Last night As we finished setting up camp, the heavens opened up. Given that we were in the property of a white water rafting operation, means we were close to a river. Checking the river at the time, it was trickling along and there were reasonably high banks on either side. Hmmm. We have been in this situation before and were lucky to escape unscathed, but on that occasion it meant packing up the tent and moving while it was pouring with rain and relocating to higher ground. Could we be in for a rerun?
To move or stay?
The rain lasted a couple of hours, and I took the precaution of checking with the land owner who reassured me that it only floods in the spring, after melting snow. But at 1pm I could hear the river building so got out of bed with the torch and walked, naked the 40m to the river edge. The level had certainly risen, but there was still at least a meter to the top of the bank. While the rain stopped, there was no knowledge of the situation further up the high and steep valley. “Relax”, Jen tried to reassure me.
Reluctantly I got back into bed and must have crashed, but a dream of the water coming in from behind us, woke me and at 4am it was back to the river. It was less that a foot from the top of the bank, and roaring. I went back to Poki and pulled out all the tent pegs, put the toilet on the bonnet spare wheel, and stowed all the items in the tent, into Poki. My thinking, if we have to make a hasty retreat I can just tow the tent to high ground.
Exhausted, I must have fallen asleep again. We survived but this morning I wandered back to the stream/river edge and saw that it had breached the bank, but fortunately only in a very minor way. You would think we would have learned our lesson from the last episode in Columbia!
There’s the ‘tea-pot’ again…:) Drying out prior to packing up.
It was about 10.30am before we were ready to depart. Not before having to eat our porridge without milk, as Jen had bought what she thought was a 2L bottle of milk, but it was something very different, Turkish and tasted like salty water!
The Military Highway
During the time awake last night, you could hear Russian Kamaz trucks grinding and rattling along the road not too far from us. Many of the trucks we encountered this morning were Armenian. Perhaps this is their most direct route from Russia? Georgian drivers are risk takers. Competent but impatient, they sit an inch from your rear quarter and pass with disregard for oncoming vehicles.
Descending from the mountains we continued back towards Tbilisi before taking a left turn and climbing to the east.
An old Russian ex military truck belching fumes. This road is even more torturous than the Transfargarasan, but almost devoid of traffic, and we could make our way leisurely.
Decaying tribute to the Georgians who fought for Russia in WW2.
Destination Telavi.
Jen had decided that more exploration of Georgia was required. There are some amazing ruins at Telavi, the embattlements of King Erekel 11’s castle from the 17th Century.
En route we stopped at a derelict looking fuel station with two pumps. Seeminly derlict but an ‘Open’ sign prominent. The old timer that responded to our stopping, proceeded to dispense diesel. I followed him into his shed after and right there, on a small TV, the live rugby game between NZ and Ireland, in NZ! I sat on his bed with him and we watched the game. Jen was not impressed and returned to Poki. After watching perhaps 15 min of the 2nd half, the power went off. That was our queue to continue. Google informed me later, NZ won 40 – 21.
We decided as it was 3pm, to find accommodation in the town. Population, approx. 16000. Looking for an information office we found the castle. Three delightful young ladies were sitting on an adjacent wall and we had much fun quizzing them on the history of the castle, and town, and testing their level of the English language and geography. About my grand daughter Charley’s age, and their language skills, excellent.
That’s their older sister on the right…:)
The Information centre was found, but I doubt occupied for months, maybe.
Goddess of wine? Representing the regions 8000 years of wine making.
Looking for the guest house!
This turned out to be impossible without the help of several locals. One who had to call the guest house as google maps was showing it as being several k’s away!!! He insisted on piloting us with his car, after himself stopping to ask locals. How do you repay such kindness?
The aftermath of a storm that hit the town last week!
Earlier we chatted with an Austrian couple in an expedition rigged Toyota Land Cruiser and decided to take a room in the same place. Alas, Jen came back not impressed so found another.
Our accommodation is lovely. How’s that for good customer relations!
Jen’s going to have to drink both glasses…:) She’ll hate that!
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Nice adventure with the water level during the night…. Luckily all ended well and the day certainly did with some hopefully tasty wine 🍷