We pursued our way on the small roads. Today we went away from the Caucasus on the south side of the plane where smaller but still white mountains delimit the lower areas. The weather was very good, no wind temperatures around 15°C and after a cloudy mornig the sun came out. The first fifty km were easy, slighy downhill.
When we took our lunch break in Khoni sitting in the park close to the road, a police car stopped next to us and waited. When some teenagers came around shouting stuff at us the police man shut them up, that was when we first really noticed him. Once we took off he, followed us, driving his car at low speed a couple of meters behind us. After a stop at a petrol station we were very sure that he followed us. Once we were out of town, approaching Kutaisi another police care came in opposit direction and turned around once we passed. The new car then took over the pursuit. The fact that a car blocked the road behind us forced the others to reduce speed (after honking) instead of squeezing between the cars on opposit lane and us, which was actually quite nice. In Kutaisi they asked us if we'd need anything, so Jyhan said, that we looked for internet. They instructed us to follow them and after they did the asking around for us we landed at Mac Donalds. I asked them why they escort us and one of the policemen, luckily speaking a bit of english, said that we would be safe this way. When I then asked why we would not be safe otherwise, his answer was that he was joking and started talking about the city. I was a bit confused about all this and tempted to call the embassy to hear weather they knew more. Also I did not expect any police escorts before Iran.
Later sitting in fornt of the burger barn a guy chatted up SungJong, asking if he was from Korea and explaining that he wants to go and teach english there. I explained him our situation and asked what the reason could be. He replied, that he was often followed by police or teenagers since he is a foreign looking person with his dark skin.
The police car took off during our internet session but when we left yet another policeman continued following us in a civil car. This guy started to bust my balls when he was driving too closely to us. When he finally honked when we were well out of the city and turned around waving, we though that we could at last continue by ourselves. It became quite uncomfortable having someone breathing down our necks for hours. But soon another car came from the opposite direction again. They stopped, asked where we were going and how we intended to spend the night. We said that we are on our way to Borjomi and that we would like to camp. They nodded at our answers and took off after a while. We expected that they would wait for us but they didn't, or they were discrete enough that we did not notice them.
We had trouble finding a spot to pitch our tent this eavening, along the roads there was house after house. Finally we settled for a spot between abandoned houses between close villages. Lots of dogs...
When we took our lunch break in Khoni sitting in the park close to the road, a police car stopped next to us and waited. When some teenagers came around shouting stuff at us the police man shut them up, that was when we first really noticed him. Once we took off he, followed us, driving his car at low speed a couple of meters behind us. After a stop at a petrol station we were very sure that he followed us. Once we were out of town, approaching Kutaisi another police care came in opposit direction and turned around once we passed. The new car then took over the pursuit. The fact that a car blocked the road behind us forced the others to reduce speed (after honking) instead of squeezing between the cars on opposit lane and us, which was actually quite nice. In Kutaisi they asked us if we'd need anything, so Jyhan said, that we looked for internet. They instructed us to follow them and after they did the asking around for us we landed at Mac Donalds. I asked them why they escort us and one of the policemen, luckily speaking a bit of english, said that we would be safe this way. When I then asked why we would not be safe otherwise, his answer was that he was joking and started talking about the city. I was a bit confused about all this and tempted to call the embassy to hear weather they knew more. Also I did not expect any police escorts before Iran.
Later sitting in fornt of the burger barn a guy chatted up SungJong, asking if he was from Korea and explaining that he wants to go and teach english there. I explained him our situation and asked what the reason could be. He replied, that he was often followed by police or teenagers since he is a foreign looking person with his dark skin.
The police car took off during our internet session but when we left yet another policeman continued following us in a civil car. This guy started to bust my balls when he was driving too closely to us. When he finally honked when we were well out of the city and turned around waving, we though that we could at last continue by ourselves. It became quite uncomfortable having someone breathing down our necks for hours. But soon another car came from the opposite direction again. They stopped, asked where we were going and how we intended to spend the night. We said that we are on our way to Borjomi and that we would like to camp. They nodded at our answers and took off after a while. We expected that they would wait for us but they didn't, or they were discrete enough that we did not notice them.
We had trouble finding a spot to pitch our tent this eavening, along the roads there was house after house. Finally we settled for a spot between abandoned houses between close villages. Lots of dogs...
