Its not easy being green...

As you'll have read in Tom's post, I followed in his footsteps by getting gastro. Although unlike him, I didn't choose a day when I could lie in a bed and wish death upon myself. Oh no, instead I chose to do it the day we drove and drove and drove down some terrible, terrible roads. I don't have (m)any photos from that day except the videos Tom has already shared. But I will say, don't fear... the roads have got worse since then as well.

The day after the first epic drive, we headed to Vardzia down yet another glorified sheep path that clung to the sides of a mountain and zig zagged so tightly that the GPS couldn't decide what part of the road we were on. Vardzia is a cave monastery full of ascetic monk cells but also remaining frescoes and the remnants of fuller living quarters. It was largely abandoned after the Ottoman takeover in the sixteenth century but in the past 10 years it has started to operate as a monastery again, though we didn't see any monks.

From there we went on to Kutaisi where we visited tge pillar of Kutaisi where a monk lives on offerings at the top of a large rock column. Very odd but somehow fitting and reminded me of the Indian gurus and religious hermits.

We lucked upon another hostel that made us dinner from their home grown produce which was one of my favourite meals of the trip so far - not that I could eat much!Read more