The journey begins

2006-09-02T12:17:00.000-07:00

I never thought how many anecdotes would carrya Barcelona Tblilis flight.
On friday 1st, I had to work till 15:00 and then my dad had to take me directly from the office to Barcelona airport.

First I had to meet my father somewhere in front of the office building but I had forgotten his mobile number so I just went out the street to look for it. I took the wrong direction and was a college who recognize my father (qwuite easy, a car, with a bicycle, backpack and painers inside) and indicates him where I was.

Once in the car while heading to the highway I checked if I had all the documents: Air tickets and passport. But the passport wasn't there. Were the hell is it? Before leaving work I did a ... FOTOCOPY of it !!! Damm !!! it's in the office.
Dad,stop !!!
Back to the office, direct to the fotocopy machine, and right there, smashed between the cover and the glass my passport.

Nothing else till the airport. No problem, sending the bicycle but not the same with my backpack, with the walking sticks and piolet outside. It needed a special box provided by Lufthansa. However, the boy in charge of this stuff, it is not there. It is not till 17:30 that they are able to take the backpack to the airplane. I've had to be more than hour and a half checking it to get sure they did (just in case).

Once in Munich I get surpised in how modern is the airport. While heading to my boarding gate I see a brand new PRIVATE shop with its videos, afrodisiac wines and sex toys for anyone who wish buy them.

I take the plane to Tbilisi with some delay but not other inconvenience till the final destination.
However, once there, I didn't find David, my contact for climbing Kazbegi but he apeared at last half past four, one hour afeter arrival and when I was starting to consider quite seriously to surrender to taxi drivers and take a ride to some centric hotel.

At least, I reached the guesthouse about 5:00 a.m in the morning, quite tired. A fantastic flat centraly located. With a really big room with 4m high cellings, 4 beds, a sofa and a fireplace, and a host, who told me she was matemathician and painter, her dauther painter too with exibhitions held in Moscow galleries and already preparing a exhibition in Washington.
The trip had begun.

Transcaucasia 2006.

2006-08-30T05:49:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of days before departing to the transcaucasian republics I set this blog where you'll able to follow my trip.

On Friday Sept 1st I will depart to tbilisi on my second trip to the region.

The aim of the trip is:

- To visit Armenia again: I discovered Armenia on 2003 but I coudn't visit lots of places and I focused on sight around Erevan. On this trip I wish to visit the south, Lake Van region and alaverdi monasteries (on Unesco world heritage list).

- Try to get into Karabakh: Karabakh is an Armenian region within oficial Azeri border. Righ now it is an independent country recognized only in Armenia since there was a war on the early 90 for its independences from Azerbajan. Nowadays there is an state of no war no peace, with a cease of fire which has already last for more than a decade.

- Discover Georgia: On 2003 I crossed the country in less than 36 hour on my way to Armenia from Turkey. It was enought to know the country worthed a visit. On this trip I'll focuse on the central and western parts of the country. The eastern-most part of the country will be on another trip, still I do not know when, but probably convined with Azerbaijan.

- A little bit of mountaneering. Georgia is surrounded by the caucasus range. I should try to climb some peak, shoudn't I? Mt Kazbeg (5.033m) has been choosed. Will I get to the summit????

Xavi's Journey

The journey begins

Transcaucasia 2006.