AZERBAIJAN

Tbilisi, Georgia - Gazakh, Azerbaijan – 101 kilometres

Azeri visas in our passports, Ernest and I left Tbilisi and proceeded to the
Georgia-Azari border. I wouldn’t have chosen this route if cycling solo. I imagined
there was significantly more to Georgia and a more scenic route via the
mountains. Nevertheless, a comfortable cycle of roughly 60 kilometres took us to
the border.

Things were a tad haphazard on the Azeri side. Our passports were passed from
person to person until, eventually, stamped. The first person I met was a Chinese
cyclist who’d been travelling for the past 11 years! We chatted over a cup of tea
and forty kilometres beyond the border, tiny Gazakh sported a derelict restaurant
where Ernest and I pitched the tents in their overgrown garden. The clock moved
on an hour, allowing an additional hour of sunlight.

Gazakh - Ganja – 99 kilometres

The route between Gazakh (Oazax) and Ganja was narrow and poor. It was
better to cycle alongside the tarmac as it wasn’t as rutted. A headwind further
hampered our efforts. Summer had arrived and the days were sweltering and
dry. Towards the end of the day, a tir park (truck stop), where one could have a
dollar shower, signalled the end of the day’s ride.