Part II.
The true face of Georgia seen from a bicycle saddle
day VII. : VIII.8. 140 km
I arrived quicly in 10 km long road to Kutaisi. After several questions, a long searching I got to the bazar. My first informator was a trader of technical goods. I had to wait until 10, when the bicycle repair man arrived. Till that we had a conversation about each other's life. We also went to some older traders to inquire about the labour camps (gulags).
Bike repairer in action. I also bought a spare tube and brake pads. Finally the the owner of the container = bicycle service gave me one more pair of pads free of charge. He told me that his grandfather had been also working in a camp on the road construction near Tkibuli. He did not hear from his grandfa tellings about Hungarian prisoners only about Germans.
The tamed Tskenitskali river Centre of Kutaisi. Some cobbled stone covered pleasant streets, main square. I was glad to find this water spring in the big heat.
The near by famous Gelati monastery was already in the beginning of XII. century important church centre . Its bell tower is one of the oldest in Georgia. The church and monastery on the list of UNESCO world heritage since1994.
From my new informator I got data regarding prisoners of war.
Tkibuli hotel, where I arrived with police escort.
But just step by step. I arrived in the town. But there was no sign board of the town. So I stopped opposite the police station in the shade. I asked the men sitting there. The end was a half an hour conversation. In many parts of Georgia the police do not take seriously wearing a uniform. I just noticed the revolver looking out of the trouthers at their hips . The conversation went about labour camps, my tour, the life here and in my country.
I was looking for a cheap accommodation. They told me funnily you can choose between a Hilton and a Marriott. They accepted my wish to go to "Marriott"
So one of their cars showed me the way to the hotel. Despite of the big heat I became hungry. I took a photo of a Georgian waitress with her approval. Sightseeing in Tkibuli: its river Saoni, mine town s railway station. One alley leading to the main square
The former pioneers house with a local lady, who did not really want to get on the photo, though I tried to convince her. The main square.
I also asked the receptionist of the hotel regarding the gulags., labour camps: She told that the millitary headquater is in the next building. I rushed there. A lady and a gentleman were just about to leave their office. They briefly told me that Germans built here houses, bridges and mine shafts. They did not know anything about Hungarian prisoners.. But near Moscow is the central achive, there I can get the details..



      

               main square                         hotel on the main square                   back streets                 Garry is preparing for the day     again on the motorway

Under fig trees I climbed up the Rikoti pass in the heat on the road to Tbilisi. Suddenly I saw a cyclist on his tour before me. He also looked several times back, then he stopped to wait for me.. Garry McGivern : http://www.garrymcgivern.com . He was second time cycling around the world , but now in the other direction. Before the Rikoti pass top we cycled through a tunnel. I was glad to join to an exprienced cyclist and went in excellent speed downhill. To our disapointment we could not find any hotel or inn in the town of Khasuri. I could at least change some money, I learned that a cheap motel will be along the road in about 10 km. We did not hesitate long because the 25 Lari was a good price. For an additional 5 Lari he took his bike up to his room on the first floor. We very soon found out that the ladies are not making their living from the accommodation, Both of us rejected the not misunderstandable intim approach. We got our supper , we were not longing for anything more.


day VIII.  August 9th   ~.150 km
Next morning we started our tour at 6 a.m. Following Garry my speed was much higher compared with the one on the previous day. Thanks not only to the tail wind and later the motor way' s smooth asphalt, but mainly Garrys lead.
Motor way sign . The first distance is the Armenian border. I persuaded him to make a "detour" as he meant, to the cathedral of Samtavisi which is on the tentativ list of UNESCO world heritage. In the cemetry by the church I found a tomb of a several times world champion wrestler. The graceful tower, interiour of the church dome, a harmonically built cathedral and its tasteful stone carvings gave unforgettable experience.
The killing speed on the motor way went on in the big heat, to gain back the time "we lost ".
Those signs were ment for me :the Georgian Military Highway. Time to say good bye. Garry cycled on along the motorway towards Azerbaijan.

Djinvali's dam. Soon I could see the hydroelectric power plant from higher up from plan view. I met a Polish cyclist .He was the 54. day on the way, very tired after the 8000 km. And how far is Polska yet ?? He cycled on rapidly. I even forgot to take a photo of him. He encoureged me to camp wild. He many times slept along the road in his tent.
                     

                          Djinvali water reservoir                                Anapuri castle and monastery               a new water reservoir under construction

In the car park near the castle I enquired about private accommodation.With the information I found the house view from the garden. This is the street view, from here you can only see the newer ,smaller house. The Aragvi river's valley on its lower flat section . But the road is showing towards the mountains.

day IX.  August 10th   ~ 170 km
Next morning I met a Swiss girl and guy. They cycled from Kazbek region, where I was heading to. We had a talk and exchanged addresses Their web site:: www.mattscheibe.ch/veloreise I was wondering why they were dressed winterly. I climbed on with the new informations in mind about road and accommodation. Souvernier stands were along the road. I passed by creek valleys on the way to the pass.
Around the next water spring traders stands and a small snack bar were installed.
In marvellous surrounding a small hydroelectric power plant is going to be constructed. I cycled on towards the pass top, but at Gudauri the sky became darker and darker.
As it was starting to rain, I was already sitting under an umbrella and treating myself with hot tea and saslik.



     

hairpin turn of Cross pass  behind me the water reservoir construction   panorama from an outlooking point to the other one  valleys , gorges  Georgian waitress

In the last 5 km the asphalt was missing and the bike was worn by the bad road. Yet I reached the top of the Georgian Millitary Highway. On the descendent the same rough road led where I had to cycle around not only the broken down lorries , but also the road construction machines.

        

         Russian mile stone of the Cross pass    macadam road   Terek river  121 km distance sign   poisonous snake or ring/grass snake,who knows it??

I am approaching center of Kazbek region (Kazbegi National Park) . I again saw watch towers. I wanted to take a photo from the bank of Terek river. But a snake or ring/grass snake were lying on my way.
The other side of the valley is also romantic



     

            Kazbek 5033 m      picknick under Kazbek                        family picknick under Kazbek                     right bank of Terek river, opposite Kazbek

Terek valley is scenic and not by last covered by good quality asphalt. I soon reached the Russian border. It is typical that also here a new cathedral is under construction. I just wonder who would attend this cathedral? It seems the politicians spend money also here...
I visited the Russian-Gerogian border, because this border cannot be crossed by bicycles as I heard before. Unfortunatelly this was confirmed by the frontier guards. I originally planned a tour around the Caucasus. But the Abhazian break away ( Russian-Georgian war) made it unpossible. But I did not count with this problem. The Polish cyclist complained about not receiving the Russian visa, though he applied for it ! So this must have been the reason.
       

            Kazbek 5033 m                 Kazbek                            right bank of  Terek river,                             Tergi river    new cathedral near the Russian border


This sight requires a camera ! I looked around in Kazbegi (Stepantsminda) :Kazbegi museum, The writer named Kazbegi was born in this village. The statue and commemory church. I shot some photos through the entrance door of this museum. Some national dresses I took a photos of as long as the ward was asleep. Then I saw a sign " guesthouse". I inquired at the young lady. It turned out soon, that her husband was also there, who did not speak Russian. For his mother was Hungarian from Mosonmagyarvr. We exchanged some words in Hungarian. But his wife did not understand Hungarian, so we kept on talking in German, because they were living and working in Germany. The villa as they called the guesthouse belonged to him. They were on summer holiday now. But I wanted to cycle on, to be closer to the Cross pass, which I had to climb next morning to get toTbilisi. In the village Arsha I found cheap private accomodation with breakfast of local type. Early in the morning I could take a photo only of the host in the light rain. The wife of the host had already gone in the mountains to gather wood, right after had she prepared the breakfast for me


    

 behind me improvised Russian disco in a car with cross in the background      right bank of Terek river      back to Cross pass through road construtions     formations like stalegtites

day X  August 11th   ~.150 km

In the light morning rain I endeavoured to reach the pass top as soon as possible . After a short while the asphalt changed in macadam road, but this time was not dusty like the previous day. Lots of jeeps with Russian registration number were going on the road , I approached to one of them after I had dressed for the now real rain. I tought to give a flyer about my apartments. Behind the opening window a dark skinned "Russian " with a huge scarf on the face looked at me curiously. During my former conversations I had already realized that in the former Soviet Union migrated Caucasians visting home (Georgia, but mainly Armenia and Azerbaijan).
On the top of the pass this scenery was wating for me. From here I had a view to the outlooking point of yesterday . I had the chance to take a photo of two donkeys . But one one them had a very bad open wound. I was very sorry for him, so I left him out on the picture. Going on one of the wildest corner of the Georgian Millitary Highway I shot a photo of. In the cold rain I cycled downhill. Shivered with cold I stopped at the first restaurant board for a cup of tea and saslik. I arrived from the Cross pass . I had a dispute with the staff, because half frozen I could not tolerate the fried bacon sold as a saslik. My suggestion for a price reduction was finally accepted. After I did not order any saslik more on my tour.
Further downhill the rain stopped, it quicly became warmer. I took some cloths off, while I shot a photo of some flowers , then at the water reservoir about the monument of a battle.
The heat became unbearable. Again on the motorway I was looking for Djvari monastery, which I could not find as I left Garry . The picture of the amazing view and the monastery are filling my album now.
The 11 km detour was worth, though all my water was drunken in the big heat. I was climbing the 100 steps in vain first , because my cyclist short was not acceptable. Though I simply was let in the St. Peter' s cathedral in Rome in the same one..Dome, the Holy Cross, Georgian believers, icon, side altar, church interiour, icon of Jesus.

    

 communication with a believer or more ??     Freedom square: St.George's statue, town hall,spot of the assassination attempt against G.Bush      statues of Metkhii     Mtkvari river,Narikala castle
Stone carving of the entrance.
I got to the centre of Tbilisi on the motorway in a heavy traffic. Tbilisi in the evening with the Armenian church in the background. Mtkvari river with Narikala fortress. Metekhi bridge's statues at night. In Tbilisi I found the motel to my budget late in the evening. As I carried my bike with the heavy luggage on the spiral stair, something went wrong in my lung. I had strong aches during speeking, coughing , neezing. I could hardly blow my nose. When I used to work as an interpretor in East-Germany I daily went with ill workers to see a doctor. One of them got pneumothoraxute. He had to stay in a hospital for four days. To lay in bed is the only way to cure it. I did not have the possiblity of it on my tour. So I was very careful with every move. But on the climbs I still rang for air, which was very painful.

day XI.  August 12th 115   ~. km

I realized in the morning to have lost one screw of my luggage holder. Even in the bazar near by was no sign of life on Sunday morning. After asking many times and long search and 12 km riding I found a car garage ,where the order of the world was restored in a few minutes. Later on the embankment of the river a convoy of armoured black jeeps pulled off at me in direction of the Presidential Palace. I met similar convoys in Adjaria as well. Body guards with revolver I also met often. View to Mtkvari river with the pedestrian bridge and the cable car in the backgrouond.
Georgian Parliament's old building , next the former Russian governour's palace beside statues of the writer Chavchavadze and poet Tsereteli. This building is a school now. Opposite the Kvaseti church . From Rustaveli avenue one of the side streets. Opposite the Opera is the house of Petrosian,who was a chess wold champion of Armenian origin stated in three languages on the board.
Karvanserai, Gia Abesadze pedestrian walk, which leads through the magical Sololaki district by the a Synagogue and Sioni cathedral to the suphur baths. This is on UNESCO world cultural list.

   

                            Opera                                      statue of king Gorgasali                   Gorgasali square with Citadella (Narikala fortress) ,    Sololaki district

On Gorgasali square I was address by someone during taking a photo. I gladly saw Nicole and Timon, the two Swiss cyclist. 150 m further the magical Bath quarter

           

            sulphur baths                         bath domes            view from bath disrict to castle                                    bathhouses

A script in the bath district (Abano tubani), where huge restoration works were going on.

                             

   church on the hill   mosque     board game,in Turkey,Georgia and Armenia was popular  bath district             minaret by the mosque ,

Farewell picture about Tbilisi's suburb. In the unbearable heat I was pedalling slowly on the slight slope . But finally I reached the town of Marneuli,where the majority of the population was Azeri. Later on the way the the Armenian border I saw a new mosque. In the last village before the border I took a photo of pomegranate tree.
At the border I found a motel. View from my room. For I arrived early, I planned to get up even earlier than usual. This decision proved to be wrong next morning.

Go on to >>> Armenia,Adjaria,Georgia part III of the cycling tour.

back to Georgia,Svanetia cycling tour part I.

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