|H| On our way to a botanical expedition in Tusheti

It's time to leave Nodar's farm and move on to our next adventure: a botanical expedition in Tusheti national park. With sadness in our hearts, and after two incredible rich weeks we say goodbye to Vakisopeli and our family there. Quick stop in Tbilisi before we head to Alvani where we take a 4x4 taxi to Darthlo. The distance is only 70km, and the drive is supposed to take 4-5 hours, so the 4x4 jeep is no luxury thing. Kakha, who has arranged this expedition for us, gives us some last helpful words. 'Enjoy the road to Darthlo, it is one of the most beautiful and dangerous roads in the world'... EUUHH... The road starts pretty well. Our friendly local driver, who has done this road more than 163729 times for sure, (what a driver!), plays us some nice local music to bring us in the mood. Once we arrive in the valley, the road gets worse and worse.

Now, it's not about enjoying the ride anymore, it's about avoiding bruises and us throwing up in the drivers just-washed car (he cleaned the inside of his car while driving, so we surely didn't want that to happen... We would have been in all sorts of problems!). While focussing on our stomachs, we suddenly cross a pass at an altitude of 3000 meter. It is the highest road pass in Tusheti, the driver says. The view we have on the pass is sublime. We can see all the higher Tushetian mountains with many exceeding the 4000 meters. WOW! We take a short 3 minutes break, before the driver calls us back to continue the journey... Back to being shaken around.

After the promised 4 hours, and feeling very sick from the drive, we finally arrive at our final destination. Gigo, one of Kakha's colleagues, welcomes us. We are immediately received with a huge local meal, which, eventhough surprising, pleases us a lot!

Ready for some botanical knowledge!