A GAME OF CHICKEN AMIDST THE SUNFLOWERS: I have been doing a bit of driving here - well, as a passenger in the front seat of a Toyota. We seem to drive an average of 100 kilometres an hour down these two lane highways with no median. Oddly enough, when the road turns to 3 lanes iwth a passing lane, one direction or the other gets the passing lane. HOwever, unlike our highways where the slow driver moves over to a new open right lane adn the passing cars go straight ahead, it's the opposite here. The passing car gets ready to speed over to the left and pass when they see the opening coming up. It often feels a bit like chicken and it seems rather dodgy (no pun intended.)

When there is a highway with no center line, it really does become a game of dodge. Fortunately, it's like Iowa or Nebraska here - flat and straight, so possible on coming cars are visible for long distances. I've still had some frightening white knuckle moments as the driver risks the dodge around the left corner of the car in front, just 5 feet from our bumper.

You may be wondering about the sunflower reference. oh, the gorgeous fields of bright yellow sunflowers line the highways for miles. It's quite beautiful in an otherwise rather bland landscape. Not many villages or towns once you leave Krasnodar. Just open fields of grass and a few trees and houses on occassion.

Sergei was caught snoring this evening on the way back to the hotel from the factory. I've remained in a semi-state of existential coma, wearing dark sunglasses and maintaining an expressionless composure. After a day of speaking russian, it's about all I can manage.

Today was TGIF for most of the employees. We had 3 separate "product tastings" starting with soft cheese and honey this morning, fried cheese at lunch and string/smoked cheese with beer at around 3:30. So, today, I've eaten, well, cheese... Halfway through the delicious plate of fried cheese with onion and hot pepper, I realized that it was pure 40% fat cheese I was eating by the forkfull, and decided to stop while I was ahead. Maybe I'll find some tomatoes and cucumbers for dinner.

I need to meet Sergei in about 30 minutes to walk to the train station. We may adventure off to the Black Sea tomorrow by train. It goes around the mountains. I'm envisioning Dr. ZHivago or Anna Karenina - but hopefully won't get the Broad Street Line instead. Oh, well, as long as I get rid of the cash I have to pay for the hotel, I should be okay. I think with the new sitaution in Georgia and South Ossetia, the Russians are othewise preoccupied. I need to see what the news is saying about that...