Drinking

After three days in Tbilisi we gathered a small group of friends. Nino, my contact in Tbilisi who helped me a lot and showed me around. Benjamin, an Austrian journalist living in Tbilisi that we meet in the Bassiani demo. Jackie, and American girl that Pedr meet at the hostel. And finally, Pedr and myself. To celebrate Pedr and my last night in the city we went all out for dinner and drinks. We meet to drink a bottle of wine and see the sunset, we went for diner in a traditional restaurant which offered Georgian live music and dances and finally we went a local hipster bar. In all we had a really nice last evening. However the fact of going to sleep a bit late and the drinks made the next day a terrible cycling morning.  Apart of the small hangover and the short sleep we had a terrible hot day, 30 km/h opposite wind and a lot of up hill. On that day I told to myself that the drinking days before cycling were totally over. I cannot dehydrated myself during the day cycling and doing the same at night. So new rule, no alcohol.

We continued in a total of 88 Km until was already time to look for a shelter. While we were crossing some wine fields I saw two men (about 50 years old) working on them. I approached with my poor Russian, we had a small chat and finally I asked if we could camp there. They showed us a bit the terrain and finally we agreed on the preferred location to camp.  Later, they asked us if we drink wine and they left. So we mounted our tents and started getting ready the dinner. But while we were cooking they came back with also another man. They brought some food; tomatoes, gurka, bread, cheese, smoked meat, 5 dishes, 5 glasses and 5 litters of home made wine. So we sat on the ground and started the party.

My new rule was over already the first day.

This men let us camp on their field where they were growing wine and they brought us their home made products, so was impossible to say no. We started eating drinking and talking of our lives. We were 5 men, all sweat and dirty, they for working in the fields and us for cycling. We had to drink at the same exact speed and amount, since all the glasses had to be field at the same time.  After each refill was time for a small speech to cheers the drink. Even they asked me  couple of times to say my pray in Russian. And we continued eating and drinking. One man son was studding in France, another man son was in Leetonia in a football team. Was a great evening sharing time as simple human beings, so pure. When we got all drunk, since the bottle had to be finished before the good night, the three men started singing Georgian songs. And when the wine was finally over, they stood up we shacked hands, we kissed and they left leaving the rest of the food for us.

It was again a great night and a really bad next morning cycling. Luckily was time to cross the border with Azerbaijan and seems that is Ramadan.