From work and western Georgia in
Diary 3, I now enters the eastern parts.
 3/10 The day start with a glimpse of sun, but before Auto have checked my car, a light drizzle takes over. My host; Pata want a lift to Tbilisi, and we have a good chat in English, the long way down to the capital. Or near it. It is almost two before we get to the Ananuri Highway, locally known as the military road. It leads into Russia, and is well maintained. I dump Pata outside Tbilisi, and turn into the northern highway. It was recommended to me, but I can't see the
charm. The rain does not help, but the first 100 kilometres are
lowland along a river.
The road finally gain height, and meet the
clouds. The colourful bushes turn into grass, and it begins to snow!
Then the skiing resorts make sense. A poor Russian family have a
car-breakdown, and I pull them over the pass. Jvari
Pass; 2395 metres might offer a great view on a clear day, but all I
can see now, is the nearest snow covered mountains. In a few places, springs bring
up limestone deposit, and covers huge areas with yellow material.
I planned to spend the night here, but the cold and fear of being trapped in-between a snow blocked pass and the Russian border make me drive down right away. Heavy trucks from Russia is climbing slowly down, and I make quite some fast overtakings. I reach Tbilisi at six, and try to find a hotel. The first couple are full, then I reach another area. Here, the hotels are by the hour, or include a nice looking girl. I decide I better spend the evening crossing the huge, modern and jammed Tbilisi in the evening, than in the morning, and head right on through both the old and new centre. On, what I hope is the other side of the capital, I find a nice hotel and a nearby restaurant.
4/10 The rain is still falling, and I get
a slow start.
I turn of the big Highway 5, and turn into the
low mountains. Through the clouds and into the recommended Sighnagsi
town. Again, I'm sure it will do better in sun, than in mist. The GPS
have a tricky shortcut, leading deep down what turn out to be a
blind road. The car sink deep into the new gravel, and backing up
through the mist challenges me. Then I find my own way to
The town have some charming old houses, some colonial-like and a few new but tasteful larger buildings. I fail to find anything real interesting, and I'm for sure not going to spend the day and night here. I might as well see where the Highway 5 leads, while I'm here. Along the road, many fruit baring bushes are
found. One is the pomegranate, which seems to be left for the birds.
On the lower slopes, honey are what are offered along the road. I
have Then a big blue sign say: Azerbaijan Border, Good Luck. I find that a bit eerie, and considering the many disputes about land in this part of the world, I turn back. Pata mentioned; he had been excavating some ancient constructions north of here, and the landscape was significantly different, almost desert-like. I find some waypoints, and
I fail to find what I would describe as a
desert, but the roads leads me by the well preserved Gremi Royal
Fort. Here, one of the ancient Georgian kings resided; Giorgi I,
1466-1476. He also ruled Jerusalem, and must have been one of the On a big loop back towards Tbilisi, bye the northern part of the east, I pass through the rather modern Telavi. I see the centre, and find the market. Here are everything from horse shoos over fresh fish to USB chargers. I try to capture not only the goods, but also the people. They don't mind, but tend to look away. I'm still over 100 km from I reach my former hotel
in Tbilisi at dusk, but they have
no room for me tonight. I find a hotel 30 metres down the street,
but have to walk a bit further to find anything else, than the usual
dishes. A pizzeria offers a vegetarian, only 50% more expensive than
the meat-filled?! At ten it is back to do the usual work.
5/10 I'm up early We are a bit late for the meeting with the
Russian ISO surveyors, but they take it nice. I had only expected to attend
the meeting as an observer, but it turns out; they have quite some
questions for me. I answer as well as I can, then it is Nino's and Levan's tour to be roasted.
Before we are through with everything, we have to leave the meeting to catch our flight to Ambrolauri. We have delivered two cars back to Tbilisi, and we should save some time and petrol by flying back. The tickets are only 50 lari, goods know why? We get a long lift to the central Tbilisi, but have to wait 50 minutes for a shuttle to the national airport. We were real close to the international. It is an additional 20 kilometre drive, and
then we have well over an hour to the flight. We wait in the tiny,
but modern airport
At first, we flight over a bone dry plane. The
green hill emerges, and far out in the horizon; a long line of snow
coned mountains. While we pass over clouds, a strange shadow of the
plain with a round rainbow, is seen next to us. The in-flight reveals
our lake and hillside, and Levan claims he saw Chabuca!
We walk the short distance to Ambrolauri town, to buy airtime for me and some food for the next days. Then we are picked up by one of the elder in the village in, what look like a brand new, large Mercedes. I wonder where he hide that? I get ten minutes to change cloths and eat, then Levan and I head into the forest. It is now a nice but cold sunny day, and the pickers have been busy. Me meet with Shota, and I change car. We head back at seven, and in a few minutes, the remote mountains are in the sun, while the near hills are not. I start on diary and photos, until the boys call: Dinner is ready. Shota have created a delicious beansoup, spiced with fresh herbs. I catch up with the news, and especially the five wolves Auto saw at the bridge, sound interesting. That does explain the high metal fences around every lot. And give me something to think about, walking home through the black, empty trails with only my forehead-lamp.
6/10 It At one point, we are high up in area 14, known for its huge, old trees. I find one, which is two metres wide at the chest, it must be over 200 years old! The same area have just as big beech trees, and there are a special atmosphere among these giants.
I spot some eaten bogs,
While Shota prepare lunch for the others, I
fix some quick to my self, and then go plundering one of the
numerous walnut trees in the area. After lunch, we seal some bags,
and head out on new adventures. It have defiantly not been a good
year for the harvest, as the
insects have gotten to the lower parts, and the spring's frost, to
the higher. At first, I'm puzzled over why an old tractor
sits on a small mound in the lumberjack's yard. But of cause; it it
the starter! Most of the cars the teams are using are always parked
on a slope. At dusk, we seal the last bags, high up on the slope.
Here, the pickers are using oxen and a horse to bring out the cone-bags.
It make tracking them a bit harder, although a Lada Niva on slicks
are hard enough! We end the evening at one of the stations, and in
the pitch black, we head home - on a detour, hoping for wolves on
the plain. No such luck, but the huge full moon, arising over
the snow coned mountains I'm not invited anywhere for dinner, nor have any one mysterious placed anything hot in the kitchen, but I am prepared. First a flashlight, to the fuse pop. Then hot water in the kettle, then some for tea, some for the stow. Noodles, butter, paprika fruits, tomato purée, cheese but no eggs, still make a great dish. It is fare from as cold as last evening, partly because of my skiing underwear, I guess. Over the phone, I plan the following days strategy with the local boss, accordantly to my Danish boss' wishes - and the actual facts.
7/10 It is not this cold a morning, and I
plunder yet another walnut tree, while I wait
When we finally find a team, they are in the wrong sector, and are not using the safety gear; home they go. And we need cones badly by now, but I can't figure how to motivate them. They have earned enough by now, perhaps? Shota know another cave; Sakishore, within our area, and we go in. Here are sleeping bats, some odd snails and cave crickets with huge antennas. I actually get some good photos of the bats with the light from my iPhone.
Back at base-camp, I try to plan my escape. I
have a flight on the 11th, but at four in the morning - not my
booking! That means I have to leave here on the 10th the
latest. No flights, no truck and I try avoiding numerous small white
busses, my suitcase considered. As the season has come to an end,
only a few I offer dinner - given Shota will prepare it, while I write diary. Pretty much the same as yesterday, but Shota spices it up with a few additional things. It is really nice to be in a country where the locals are custom to eat vegetarian. He cook it after my instructions, and I sure hope it works out well! Well, eaten it is. After ten, we discuss the strategy for the last few days, and how to improve in the future, then I head home to my dark and cold house.
8/10 Yet another crispy but sunny morning.
I pack my stuff and prepare
The workers that use to load the big truck with 15 tone of cones have left, and I give a hand: That is truly tough work! When we are finish at the main station, we head out to two others. Here, I let the locals have their work, while I enjoy the nature and the sun.
When the truck
Auto returns from Ambrolauri with a real shitty
tire.
The
grip is there, but is have a long crack, most way
A large luxury bus passes by, and Auto catch-up
with it in the city. It is almost vacant, although here are only
three seats beside. I get one seat I can flip back, and doze off for
two hours. Then I shift to one, where I can work. This big bus is
not as fast as the minis, but is does not stop all the
I walk the two and a half kilometre with my
suitcase - in protest to the taxidriver, who thought he was going to
give me the scenic tour - and price. I'm at the hotel at eleven, get
a huge room and ask for a cup of tea, to go with my Danish chocolate
biscuits, which will be dinner. As I go back to adventure, we head into the last diary; 5. |
Only the autumn colours make a motive. I do a
breath stop at the Kazbegi Fortress and have a look inside the
church. Outside the fortress, numerous souvenir stands offers the same machine-produced junk and knitted socks.
I am heading as eastern as I can go, but the rain and
flat landscape does not offer that much. It is one endless line of
villages or single houses the first part. Then wine fields starts,
and the a few wheat or maize fields, which have been harvested.
the little
town. I park the car in a central place, and do a walk around in the
mist and drizzle. A cafe opens, and I get an overpriced cup of tea.
seen many beehives, stacked on huge trailers. Then I'm down in
a flat, farmed area, and soon after in a scattered village with old
houses.
head into the
smaller roads. The landscape are dominated by huge rivers and wine
fields. Then a surprisingly modern little town, and then more
farmland. A group of hills are truly dry, but apparently, they are
not all the time. The soil which first appeared barren, is filled
with centimetre long seed sproughts.
first crusaders. Looking at my pictures, two jumps out; the ancient
royal toilet, and the present. Nether are impressive.
Tbilisi, but since
I', going to attend a meeting at 11;00 in the morning, I recon I better sleep in the
capital. The sun have finally broken through, although partly
interrupted by rain. As I head up from the plain, the road leads
through a rather large, green beech forest, so much like a Danish. 
to take advantages of the next door bakery - unfortunately, they are
not. Levin should have passed bye at 9;30, but I have to wait for an hour in
the car, before he find his way through the morning traffic. I follow him in my car, through
centre of Tbilisi in the morning rush-hour. I got a feeling of; he try
to shake me off, zigzagging rapidly through the rest of the traffic, but I
stick on like a trailer. Driving a real dirty,
large, scrappy 4X4 have some advantages!
along with six other passengers. Security check
and all, and then the same shuttlebus drives us out to a 15
passengers airplane. The co-pilot turns around in his seat, and give the
security speech in English, and we are off. 
We might not
have saved any time, but the flight over the sunny Georgia was
fantastic, and way more relaxing than driving.
is a crisp morning, with icing on
the grass. The house feel even colder, and the stretch from
the bed to the hot shower; longer than usual. I meet up with Shota,
and we start exploring new possibilities for harvesting. Forgotten
trails, accessible unknown territory and left-overs. 
but I need Shota to
tell me; we have found a bears breakfast. Glad it wasn't us! We
locate some good areas, which will be worked on the next days. The
autumn is near, and before long, the cones will open and smoulder,
which will be the end of the season - unless the snow get here
first.
make a good replacement. 
for
Shota to get ready. We wait a long time for the brigades to arrival,
and meanwhile, we play backgammon. I get utterly beaten! Then it
turns out most of out pickers won't turn up. One is using this great
sunny day to work on his house, one have duty at the ambulance
service, one
is fixing his front axel on his Lada, one is harvesting with his
family and so on.
teams are working, and we agree; I can go with the truck, picking up
our cones, Sunday afternoon.
for two more days of adventure, before I
head home. Then a short day at "the office", sucking in the last of
this areas beauty. The mellow valley, the deep forest, the snow
coned mountains, the gentle cows, the smiling locals and the
silence.
is fully loaded, and we are ready
to go, a back-tire explodes. It was the last layer of cotton, and it
turns out that it actually WAS the spare tire, as he had another
puncture going up here. Finding a sufficient tire around here is a
challenge, and Auto try in Ambrolauri. Anyway, we will be reaching
Tbilisi real late - or early! Levan have made a reservation in my
former hotel, and I just hope for the best. The plan is to go with
the truck to the factory, and pinch a Toyota, before I find the
hotel.
around. Then Auto,
the truckdriver; Auto and I head further on to a bigger town for a
minibus for me and a tire for Truck-Auto. 70 km down the mountains,
we reach the highway outside Stepansminda. Twelve minibuses passes,
all filled with weekend visitors to their peasant family.
time, it goes
all the way, and way more comfortable. And it is still a 200
kilometre drive from Stepansminda. I'm not sure if anyone paid, but
the driver refuses to take my money.