Getting to Vardzia

Got to Georgia via a scam: Turkish bus driver telling me that there was a bus to Akhaltsikhe, telling me to get in his bus (I thought he'd give me a lift to the stop), then charging me $15 for the ride to only the border. The customs officers were rather surprised to see me (it wouldn't surprise me if I was one of the first crossing that day). They were very nice on both sides. One of the Georgians even spoke English.

Two things struck me immediately: beauty and decrepitude. The mountains of the lower Caucasus are stunning. Unemployment is probably around 80% with people living off what they grow. Caught another taxi on to Akhaltsikhe. Why? The driver wasn't an arsehole. He also gave me a good price.

In Akhaltsikhe, the driver entrusted me to the care of his friend, who shouted me some pieroszki, and shoved me on to the marshrutka to Vardzia.