Zoti

Zoti is the last proper village on the road to Bakhmaro. It lies in the Gubazeuli valley about twenty-five kilometres from Chokhatauri, at roughly eight hundred metres. Up to here the road is more or less normal; above Zoti begins the stretch that explains why people only drive to Bakhmaro in four-wheel drives. The village is strung along both banks of the valley. The houses are timber on high stone footings — the standard western Georgian type, with a balcony running the width of the facade. In the yards: maize, vines trained up trees, hazelnut plots. In winter the place half-empties; in summer people come back. Why it is worth stopping: - The Gubazeuli river — clear, cold and holding trout; from the bridge you can see the bed - The forest — beech and chestnut here, turning to spruce as you climb towards Bakhmaro, and the change is visible in a matter of kilometres - The last point at which mobile coverage and a shop still exist Most people bound for Bakhmaro stop here anyway, either for a final coffee or to check their tyres and ask about the road. Locals will give you an accurate account of its condition, and their information is more reliable than any application. Zoti is not a destination in itself. It is the kind of stop that gives a route its shape: fifty minutes by the river before the driving gets serious.

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