The Caucasian Challenge 2013 Around the Black Sea from Finland

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First my apologies about long delay... But anyway here is something new again for you to read!

Day 18 Georgia Amrolauri-Tbilisi

This days leg was to drive from Ambrolauri to main capital Tbilisi. Easy day to drive in same landscapes than Renny Harlins movie Five days of war. If you haven't see it, please do. Story about this five day war between Georgia and Russia. Sights were nice and we found a car shop where we managed to get our exhaust fixed. Work did cost about 3$...

34 Armenia

We arrived in Tbilisi quite early and we had plenty of time to do laundry and stuff. In the evening we went to see Mother Georgia statue on the hills. 20m high 20tn aluminium statue.

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Norweigians guys had totally wrekked Kias geabox and we took Atle to travel with us rest of the challenge.

 

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Day 19 Georgia Tbilisi to Lake Sevan Armenia

Day 19 started with repacking car again. Now we had to fit four people with all the luggage instead of three. And because I had removed one seat from the second row was the atmosphere even more closer. But we managed to get everybody on board with all our stuff. Hans travelled in other car, and that way we managed to get everybody in to the finish line.

Boarder crossing to Armenia was easy. After half an hour all passports were checked and after that we started to import car in to Armenia. I took car papers with me and walked in to the office what was pointed to me. There was long table with six officers sigars in their mouth sitting and on the other side group of truck drivers pushing their papers forward to officers...

armenia

No lines, no quey. Just a hassle. So, I looked for a while how they do it. This is how it happens: First try to get as close to guy in front of the officer, push all your papers and passport between first people and between officer and his monitor. This is to get attention. Dont be disturber that probably this one officer is doing eight other papers at the same time, they know what they are doing. You will receive a piece of paper with amount. Go on the other end of the room and give this paper and same amount of money trough this small window. You will receive your small paper with stamp back. Go back to first officer and give stamped paper back to him. You have to pay some "enviromental tax" on that time. (Probably it goes straight to officers pocket...) Then you get your papers and go on the other ed of the table. You show your documets and get then stamped again. After that you are ready to go, easy!

About 10m after the boarder there is next torture. An insurance salesman. It is true that Greencard is not valid there and without insurance you can not drive. After seven different desk and money change in grocery store we did have an insurance. We head up to lake Sevan where we supposed to camp next night. There were no firewood so we need to buy them from somewhere. Only problem was that no one seems to understand what we wanted to buy. Not in russia, german, english or not even norweigian or finnish language. We decided to find first house where we see people and firewood and try to explain there what we needed.

So we find the house with firewood and people, and started to explain our needs. After five minutes of conversation we found ourselves sitting in the garden drinkin vodka and eating dinner with locals. Family head had learned some german 40 years ago, so that was our language. Most common words were "Schnaps trinken!" with some vodka. And so we did drink and eat. After three hours we managed to get in this firewood business. We did get couple big sack's full of wood as a compliment of our host. We give as a present some sponsor caps what we did have with us. Hospitality is something what you don't experience anywhere! =)

35 Armenia polttopuita ostamassa

After that we drive to camping site in shore of lake Sevan 2000m high of sea level. Clearwater lake and +10C suit us perfeclty to swim and camping!

 

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Day 20 Armenia Lake Sevan - Azerbaijan Kapan

This was most exiting day, we waked up quite early and started to make some breakfast. Coffee, bread and porridge to get us going all day. After breakfast we tear down our camp and started to drive this days leg with Hungarian and German teams. We drive along on the main dirt road and reached group of four cars. They were driving like crazy. Some times slow then fast and they were racing each others. I was planning to bypass them but the something happened. First car blocked road and they point next car with riffle and shot couple times. Immediately I did hit the brakes and start to reverse. But Germans were so close to our car that it was impossible. After an couple seconds, witch felt like ages, they realize also what has happened and moved out of our way. We took about 500m distance to that group on head of us and waited that they went on their way... Hell of a way to start a day!

After that there is not much to tell, landscape was rough and beautiful.

36 Armenia

37 Armenia tunnelilehmät

38 Armenia

We were first one to arrive in hotel Ecklektica, looking like Titanic and by telling amount of mold it has sink at least one time... =)

 

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Day 21 Armenia Kapan - Yerevan

Sad day, all nice will end at its time. Last day of this Caucasian Challenge, we drive from Kapan to main capital Yerevan. Roads were easy and we drive there quite fast. We get together with other teams in Yerevan sign and drive together on the finish line. There was Armenian tv and press waiting for us and making a story of our adventure. So challenge was over and we popped a bottle of sparkling and congratulate each others. It was nice but sad to know that everyone will go their own way.

There was a party on the evening with some of the group, we went out to dinner and have couple of beers.

44_2 armenia yerevan maaliviiva

45 armenia yeravan

 

[profdlp]

Thanks for wrapping it up. That's a nice memory you will have for the rest of your life. :elkgrin:

 

[Pata]

No, that wasn't the end yet. Caucasian Challenge was over but we still had about 3500km to drive back home.

Before we started our home journey we visited at local refugee camp orphanage. Refugee camp is a place for over 10 000 people to live after war. Sad place, but we tried to bring some joy there.

45_2 armenia yerevan hyväntekeväisyys

45_1 armenia yerevan hyväntekeväisyys

Before this trip we collected donations for these kids. They have absolutely nothing to call their own. with help of our British friends Laurie and Phil together we donated full car of footballs, pens, notebooks, medical stuff, toys and with help of our sponsor Canon some digital cameras for organisation to help connect families. It was nice to bring some joy for them.

After donation we said goodbye to our friends and started our long drive back home. First we drive back to Georgia, we crossed the boarder trough small borderpost in half an hour. Then we head up to Tblisi. After we left border we meet local board patrol pushing their G-Mercedes. We stopped and offered help, battery was dead and we give them jump start. But no, it didn't start. They have all ready towing car coming so we kept going.

46 georgia rajavartijat G-mersu

After few hour we reached Tblisi. We ended up eating in McDonalds, because it was fast and close to highway. (And after one month of Shashliki and Hatsapuri it was nice to have something else... )

While we were eating we get note from other expedition group. They would like to meet us, but we had to keep going. Hope to see them somewhere sometime.

47 georgia Tbilisi viesti

We head up to northern Georgia and towards to Russia. In the evening we reached boarder and oh boy it took some time. Georgian side was easy, but on the Russian side it took several hours to wait. Scenery was like driving to Mordor from the Lord of the Rings movie. It was too dark to take pictures, but border is crossed trough long tunnel between Georgia and Russia. In the middle of the night we got trough in to the Russian side. We drove in Vladikavkaz and started to look hotel. First hotel didn't accept us because we haven't had "Immigration card" what you supposed to get from the border. Luckily lady from the reception called other hotel that will they approve us. And yes they did. So we got the adress with cyrillick text. No, we couldn't put it in gps. Our luck was some gentleman's who speak little bit English. "No problem, we take you there." We followed their SUV trough the city. Trough red light's with hazard light's on. What a ride was that.

 

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Next morning we waked up early. After breakfast we head up to Rost-Av-Don city. Nothing special, just highway. One thing was funny, every time when we get close to city traffic started to jam. Locals started driving two or three on side to side in one lane. And if traffic did slow down from that they used a shoulder or ditch if they were driving with SUV. We laughed it at first but after a while we did it ourselves also. It was only way to get miles done.

Vladikavkaz

We reached Rost-Av-Don by the evening and started to look hotel. Again they turned us around because we didn't have that Immigration Card. So we looked up and found small family owned hotel Rose. We went there and asked for rooms and with small "Enviromental tax" we got rooms. Hotel was very nice and new. They even opened kitchen for us to get something to eat.

Next morning we took a vote what we do about the rest of this 2200km back home. Do we try to get hotel somewhere close to Moscow or are we gonna go straight back to Finland. 3-0 for going back to Finland without stopping. It was an long and exhausting drive to do. We reached Moscow in the middle of the night and what a rush it was. The circle road was in totally jam and we drove 30km leg about four or five hours... Luckily after Moscow traffic was light and we could keep going. In the morning we reached St. Petersburg and how nice it was to see first Helsinki sing with some 500km to go. We stopped to local gas station to get some coffee and breakfast. After that is was last push to the boarder.

45 venäjä, ei naurata

We started to look like a highway bandits and beside of fatigue we kept going. We reached boarder around eleven a clock. Two hours in Russian side and 5min on Finlands side. It was nice to be in home country again! After 200km drive I turned car back to our home yard. What an strange feeling, after 28 days, over 14000km driving, huge amount of new friends and some adventures we were back home. We took small vodka shots on the hood of the car and went straight to bed to get some sleep.

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What a strange trip it was! I'm glad that we did it, now there is not much to complain when you have seen some world. And we go to see world again, you can follow our next adventure in our facebook site facebook.com/teamsisuadventures to see where we are going next. Our new adventure starts on 30.5. and we go to central Asia Russia-Kazakhstan-Uzbekisthan-Taijikisthan-Kyrgisthan. From there we fly back to Finland.

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

Epic report. Keep on enjoying the road.

 

[SIZZLE]

You're definitely living your life! Awesome adventure.