Turkey to Georgian border [ on going plan..didnt go for it]

For the past one and a half months,i've been sticking with my plans of going from Istanbul,Turkey and go overland by train until i reach Erzurum,drop off the train and get on a mini bus/dolmus to Sarap(the Georgian border) and then Sarap to Batumi,Georgia(mini bus also)

Turkey to Georgia

i've searched high and low on the bus from Erzurum/Kars to Georgian border.But all i got is just some vague pictures on how its like.There's no means of booking these mini buses.
There are two ways of doing this

1. Crossing the Turkish-Georgian Border at Posof (train stops at Kars)
   You take a minibus from the minibus station in Kars to Posof (4 hours), then a taxi/minibus via Türközü and Eminbey to the border (30 minutes).
   
   The road on the Georgian side is very bad. You have to get a taxi (US$25) that will take you to Akhaltsikhe.
   From Akhaltsikhe it's easy to get to Tbilisi by minibus
2. Crossing the Turkish-Georgian Border  at Sarp (train stops at Erzurum)
   
•  First, take a bus to Hopa on the black sea and you will arrive at the small but chaotic bus terminal. Walk directly out of the terminal and walk left down the road for about 3 minutes. You will see a small shack on the left side of the road with some small minivans with the English name Sarp in the window. The cost is 3 Turkish Lira and they will take you to Sarp. Get off the bus at the border and look to your right for a building that says Passports. Go inside and get your passport stamped. (small stamp) Next, walk straight and go through the four checkpoints
  

• #1 is a small hut with a guard and he will check to see if your passport is stamped.
  
• #2 is to go to the small window on the left with the woman and she enter your passport info onto the computer.
  
• #3 Go through the carwash looking terminal (look up and for the picture of a man walking) and get in line. You dont have to fill in the Russian or Georgian forms as tourists are not required to fill them out.
  
• #4 Go through the final posting and go to the NEW tourist information center!!! They speak English too!!! They will even manage to find you a hotel and taxi for about 10 $ US dollars and the taxi brings you to the hotel doorstep. Hope this helps!

These info's are only a few gatherings i've made from my researches through out the whole planning period.i've never actually experienced the things i've written down.So some of them might not be exact.If anyone has anymore updates,feel free to email me at leffa.atta@gmail.com

If you want to go the other way round:

The other way round Georgia-Turkey:

• Crossing the border from Batumi to Hopa in Turkey via the Sarpi/Sarp crossing is easy. The Georgian side were very friendly, and some of the guards joked about me giving them a dollar for cigarettes and vodka, but there was no pressure, no annoyance when I refused, and no searching of bags. The Turkish side was also simple, and took less than five minutes. The biggest problem was getting to Hopa from the border. Taxi drivers know they can charge what they like, because you either take a taxi or you spend the rest of your life at the border...the only road to Hopa goes through a tunnel, which you can't walk through, and there are no buses and not enough traffic for hitching. The journey should cost no more that two million lira Getting to and from Batumi is no problem as there are regular minibuses to the border (there is a popular beach in the village of Sarpi), and it is very cheap.

I cancelled this route because at first i thought that with my Malaysian passport , i could just get the Georgian Visa upon arrival.But since i'm going overland, it seems that this rules only applies to people that came by flight,and may just apply their visa at the airport for just 10USD....hmph....that leads to me having to apply for a visa in London at the Republic of Georgia Embassy.One of the requirenments is that i need to have a letter of invitation(LOI) with me.Now..as all of you fellow travelers might know..and have experience these paper work ****, Many Money = Easy LOI , No Money = No LOI...guess which one i stands for?u know the answer.But i havent found a single company or website that offers to do a LOI to Georgia.Again,if anyone knows how..email me~~.

• Georgian Railway

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