The Lost Trousers

Hash yesterday. At the meeting point I heard that it was going to be well out of town, in Mtskheta. My heart sank because it was 2 pm and I had the theatre at 7. But, I was assured, we would be back in plenty of time.

Right..so off we went; I joined a group of two others and we were a bit surprised to be squeezing into the back of a Lada. I had some things like my mobile phone in the side pockets of my trousers, which must have been hard for my fellow passengers....Anyway, we belted along the motorway at the end of a convoy lead by some four-wheel drive cars, and then turned into a tiny road which corkscrewed up and up and up the hill. It was cobbled, which would have been fine except the cobbles had slipped in some places and there were deep holes. Still fine for the 4-wheel cars. Less fine for the VW Jetta in front of us, which suddenly started spurting oil. (The Lada was ok, of course). So we stopped, phoned the insurance company, got the advance parties to come down again and collect us, and finally arrived at the starting point at 3.30 pm. As runners, another guy and I took off most of our clothes bar Tshirts and shorts, and off we went. Uphill up a very steep incline, very scratchy with lots of low growing brushwood ...great on the bare legs! Then running downhill again ... a very long way round. We runners got there first - but where was the wee red Lada with our clothes? Nowhere to be seen! So we waited for the walkers, and then for the final little rituals which take forever in Tbilisi...getting chillier and chillier.... it were freeeeeeezing! The guy and I were both very visibly shivering and shaking.

Finally we jumped back into the cars (other cars) and went back to Tbilisi, and there, outside the bar, was the wee red Lada, with all our clothes. (The driver had helped the girl with the broken down car). Thankfully someone gave me a lift home - or I would never had made the theatre. I did not get warm again all evening.