Skirting Borders IV


Georgian Flag
ZUGDIDI, Georgia
April 26, 2011

This is getting tiring. I've been turned back from yet another border crossing. The Abkhaz border guards denied me entry.

Just last week I experienced similar rejection: making it out of one country but not being allowed through into the next. But, I had anticipated that situation, expecting that I might not be allowed into Syria. Being sent back to Turkey wasn't a surprise. This denial was completely unexpected. I arrived at the border with an entry permit issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia. That document and my passport were all I needed to enter Abkhazia and receive a visa.

Compounding the problem was my lack of Russian. Nobody at the border spoke any English. I can recognize probably only a few-dozen words of Russian--not enough to understand just why they wouldn't let me through despite holding an entry permit issued by their government. Without ability in Russian I don't know the reason I was denied. I'm hoping the border guards refused me because Monday was a holiday, the day after Easter. Maybe they just couldn't contact anybody in the capital to confirm that my papers were all in order.

I'm going to try again today. I hope they let me in on this second attempt.