Russian Adventure - Chapter 12 - Georgia Q  By Nigel Cooper 4168 miles so far I'm riding down a busy street in Tbilisi having waved farewell to the Hanger Pub and the Hotel City (yes, that really was its name). It's warm and sunny and the roads ahead look interesting. I'm initially headed towards Tsalke and have picked my route to include some nice looking curves. They don't disappoint and the surface is good enough for some spirited cornering, a nice pickme-up after my rest day to get me back in the groove. Although I'm still not far from Russia there's a different feel to this place. You can sense its western drift and I find myself split between longings for home and a sadness that my two big goals of the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus mountains have now come and gone. However, before the day is done I have some challenging roads ahead so I need to stay focused. Meanwhile, the weather has got decidedly chilly and mist has appeared that fogs up my visor, so I have to stop and give it a wipe. The headlight is also drenched in the mist and so it's a great opportunity to give it a clean. The twisties and the mist come to an end and I reach Tsalke and find its small high street. I spy what looks like a small grocery shop and pull over to see if I can get something to drink. An elderly gentleman appears and I end up buying a Coke off him. It turns out he is a Greek Cypriot but I can't quite understand 16
what brought him across to Georgia and this little town. After our brief chat I sit on a bench outside his shop and watch the world go by for a few relaxing minutes; I know the next section will be more demanding. I continue on to Ninotsminda and then Akhalkalaki, where I take the road to Bakuriani. At some point the tarmac runs out. I'm not sure what happened as there is a very good rock foundation in place, just no tarmac on top of it! However, there is a moderate amount of traffic plying along each way, so I join in. After some miles the rock foundation also peters out and I'm on hard packed dirt and much less traffic around. A little further and I turn up in what appears to be someone's farmyard! A bunch of guys are sitting around a table chatting and give me a strange look but I point in the direction I think the route goes and they give me some nods and waves – not sure whether they are just being friendly or are genuinely confirming my direction – I guess we'll find out in due course. As I leave the farmyard the track continues into a field and then disappears. Hmmm. I can see tracks through the mud and grass and thankfully, very thankfully, it is all dry and firm. I bounce along until there is a heart-stopping moment when something hits the ground. The oil filter on the F800 couldn't be more exposed, pointing forwards right at the front of the engine; great for oil changes, not so good for riding off-road. I stall and come to a
