Mongol Rally 2017
Day 32.2: We don't get fooled again! No, no!
Miles: 200Countries: GeorgiaStops: Tbilisi -> Stepantsmida -> various stops Playlists: chill tunes Feeling relaxed from our baths, we grabbed some food with wifi to figure out our next steps and hit the road Northbound. After a few hours and an excessively long detour through roads (or lack there of) that could only serve as good practice for what's to come, we made our way to Stepantsmida. The drive was glorious: the mountains were beautiful and fun to drive (depending who you ask). It was getting dark by the time we reached the mountain base, and we decided to camp in...
Day 33: boy, you've got a friend in me!
Miles: 10-15Countries: AzerbaijanStops: border gas station -> small town Well, speaking of hospitality... we didn't even get half an hour from the gas station before we were pulled over by a guy waving us down as he was walking down the sidewalk. Again, establishing a common language, he INSISTED, we turn around and go back to his home for tea. He was walking somewhere, but he turned around and ran back 4 houses, animatedly pointing at the driveway. So we figured we're already not going to make it to the embassy in Baku anyway before they close for the weekend,...
Day 32-33: After midnight, we're gonna chug-a-lug and shout
Miles: 5Countries: Georgia -> AzerbaijanStops: border crossing and a gas station down the roadReaching the border, the first thing we saw was a huge sign "Azerbaijan Border Good Luck". Well, shit. That didn't inspire a lot of confidence. The Georgian side took less than 5 minutes though!! They asked all the right questions about our passports and were extremely sympathetic to our story. No search, no getting out of the car, no anything. Just a lot of "oy"s as we told our story and a "best of luck" tap on the car as we rolled through. It was about 9pm...
Day 32: splish splash I was taking a bath
2 Moose on the Loose Mongol Rally Still stranded YOLO
Miles: 1.5Countries: Georgia Stops: TbilisiWe couldn't leave Tbilisi without doing the traditional sulphur baths; it's got a huge historical significance and is the reason for Tbilisi becoming the capital. It is said some King of Iberia's falcon fell here which led to the discovery of the hot springs. The name of the area "Abanotubani" means "the bath district" and the capital "Tbilisi" means warm place in Georgian. The king ordered the capital to be moved here and the rest is history. First written documentation is dated to the 14th century, archaeological excavations have found Roman baths and piping from the...
Day 31: You can't always get what you want
2 Moose on the Loose Mongol Rally Still stranded travel Travel prep YOLO
Miles: 23Countries: GeorgiaStops: TbilisiPlaylists: Our first argument :OToday has been quite the up and down day. Keep in mind this post isn't necessarily complaining about everything as just walking you through it all. We started off by hitting up the Turkmenistan embassy to find out they were on vacation...? Disappointed, we went off for breakfast to have the traditional Georgian dish that has been recommended time and time again: it's essentially a boat of bread, stuffed with cheese, baked, and served with a "raw" egg on top and a full spoonful of butter. It's the 3rd Georgian meal we had,...