Nigel Richardson’s 5th Report of his trip

FLAT FOR SALE: River frontage. Magnificent mountain views. Close to amenities. Excellent neighbour (plenty of them) hood watch scheme. Free use of laundry drying facilities (balcony space permitting). In need of some refurbishment. Price. Anything considered. Although a battered Mercedes would do nicely.

Welcome to Georgia. Birthplace of Stalin, in fact a few kms from here, and the land of blacked out Range Rovers driven by leather jacketed Hoods. The roads are not for the faint hearted but we made it to Tbilisi. Another river crossing to get here and as our prehistoric ferry overtook its sister ‘ship’ It was appropriate to reflect that half the team were on ‘The slow boat to China’. Only 8,000 miles it go!

Tomorrow we start crossing Central Asia proper and enter our 1st police State, Azerbaijan. So no Internet for up to 10 days. How will we manage: hopefully by concentrating on biking. Will I still be smiling?

Here’s to you with ‘Georgia on my mind’. Nigel