Exploring Georgia
A Campervan and the Pipers
During the rest of our time in Georgia
we do absolutely no cycling, get a visit from home, drink a lot of wine and take a hire car off-roading.
Enjoy!
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We should have bought a camper
We leave the comfort of our Airbnb in Tbilisi and hire a 4×4. It is our home for the next 24 hours, till my Dad and brother arrive. Driving the big Nissan is no problem, it’s automatic. Navigating through the city in order to get on the road heading north however, is a little more difficult. The traffic in Tbilisi is known to be bad and the drivers themselves are definitely no better. It is absolute mayhem as cars swerve left and right, switching lanes in front of us and undertaking each other. After about 30 minutes and a few wrong turns later we are on the E117 driving north. The Zhinvali Reservoir is our destination. It is located next to Ananuri, a castle complex in the Dusheti region. After 70 km of tarmacked road, we turn off onto a gravel track. What we have driven in just over an hour would normally take us a whole day on the bikes. Driving and avoiding potholes is also a lot easier and nowhere near as painful if we hit one. Unlike riding the bicycles, we don’t have to worry about puddles.
We pick a spot to park next to the lake, looking back across at Ananuri. The car is set up like a camper. We have the back seats folded down and our sleeping mats* set up in the boot. We even have solar panels on the roof like a true camper. Itâs pure luxury compared to our tent setup*. We could get used to this. Good job we have the car for 2 weeks then and will tour the country once my family depart.Â
Our first night in the âvanâ is good and we sleep well. After some coffee we check in to the Airbnb that we have this week with my family. And, relax.
The Pipers are in Town
My alarm goes off at 3:45am. Wow I must like my Dad and brother a lot to be getting up this early. Excited, I leave the house at 4am to go and collect them from the airport.Â
They quickly get through passport control and collect their bags and we head off into Tbilisi. It is only 6:30am as we begin strolling around the city center. Oddly though, for a capital city, the streets are completely empty. There is literally nobody to be seen. We meander through the old town and look at some of the top sights, all with the comfort of having nobody around. Sightseeing without other tourists is amazing. The city starts to come alive at around 10am. By this time we have had 4 coffees and our second breakfast. Having ticked off the main sights; Holy Trinity Church, the leaning clock tower, the sulphur baths, Leghvtakhevi waterfall, the bridge of peace etc. we get back in the car and drive to the Chronicles of Georgia. Standing 30 m tall, the massive 16 pillar monument is truly impressive. The shape, decoration and structure are spectacular and the 360 degree view from its location on the top of Shotaâs Mountain is breathtaking.Â
Satisfied with our day of sightseeing and struggling to stay awake, we head to the equally impressive Airbnb we have for the week up at Ananuri. Thankfully Jana has been busy too. We sit down to Meatballs Ă la Jana and wash it down with a drop of Georgian red. We will all sleep well tonight.
After a slow morning we explore Ananuri fortress and church and then get stuck into a few Georgian beers in the afternoon. Jana has found us a restaurant for dinner about 20 minutes drive away with good reviews. The restaurant has a lovely garden area with lots of outdoor seating. As we arrive the only other guests are just leaving. An empty restaurant isnât normally a good sign, but on this occasion it didnât matter, the food is amazing! We share multiple local dishes including the famous Khinkali and are astonished at how fairly priced the meal is. It turns out the owner received funding from the Czech government to build his restaurant. This seems to be quite typical in Georgia, a lot of institutes and infrastructure is sponsored by the EU or EU nation states. The people here definitely see their future in the EU instead of with closer ties to Russia. We have seen more EU flags here in Georgia than in almost any country we travelled through in Europe!
Lines of lorries, a nice church and mad roads
Day 3 with the family takes us on a road trip. We are heading 2 hours north to Stepantsminda, a small village in the Caucasus mountains. The town is famous due to the picturesque Gergeti Trinity Church. Arguably the most famous sight of Georgia. The road slowly starts to climb after we leave Ananuri. The number of potholes in the road increases and the size of the mountains around us do too. Along the side of the road on the hard shoulder is a line of lorries. It goes on as far as the eyes can see! It’s literally miles long. We finally pass the front of the line and notice a police car parked at the front. We realise that the line is being held back by the police and then released at intervals so as to not clog up the road. First lorries coming down the hill from Russia are released, then later after a break, the lorries going up the mountain pass towards the Russian border are released. Luckily on the way to Stepantsminda neither line is going and the cars have the road to themselves. The drive is a little hairy, due to the number of potholes, the Georgian driving style and the winding roads leading up the mountain pass, often with no barrier at the side. We stop en-route for a picnic and the others even share a beer. My idea of hiking up to Gergeti Church from the village below was discussed for all of about 1 minute. âWhy walk when we can park right next to it?!â, they say.
The church itself isnât that interesting. Itâs the view from its location as well as the fact that it’s on top of a mountain that’s impressive. There are a lot of organised tour groups up there with us and people from all over the world. We never really thought of the types of tourists that come to Georgia but there are some from Central Europe, then a lot from South Korea, Japan and especially the Middle East.Â
Knowing what to expect on the way back, the drive is less spectacular. The only difference being that we are stuck in the lorry line heading south from the Russian border meaning the journey takes us a lot longer.
After a bit of a chill at home, we head out on foot for dinner at a local restaurant in Ananuri. Being typical Brits abroad, we are actually hoping the restaurant has a TV and they are showing the Liverpool game. They donât. Good job Elliot has his laptop with him and the restaurant has a good enough Wi-Fi signal for us to watch the game while eating. Donât worry, the restaurant is empty and the staff really donât care less what we are doing. Liverpool win 1-0, so we return back to the house in a good mood.
Kakheti
Georgia is famous for its wine production. Not necessarily because of its quality, but more the method of production. The traditional Qvevri process has been used for thousands of years and differs from the modern European technique. The Qvevri wine making process involves pressing the grapes then pouring the juice, grape skins, stalks and pips into large egg shaped clay vessels buried in the ground. It is left underground to ferment and age before being scooped out after about 6 months. The skins, seeds and stalks that have sunk to the bottom are then taken out of the Qvevri and distilled. The brandy that ensues is called Chacha and ranges from 50-80% alcohol.
We visit a small wine producer called Vakho. He gives us a tour and explains the wine making process. We are then treated to a buffet lunch and all you can drink wine/chacha. Vakho explains that around 50% of his grapes are sold to large producers but that he actually makes more money from tours than he does his wine. We devour the food and tuck into a few glasses of wine. Chacha on the other hand is an acquired taste. We oblige to a couple of glasses (really glasses and not shots) and then get on our way back to Ananuri.Â
Unfortunately our time together with Dad and Elliot is coming to the end. The airport run starts at 2am and there is time for a coffee in the airport cafe before saying goodbye.Â
Carpacking
Now that the family have gone and we have checked out, it is back to life on the road again for us. Slightly different to bikepacking though, we now have the car to use as a base and mode of transport. Our first stop for the night is Teneti. We find a spot with a view over the valley and then get an early night as we are knackered from our early start. We sleep in and then spend the morning drinking lots of coffee and just chilling out. The convenience of having a car and not having to pack everything away onto the bikes is something that we already love. Our daily routine doesnât change for a couple of days; we start slowly, drink coffee and then move to the front seats and drive a few hours to find the next stunning backdrop for us to park up for the day and spend the night.Â
Day three with the car and we are starting to get a bit more confident with driving off road. Jana navigates us to a woods and a potential place to park. There is then a river with natural pools and a waterfall just a short walk away. The only slight issue is that the tarmac has now stopped and in front of us is just a grass path about 5 meters wide leading into the woods. The grass is all churned up into mud where cars have previously driven. As it has rained so much the last couple of days, the grass then stops and there is a giant puddle of water about 20 meters long and stretching the entire width of the path. At the end of that puddle is where we want to park for the night.
When we started this trip we knew nothing about bikepacking, well we know nothing about off-road driving either. We push the 4WD button on the dashboard of the car and slowly roll towards the puddle. I learnt as a child that when there is water on the ground, you never know how deep the hole is. This was learnt while wearing Wellington boots and jumping into puddles and sometimes being surprised as to how high the water got up to on my boots. Well the same thing is happening now with the car. The water is slowly getting deeper and once we make it through to the other side, we get out to see that the water line reached the level of the door! Luckily the car is water tight, or at least enough for the engine to still be running.Â
The stress was all worth it though, as the waterfall and pools are idyllic. The water is however so cold that my body goes numb and I last a total of about 20 seconds before getting out. Happy to be slowly warming up, I am asked by Jana to get back in, as I wasnât in long enough for her to take a photo. Reluctantly I get back in. Wow, the things we do for photos and social media!Â
We donât actually sleep that well, as we are both worried about getting away in the morning. Luckily the car starts and after some hesitation, we power through the puddle back to the road. Both of us notice the sense of relief and note that we wonât be going off-road like that again. Maybe we should just stick to bikes.
Lemon Cafe
After the morning stress we need a coffee and somewhere to relax. We find Lemon Cafe on the second floor of a run down building in a nearby town. The cafe itself however is very modern and has various luxurious seating areas. We pick a sofa and order two cappuccinos. They go down a treat and we order two more. âNoâ is the reply from the waitress. There are no more coffee beans. A bit odd for a coffee shop, but I guess there is a first time for everything. Still requiring our caffeine fix we take a bottle of Coca-Cola instead. When it arrives, it’s not actually Coca-Cola, but RC cola. âCrap popâ as Peter Kay would say. The sort of cola you get in two liter bottles for 30p. Anyway, I donât moan as I have a caffeine addiction to cater for.
We break the Law
We have decided to drive up the Zekari pass to the top. The aim is to find somewhere to park at the top, 2000m above sea level and admire the views. The road conditions havenât gotten any better. It starts off OK, but as we pass the last village on the ascent the road narrows and becomes a single lane. There are more potholes than actual road. As we go up the snow becomes visible. Soon we are driving with snow on each side of the road. The drop off to our left is getting bigger and bigger. There is no barrier or anything that would prevent us from falling down the sheer cliff face. The potholed road turns to gravel and then to just dirt. There is still a sharp drop of a few hundred meters to the left and now on the right we have a 4m high ice wall. The ice is slowly melting in the sun and creating little rivers down the two tire tracks we drive up. The car we have been following for the last couple of kilometers stops ahead of us. It is a Range Rover with Russian plates. The two young men have stopped on a slightly wider section of the road so as to leave enough space for us to pass. Just ahead of their car though is a section of âroadâ that can only be described as a mud bath and is at about a 20% angle sloping sideways. It is strange how in moments like this a feeling of peer pressure rises. I am worried enough about getting us through this section of the road. But now I have the added pressure of having two onlookers. Stupid really when we genuinely feel like what we are doing has an element of life risk. Peer pressure or how you look should be the last thing on your mind.Â
With 4WD mode enabled we get to within a couple of meters of the road where it starts to bank sideways. I floor it and hope that momentum takes us far enough over the mud bath that we donât stop and need to rely on the wheels to gain grip. The car leans over sideways and the steering wheel goes light, as if my actions arenât really controlling the turning. We make it across the dangerous section and take a deep breath. Itâs only a few hundred meters from here to the top. We turn the final corner and are greeted by a large green plateau. The plateau is a couple of square kilometers large and provides stunning 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. Well worth the stress of getting up here. We set up for the night and go to sleep. We awaken to see that we are in the clouds. The breathtaking views of yesterday are now just grey mist!Â
With nothing to see, literally, we start the descent. The road down the other side is similar to yesterday, although a little wider and not quite as scary. About a third of the way down a car comes in the opposite direction. The driver flashes his lights and gets out. We wind the window down as he indicates he wants to speak to us. In broken English he suggests the road is closed and not possible to pass. He then gets back in his car and continues up the hill. Slightly bemused we consider what we have been told. A few things come to mind. Firstly, nobody passed us overnight from the other side. So how did he get up from this side if the road is closed?! Secondly, he is driving a Toyota Prius! A Prius on this road! How has he done that?! We are sliding all over the place and scared in our 4WD! Madness.Â
Ignoring Georgian locals’ advice really hasn’t gone well for us so far. Typically though, we think we know better and continue down the pass. The road conditions improve and we come out of the clouds and are able to enjoy the views. We reach a village and presumably the end of the pass. What was the man at the top on about that the road is closed?! Well. The road widens and we are back on tarmac. There is however a barrier crossing the road, like at a car park. We stop at the barrier. A man comes out of a security hut and over to our car. In Russian he asks where we have come from. Jana replies to say, âthe top.â Looking in disbelief the man says, âbut wasnât the road covered in snow?â We reply and tell him the whole story. Still looking shocked, he opens the barrier and lets us through. I guess the man in the Prius was right. The road is closed. But as he would have found out, the other side is a lot worse! No idea how he got over the slanted mud bath!
More car adventures
Driving to find a place to sleep is becoming a bit of a running joke. Off the main roads, all others are just dirt. If we are lucky there are gravel roads, but most of the time it’s just muddy grass. On one occasion I even manage to do a rally car like drift around a corner, unintentionally. Most of the time it’s not dangerous, we are just worried that we will get stuck. As we are often so remote, it would then be a long walk to get help!Â
We only have the car for two more days. We pull up at Kimisi Reservoir. A lovely spot. The only downside. There is a crazy amount of tiny flies. Too late now. We have the back windows open, so they swarm through the car and land inside. We do our best to get them out but there are still a lot on the inside of the windows when we leave in the morning. Maybe theyâre attracted by our smell. It has been 6 days since we last showered.Â
The weather really hasnât been good while we have had the car. It has rained everyday for at least a couple of hours. We love it being out and about in nature but we have decided to treat ourselves to a hotel. A warm bed and more importantly a shower is in need. We are also happy that we havenât been on the bikes these last few days, that would have been really tough to keep going. According to google, 35 degrees and pure sunshine awaits us in the desert of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan! Considering how it’s been the last few days, we canât wait!
Sighnaghi
En-route to our hotel in the wine region of Kakheti we stop to get some lunch. Jana gets out and crosses the road to a bakery. She comes back with a Lobiani. A kind of flat bread stuffed with beans. Apparently, she says, they have cheese chachapuri as well. âWhat?!â, I exclaim. âWhy would you buy lobiani when they have cheese chachapuri?!â. Madness I think and get out and go over to the bakery to get one. To be fair when I get back in the car and we share the lobiani, it’s actually quite nice. Jana starts eating her half and the beans fall out onto her lap, seat and floor of the car. The poor car is cached in mud, the windows still have flies on them and now it has beans all over the passenger seat. I have been worried about crashing the car, damaging the bodywork and having to pay out on the dodgy insurance. The actual problem is going to be the state of the inside when we give it back! Filthy.Â
The hotel we have booked is lovely. We are even told that breakfast will be served on the terrace in front of our room. Pure luxury.
Considering where we are, it would be criminal not to do a wine tour. We go to Gioâs wine cellar. He offers us a tour, including 2 of his wines and 4 different Chachas. Safe to say we leave slightly tipsy. We havenât eaten dinner yet, so that’s our excuse. The wine drinking continues at dinner though. When done, we stagger back to our hotel at the top of the hill. A successful evening I would say.
Mock Camping
Giving the car back turns out to be no drama at all, despite there still being flies inside and beans on the floor. Back in Tbilisi we have arranged to stay with Gabriela, who has been looking after our bikes the last couple of weeks. With her trip coming up soon, she has accumulated a lot of equipment in preparation. She has never actually used any of it though. As is often a tradition with couchsurfing we arrange to eat dinner together. We come up with the idea to test out all of Gabrielaâs gear and use our stuff* as well to have a mock camping dinner out in her backyard. Even her neighbour, Wacho, decides to come out and join us! Since we have been in Georgia we have noticed a lot of people eating sunflower seeds. Well Wacho is eating them as well and even shows us how to do it! It really isnât as easy as it sounds and the technique will definitely need some practicing.Â
The only difference to real camping is that we go inside when it gets a bit chilly and we sleep in a bed. Thank you Gabriela and Wacho for a lovely evening! And of course for looking after our bikes Gabriela! Â
We leave Gabrielaâs and move into an apartment. We need to organise ourselves ready for our flight to Kazakhstan. Importantly we need to find bike boxes! After trying several bike shops and having no luck, we find a shop willing to sell us boxes for 15⏠per box. We also bump into another bikepacker, Jeremy, doing the same as us. Remember the name as it will feature a lot in future blogs. But on this occasion we only briefly say hello and then we leave the shop.
I actually suggest we go back in and buy the boxes. Jana on the other hand feels really strongly that we shouldnât have to pay for something that is actually a waste product. We walk down the road to the next shop, VeloPlus. The staff are extremely friendly and offer us boxes free of charge. Amazing. Maybe I should listen to Jana more often.Â
This then means however that we have to work out how to take our bikes apart and pack them into a box. A few youtube videos and a lot of frustration later we have the bikes packed up and ready for travel.
A bus to Kutaisi
Our flight is actually booked from Kutaisi, the third largest city in Georgia and some 250 km west of Tbilisi. Our flight isnât till late afternoon but we have booked a specific bus leaving at 5am to take us directly to the airport. We are quite stressed as we have never flown with bikes before. The packing wasnât easy, so we are also worried that maybe we have done something wrong.Â
We get up at 3:45 and start trudging over to the bus stop, only a kilometer or so from the apartment. Expecting the bike boxes to be heavy we planned multiple trips to the bus stop. We are still surprised at how heavy they are though and really struggle to get everything there. The exact stop location isnât clear so I suggest to Jana that she goes back to the flat and gets the last bags while I find the bus stop. Walking around Liberty Square, one of the most famous locations in Tbilisi, searching for the stop, I find a minibus and a small gathering of people. I have found it! The driver states that this is the bus to Kutaisi airport. Great, I think. I return to where we left the boxes and manage to get the first one over to the bus. The driver looks at me weirdly. Jana still isnât back yet, so I go to get the second box. This time the driver doesnât just look at me, he approaches and says, âno chance they are going on the bus.â Trying to remain calm, I just presume he is joking or making a fuss. I donât expect him to help. The opposite really. We have taken buses a couple of times on this journey and every time we have, the drivers just like to make your life difficult. This guy seems to be serious though and starts calling his âmanager.â I obviously donât understand anything as itâs all in Georgian, but I get the jist of the conversation. The manager is coming, apparently. I am quite confident that all will be OK as we have booked tickets with extra baggage stating that we are transporting bike boxes. Maybe this driver just needs to be put in his place by the manager. I mean he must be a committed manager to get out of bed at 5am and come to sort out two tourists with bike boxes.Â
I am just relieved to be honest that Jana isnât back yet. She would be mega stressed and of course everything would be my fault. Still smoking and shaking his head the driver continues to stand a few meters away and not engage with me any further.Â
As Jana still isnât to be seen I say to the driver, âI am going to look for my wife,â He replies, âyeh and take your boxes with you!â
I leave the boxes where they are and walk around the square again. I donât see her so go back to the bus stop.Â
A minute or so later, the manager arrives, and so does Jana. Luckily he speaks good English and calms the situation. He checks our ticket and the emails I had exchanged with his colleagues. I had spoken to them and sent emails confirming the bikes would be OK. After much commotion and a lot of things we didnât understand. We really arenât allowed on this bus, but he has a second bus going in an hour that we can take. The minibus driver walks away, gets in his van and drives off. The manager is good though and stays with us until the next bus arrives. This time itâs a proper bus and has a stow away luggage area underneath. Plenty of space for the bikes. As we sit on the bus, we breathe a huge sigh of relief. Imagine if it hadnât worked out and we were stranded in Tbilisi and missed our flight. Wow, then I would have been in trouble.
We know that there will be another bikepacker on our flight. Jonas wrote in the âCycling Eastâ WhatsApp group that he is traveling today. As the name suggests, the group is set up for people cycling east. The 1000 or so members of the group then share ideas, recommendations and information on anything bike travel related.Â
Sat in the airport we spot a young man with an overly large cardboard box, like ours. That must be Jonas with his bike. I go over and ask, âHey, are you Jonas.â âNo, I am Moritzâ, he replies. Ah OK, so not Jonas, but Moritz is another bikepacker and he is on our flight as well. A few minutes later, the next person with a large box appears. Jonas! The four of us sit and wait for our flight, exchanging stories about our route to date. Check-in goes smoothly. We actually have exactly the required weight for one of the boxes. The second is over the 30kg limit, but as the first box was OK the check-in desk worker says to just put them both through. Lucky.Â
Next stop; Central Asia!
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I have to say that Georgia was far better than I had imagined it would be, everyone we came into contact with was very friendly and helpful.
Great for me and Elliot to spend sometime with Joel and Jana and looking forward to seeing them again in East Asia.
Brilliant that Jana got you back in the freezing natural pool!!! đ
I enjoyed the read.