What a mad day. We started off calmly and set a course for Tbilisi by car. It was only about sixty kilometres, but the traffic in the capital moves slower than a snail with arthritis, so it took us a good while to get in. We had a list of errands longer than my tail.

The first: the vet. To cross into Russia with a dog, you need an official health certificate, a bit of bureaucracy invented by humans to make life difficult. We found a clinic thanks to the internet and headed straight there. The staff were super nice, but I got the worst of it: anti-parasite pill by force, the hateful thermometer up the bum, scales, and a microchip scan. Everything was perfect, but nothing can take away the shock I had. Daddy Edu paid a fortune, and it turns out the paper is only valid for seventy-two hours. We’ll have to rush to reach the border! And on top of that, that paper wasn't enough; we had to go to the Ministry for the official stamp.

Back to the car again. We parked near the Ministry and I stayed in the camper feeling nice and relaxed, but it turns out the officials wanted to see my whiskers too. As if that wasn't enough, they didn't accept card and it cost a small fortune, so Daddy Edu had to run off to find an ATM and then come back for me. The official vet at the Ministry was very kind; he spent half an hour typing with pinpoint precision and filling out some papers in Georgian that looked like abstract drawings. We trusted him and left with the official certificate under our arm.

Second mission: the dirty laundry. As far as we know, there is only one laundrette in the whole country, one called Speed Queen, so we crossed the city again, battling the traffic. We had a month's worth of clothes piled up, at least eighteen kilos of sheets and socks that needed a good spin. While the machines washed and dried, we took the opportunity to eat in peace in the camper.

At almost eight in the evening, we set off for the final mission: getting hold of some roubles. Since Russia is under a mountain of international sanctions, foreign cards there are about as useful as a plastic bone, so we needed cash come what may. We drove to the Avlabari area, which is full of exchange bureaus that look like they’ve been plucked straight out of a spy film. Everything is a bit clandestine, but it works a treat: no commission and no asking for passports. Daddy Edu changed two hundred euros and they gave him seventeen thousand roubles and twenty laris. A roaring trade!

By nightfall, it was time to find somewhere to crash. We headed out of the city towards the Tbilisi reservoir, but the only flat spot was taken by a car with steamed-up windows and a couple who, I assume, were celebrating the spring. We had to look for a Plan B.

Right now, we are camped near the Chronicles of Georgia monument. It’s a great spot. From up here, I have lovely views of the whole illuminated city, and right next to us are the silhouettes of the enormous stone pillars of the monument, which we will explore tomorrow before heading off for good towards the Russian border. I’m off to sleep, my little paws can’t take any more.