Sadakhlo - Bagratashen

The night on Thursday, October 18, 2018, remains largely calm, so we start the sunny morning feeling well-rested. After a big breakfast for the Dicken and me, our stuff is quickly packed and we set off again in the morning towards the center of Marneuli. After the laundry worked so well the day before, I decided to drop off my second set of clothes at the Star Hotel. There, I treat myself to a warm shower for a small fee. For lunch, I have a coffee and something sweet at the Marneuli Mall while I complete a travel report and upload a few pictures. When I pick up Rango again in the parking lot, I start chatting with two young employees who offer me a place to stay overnight. Unfortunately, 2 days too late. After picking up my laundry, I try to organize a marshrutka to the Armenian border, but once again I am unsuccessful. So we set off on foot towards the south. We catch a bus for part of the way, then walk along the western outskirts of several small settlements until just before Imiri. After 15 km, I set up our camp near the Khrami River.

Overnight, I experience some unpleasant stomach problems again, which remind me of Gori. So on Friday morning, I decide to start a Biseptol treatment, as there is no doctor or hospital nearby. By midday, I have packed our things and we continue on our way towards the Armenian border. Shortly after starting, I am persuaded to take a short break at the entrance to Imiri by a few men offering coffee and biscuits. They are a butcher and some fruit vendors from the local area. I am given a package of greens for our journey. We then continue along the road to the south, constantly seeing the foothills of the Lesser Caucasus in the distance. After six kilometers, it is time for another little break in Shulaveri, where I share khachapuri and tea with Rango (the Big One's interest in tea is rather limited). Then in the afternoon, we walk another 8 km. I am invited for tea again in Akhlo Lalo and in the evening, we set up our camp in Damia Giaurarkhi, on a kind of field. Throughout the day, I could have gotten tea or fruit every 100 m, the vegetable vendors seem to be a curious and very generous bunch. Georgia is bidding us farewell in the best way possible.

Saturday (October 20, 2018) welcomes us again with sunny weather, so we set off in high spirits for the final stretch to the Sadakhlo border crossing. With my last Lari, I treat myself to a small lunch and in the early afternoon, we cross the border to Bagratashen in Armenia without any problems. Just past the border, I organize Armenian money, a new SIM card, and something to eat. Then it's already time to find a place to camp. I find a spot on the banks of the Debed River just before Ptghavan. We stay there for a few days, partly because of the weather, partly for health reasons. My stomach is not cooperating...