Back to the road again. This time on my way to my last city of the great Russia.

1100 km to hitchhike from Chechnya across Caucasus mountains, and the journey is really sensational!

Day 1, I was lucky as my host Abdul offered to take me for some 300 km.

On our way, checkpoints again and again. In one of them, police asked me to get out of the car, checked my backpack. They asked me to follow them inside their building where I was told that they have to take me to the main offices. As foreigner, I have nothing to do in this region, translated my host. A long talk started, I was just trying to fake the stupid tourist smile like I have nothing to worry from. Abdul, he became serious. I couldn’t understand much of what they were talking about but after minutes a woman gave me my passport and shouted ‘Go’!

Later, Abdul told me that police was expecting some bribe from him. He was clever enough and pretended that he was just a driver who picked a random hitchhiker from the road. And that he has no problem to leave me there for them.

Then, back again to the “Caucasus Route”, he left me on an intersection where 5 minutes later a young guy took me. 50km away, he dropped me. 2 guys came curious to me trying to speak English. At first I was cautious, but when one of them started talking in Arabic I felt so good! Aslan studied cooking in Syria. Now is managing with his brother his own restaurant. You can imagine the huge lunch I was invited to!

Although they offered me to stay few days and rest, I had to apologize and pursue my way.

Then, I had to wait few minutes till a nice guy took me! It was almost dark. Roman was going home from his job and was laughing at me when telling about my trip. And he decided to help me.

He stopped near the Krasnodar Region border control, and went talking to police. I wasn’t expecting much after what happened earlier but this time policemen were really cool!

They told me, “ok, where do you want to go? Sochi? Kharacho! Wait!”

Few minutes and passed a trans-Caucasus bus. They stopped it. And forced the driver to take this ‘Guest of Russia’, me!

I could see his embarrassed face and would really liked to tell them ‘it’s ok, it’s his job, maybe he doesn’t want to’… but what to do? An order is an order! and everyone obeyed! xD

Sochi, here I am!