Unye - Batumi, Georgia, Day 11 (23 April, 2012)

We awoke to clear skies, warm sun and an incredible view of the Black Sea. The forecast called for good weather all day up the coast.  We were out of the hotel by 10am, headed north to Georgia.

The morning view from Unye, Turkey of the Black Sea

With the sun in our face, we began the 450km drive along the coast.  The weather was perfect for riding.  We actually checked the forecast and today would be without rain!  The idea was to ride to Trabzon get some lunch then continue on to Hopa, cross the boarder at Sarpi then continue on to Batumi.  We did not reserve anything in Batumi but we were hoping that we would find something.

Heading towards Trabzon along the coast, beautiful drive

We enjoyed a beautiful ride winding up the Black Sea coast towards Georgia.  HJ needed to fuel up and this was a good opportunity for Scott to clean his bike.  The guy in charge of the car wash would not give up his wand for Scott to do it himself.  

Job well done, my friend...no bike is too dirty :)

We continued onto Trabzon for lunch, then on to the boarder.  

Ustad - Trabzon eatery in the main plaza...Scott's last Durum

Just before crossing the boarder, we passed a black Triumph with British plates and a bunch of gear on the back.  He later caught up with us at the boarder and exchanged some stories.  (The boarder crossing was very busy, but simple - only show the passport and bike papers to one guy.  Everyone pushed us to the front of the lines with the bikes, making the crossing relatively quick and painless.)His name is Grant Lipman and has been travelling for over 3 years riding around Europe and the Middle East.  We called him the phantom rider because when the sun was setting and he was behind us, all we could see was a shadowy silhouette of a rider.  We followed him into Batumi to a hostel (which we later found to be closed) and then on to a cheaper hotel.  It was called a "Hotel Sauna"...we still think it is some sort of brothel.  

The Phantom rider and HJ after crossing into Georgia - btw, it was the easiest crossing we have had yet!

A few locals gave us a tip on a little eatery around the corner followed by a walkabout around the city, we were back at the "hotel" getting some rest for the following day's journey to Tbilisi. 

Our "hotel" in Batumi - we still believe it to be a pay-by-the-hour establishment