Georgia is a very interesting country of Europeans, which finds itself thought of as being Asian due to its location in the Caucasus region. At the moment, the country has to maintain a discrete relationship with neighbouring Russia, which invaded and seized the western third of the country in 2008 and now has weapons trained on Tbilisi day and night. Life carries on, and Georgia is prospering, with Batumi on the shores of the Black Sea being its major access point for shipping.

The Chinese are assisting with building a new east-west motorway, which should be almost completed by now. The northern highway to the Russian border was in the process of being upgraded when we were there, but is largely a truck route. The country retains reasonably cordial relations with Turkey and Armenia, and formal relations with Azerbaijan, so crossing borders is possible, but somewhat bureaucratic.

The road network of the country is still being created, so visitors soon learn to navigate around construction sites. We have shown the roads as we found them, so this is a reliable map. Note: It is NOT possible to cross from Georgia into Russian-occupied territory. The second side shows Tbilisi, the capital, in excellent detail. The city is oriented north-south along both banks of the Kura River.

There are only a few bridges across the river and vehicular traffic is strong, so congestion is always a problem in the city. Also, the downtown part (on the west bank) was well-developed before cars were invented and the locals have not yet figured out how to park, so driving is a bit of an adventure. The old town is famous for its cobbled streets and wooden houses and is a touristic mecca. The ‘dry bridge’ flea market is a holdover from the Soviet era, but a great place to visit. This is a country and a city that everyone should visit!