Travel writing

Trip to Georgia

It was the 23^rd of September, the year 2018. I was participating in the 43^rd Chess Olympiad which was held in Batumi, Georgia. It was the biggest chess tournament of my life so I was both very excited and very nervous. Along with that, it was my first time going to Europe so I was absolutely thrilled to see the places there in Georgia. The other people who went on the trip were the Maldives Female National Chess Team and the Men’s National Team.

The journey to Georgia was the longest I have ever been on. First, the team and I got on the flight to Istanbul. This flight took about eight hours and we had gone at night so I slept throughout. After we landed in Istanbul, we didn’t have to wait long before we boarded our flight to Georgia which was about two hours. After we finally arrived at our destination, we all got on the bus, there were reserved buses for all the teams from about 180 countries that went there to participate and the bus drove us to the luxurious 5-star hotel where we stayed for the entire two weeks.

One thing I have learnt from going to Georgia; NEVER EVER go outside without a jacket or a coat! It wasn’t even snowing there but it was, without a single doubt in mind, the coldest place I have even been to. Every time we went outside, we always wore about two or sometimes even three layers of jackets to protect ourselves from the extreme cold.

We had one match every day for twelve days. These chess matches could go on for about four hours so we didn’t get to do much sight-seeing on those days. We did visit a few places here and there during the tournament but mostly it was just playing matches, analyzing those matches and practicing for other matches. One very exciting thing that happened during the tournament was that I met Phiona Mutesi, a very famous Ugandan Women Candidate Master. There’s even a movie about her called Queen of Katwe. It’s about how Phiona escaped poverty by becoming a world class chess player at a very young age. We were very lucky to have met her and take a picture with her as she has always been a very big inspiration for me ever since I saw her movie.

The highlight of this trip for me was, the closing ceremony of the Olympiad. It was one of the most exhilarating and extraordinary events I have ever experienced. We were all in this enormous hall and there were so many items such as songs, dances and so much more. After the tournament had officially ended, we got two days for sight-seeing and just have fun in the city. One of the most memorable sight I saw was this incredible statue called the statue of Ali and Nino. The statue represents eternal love and understanding between nations. It tells a story of a young Muslim Azerbaijani and a Georgian Christian princess in the time of the First World War.

The last few moments in Georgia were very bitter sweet because I didn’t want to leave the beautiful country but at the same time, I couldn’t wait to go back home and see my dad and my brother after two weeks. The trip to Georgia was definitely a trip I am going to remember and cherish forever.