After another refreshing beach shower we set off for the nearby Georgian border. We were there by 8.30am, but it was already heaving with coaches and lorries and we got very confused trying to leave Turkey. Entering Georgia was a totally different story: the guards were friendly, spoke English, were interested in our travels, and waved away our questions of insurance with the assurance that we wouldn’t need it. So no charges at all to enter, but what a country it turned out to be. Within half an hour we had picked up a wealth of cheap supplies, including 200 cigarettes for bribing unruly police for only 27 Lari (about 11 GBP), and a selection of delicious savoury snacks for lunch.
The roads were suddenly full of cows, which was slightly distracting, but not as much as the amazing views. The map claimed that we were taking the main road, but after 50 km of incredibly dusty gravel we looked back and realised we had climbed a mountain. The route down the other side was equally stunning, as well as equally bumpy, but then we were back on what passes for tarmac.
The view never really got boring, so when it started getting dark we didn’t mind pulling on to the nearest hillside and looking around for a bit. The breeze dropped the temperature and lifted our spirits further, and we all agreed that Georgia should sit at the top of list of favourite countries.
