Just got back from a Georgia trip and wanted to share this because it really caught us off guard. Batumi and Kutaisi were mostly fine. Some staring, but nothing major. Then we spent the last few days in Stepantsminda and it was a totally different experience.
Tiny town, winter season, barely anything open. We’d walk into places that looked open and locals would literally cross their arms at us to say closed. Even when other people were inside. One bread shop guy sent us next door for coffee and the woman was standing right by the machine and just said no. SPAR staff stared at us like we didn’t belong. We were dressed normally, not doing anything weird.
What made it stranger is a Spanish couple at our hotel said they experienced the same thing. So I don’t even know what to make of it. Winter hours were super limited too, so food options were basically nonexistent. We survived on hotel breakfast for two days.
The scenery is stunning, but the people really ruined the experience for us. Curious if other brown or POC travelers have felt the same there, especially in winter.
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