On tour with the team

Just returned a couple of hours ago from Akhalkalaki. I thought I'd never say that it feels great to be back in Tbilisi. It has been quite an arduous long weekend with Driver Chaco and Translator Nino. Both worked very hard and together we had plenty of laughs. But in our own ways we each tested each other's patience. That's only natural under the circumstances. It's not a school excursion and both of them were very extremely flexible with the demands of the trip. We set off early on Friday morning in Chaco's green Fiat Lancia. A reasonable vehicle one could say. The tyres could of used a little more tread and by the end of the trip the front left indicator had all but fallen off. However Chaco made up for any deficiencies with deft driving skills. In his own words: "I am Schumacher's Assistant." I'll vouch for that.

Translator Nino, a graduate with two degrees, was overjoyed to be out of Tbilisi and on a road trip and marveled at literally everything.... All of the time. Throw in Chaco's compilation tapes of Georgian folk music, and his need to play them VERY LOUDLY, and maybe you can get the sense that it was quite an experience roaring around the Georgian countryside for three days.