In the previous blog I wrote about the importance of all the little details in our daily life that build up, over time, to create the big picture. I mentioned the scary bridge crossing…..well, if you will indulge me….I’d like to tell you more 🙂
Month: November 2016 (Page 1 of 3)
One of the best things about this trip is that there is a nice balance between routine and spontaneity. I love routine and with a trip like this there’s lots of routines to get your teeth stuck into. Living in such a small space means you have to be organised and you naturally fall into a pattern of chores that need doing. From opening the curtains each morning to setting up the tea making paraphernalia. From checking the drawers are locked to closing the sun roof cover. From locking the car each night to lying in bed watching something on the computer.
But unlike being at home and going to work where, no doubt, everyone has their own set of routines and chores: we are constantly on the move. So each day is different. Each day we have different vistas and different experiences. And it is here where the beauty of travelling lies. Each day is filled with hundreds of small un-noteworthy details that don’t amount to much. But combined, these small strokes build up to create one large painting. And it’s in these small details, that happen in the gaps between each routine, where the real beauty lies.
(A companion piece to Building with Botox)
I have literally fallen head over heels in love with Tbilisi; the capital of Georgia. We are staying in the old part of the town which nestles under a 4th century fort perched high on the hillside.
Where Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva have been renovated to within an inch of their lives, parts of Tbilisi sit preciously on the edge of destruction. It’s like walking around a city that has just been discovered, decaying under a mesh of grape vines that criss cross from one side to the other creating a canopy of forbidden fruits. The eclectic mixture of architecture: from Middle Eastern, Moorish, Neoclassical, Art Nouveau, Soviet and Modernism only add to its utter charm.
Crumbling doorway
What with the endless eating and boozing over the last week in Tbilisi I’m not sure if I’ll fit into any of my clothes anymore!
So, with that thought here’s me modelling some key looks from my Winter 2016/17 Collection. I will accept any modelling offers as a result…. enjoy 😉
A striped puffa jacket partnered with some thermal leggings. This works despite the clash of patterns – though it has to be said not everyone could pull this look off.
On-trend lime green Burton snowboard jacket over a Dickies boiler suit. Two brands to look out for.
Red cashmere scarf paired with gingham jim-jams. Note how the scarf picks out the red accent in the socks.
(This should be read after A Story with a Happy Ending – a somewhat unflattering portrait of Russia.)
On our final night, probably ever, in Russia we ended up camping close to the Georgian border in the forecourt of a cafe/petrol station (avid fans will recall my blog post ‘Service Without a Smile‘ and know how these work). It was really cold outside so, having eaten in the cafe, we smuggled in a bottle of wine and some beer to drink in the warmth. We were half way through a rather dull game of Scrabble (yes – Captain was winning) when the friendly security guard approached for a chat and to give us some sweets.
(This should be read before The Happy Ending Story)
I’m starting off with two bits of good news: firstly, we found a bottle of port and some blue cheese in a supermarket in Atyrau! Secondly, as avid readers of the blog, you will no doubt already know that Brian was reunited with us – so I won’t bore you with the details of that. So with Brian back on board, the port safely stored away and the cheese stinking the car out we headed to the border with Russia. We only had a four day transit visa with which to travel through Russia and we had lost a day of that waiting for DHL to cough Brian up; so it was a case of ‘foot to the floor.’
Fun driving conditions
It’s hard to believe it was only 4 days ago that I posted our Kazakhstan route, bemoaning the difficulties we were having with DHL – feels like weeks ago.
On Wednesday we were finally able to collect Brian from the DHL office – hooray!!! There was sadly only time for a brief celebration as we had to hit the road to reach the Russian border that same day. It was a pretty grim drive due to the weather but we finally crossed into Russia at 10:30pm. Once in Russia the next few days were all about getting to Georgia; battling over-zealous/corrupt soldiers at every checkpoint, icy roads, snow storms and rain to finally cross into Georgia this morning.
We’re now booked into a guesthouse in Tibilsi, having spent a very pleasant, blue-skied day driving south through the Georgian mountains. After the monastacism of Uzbekistan, the bleak remoteness of Western Kazakhstan and the blur of Russia, it’s like being in heaven. Seemingly every second shop is full to the brim with bottles of wine and the restaurants serve salad!
Many thanks to BBC Somerset for broadcasting the fruits of the other day’s interviewing labours. After hearing my own voice droning on, I can now safely say that I will never speak again for the rest of my life! Clare, on the other hand, chatted away and managed to make us sound moderately interesting.
Here’s the audio recording for your listening pleasure…. just turn your ears off whenever I’m speaking.
Thanks again to Charlie and Jack at BBC Somerset!
It wasn’t meant to turn out this way, but we’ve now been stationary for 5 days. The long and short of it is that DHL have let us down in a big way and failed to deliver Brian on time. He was meant to be ready for us to collect on Monday, then they said Tuesday, now they’ve promised tomorrow. Given that our Russian visa says we have to cross the border tomorrow, I’m not sure what we’ll do if they let us down again….
On a more positive note we’ve been staying in a lovely (but expensive) apartment with proper, fast internet and free laundry. So, we’ve been loading up on TV shows to keep us amused during the long cold nights in the car. We’ve also been eating lots of pizza.
The statisticians amongst you will be excited to hear that whilst we haven’t beaten our maximum elevation record, we have smashed our minimum elevation record on this leg achieving -49m!!
Though I’m enjoying this trip immensely there are undoubtedly some hardships that one has to suffer. The most obvious ones: defecating in dug out holes, wild camping on windswept nights, living out of the back of a car – aren’t really much of an issue to be honest. Rather it’s been things I wasn’t completely anticipating that have turned out to be the biggest hardships.
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