South Ossetia Mission: Travel Notes
To be honest, I thought personal reasons would prevent me from taking part in this trip to South Ossetia. But things turned out right after all, and there I was freezing at Minvody airport together with Olga Metreveli, waiting for our plane, which had bee
South Ossetia Mission: Travel Notes
To be honest, I thought personal reasons would prevent me from taking part in this trip to South Ossetia. But things turned out right after all, and there I was freezing at Minvody airport together with Olga Metreveli, waiting for our plane, which had bee
In Yerevan, it was surprisingly warm, and, delighted, we gazed out the windows of our taxi as it sped towards the IWPR office. A warm welcome from Seda, the Institute’s coordinator in Armenia, a tasty dinner, and there we were riding in a taxi again, this time with a third participant in our “expedition”, Gayane Abramian. Why so many minute details? I am trying to recollect all the nuances, because nuances are often what makes a good story.
On our way to Tbilisi, our car broke down, and this, I must confess, is something I blame myself for. We still had had a half an hour’s ride ahead of us, when I decided to write an SMS to my folks to say I was all right. “We’ve had a good journey, and the hotel is just super,” I said in my message, though we knew nothing about the hotel we had been booked into except for its address. The SMS delivery report came the moment the car’s engine failed. It took us an hour to get it going again.
I don’t feel like recounting the chronology of subsequent developments. I recollect the first morning in Tbilisi, our meetings with interesting and hospitable people from the OSCE, and the mini-bus that ferried us around for two days during our trip to Tskhinvali. The two days spent in the capital of South Ossetia were a real revelation.
I had never taken an interest in the Georgian-Ossetian relations before, but the trip changed everything. The many meetings we had with officials, members of non-governmental organisations cast light on many things. On our first day there, we had supper with an Ossetian family, whom we all fell in love with.
Meetings continued on the second day, and everything went off fine, despite it being terribly cold because of damaged facilities. In Tbilisi, many of our planned meetings were canceled because of demonstrations, leaving us plenty of time to visit a local market and do some sightseeing in the centre of the city.
On the way back from the office to our hotel, Gayane, Olga and I saw people in masks approaching us. We started photographing them, but they turned their faces away. Just for fun, we covered our faces with scarves, but very soon it was not funny any more. We took gas masks from an ambulance woman, who was handing them out.
Shots were heard then, and I switched my camera on. I remember feeling strange, not afraid. We saw people running and followed them into some shelter. I continued shooting. The gas had taken effect by the time – I had a tickle in my throat, my nose and eyes were itchy, and I felt giddy. We asked for shelter in what turned to be an office of some organisation.
After a short time there, we felt it was safe to leave.
We found out that the office of the Republicans Party was located on our street, and we heard them shouting disagreeable things about the police and Saakashvili. After some mixing with people there, we returned to the hotel. In the evening, we had a few drinks to ease our nerves.
I’d like to add now that, despite everything, I am glad to have had the experience. As they say, whatever happens, it is only for the better. The trip turned out for Olga and me three days longer than we had planned. The time of our return flight changed three times, for which we could get no proper explanation from the airline, Armavia.
Worn out with waiting and drowsy, we, the passengers of the hapless Yerevan-Minvody flight, had become one big family by the time our airplane arrived from Voronezh. This was a moment worth capturing with a camera, which is what we did. Upon landing, we spent forty more minutes in the plane before they let us out.
Do I have any regrets about the trip? Not one. I remember our visit to the Pantheon. It looked magical in the twilight. Maybe, it was because of the shimmering candles. Maybe, people crowding there added to the impression. I remember the Trinity Cathedral, a most beautiful place. I remember many details that are not important now. But, I am glad that I experienced what I did. I am glad I happened to be in the right place, at the right moment, alongside the right people.
On our way to Tbilisi, our car broke down, and this, I must confess, is something I blame myself for. We still had had a half an hour’s ride ahead of us, when I decided to write an SMS to my folks to say I was all right. “We’ve had a good journey, and the hotel is just super,” I said in my message, though we knew nothing about the hotel we had been booked into except for its address. The SMS delivery report came the moment the car’s engine failed. It took us an hour to get it going again.
I don’t feel like recounting the chronology of subsequent developments. I recollect the first morning in Tbilisi, our meetings with interesting and hospitable people from the OSCE, and the mini-bus that ferried us around for two days during our trip to Tskhinvali. The two days spent in the capital of South Ossetia were a real revelation.
I had never taken an interest in the Georgian-Ossetian relations before, but the trip changed everything. The many meetings we had with officials, members of non-governmental organisations cast light on many things. On our first day there, we had supper with an Ossetian family, whom we all fell in love with.
Meetings continued on the second day, and everything went off fine, despite it being terribly cold because of damaged facilities. In Tbilisi, many of our planned meetings were canceled because of demonstrations, leaving us plenty of time to visit a local market and do some sightseeing in the centre of the city.
On the way back from the office to our hotel, Gayane, Olga and I saw people in masks approaching us. We started photographing them, but they turned their faces away. Just for fun, we covered our faces with scarves, but very soon it was not funny any more. We took gas masks from an ambulance woman, who was handing them out.
Shots were heard then, and I switched my camera on. I remember feeling strange, not afraid. We saw people running and followed them into some shelter. I continued shooting. The gas had taken effect by the time – I had a tickle in my throat, my nose and eyes were itchy, and I felt giddy. We asked for shelter in what turned to be an office of some organisation.
After a short time there, we felt it was safe to leave.
We found out that the office of the Republicans Party was located on our street, and we heard them shouting disagreeable things about the police and Saakashvili. After some mixing with people there, we returned to the hotel. In the evening, we had a few drinks to ease our nerves.
I’d like to add now that, despite everything, I am glad to have had the experience. As they say, whatever happens, it is only for the better. The trip turned out for Olga and me three days longer than we had planned. The time of our return flight changed three times, for which we could get no proper explanation from the airline, Armavia.
Worn out with waiting and drowsy, we, the passengers of the hapless Yerevan-Minvody flight, had become one big family by the time our airplane arrived from Voronezh. This was a moment worth capturing with a camera, which is what we did. Upon landing, we spent forty more minutes in the plane before they let us out.
Do I have any regrets about the trip? Not one. I remember our visit to the Pantheon. It looked magical in the twilight. Maybe, it was because of the shimmering candles. Maybe, people crowding there added to the impression. I remember the Trinity Cathedral, a most beautiful place. I remember many details that are not important now. But, I am glad that I experienced what I did. I am glad I happened to be in the right place, at the right moment, alongside the right people.
