In Tblisi

Seems to be a nice town. Last night I was in a Georgian road house, the Otel Silk Road, just east of Kashuri. The ground floor is a huge open room, full of tables, with chairs upside down on top of them. In the back on the right is a bar with a reception desk on rollers. How much? 50 GEL, about $30, paid in advance.   Room is upstairs, take the grand marble staircase up one floor, mind your head doesn't get caught in the garlands of white(ish) organza. 

Security for the bike was excellent, as they opened both front doors and I rode it up the steps and into the big room. I took the key with me anyway. 

Dinner was a bottle of orange Fanta, because I saved the Snickers bar for breakfast. I wasn't up to going out for dinner, so I fasted. I couldn't get to sleep, probably a combination of the shouting down the hall, the Fanta, and the fall. 

This morning I was up, rode the bike out of the hotel, and packed it up. I shaved but didn't want to brush my teeth with the tap water, and the shower had no curtain so I passed. The toilet was leaking on the floor, too, so it was just time to go. 

About a mile down the road I stopped and had my breakfast, assured an old man with a wheelbarrow loaded with sacks of hay that, yes, I was going to Tblisi, and adjusted the air in the tires 

It was only a 71 mile ride, so I took my time. I stopped at one of their brand new rest areas, like the European model, for a coffee and cold water.  It was so nice I just sat outside on the curb near the bike and enjoyed my refreshment. A bus full of teenagers stopped close by. Two girls came over and asked if they could have a photo. I said sure, thinking they just wanted a picture of themselves on the bike. They did, but then they wanted one with me on it too. Maybe they were on a treasure hunt and had to get a photo of a grandfather on a motorcycle?

I selected a hotel off the internet, Betsy's Hotel, based on my usual criteria: wifi, parking, and funky. I got all three of those, plus a location approachable from only one street that took me forever to find. But I found it, in spite of cobblestone street after cobblestone street. I may hire a truck to take me back to the highway!

I'm going to spend two nights here to get the GPS set up for Central Asia. Or at least get a start on it. I will also blog about the last two days in Turkey. 

I am stiff and sore from the fall. I'm going to see if hot water will take care of that.