Lasīt tālāk
23.May
MAY 23. CAUCASUS
22 May
- 2014 -
Author
Andis Pikāns
The rain has stopped, but the mountains are still covered in fog. As it turns out, we are in a sacred place which was closed for everyone but Osetians until the Soviets came in. I go on a walk with Oskars, we are headed to a waterfall which is located a few miles away, and we plan to meet the knowledgeable Osetian Elan, who takes care of the sacred places here. Elan tells more about history of the valley, the complicated relationship between Osetians, Georgians and Ingushetians. But we have to keep going.
A new way to get into Georgia has appeared. A ferry from Sochi to Trabzon in Turkey crosses 3 times weekly. We thought we were going to make it to tomorrows ferry, but, because of the war in Ukraine, every ferry line from Russia to Turkey has been closed and there is no way to get over the Black sea. Our last option is to go through Abkhazia, although Georgia does not accept this country-like formation and crossing the border is a criminal offense. We’re gonna try to get the embassy to help us travel in.
Today, traveling through a police blockpost that we crossed yesterday takes us longer than an hour. The reason is rather weird. All of our fingerprints are being taken. We have figured out that it’s best to not ask too many questions, so we simply observe the procedure. We want to get it on camera, but that is strictly forbidden. Maybe that is because of our unshaven faces, similar to the ones in pictures of vahabiti terrorists on the wall. Who knows! But one thing is clear: it will take time until this country is ready to welcome travellers. In the past few hours, we experience the strongest rainfall while driving in our lives. Everywhere around us are black clouds, so we don’t see the point in waiting for them to disperse. Finally, at Minvodi, the rain stops and we head to the west. 490 km covered yesterday.
2014-05-22
