USHGULI TO METSIA TO BATUMI 395kms. 27th - 29th JULY 2026

METSIA 44 kms.  Don't  know why I wanted to stay over here but anyhow I got a decent room and had all day to walk around the small town and a lot of hikers here. Starting point for a four day hike to Ushguli that is very popular. 

BATUMI  351kms.

Left at 7am to Anaklia to see two abondoned towers which are on the beach of the Black Sea. The first one was a b9nus as Google maps took me there and it wasn't  the one I was planning to see but worked out great. The second one was built and never completely finished and was able to enter it.
When I came into Zagdidi my odo went to 69 000kms, so now have done 16 000kms !
Got to Batumi at 3pm and had to wait for the owner of the guesthouse for an hour before I could check in. Have a nice room with a small balcony in downtown and close to everything.  Walked up the promenade to the harbour and where all the tourists are and grabbed a burger and beer as I had'nt eaten all day. Lots of Russian tourists here and the rocky beach is popular and is about 4 kilometers  long, not my cup of tea but the water is beautiful and clear, am hoping to go for a dip tomorrow. At night the place is packed till way after midnight, you see young kids out walking and on scooters buzzing around. Sat on my balcony and watched the activities from the third floor as I am at a busy intersection where it is noisy and patrolled by a lot of cops. 

Anaklia Tower was designed as an emblematic building on the waterfront as part of the utopian/futuristic Lazika project initiated by the former president in 2011. The construction is unfinished and was abandoned in 2012 after the change of government. The design is often compared to a spaceship or "eye" (Anaklia Eye) and was intended to serve as a tourist center with a restaurant and an observation deck. It's a great shame, it could have been a wonderful place for a coffee or a drink. Considering that there is not a single person here outside the season, I'm not surprised that they didn't finish it. We went to take a look inside, because the building is not secured and for those who like Urbex, it's an experience.

BATUMI - On the Black Sea
Made it for a swim, but no sand just pebbles and rocks, a bugger to enter and exit. Walked for miles down the promenade to the airport and back and made it back before a huge downpour. Then in the evening went into the city centre again and got a Ceasar's Salad and then came back to the room and looked at the Armenian map and planned a route.




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