John Noble, from the UK, first arrived in Georgia in 1990 when it was still officially part of the Soviet Union and he was writing Lonely Planet's first (and last) guide to that now-defunct empire. Entering Georgia from Russia through the Dariali Gorge to Kazbegi was like taking a big breath of fresh air. John was thrilled by the Georgians"love of freedom and the outstanding warmth of their hospitality, and every visit since then has deepened his own love for this utterly unique and stunningly beautiful country, which is now finally gaining the place in travellers" consciousnesses that it deserves. John has written on many ex-Soviet states for Lonely Planet, but none quite like Georgia. Michael Kohn first visited the Caucasus in 2006. having travelled there the hard way on a turbulent crossing of the Caspian Sea to Baku. After zigzagging through the region he returned a year later to cover Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh for the 3rd edition of this guide. Struck by the kindness of the Armenian people on his previous visit, Michael was thrilled to take a second tour of duty of Armenia and NK in 2011. He specialises in writing Lonely Planet guides to Silk Road regions from China to the Levant. Born in Belgium, Danielle Systermans has spent the last 25 years travelling the globe, both modestly for pleasure and more luxuriously in the world of international finance. She first arrived in Baku back in 1995 with an improbable mission: to explain the "new idea" of credit cards to an audience of sceptical ex-Soviets. Judging from all the ATMs in town these days she was quite successful. Friendships and an unquenchable traveller-curiousity keep bringing her back to the region in a series of visits that have been as stormy as any love-affair, and just as compulsive.