Georgia
















Wild Camp Tbilisi, Gerogia
N 041° 44.179 E 044° 44.750 ->
Today: 95 °F ( +35 °C)
26 Jun 2017
36180 km

Tbilisi is a lovely town. We have spent the day here and could easily spend a couple of more days. Started the day out with taking the funicular up the mountain, in the park there is a Ferris wheel that we decided to ride to improve the view even more. The we walked the Peace Bridge, a really nice monument. Like the juwel in the crown of Tbilisi. Next to the bridge is the ”Triffids” as we call them, but they were closed and then on to the blocks around Cotton Row and Chardain Street to have a very late lunch.

We ended the day at Aboano No 5, where the locals have gone to make themselves clean for hundreds of years. This is as far from a SPA as you possibly can imagine. It is only 1 Euro to get in and not a tourist in sight. Bert was lucky, in the men’s department there was a thermal bath and a sauna, in the women’s department only showers.




















Wild Camp, Gerogia
N 042° 00.006 E 044° 21.477 ->
Today: 95 °F ( +35 °C)
27 Jun 2017
36257 km

Stalin was born and raised in the town Gori, and now they have a big Stalin museum here. Unfortunately most of the information was only in English and Georgian, and we could not understand that much.

One interesting thing that they showed was a miniature version of the house that they used during the Russian revolution. Far under the house there was a hidden room for printing, only accessible through the spring. Outside the museum we could visit Stalin’s railway wagon, with bathtub, shower, hot water, kitchen, conference room etc.

After Gori we went to Ateni Valley. We had found a really nice half day walk to a waterfall were we could take a swim. The walk started out really nicely with big meadows of flowers, a small stream we had to cross again and again. After an hour the trail got smaller and smaller to finally disappear completely and we had to turn back again. A bummer, but we still got a nice walk.
















Wild Camp Ateni Valley, Gerogia
N 041° 53.817 E 044° 02.828 ->
Today: 95 °F ( +35 °C)
28 Jun 2017
36320 km

Today the plan was to visit an old Georgian wine cellar. We found a place called Zurab Ghvaldadze Wine Cellar in the Imereti district. Here they mostly make dry white wine out of the Tsolikouri grape.

Here they also make wine the traditional Georgian way, in a clay pot in the ground. This man has been making wine for over 40 years and he knows his stuff. A few weeks ago he won first prize at the Wine Grand Pri in Germany. Catharina bought a bottle of the prize winning wine and got to cork it herself. The wine was perfect with tonight’s dinner.




















Wild Camp Martivili, Georgia
N 042° 27.189 E 042° 22.533 ->
Today: 86 °F ( +30 °C)
29 Jun 2017
36544 km

We camped in the yard of a power plant last night next to a big and noisy waterfall. It was lovely to take a swim in the clear and cool water under the waterfall.

Today we had visited the Martivili Canyon. It is almost like being in a lush green rain forest with, waterfalls and the steep mountain walls. In a rubber boat we were gliding through the mist. See film clip.

After that we continued to Okatse Canoyn. But compared to what we already had experienced today this was not much to see.

We found a man that maybe could fill our gas bottle along the way. Finally we managed to make the connections to work. Hopefully we will make it all the way back to Sweden now.
















Truck Stop Poti, Georgia
N 042° 11.469 E 041° 42.499 ->
Today: 86 °F ( +30 °C)
30 Jun 2017
36681 km

Today we went to the office of the shipping agent in Butami to get our boarding cards and shipping documents for the car. We are leaving on Tuesday. But we got told to come back on Monday to get the documents. They were busy doing the documents for the ship leaving today.

We found a great camping spot by a small river in Mtirala National Park in the mountains outside Butami were we could take a swim and do some laundry.












Wild Camp Mtirala National Park, Georgia
N 041° 41.091 E 041° 49.862 ->
Today: 95 °F ( +35 °C)
01 Jul 2017
36795 km

Batumi is a sea side town at the Black Sea. This is the place to be for beach, casinos and restaurants. The beach is 10 kilometers long. Even though the season has not stated there are a few Russian and Ukrainian tourists here already. But it feels strange that the season has not started when it is +30-35° C every day and the sea is lukewarm. What can they possibly need more?














Wild Camp Kobuleti, Georgia
N 041° 53.514 E 041° 46.343 ->
Today: 95 °F ( +35 °C)
02 Jul 2017
36864 km

A day at the beach today. We decided to go to a beach 10 kilometers outside Batumi. Here we could stay almost by ourselves. The beaches are rocky, but the rocks are round and smooth and the water is unusually clear to be the Black Sea.














Wild Camp Martiveli, Georgia
N 041° 42.457 E 041° 46.654 ->
Today: 95 °F ( +35 °C)
03 Jul 2017
36920 km

In the afternoon it was time to pay the shipping office in Batumi a visit again. This time we got our boarding cards and we managed to upgrade our cabin from C to a B cabin too. The B-cabin is larger with a sofa and chairs and separate beds instead of bunk beds. We paid 40 Euro extra for this but it is definitely worth it.




















Wild Camp Machakhela National Park, Georgia
N 041° 30.786 E 041° 44.604 ->
Today: 95 °F ( +35 °C)
04 Jul 2017
36966 km

The Georgians are very in to this food thing. Yesterday we got invited to two birthday parties with lots of food. Today another crowd came over with a nicely set tray of Georgian delicacies and homemade vodka. It was very tasty all of it.

At 10 PM we arrived at the port. The ship was supposed to leave 11. 55 PM. We had to wait for them to unload the ship before we could border. At 1 AM we bordered, got our cabins and could finally go to bed.














Batumi Port, Georgia
N 041° 38.828 E 041° 39.419 ->
Today: 95 °F ( +35 °C)
05 Jul 2017
37018 km

This morning when we woke up we were still in port to out surprise. This is a cargo ship and they leave when they are done. And last night there was a bit of a problem. One railway car was derailed when getting on the ship. That probably made the delay even longer. But finally, after a 16 hour delay we sailed in the afternoon.

On the ship we met an old acquaintance – Darren, the cyclist from Brighton that we have met twice before during this trip, the first time on the Pamir Highway and the next time at our Guest House in Dushanbe. Isn’t that kind of funny? Darren travels on his bicycle and we in our car - and we do it in the same phase…














Black Sea, Georgia
N 043° 50.480 E 034° 45.216 ->
Today: 86 °F ( +30 °C)
06 Jul 2017
37018 km

This is a cargo ship, that we notice in many ways. Breakfast lunch and dinner is included. The meals are served on very exact times and we have to be there right on time. We have only 30 minutes to eat, and then they throw us out from the dining room. The food is kind of bland but we get a lot of food with every meal. They serve soup, a main dish, salad, bread and fruit or a desert. There is also a tiny bar with limited opening hours, but apart from this there is absolutely nothing to buy, eat or do on the ship.

We are really pleased that we upgraded our cabin, since there are no places to just hang around on the ship. But in our cabin we have plenty of space; a toilet, a shower, a window and a separate seating area. That feels good since we are spending 3 days on the ship.