From sea to sea over the mountain peaks.

North Ossetia → Ingushetia → Chechnya → Dagestan..

As always, the Caucasus is beautiful! (In spite of the fact that the third day of our journey across the Main Caucasian Range began with a gloomy morning and drizzling). The snow-capped mountain peaks were in fog and clouds. And our way lies directly there and maybe even higher!

It was cold. The temperature dropped to +2°C. The road had turned into something completely unsuitable for riding a heavy motorbike (in addition, loaded with stuff) along it.

We are climbing up to the pass between Chechnya and Dagestan. The altitude has already exceeded the point of 2 km high. We keep overcoming rocks, puddles, ruts, steep slippery climbs, deep washouts and puddles. There is a cliff on the left, an abyss on the right; and endless "hairpins" of serpentines. Small raindrops on the fogged visor are preventing us from noticing stones and rubble on the road in time.

On the steep climbs the motorbike is swerving back and forth and some stones from under the rear wheel of the one going in front of you are flying into your windshield like shrapnel.

It took us 5 hours to overcome about a 100 km distance from the Chechen highland village of Veduchi to the Dagestan village called Botlikh.

And we followed 140 km more up to the large village Gunib along an incredibly beautiful gorge.

We had really eventful days while going along the interesting and unpredictable routes in a wonderful and cheerful company of experienced motorcyclists. That's just everything one may need for a real adventure!

When I was planning my first motorbike trip across the Caucasus 8 years ago, my family and friends considered me crazy.

"Where are you going? Isn't it a dangerous place? There are gangsters, terrorists and in general… Don't you watch TV? It is reported that they shoot every day in Chechnya and Dagestan".

Over the past few years I have been to the North Caucasus many times, traveled thousands of kilometers along the mountain roads and trails and even gone off the beaten track.

But I have never experienced the things that I had been intimidated with. Moreover, I have not faced a single person staring at me. And the Caucasian hospitality is not a legend but a reality, especially in remote, high-mountain settlements and villages.

Having ridden about 1500 km from Vladikavkaz to Derbent, we are going back along narrow winding ground roads, overcoming the passes.

Today we stayed overnight in the high-mountain village named Kubachi, the centre of jewelry craftsmanship that is known not only in the Caucasus but also in Russia. Here you can find a silverware manufacture, ranging from women's earrings workshop to cold weapons one, almost in every house.

My journey is going on!

"As-salamu alaykum! Where are you from? Moscow? Going by motorbikes?", a 50-year-old man came up to us while we were watching the waterfall on the river, which is flowing through the centre of the village. After we greeted each other, he said that some child's birthday was being celebrated at the house across the street that day and that we should pay a visit.

Our attempt to refuse politely, referring to the limited time and the upcoming way, made no success. The man was very persistent and did not accept rejections. Thus, we had to follow him into the courtyard of the house opposite, where a large table was set and 15 people were sitting at it. We were provided with the seats and the housewife brought the plates with soup, meat, various salads and other dishes of local cuisine, the names of which I haven't memorised. In the Caucasus I had experienced such situations more than once, therefore I realized that the meal would take a long time and we wouldn't be able to get off, having had only a cup of tea and a piece of bread with jam. But this time we were lucky, as we managed to leave those hospitable people after half an hour.

Bejta is a large village located on the southern border of Dagestan and Georgia. It isn't easy to get here, since you need to leave Makhachkala and overcome 250 km along the ground roads and 40 km along the roads of not the best quality, which wind along a very beautiful gorge with steep cliffs and a stormy river. It hasn't been my first time in this area and I remember constantly facing with such obstacles as avalanches, which have come down from the mountains, and huge stones that have fallen on the road. The nature here is certainly fantastic!

And what views the top of the Genukhsky pass, which is 2549 m high above sea level, offers! During this trip we have overcome it three times. The one, which was at night, took us an effort, though!

We stayed overnight in a private country house in the village called Genukh. There are no hotels in this area, since it's not that popular with tourists.

There is a gas station, some commercial shops, a lovely big school and colourful old wooden and stone houses in Bejta. Here you can see cows walking around the village, a lot of children and some old military trucks ZIL-131.

And the locals are so easy-going and hospitable! This is the real Dagestan.

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