Discovering Jerusalem in Georgia

We last left off having just arrived in Tbilisi.  The mega storm moved on and the sun made a welcome appearance.  The group went on an interesting morning walking tour with Sophie and some followed it with a scrub and massage at the local baths.  Cheesy bread, steaks and even sushi were consumed, all the luxuries of a modern capital city.

Peace Bridge over Tbilisi

Mother of Georgia statue

Anyone for a Starbucks?

Marionette Theatre

Puppet show at the theatre

Sue, Jo-Ann, Jackie, Anita & Judy sharing a bath

Leaving Tbilisi we headed south and were swiftly across the Armenia border which featured the cheapest, smartest duty free so the truck was duly stocked up with rum, brandy, gin, Schweppes tonic water and even a few cigars.

The road worsened the other side of the border, patchwork tar, poppy filled fields, empty Soviet era buildings, a working copper mine, flocks of sheep and goats with long interlocking horns crossing, there was plenty to keep the eyes occupied from the windows of the truck as we bumped along.  With borders between Turkey & Azerbaijan closed there are few routes into Armenia, from Georgia or Iran, so the road was a fairly busy one. 

En route to Armenia

Another interesting sight en route to Yerevan

Copper mine

Mid afternoon we arrived in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia and arguably the oldest capital in the world.  Another very comfortable hotel, each room with large private balcony overlooking the river and gorge, slightly outside the city centre but only a couple of dollars in a taxi into town or better still, an opportunity to experience the metro system, very easy and very cheap! 

Yerevan is a city filled with sculpture and art.  In particular at every stage of the Cascade, a huge set of steps with gardens, galleries and views over the city.  The genocide museum was sadly closed and under renovation as next year marks the 100^th anniversary, lasting eight years from 1915 an estimated 1.5 million Armenians lost their lives under the Ottoman Empire.

Musical fountains after dark in Republic Square brought applause as if watching a firework display.  Set to traditional songs as well as even the James Bond theme tune, it was an enjoyable place to sit for an hour amongst the locals and watch the free display with some popcorn and a beer.

The Cascades, Yerevan

Incredible griffin statue made out of car tyres

Or is it a lion?

Yerevan, city of fast cars and um….

Kalashnikov vodka

Painted roadsides

Old cameras at the Vernissage Market

Rogs, Tom & Sue on the way to Beijing!

Sneaky photo on the retro metro

And we thought the London Underground was deep

Musical fountains in Republic Square

Refreshing to be out in the wilds again and under canvas after a few city nights.  The first of two bush camps was back in Georgia and shall now be known as ‘Tortoise Camp’.  There must have been something on that evening, a gathering of some sort, as they were everywhere, all shuffling with purpose.

Which hotel would you like to stay in?

Miniature truck

Hels stalking the first tortoise

Rogs doing a Mikkel

Oh hello

Off goes another one

Cloudy skies over the bushcamp

Sophie, our Georgia guide, and Anita

A quick rain shower after supper meant the speediest of pack ups and then shelter in the truck.  Our camps in recent days have been sunny to start, a storm gust then heralding a good downpour to keep us on our toes.  The side awning offering protection from the rain and allowing cooking to continue, chopping boards surrounding the gas burners to try and stop the wind blowing them out.

We now find ourselves in the wine growing Kakheti region, the kh pronounced as if one was clearing one’s throat of phlegm.  Our first stop, a visit to Davit Gareja, an area with fifteen monasteries dotted around the landscape, some now residing in Azerbaijan just a short distance away.  Sophie led us up the garden path, well not quite a garden path, a steep and perilous track high up behind the main monastery, Lavra, still inhabited today by around 20 monks, to a series of caves making up the Udabno monastery.  The caves housed small churches and a refectory where the monks would have eaten at low stone tables with 9^th Century frescoes.  Well worth the hike and a good surprise, less so for David who braved the path despite his fear of heights, he still agreed it was worth it.  In other news, it is said that if you visit Davit Gareja three times you have been to Jerusalem, as this is Hels & Rogs third visit there they have now been to Jerusalem!

Best bread in Georgia, as voted by us

Inside the little bakery

Ladies shelling walnuts

A snapshot of life aboard the truck

Truck lunch, oh how we love tomatoes and cucumber

Back row: Maggie, Iain, Big Dave, Jackie, Ross, Jo-Ann, Judy, Gary, Tom
Front row: David, Hels, Rogs, Anita & Sue

Davit Gareja monastery complex

Maggie on the steep cliff path alongside cave churches and monasteries 

Cave church

Team Calypso, eat your heart out!

The refectory

Maggie and Georgian soldiers keeping watch over the border to Azerbaijan

Finding a camp for the night, the weather closed in again.  Cook group braving the elements whilst the others heartily made their way through more Georgian wine inside the truck.  Rowdy and raucous by dinner time, Hels’ special parmesan and lemon risotto recipe topped off with prosciutto and goat’s cheese went down a storm. 

Another stunning view from a bushcamp

Spot the truck

How many cooks does it take to stir a risotto?

Gary & Hels adding the finishing touches

Stopping on the way out the next morning to donate some air from our tanks to a group of locals who had a flat tyre, being a remote region there aren’t many vehicles that pass through, especially with the necessary equipment to help.  We’re feeling quite at home in Georgia now and still have a few more nights here, firstly at Sighnaghi where we now prepare for a meal at one of the guesthouses where Lali, the host, is especially known for her parties and bottomless jugs of wine!

Moody morning drive to Signaghi