A shot of Russia

After the, supposed, glamour of Batumi we headed for Kolkheti national park near Poti. The plan was to rent kayaks for a few hours and then wander into the park to find a suitable place to stay the night. On arrival we realised that we would have to abandon these plans completely: The park was a swamp. We would not be able to walk more than two kilometers and there was nowhere we would be able to pitch our tents. As for the kayaks, they were apparently all broken.

A woman at the information center helped us find a lake in the area to walk to. The Golden Lake was used for the European water ski championships and we were not quite sure what to expect. And rightly so: on arrival we were surprised to see some very dilapidated buildings by the side of a small, dirty lake. A bridge that looked less than trustworthy stretched from one side of the narrow lake to the other. And on one bank there were some broken and rusty stands.

We explored for a bit, finding a beach and a Russian man running a shooting gallery. The leaders decided that we should all have a go with the guns and so we spent a good 45 minutes trying to shoot win a broken watch and a discoloured Buzz Lightyear figure. Unsuccessfully.

We searched for a long time before we found somewhere suitable to pitch our tents. With bushes and trees on almost all sides and a river on the last we had succeeded in getting away from the paths and the people. However, we did not get away from the mosquitoes and were bitten to death while trying to enjoy our bonfire.