Leaving Tbilisi in the afternoon meant that everyone was pretty relaxed as we headed towards the border to bush camp. We first stopped at a mountain village called Signagi. This is a pretty little town that looks new but it has actually been restored so that when the new paint fades it will look like a traditional Georgian town. Too me it looked a little artificial and perfect, geared towards tourists with the "Traditional Georgian Restaurant" on every corner.
We then rolled back down the mountain to bush camp. The original camp was unusable but we stocked up on wine and Pete did an amazing million point turn of the truck in an impossibly small space! We headed into a storm and decided to bush camp just off the road. The first camp set up in torrential rain was a little chaotic but we all pulled together and set up camp quickly. Only the next morning after a noisy nights sleep did Roberta and I discover that we had pitched the tent next to a pond full of very noisy frogs!
The next day we headed towards the border with Azerbaijan. We reached the border in good time but were faced with the sad news that crew member Rich wouldn't be continuing with us for the rest of the trip. Fab guy who will be sorely missed within the group but we had to move on, Azerbaijan called!
All passengers were through the border in an hour but the truck took a further 2 hours. We all sat in the Azeri "carpark" waiting. The reason. The customs office ran out of paper for the photocopier!
Our first night in Azer was a karvansaray in Sheki. Sheki was a main stop on the Silk road so a night here was pretty special. I visited the Khan's palace in the afternoon. The palace built for admin in 1761 was small but spectacular. The rooms were stained glass and walls and ceilings covered in murals.
The next couple of days we would continue the journey to the Caspian Sea.
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