Day 14 Georgia - Trip to Borjomi

So today we are supposed to go to Vardzia. Supposed to, because it didn't work out.

After breakfast, we headed into the mountains. Up, down, one speed bump after another, many many curves...

Of course, something had to happen again, the rear left brake was getting unusually warm. So, I got under the car again and adjusted the handbrake cables a bit... I must have been a bit too meticulous with the initial setting before departure, so now the expansion of the brake linings became too large due to the terrain-induced heat development. It's strange that it only comes up now, as I always checked the brakes routinely before such mountain tours. It's working again for now...

Then an Orthodox clergyman standing on the road and an elderly man passing by signaled that they wanted to tell me something. The clergyman, named German, asked us about our destination. Then he explained to us that we cannot pass the Zekari Pass because there is too much snow there. No chance of passing through...

So, back we went. But before that, I gave the two men high-visibility vests from an internationally active security service. If they have to stand on the narrow and curvy road, they should at least be more visible. It is one of my missions to bring some safety into the world...

The older and equally friendly gentleman didn't want to let me go without giving me a little bottle of honey that he usually sells to travelers from the trunk of his 124. So, I already have my first souvenir for home.

Well, then it took about 1:30 hours to get back, and on the way, we also met a German cyclist from Heppenheim who started in Iran many weeks ago. He wants to try the Zekari Pass, he said he can push through the snow or carry his bike. He seemed very experienced, he will make it.

And then we took the alternative route. For some reason, that one was also closed shortly after the beginning, so there was an alternative route to the alternative route. There were sometimes over 10 km of construction sites, potholes, and gravel. And all of it uphill and downhill, true material destruction. Well, at some point, you become insensitive to the technology, I still remember such bumpy roads from Ukraine. You don't make much progress there, usually it was 30-50 km/h in second or third gear...

So, it was no longer possible to reach the planned destination Vardzia. So, we stopped in Borjomi around 7 p.m. Borjomi is known for its special mineral water.

In a small hotel called 'Elmira', we found an affordable shelter. The hostess Elmira is a very friendly older lady who speaks English, Russian, and a few words of German. Her mother was German.

She invited us for a coffee and homemade cognac. Very tasty, very lovely...

Now we are going to visit Borjomi a bit.

We covered a distance of 290 km today...