As we moved deeper into the mountains, the scenery got nicer and nicer. The place was picturesque, in spite that there we saw an unfinished reinforced concrete viaduct. 

Along the way, by the roadside, local women were selling various things. For example, there was a sweet which had hazelnut pieces in a jelly bean mass.

In the evening, Paul suggested that we could sleep in the restaurant’s storage area.

On Paul’s birthday people were happy and in a good mood. Khinkali, the Georgian national dish was served at the table.

For several days the wheel of Zita’s reclining bike was causing problems. It was not a simple hole in the tire. 

Three of us had to do surgery on the it and we removed a metal filament, one centimeter long.

In the morning we said good by to Paul and started to move upward.

We soon reached a tunnel at 900 ms height. It is located at Rikoti, and according to the map, it is at 997 ms. Here lies the divide between West and East Georgia.

I dug out the tool kit from the bottom of my pannier and took the tyre apart. I managed the repair fast and without a hitch. In the meantime I developed an audience of about 5 adults and 10 children all around me, who were watching what I was doing with great interest.

After 10 we were on our way and started our 40th and last day in Turkey.

In the next town we prepared some „buffalo wings”, aka precooked, spicy chicken bits in the park.Our last Turkish town was Hopa. Zita and I have already discussed before we got to the town that we must drink one more Turkish tea before we leave the country.

We found the appropriate place for this by the table of a family restaurant, where we drank with enjoyment the sweet drink from the little tulip glasses for the last time.

You must come to Turkey, by bike, hitch hiking or any other way… They have excellent roads, everybody is very nice and friendly, so much so, that with our Hungarian heads on, it is unthinkable! Turkey is a really good place!

We celebrated our 3000th km and after that we had only a few kilometres to the Georgian border.

On this section the countryside looked just like it does in fashionable Western European holiday resorts. Except there were no crowds, hardly any traffic and the road was twice the width.

We would like to thank every Turkish helper, host, accommodation provider all those myriad of things that we received. We will never forget Turkish hospitality and will  carry its praise into the big wide world!;)