Border Crossing from Russia

I arrived in a driving rain storm at the border on Monday, September 14 at about 7:00 p.m.  The border has two crossings, one for vehicles and one for pedestrians.  I was tempted to hire a car to drive me across in the rain, but since I did not have an Abkhazian visa, I felt it was better to use the pedestrian route (as I always have done before).   The drop point for a taxi is about 1,000 meters from the actual crossing and it entails a walk through an open air market.   It was raining very hard and there was nearly a foot of water on the street.  Fortunately,  I was able to hire a local with a cart to haul my bag, while I kept my laptop under my raincoat.

I crossed the Russian side without incident, although I was soaked.

When I walked across the bridge to the Abkhazian side and stopped at the checkpoint, the first question was about my visa.  I said that I was meeting an advisor in the government and that he would explain the situation.  In the past, I have explained that I have been without a visa ( impossible to get in the U.S. since there is no Abkhazian embassy and I have not figured out how to arrange one in Sochi) and then been given 2 days to get one at the capital in Sukhom.  So,  I called my contact in Abkhazia, handed the telephone to the officer and he explained the situation to the agent in charge. While this was happening, I spoke to the agents waiting in the small office at the end of the bridge.  One was clearly Russian and the other an Armenian.

I should explain that  Abkhazia's population is about 20 - 25% Russian and there is a similar percentage of Armenians in the country.  There are about 40 -45% ethnic Abkhazians and a smattering of Greeks, Turks, Jews,Roma and probably some Mingrelians and Georgians.

The border guards were interested in an American passing into Abkhazia.  I am not sure they had seen an American passport before.  They asked me skeptically if I thought that I was going to Georgia.  I explained that I knew I was not and that I was happy to be visiting their country.  At this, their faces brightened.  The next question was about recognition of Abkhazia as an independent nation.  I explained that my opinion did not matter to the previous administration in the U.S. but that I supported recognition and hoped it would happen.  I told them that I disagreed with Mr. Bush on many things, not least was the policy in the Caucasus.  I also told them he was about as articulate in English as I am in Russian and as always that drew laughs.  A few minutes later, the agent in charge reappeared and guided me through customs and down to the area where I could find a taxi.  I was able to do this on my own, but I appreciated the very friendly gesture.

I picked a cab out and we drove down to Gagra in the dark and rain.  It was too bad because it is a beautiful drive on a sunny day.  The road hugs the coastline at the foot of the mountains.   It is a little bit similar to the road through Big Sur, although the road is much closer to sea level and the flora is more subtropical.  Gagra is the first city of size and sits about 15 miles south of the border.  It is a small city of about 10- 15,000 sitting on the beach and at the base of a large mountain.  It is also attracts a lot of Russian and Ukrainian tourists who wish to sit on its beaches and swim in the warm and clear waters.  

I directed the driver to the hotel I stayed at in 2008 and checked in.  In mid- September, the city was still full of tourists, but I was able to negotiate a 1,500 ruble price for one of the better hotels in town.  Since the war with Georgia, there is a shortage of infrastructure, despite the tremendous beauty and appeal for tourists.  After getting soaked at the border, I was pretty happy to have a strong and hot shower.