I’m waiting in Hopa Turkey to catch the mini bus to Batumi Georgia. The bus pulls up and I sit down next to this girl with a scarf covering her hair. She shyly looks over at me smiling and with just a glance I can tell she’s not Turkish. Smiling back, I say “hi my name is Bruce” In broken English she replies “My name Laura” (pronounced lao ra) then she just looks back down at the packages she is carrying. Well, over the 2-hour trip to the boarder every time I look over at her she seems to be looking at me. At one point she sees a picture of Georgian food in my travel book and says “you come to my house, I cook for you” I just smile, thinking yeah sure.
Arriving at the boarder she follows me off the bus to customs, the Turks stamp us out, she removes the scarf revealing beautiful red hair and we walk across no man’s land to Georgia. After paying the $3 dollar stamp charge some other armed guards search my luggage and say I have to pay $10 more. I say “for what”? One replies “You Must Pay.” “No Way Pal” I zip my pack back up, turn and walk away. They keep talking but I pretend I don’t understand, wave them off and just keep going. Laura looks at me with a surprised look like, you don’t do that here. I just smile and shrug my shoulders.
Will Our Hero get Cooked For? Or just Get Burned?
Master Traveler 
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