We devise a plan to travel East together for a few days. After which point Stu will continue on to Istanbul before flying home to recoup funds and I will head south to try my luck at the Syria border. We throw our bikes onto the night train, find our cabin and crack open a litre of Ukrainian vodka. At some point in the night we gain a friend. We swap smokes for shots and let our new aquaintence (and toastmaster) do his thing – the Georgians know how to toast...and apparently, after half a litre of vodka, it seems I know how to speak Russian!
We pull in to Batumi station an hour before the sun makes itself know for the day. We drag our gear piece by piece to a grassy area near the platform, roll out the sleeping bags, and crash. I wake periodically to see fuzzy human-like shapes approach to inspect the two newest additions to Batumi's “drunken bum” population.
At something like midday we get up and moving. A blissfull ride along the Batumi coastline - slight tailwind, paved promenade lined with trendy bars and an uninterrupted view of the Black Sea. Once out of town the greenness of the hilly coast has a vitalizing effect – particularly as I've spent so long in a white frozen or arid dry world.
The Georgian/Turk border is a crossing of minimal hassles. We put a few kilometres between us border – stopping momentarily to take some water cress from a snow-melt stream. As the evening glow takes hold of the day we search out a picturesque coastal camp spot. We treat ourselves to a fire and chat away the evening while supping on our Veggie Power Broth.
We pull in to Batumi station an hour before the sun makes itself know for the day. We drag our gear piece by piece to a grassy area near the platform, roll out the sleeping bags, and crash. I wake periodically to see fuzzy human-like shapes approach to inspect the two newest additions to Batumi's “drunken bum” population.
At something like midday we get up and moving. A blissfull ride along the Batumi coastline - slight tailwind, paved promenade lined with trendy bars and an uninterrupted view of the Black Sea. Once out of town the greenness of the hilly coast has a vitalizing effect – particularly as I've spent so long in a white frozen or arid dry world.
The Georgian/Turk border is a crossing of minimal hassles. We put a few kilometres between us border – stopping momentarily to take some water cress from a snow-melt stream. As the evening glow takes hold of the day we search out a picturesque coastal camp spot. We treat ourselves to a fire and chat away the evening while supping on our Veggie Power Broth.
No comments:
Post a Comment