Ioana, told us that we should get in touch with her family when we got to Kutaisi and we should stay with them. We got on the way and were 6km ish from the city when the heavens opened and it would have been silly to cycle, so we sheltered for 40 mins or so until the sheets of rain stopped and it was just pouring and we made a break for it to Kutaisi.
We arrived soaked to the skin and not knowing where to go. We tentatively rang the number and spoke to Nugzar who doesn't speak very good English, and we started to worry slightly! We got a call from his brother who gave us directions to their house. Off we went, the wrong way, and the police who are always curious started driving behind us...we stopped and showed them the address of the house, to which they took the number rang it and spoke to David. They then proceeded to escort us to the house!! We had a police escort across Kutaisi!!! Three police cars, one in front, one behind and one to the side of us, and whenever we came to a junction they started shouting over the loudspeaker for the cars to stop. Timur, the other brother, had not told them about the police so I think Ioana parents were a little shocked to see them all and apparently it caused shock waves with the neighbours as they all thought they were in trouble with the law!
We got in and as ever were ushered quickly into the shower, we must really smell! I was very grateful for it though, as I was absolutely soaked. Once we were clean the family we were offered a huge meal and we had a bedroom each...it was wonderful! The family are all great, the father is a retired pilot, and the mother is an accountant in Tblisi. They have 6 children with two of the brothers living at home; Nugzar and Timur, Ioana in the Monastery, David in Tblisi, a daughter who is married and lives in Kutaisi and the oldest son was a pilot but sadly died in the Abkhazia conflict.
We were treated so kindly. The rain continued the next day so we took an enforced rest day, and the brothers took us on a tour of Kutaisi. We visited Galeti and Motsameti Monastery, both perched in the most beautiful locations in the mountains. We also saw dinosaur footprints and a wonderful cave. Being driven everywhere in the most luxurious jeep!!!
For lunch we had a Georgian feast. Xinkali, like Chinese Wanton which you have to bite and then suck out the juices, then Sashlik which is huge hunks of barbequed pork. It was great to get a taste of good Georgian food.
The afternoon was relaxed and Humphrey was subjected to game after game of backgammon with their father, and he won maybe two games out of twenty!
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