We left our hideout among the rubbish well past midday and returned to the main road, the legendary A301. The first joy of the day came from the fuel tank: we stopped to refuel and diesel here is dirt cheap, about seventy-two roubles a litre, which works out at around eighty-three cents. It makes devouring the miles a real pleasure!

With a full tank, we headed towards Vladikavkaz, entering via Kosta Avenue, and suddenly... bang! The GPS started acting very strangely and went completely haywire. It turns out that in this area, humans use satellite signal jammers for military security reasons, so we were left as lost as a fish out of water.

Even so, we managed to stop to explore a bit. We visited the Monument to Eternal Glory, a huge military cemetery dedicated to the war from 1941 to 1945. It is very moving to see that there are lots of very recent graves; this area has seen too many battles. Standing out there is the sculpture of the Mourning Motherland, a figure full of sadness. Just across the avenue, we entered Narton Park, which is full of very kitsch golden sculptures representing the heroes of Nart myths, epic legends of the Caucasus. A little further on, we discovered the Slavy Memorial, a spectacular complex with reliefs, statues, and towers that pays tribute to the region's courage throughout history.

Daddy Edu tried to find a bank to exchange more money, but being Sunday and without GPS, the mission was harder than trying to get me to sit still when I see a cat. We had to leave the city the old-fashioned way: Daddy Edu driving through the chaotic Russian traffic while looking at a static map on his phone, almost tracing every turn and roundabout with his finger. Along the way, the massive number of posters with photos of young people in uniform really caught our attention; they are tributes to those fallen in recent conflicts, something that really tugs at your heartstrings.

Once we were well clear of the city, the satellites came back to life and the GPS was resurrected. But the peace didn't last long because we were stopped at a checkpoint in the middle of the road. We had to go to the window for passport control and the officer got into a monumental muddle with Daddy Edu's names. The dialogue was worthy of a joke:
"Your name?" the man asked.
"Eduardus," said Daddy Edu.
"Your father's name?"
"Antonius."
"So... who is Gerardus?"
"My mother's father," Edu clarified with the patience of a saint.

After the laughter and the confusion over surnames, they made us open the car to check the camper. Everything was in order, of course. They saw we weren't carrying any Georgian cows, nuclear bombs, or suspicious drones (well, ours remained well-camouflaged).

We travelled first along the motorway and then on secondary roads. We stopped again to refuel with LPG and we almost fell over with excitement: twenty-three roubles a litre, about twenty-six euro cents!

We got closer to Grozny, the capital of Chechnya. Before getting into the big city, it was time to find a nest. We looked at a couple of spots on the app next to a lake and a water park called Akvalend, but they had as much charm as stale kibble. In the end, Daddy Edu channelled his inner explorer, looked at the Google satellite map and bingo! He found a hidden spot very nearby.

Right now, we are camped in a fantastic site, surrounded by greenery and out in the wilds, where there doesn't seem to be a soul for miles around. We prepared dinner, locked the doors tight, and are off to sleep well sheltered in our camper. Tomorrow, Chechnya awaits us.