Don Curry returns home

Don Curry was startled when plates were stacked right next to his ears. He needed a moment to realize that the plates were not being handled in his room, but in the Firefly Café, just behind the thin wooden wall. It was shortly after 6:00 am. Probably some preparations were being made for breakfast. Before Don Curry could hear every noise of this process unfiltered, he decided to get up after only 2 hours of sleep and leave this hospitable but way too loud place. Even though the sun was still hiding behind thick clouds, it was already bright. And it wasn't raining. So Don Curry set off early in the morning to the end of the valley, at least to the drivable end.

One peculiarity of the Chewsureti people was that they did not bury their dead, but placed them in specially built houses. The most famous example of this is the necropolis of Anatori. Four buildings built on a cliff beyond the river served not as living space for the village residents, but as the final resting place for their deceased. Since the village has long been uninhabited, the necropolis is also poorly maintained. Through small windows, one can look into the individual houses and see a jumble of human bones, including some skulls. Some windows have remnants of burned candles and yellowed holy pictures, indicating that the dead are still occasionally remembered and prayed for here.

A few kilometers further, the track ended at the abandoned village of Mutso. Here begins a long hiking trail that leads across to Tusheti. Along the way, Don Curry was stopped by a single Georgian border soldier who wanted to know where he was going. When Don Curry made it clear that he wanted to drive to Mutso and then back to Shatili, the soldier was satisfied and let Xerra pass. Shortly before Mutso, some rain began, but soon subsided. The damp weather of the previous day and night had little effect on the drivability of the track, but it greatly affected Don Curry as he tried to climb the steep path from the parking lot to Mutso. He kept slipping on the slippery rocks. When the path became narrower and closer to an abyss, he finally gave up halfway. So he could only see the buildings of Mutso from a distance below.

Slightly frustrated, he headed back, stopped again at Shatili to photograph the old village from a different perspective, and continued to the Bear Cross Pass. In the meantime, the sun was increasingly breaking through, allowing him to finally enjoy the splendid green landscape of Chewsureti, decorated with some defensive towers and fortresses or their ruins.

After several hours of driving, he once again reached Tbilisi, bought some typical Georgian spices at a supermarket, filled Xerra with gas for the last time, began packing his travel bag with everything that had accumulated inside Xerra during the trip, and checked into his last hotel, which he had chosen primarily because of its proximity to the airport. Surprisingly, the performance of the hotel restaurant was particularly pleasing, presenting consistently tasty dishes despite its huge menu, which presumably almost completely listed Georgian specialties. With the grilled chicken skewer with family-style potatoes and tomato-cucumber salad, he finally ordered the spicy-creamy walnut sauce Bazhe, which he had been looking forward to for a long time. But either it was not on the menu or it didn't go well with the dishes he wanted to order. It turned out to be a hit with the chicken. As an accompaniment, he chose the Georgian (!) beer 'Herzog von Bavaria' and for dessert a quite delicious lemon chacha. Well fed, he was particularly looking forward to one thing: a peaceful night!

He had arranged to meet with Platon at 8:00 am at the hotel to return Xerra. Shortly before, Platon texted him that he couldn't come himself but would send his colleague Shota. When Shota didn't show up by 8:20 am, Don Curry texted both of them that he had to leave for the airport no later than 8:30 am. But then Shota arrived. In the meantime, Platon had checked whether Don Curry had incurred any fines from the police; he hadn't. Shota inspected Xerra thoroughly and was satisfied with everything, except for the crack in the windshield. That wasn't really a problem either, but Don Curry had to report it to the insurance company immediately. So Don Curry called them, selected option '5' for English conversation after the automated announcement, and waited in the queue. He had to wait for over 10 minutes until a representative finally had time for him. Her first question was whether he spoke Russian. Shota then took over the conversation in Georgian and explained the situation to her while he had already started taking Don Curry to the airport. She noted down numerous data and explained that in this case, her supervisor would have to decide. Now the supervisor spoke for a long time with Shota, collecting data on Xerra, Don Curry, and the car rental company. In the end, he said that the case needed to be further investigated. Shota was still satisfied. He told Don Curry that insurance companies in Georgia often hesitate to pay immediately and artificially prolong the process. "Not just in Georgia," Don Curry said. Then he wished Don Curry a safe flight and zoomed off with Xerra. Thank you, Xerra, for the good and exciting time together, Don Curry thought, as he hurried to the check-in counter. He had packed his travel bag so ingeniously that it weighed exactly the maximum allowed weight of 30 kg. In addition, the employee of Turkish Airlines granted him a window seat in the first row of the economy section during the first flight, which guaranteed a lot of legroom.

The plane took off on time and offered Don Curry a breathtaking view of Tbilisi right from the start. It landed in Istanbul just as punctually and brought Don Curry back to an airport that he now knew so well that he could immediately head for the best quiet zone. As it turned out later, the flight to Hamburg started right next to the quiet zone, but half an hour late. The flight was one of the most turbulent ones Don Curry had ever experienced. The serving of coffee and tea after the meal had to be canceled because severe turbulence made it impossible to pour the cups safely. Don Curry doesn't want to know how many coffee and tea stains were created during this flight. With a delay of about an hour, Don Curry finally arrived in Hamburg, was picked up by his valet parking team, and finally took back his Golf. What a tiny car, he thought, and how low you sit in it.

Don Curry returned home. Once again, he was able to visit two countries of this world; a third one had fiercely resisted. Once again, he encountered astonishing people, magnificent landscapes, outstanding cultural treasures, and culinary delights. Once again, he marveled at the diverse wonders that this world has to offer. He knew that he would draw on these countless impressions and experiences for a long time. But he also knew that he would eventually set off again, that someday it would say again: Don Curry on Tour!