redemption 2, think of the town Strawberry and you'll get a great idea of what Borjomi is like.

Though with the collapse of the Soviet Union, Borjomi doesn't really have that same level of attention it once did. Those large old sanatoriums are now largely abandoned, sitting coated in new layers of overgrowth over the years. Some towns in surrounding areas are riddled with these fascinating old buildings with such architectural beauty, totally ignored and left to decay in time. The main area of the town still has some life to it, though it's clear that much of the residents had been there for generations, once part of the town's thriving tourist economy. As well as the few that remain under part of that tourist industry, still offering the few services that may be of use to those passing through: hotels, rooms, drivers for tourist trips, and of course food. The old Russian architecture remains throughout Borjomi. Large walls of Soviet apartment buildings mixed with village-styled homes that sit above on the more hilly parts of the town. The style of its dated architecture being the first thing you notice as you arrive. I think today, Borjomi remains a point of interest for tourists due to this historical preservation it holds. As well as the popular travelling of its name through the use of its drinking mineral water, which is named Borjomi, distributed throughout the neighbouring countries.

It is very evident that this town has seen better days. It doesn't feel like a tourist town. Not a lot of it feels theatrical and exaggerated for amusement. It feels quiet, mostly empty. A little like a ghost town. This is first evident from the moment we got off the train, to which we were immediately in the town's centre and had to walk from one side of it to the other. That sounds like a lot, but in actuality it was about eight minutes of walking even with all our luggage and backpacks. Over cobblestone streets from yesteryear, over a wooden bridge with parts of its flooring splintered and weathered. The sound of that river running through beneath your feet. Something you can hear quite easily. Another main sight of interest is the town's religious present. Large lit crosses sit in a row above the mountain that overlooks Borjomi. Always visible but especially so at night. Perhaps this also gave it a strange atmosphere upon arrival. That sense of silence, the otherworldly ideologies lingering above, watching over. We headed to the place where we were staying, an apartment in one of the old Soviet apartment buildings. It was already about 1AM at this point, and we had a host waiting to hand over the keys. Little did we know that this host was actually horrible from this moment. A tale I'll save for a later post. 

Borjomi didn't seem too different in theory to many towns I had seen before. I was somewhat reminded of the English coast in which all tourism and thus funds dried up with the arrival of cheaper air travel to other destinations. Where the old sense of life is remained and just fades away. Rustic buildings over years of weathering. The mostly old population that saw a better time and now remain in an area that has been void of opportunity since. In the case of Borjomi, however, much of the generations that remain would've been given their homes for free back in the Soviet Union. Both a great reward but also a burden down the line. These homes are likely not worth much in a capitalist era, where there's not much remaining in Borjomi to make the property values increase. I mention this because it felt like very few people really lived there. As if the majority of the homes were turned into hostels, hotels, or rentals for sites like Booking or AirBNB. Though these were just a few first impressions on the town, and the real adventures were yet to come. 

After unpacking everything, the next rational idea was just jumping into bed and getting some sleep, to which I woke up with a strong warmth coming in from the natural sunshine in the morning. I made some coffee, opened the balcony door and sat outside for a little bit. Feeling that warmth and looking out and seeing mountains and trees entirely within view. A few older homes below. Even in the day, it was still mostly silent. A peaceful environment that seemed like most noise came from cars driving through the town rather than actual life within it. It was relaxing. The fresh breeze from the river, the trees swaying back and forth. And that heat of the sun as summer was on its final legs.