There's nothing more exciting when visiting a foreign country than to be caught up in a local demonstration. That is, until, the riot police come. That's when you'll see me screaming, "Tourist! Tourist!" like a little girl and running in the opposite direction wildly waving my passport over my head.

Had I traveled to the former Soviet republic of Georgia last week instead of two years ago, I would have come across the above riot police thugs trying to restore order on the streets of Tbilisi. Instead of running away, however, I probably would have been frozen to the spot, transfixed on their very strange gas masks. I'm not sure if these would have terrified me like some futuristic Gestapo agent, or if they would have made me laugh.

Well, as you can tell by the second photoshopped picture, the gas masks tended to amuse instead of terrify. Classic. I'm sure the last thing demonstrators remembered before getting beaten with a truncheon was laughing their heads off.

Click here to see more great shots of the Mickey Mouse Gestapo.

Filed under: Georgia