I was is North Ossetia for a short time but not as short as my visit to South Ossetia. I managed to travel 12 kms through the south before
being stopped by the militia. My permit was granted and then a week before the trip it was revoked with no explanations. I figured I would
still try as I was so close to the border. The usual questioning or interrogation happened as I left Russia. Unfortunately my driver's passport had expired so he couldn't pass. This border crossing was only for people in vehicles so this was not a good thing. My guide suggested we
could hitch a ride which I thought was completely mental. We hung around the border crossing until some guy decided to take us with him. I guess hitch hiking is very normal in this part of the area. I was feeling lucky but as I said my entry was denied. The militia explained that if I was Venezuelan they would have let me through as they recognised their independence. Unfortunately Great Britain did not recognise it so they said no. The same rules applied and we needed a car to go back to Russia so we waited until someone gave us a lift. We waited a
little longer at this part of the border as there didn't seem to be many people willing to give us a ride. Eventually a good looking guy in a
flash car saw us and was kind enough to say yes. He drove us back the 12 kms to the Russian side and we said thank you and off he went. The Russian soldiers just looked at me and then laughed about how I didn't get in. My driver was waiting for us so we continued our tour of North Ossetia.
I didn't realise how beautiful North Ossetia Alania was nor how mountainous too. In fact I knew nothing about this Caucus except for what I heard in the news.When the Soviet Union collapsed it posed problems for the Ossetian people, who were divided between North Ossetia and South Ossetia.Then Georgia decided to take South Ossetia which Russia did not appreciate and then they retaliated. There were a lot of provocation from both sides and unfortunately South Ossetia suffered. Much of the population fled across the border to North Ossetia or Georgia. Some 70,000 South Ossetian refugees were resettled in North Ossetia which sparked tensions with the predominantly Ingush population in that district.
As well as dealing with the effects of the conflict in South Ossetia, North Ossetia has had to deal with refugees and the occasional spillover of fighting from the war in neighbouring Chechnya. The bloodiest incident happened in September 2004 during the Beslan hostage crisis. Checnhan insurgents who denied and claimed responsibility seized control of a school. In the fight that ensued between the terrorists and Russian forces that ended the siege, 335 people died and most of them were innocent children. Some Ossetians still maintain the Russians were behind the whole thing and the Chechans were made the scapegoat.
The tensions are still high in this area but we must not forget how beautiful North Ossetia truly is. I was blown away by their mountain scenery which is almost as beautiful as the Himalayas. I am glad I had the opportunity to come and see this region for my self.
