THE WAITING OFFICIAL AND THE BIG RED STICKER on Connie’s bag explained why it was the last one off the carousel. A scan had exposed her stash of over-the-counter ibuprofen and multi-vitamins so customs officials had to go through her luggage item by item, analyzing every suspicious piece. Connie, who doesn’t suffer fools and others who won’t listen to reason, sat seething while I tried to placate the officials. Nothing was lost but some time and her patience. We don’t know what happened to the old lady with several kilos of tarnished silver cups and bowls. The Soviet mentality still hangs on after a quarter century.
Welcome to Georgia. Not the Georgia of Rhett and Scarlet but the former Soviet Republic. There is no mistaking Tbilisi for Baku. While oil rich Baku pulled itself up by its bootstraps, unlubricated Tbilisi is still down at the heels, especially the Old Town where we are staying. Our hotel is excellent and the location, as it turns out, is almost ideal, though the view leaves much to be desired. We are conveniently surrounded by small groceries and dozens of stalls selling fresh fruits of the season — ripe cherries, sweet plums, juicy peaches and nectarines.
