Day 44 Mingachevir - Masalli
It rained overnight, but was dry for us to pack. The clouds ahead were black and sure enough 30ks later we were on the side of the road pulling on our wets.
Nice road we were going along but due to the rain I had to move the phone into the tank bag which then steamed up, I couldn’t see the map on it. Consequently next time I checked it I’d taken a wrong turn. So small backtrack required and the map took us down quite a rough bit of tarmac, didn’t feel right and a couple of drivers coming the other way signaled this was the wrong way to be heading. So back again through this little town and sure enough maps.me turned us around to the rough road.
A man helped us to navigate to a town that I knew was on the way, so we thought bugger it how bad can it be. Well a few kilometers later we found out, 25 km of potholes holding hands, some of them big enough to take us and the bike. Another clue which we chose to ignore was when we passed through a little village, all the men stopped their games and cheered us on!
At one stage a miraculous strip of tarmac appeared, I got excited and changed into 2nd gear only to be put firmly back in my place when the next pothole jumped out in front of me and a resounding crash had me wondering if I’d done some damage. Shades of DH. (You know who you are). Fortunately no damage.
We wondered how long this day was going to be when Robyn spotted some trucks in the distance gliding across our path. Sure enough we soon popped out onto the motorway which we followed for the next 230km
Nice road we were going along but due to the rain I had to move the phone into the tank bag which then steamed up, I couldn’t see the map on it. Consequently next time I checked it I’d taken a wrong turn. So small backtrack required and the map took us down quite a rough bit of tarmac, didn’t feel right and a couple of drivers coming the other way signaled this was the wrong way to be heading. So back again through this little town and sure enough maps.me turned us around to the rough road.
A man helped us to navigate to a town that I knew was on the way, so we thought bugger it how bad can it be. Well a few kilometers later we found out, 25 km of potholes holding hands, some of them big enough to take us and the bike. Another clue which we chose to ignore was when we passed through a little village, all the men stopped their games and cheered us on!
At one stage a miraculous strip of tarmac appeared, I got excited and changed into 2nd gear only to be put firmly back in my place when the next pothole jumped out in front of me and a resounding crash had me wondering if I’d done some damage. Shades of DH. (You know who you are). Fortunately no damage.
We wondered how long this day was going to be when Robyn spotted some trucks in the distance gliding across our path. Sure enough we soon popped out onto the motorway which we followed for the next 230km
The area we were in was quite barren with sparse population and few features, so taking B roads would have added little to our journey.
This is Lada country, they are everywhere. Some of the traders load them up so much the front wheels barely touch the ground. One guy coming towards us got badly out of shape, I hit the picks and was just beginning to decide which way to go when he somehow wrestled back under control. Phew.
Some of you older ones might remember when NZ sold a load of butter I think it was to Russia and they paid us in Lada's. They were quite common in NZ for a while. Funny they never really became collectors items. Wonder why?
The guys who have "made it" here mostly drive Mercs.
So its 80k's to the border tomorrow, too little time to really gain an impression of the place but as I said earlier they are openly very friendly and warm. It is also the weekend so not really a true reflection.
Possibly a bit authoritarian for my liking and I'm not sure there is enough here for me to come again.
But never say never .
PS - sorry no photographs, been a busy day holding on over the bumpy roads. Poor excuse, will do better next time. Robyn
Some of you older ones might remember when NZ sold a load of butter I think it was to Russia and they paid us in Lada's. They were quite common in NZ for a while. Funny they never really became collectors items. Wonder why?
The guys who have "made it" here mostly drive Mercs.
So its 80k's to the border tomorrow, too little time to really gain an impression of the place but as I said earlier they are openly very friendly and warm. It is also the weekend so not really a true reflection.
Possibly a bit authoritarian for my liking and I'm not sure there is enough here for me to come again.
But never say never .
PS - sorry no photographs, been a busy day holding on over the bumpy roads. Poor excuse, will do better next time. Robyn
Your descriptions were enough....hang on tight Robyn!
ReplyDeleteOur yellow Lada was a wonderful car.The shaped storage area for the most incredible range of factory supplied tools and spare parts was a bit of a tease.It had been stripped clean before the car was dealer sold here.
ReplyDeleteI must admit the people who bought them liked them. If we see a yellow one we’ll post a pic
DeleteBloody hell Mark I would have been the one in the village cheering you on,they must have thought bloody tourists 😂, take better care of your wife and maps
ReplyDeleteYes I have learnt my lesson.
Delete