A one-day ride on an old two-wagon train through the Imereti gorge reveals the hard reality of everyday life and death in central Georgia.

Locals call it ‘Masterovoi’ as carrying railway workers is its main function - a grand-sounding name for the ancient-looking train that crosses the Imereti Gorge from Khashuri to Zestaponi, in central Georgia. The two wagons are the only means of transport for people in the area, the train tracks the umbilical cord with the rest of the world. The train rattles away twice a day while everything in the gorge seems to stand still, motionless.