It’s taken me all day to ride only about 80 miles!
Knackered. I hope my ankle is okay tomorrow.
Talk about adventure riding. Today was shattering! I’ve now fallen off the bike three times – once yesterday and twice today!
The ride itself was fun, exciting, scary, dangerous (really dangerous) and rewarding.
I’ve not simply ridden to Mestia – I’ve made it to Mestia!
I’ve not ridden along a road that doubles as a stream. Forded more water courses than I recall, navigated ascending hairpins where the road surface is exposed bedrock and skidded through as much mud and cow shit as to turn the bike into a pile of earth.
Tonight, I shall sleep well. For sure!
Mestia appears as a jewel amongst oomska. It’s nice here, and there are bars and English-speaking tourists.
Apparently the roads out of here are fine – it’s only the road that I chose that is of bone-shaking gnarliness.
The villages I encountered today were sweet. Proper agricultural stuff.
Entering Ushguli I found an oasis. Like a muppet, I set off without any water today but Uhguli’s welcome sign was:
Guest House
Cafe
←————
…A family farm that tourists can use.
The entire family (I think they are Catholic here) came out to meet me and the bike.
“Du bist Deutshe?”
“No, English.”
“Ah, da da da! English very good!”
Broad grins and thumbs up. Us Brits are well received here :).
A short entry today, for I’ve found a bar and I will hit the sack soon. I am going to sleep soooooo well tonight.
The bike is caked in shit – cow shit. After the local police man found me someone’s garden to camp in (via the museum curate), I have a ‘garden pitch’ next to a water tap, so tomorrow is a bike-cleaning day!