Tbilisi - Ushguli, (4/X); 21st August
21st August
Hard day of cycling with a decent mountain pass. Very warm, about 30 C, with no shade to provide respite from the sun, but plenty of streams or springs for water — I must have drink about 10 litres in 6 or so hours.
The views from the top were good but not quite as impressive as the central Asian high passes. The road being absolutely smooth with perfect tarmac made it much easier getting up. But in a way I now miss the sometimes diabolically bad roads of the Pamir — it made it more challenging, pushing you to go through a huge range of emotions from frustration, despair, sometimes a bit of anger, but also satisfaction and relief once at the top, coupled with a staggering view, is what kept me going.
Mid afternoon we started looking for a camp spot. We left the main road and up quiet side road, hoping to find a spot by the river. There was a spot marked on iOverlander which looked promising.
We left the side road for a track, and as we rolled up to a hose spewing out cold water diverted from the stream, a Georgian man who was having food and drink with his three friends beckoned us over. He handed over two glasses of cider along with bread, meat and a large slice of cheese. It looked like they’d been enjoying most of the day with the food and booze and were in good spirits. The guy kept saying ‘love Gruzia’, which I now realise means ‘love Georgia’!!
We tried as best we could do make small talk but couldn’t get very far as we don’t speak Russian or Georgian. We thanked them and walked over to a swim spot for a refreshing dip, and pitched the tent next to the river.
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