Another pause – this time in Tehran. Time to make a new video. Hope you like it!!
Posts Tagged ‘Georgia’
New Video: Part 4 of my trip. Tbilisi to Tehran by bike
Posted: July 30, 2015 in Armenia, Cycling, Georgia, IranTags: Armenia, Cycling, Georgia, Iran
2
Day 104. 104km. Tbilisi – Ayrum
Posted: June 9, 2015 in Armenia, Cycling, GeorgiaTags: Armenia, Ayrum, Cycling, Georgia, Tbilisi
Our nice little camping spot on the lawns in front of an abandoned factory seemed high profile judging by the number of kids visiting us. The military also visited us – and kicked us out. We are now sleeping in someone’s house that is being renovated with a spectacular view over the mountains. This is called going with the flow.
Our living room in Ayrum
Armenia on a sunny day. We were welcomed by the border guards with their impressive tall green hats. We collected some drams (the currency) and were on our way, following the border river.
Drams
The small village of Ayrum was chosen as our end point of the day. A kind lady who spoke German pointed out a nice abandoned factory with lots of lovely lawns for pitching a tent. On getting to the factory, we passed the army barracks. They wanted our sunglasses, and James obliged, giving a spare set of spacey sunglasses. I was allowed, then, to try out the beret.
Armenian beret
So, they knew about us. And they knew where we were camping. We set up the tent, and the soldiers visited our campsite, together with the kids, multiple times. We also socialized with the neighbours – with all 3 generations.
The neighbours
On the 3rd visit from the soldiers, the boss told us we could not camp. We were near the Georgian border. (We weren’t.) Our neighbours spoke to the soldier – could we camp in their garden? No, said the soldier. So, we are now in their second house that they are renovating – up on the hill above the village. What lovely people!
Our Ayrum hosts
View from our verandah
World Cycle 2015 Video – Istanbul (Turkey) – Tbilisi (Georgia)
Posted: June 6, 2015 in Cycling, Georgia, TurkeyTags: Cycling, Georgia, Turkey
Since our dash to Tbilisi against the wind, we have completed a relaxing week with our great new Tbilisi friends Pieter, Floor and Mathias. Repairs, collecting mail, catching up on the blog and buying odd bits and pieces, was combined with mountain walks, city walks, a visit to castles and cave cities and a stimulating Green Pedals visit to the QSI school in Tbilisi. Thank you very much Pieter and Floor for the great hospitality and the amazing time!!
And I had time to put together a video of the next part of my trip. 🙂
Cave city at Vardzia
Day 103. 124km. Khashuri – Tbilisi
Posted: June 3, 2015 in Cycling, GeorgiaTags: Cycling, Georgia, Khashuri, Tbilisi
We made it! Stage 2 of the bike trip is complete, and what a finale! Bright sun along the valley between the snow-capped small and large Caucasus mountains. A hurricane headwind making a cruising speed on the flat of 10km/h. And 2 flat tyres.
Plains before Tbilisi
Photos can be deceiving. They give the landscape a serenity that I didn’t feel – except when I stopped, and looked. What beauty there was around me. The walls of rock in the distance, covered in snow, were spectacular. Cycling into the headwind, I didn’t notice them. My memory is blank between the stops. I was focussing on the next post, and the Chinese language course in my ears.
It was windy
It was a rush to cover the 120km to Tbilisi before dark. Short stops to consume as many calories as possible, and then continue. At one stop, the Georgian Easter bunny came early and left a typical Georgian gift on our bikes – alcohol.
The easter bunny has arrived
Two stops were to fix a flat tyre.
Flat tyre number 1
One stop to observe the Love Tourism bus. We saw the Love Tourism bus hotel when we were in Batumi – a city with quite a reputation.
The Love Bus
One stop to let the donkeys pass.
Donkey rush hour
And some stops to take in the scenery.
Hay petrol station
Plains before Tbilisi
Day 102. 88km. Meore Obcha – Khashuri
Posted: May 30, 2015 in Cycling, GeorgiaTags: Cycling, Georgia, Khashuri, Meore Obcha
The sun was ‘a shining and the wind was ‘a blowing . The snow-capped mountains were our spectacular horizon companion in the morning and the evening. In between, we slogged into the wind over a 920m pass. Our tents are erected for the evening on the grass in the Coliseum-like sport stadium in Khashuri.
Early morning mountains
I am now the proud owner of a bike with new brake-pads. I have proved that my bike maintenance skills extend beyond changing a flat tyre. After reading horror stories of people coming down high passes in the rain without being able to stop, I thought, take the time to change the pads that were passed their prime.
I knew the climb was over 50km, and would rise to almost 1000m. The fierce headwind got to me, and I was exhausted, even before the climb had started in earnest. Sometime knowing what is ahead is more of a hindrance than a help.
Village shop
On the way up we passed numerous stalls selling pottery and statues of leopards. On the way down we passed numerous stalls selling a kind of raisin bread, and the pottery moulds used to bake them.
Georgian sweet bread
The descent into Khashuri was lovely, overlooking the valley with the high, snow capped mountains as a backdrop.
View over Khushuri
Church near Khashuri
We have created some interest setting up our tent in the sport stadium. The rugby team was practicing, then the young kids played soccer. A group of girls then dropped by and screamed. I’m sure we are featuring on Facebook (assuming the landline internet is better than the mobile internet).. ☺
Cooking at the stadium
Day 101. 73km. Samtredia – Meore Obcha
Posted: May 27, 2015 in Cycling, GeorgiaTags: Cycling, Georgia, Meore Obcha, Samtredia
We left Samtredia, back down the road we had come up yesterday evening in the rain. Today we were riding under clear skies towards a wall of snow-capped peaks. In front loomed the snow capped minor Caucacus. We turned and behind us, on the other side of the wide valley were the massive white peaks of the major Caucacus. The mountains surrounded us today as we cycled down the bumpy road through farming, rural Georgia.
Rural Georgian village
All animals roamed the road – pigs, cows, ducks, geese, a goat.
Farmhouse
Church
A local
The people were very welcoming. James was invited into a local wine producer, and was given many glasses of wine to try. I was ahead on the road, and eventually saw his message to return. We got a tour of the ornate house and farm, including turkeys that responded to my call.
Wine making friends
The kids were curious at the lunch stop.
Georgian kids
We are all excited – camping for the first time since we restarted our trip in March. (It has been too cold up to now..) Nestled in the foothills of the minor Caucacus, we have a great view over the snow capped mountains behind.
Mountains
Day 100. 118km. Batumi – Samtredia
Posted: May 24, 2015 in Cycling, GeorgiaTags: Batumi, Cycling, Georgia, Samtredia
When you have a tailwind, make the most of it. We cycled, blown by the wind, and made some kilometres. We also cycled through the teeming rain, punctuated by stops squelching into a café to warm up, and a short visit at the stormy Black Sea coast.
Black Sea coast
That was kind of it, really. We are seeing signs for Yerevan and Baku. Kind of cool. No more photo opportunities as it was too wet and bloody cold.
Day 99. 85km. Khulo – Batumi
Posted: May 21, 2015 in Cycling, GeorgiaTags: Batumi, Cycling, Georgia, Khulo
In Turkey we were invited to endless cups of tea. Today, in Georgia, we were invited to endless glasses of vodka. Flagged down from the road, the elderly gentlemen kissed us both on the lips, and invited us in for some vodka and sausage. He kissed us multiple times on the lips, made sure the vodka glasses were always full, and insisted we eat his sausage. Wonderful Georgian hospitality.
Drinks with a friend
We woke up and looked out the window to see flurries of snow blowing around. Further investigations revealed the pass ahead was closed – not just for silly cyclists but for everyone. The forecast was for a lovely day followed by snow, snow and snow. There was no denying it – it was time for plan B. Back down the valley to the Black Sea.
The same valley was beautiful: blossoming trees bathed in glorious sunlight, with the newly whitened mountains as a backdrop. James and I took lots of photos, and made lots of videos, before the pub-crawl started.
Mountains
Flowers and mountains
Flowers
Roof and mountains
We were brought to the back room by the elderly gentleman and seated. He waved to the barman who pulled out a vast glass keg of clear liquid that he funnelled into a smaller glass bottle. A plate of sausage materialised as well as bread. Motivated by my three words of Russian, the man proceeded to lecture us in Russian, encouraging us to drink. Like in the fairy tails, the glasses never emptied. The bright daylight streamed in through the small window, making it feel like an inappropriate hour to be hitting the booze. The drinks were punctuated with lip-kisses, which I failed every time to capture on video.
I sipped at my first and only glass. James did the drinking for the two of us, making sure that we were not insulting by rejecting this fine Georgian hospitality. I reminded James that we still had 70km to cycle. He seemed to be captivated by the offering of vodka, lip-kisses and sausage. Finally we bade our host farewell, and cycled a further 40km down the mountain before being invited for our next round of vodka.
Next round of vodka
When the weather is good and the road not too long and challenging, we take time to stop and ‘smell the flowers’. Life is all about taking time and smelling the flowers, and this world bike trip for me is about enjoying life while I can – now. This smelling the flowers, letting things happen and going with the flow, is a wonderful part of tour cycling. Every day is different, and what happens is never something you could have predicted the evening before. Tomorrow constant rain is forecast. Maybe we will smell some wet flowers. I wonder what they will be like.
Day 98. 87km. Batumi – Khulo
Posted: May 18, 2015 in Cycling, GeorgiaTags: Batumi, Cycling, Georgia, Khulo
‘By bicycle to Khulo? Not possible.’
‘Why not?’ (Things are often not possible, and you need to delve deeper to find if this is truly the case.)
‘Mountains.’
Ah. OK. She’ll be right.
That was lower down the valley. We are now in Khulo at 850m and heavy snow is forecast for tonight. Maybe the 2025m pass tomorrow will be closed. Hard to imagine after the warm climb up into the beautiful Caucasus mountains.
The valley to Khulo
I found the culprit. A thin metal splinter had lodged itself into my tyre and was causing the flat tyres. I removed it this morning, and will hopefully be puncture-free for some time. (I am now tied with James – we both have had 3 flat tyres.)
Today we followed a river valley into the mountains. The flat road leaving Batumi felt like … India. Tree lined, potholed roads. Shops covered with exotic, curly, wiggly script. A warm headwind gave it all a summer, dusty feel. Trucks coughed black fumes and tooted madly as they ran us into potholes.
And then the road wound its way higher into the mountains, passing rustic little villages, and then climbed to 850m to the village of Khulo.
Village on the way to Khulo
Village on the way to Khulo
Museum
Waterfall on the way to Khulo
Mirror
Bridge
Road just before Khulo
Shop at Khulo
Day 97. 38km. Hopa – Batumi
Posted: May 15, 2015 in Cycling, Georgia, TurkeyTags: Batumi, Cycling, Georgia, Hopa, Turkey
Over the border to Georgia, and across into another world. This place feels so familiar and so exotic at the same time. Eucalyptus trees like in the Australian countryside. Prominent churches and signs of Christianity at every turn. A crazy mix of buildings from the run-down to the sleek. A city layer of casinos and ‘love hotels’. And the food…. Yuuuum.
Batumi
Today was always going to be a relaxing, slow day. Cruising along the last Turkey kilometres with an unfamiliar tailwind, we passed waterfalls, sheep, and the standard bottles of urine discarded on the side of the road by truck drivers on a tight schedule.
Waterfall
Sheep
Left-overs from truck drivers
Then hello Georgia with its cute script, exotic currency, and modern architecture.
Just made it in Georgia
Georgian money
Georgian architecture
Georgia
And then into the city of Batumi. James and I went on a photo-taking bonanza. It was so exciting wandering randomly through the streets.
The hostel in Batumi
Batumi Georgia
Batumi, Georgia
Batumi, Georgia
Batumi, Georgia
Batumi, Georgia
Oh. And I got my third flat tyre of the trip. I still need to fix it tomorrow morning. The ride into Batumi was done with repeated tyre inflations.
arctic-cycler.com 