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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.