Four Days in Western Georgia

Friday, Sept. 5, 2008--Tbilisi to Kutaisi

For my last breakfast during this stay in Tbilisi, I was served salmon that the family had prepared by storing it in salt for 3 days. I also had newly made jam that they had made from the fruit of the camilia flower which they brought from their garden in the country earlier this week.

I got to the bus station at 9:38, and the bus for Kutaisi left at 9:39! Great timing. Glad I didn't miss it. There was a nice young man on the bus in the seat in front of me with a young woman. I don't know if it was a friend, his sister, or his wife. Anyway, he was curious about me and kept looking around. When I brought out my map of Georgia, he became very interested, and I motioned for him to come look with me. He ended up sitting most of the rest of the trip with me and watchig the map and trying to communicate. He spoke no English, so we used sign language and looks to express ourselves. He was rather typical in looks for a Georgian--dark hair cut short and forming a curly fringe along his forehead; very dark eyes, etc. If I had to compare him to something people might recognize, it would be that he reminded me of the boys that are seen on the ancient Greek urns. When we stopped for a break, he bought a package of peanuts and insisted that I eat them. Then he made sure that I got off in Kutaisi. I'm glad. I didn't realize that the bus continued and might have stayed on it waiting for it to arrive at a station!

By the way, I saw war damage as we came through Gori on the bus. There were sides of the roadway that had been burned. There were a couple of buildings in town that had been bombed and had burn stains. Then at the military base outside of town there was much damage including buildings that had been completely destroyed. It was my first time to ever see war damage, especially within days of when it had happened. It was bad to see, but it was also interesting to see how little damage there really was compared to all the buildings in the area.

As I feared, it was a long walk into town from the bus stop which is in the suburbs. I could have taken a bus, but I was tired of sitting, and walking allows me to see the sights along the way. I could follow the map in my guidebook to get me where I wanted to be.

I reached downtown after about 30 minutes and followed the road up the hill to where I had planned to stay. It is a big two-story home with the top floor dedicated to rooms that are rented out. The lady does not speak English, but we communicated. She kept saying that tourism, because of the war, was, "Pssssst." I am the only foreigner staying here. My room is large with a beautiful plastered ceiling bordered with painted flowers. I am paying $28 per day for the room and two meals. The views from my room and from the balcony are wonderful--green mountains on one side and the city on the other (with the lights of an amusement park on a hilltop to the right).

My dinner was bread, eggplant-walnut mixture, cheese, cold chicken, tomatoes, warm bliniskis, etc. Along with it came a liter bottle of homemade wine.
When I tasted it, it seemed strong. About that time, she mentioned "snaps." I thought she was telling me it had been added to the wine and I shook my head yes. But a moment later she showed up with a glass of homemade snaps, too! They always serve so much here. I have a problem knowing how much of it I should eat. Occasionally someone approaches and encourages me to take more on my plate. Anyway, the food was good and I was filled while leaving about 2/3 of what I was served on the table. Although I had drunk almost 1/2 liter of the wine, she insisted on leaving it out for me when she cleaned the food away. I sat on a swing set on the balcony in the dark and drank another glass while looking at the lights of the city and the amusement park.

Thunder and lightning began before I went to bed. Then a bit of rain came. I helped the owner move a carpet that she had been airing on the balcony railing. Then I called it a night around 21:00 and went to my room.

Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008--Kutaisi

I was sorried when I first got up. It had been raining all night and was still raining. I had enjoyed the guesthouse so much yesterday that I had not left it to explore the city. Now I was worried what would happen. But by the time I finished my breakfast, the sun was peeking out. Breakfast, by the way, consisted of two fried eggs, cheese, a huge sweet roll with raisins, butter, homemade cherry preserves, bread, and tea. The preserves were delicious!

The center of Kutaisi is undergoing a complete restoration. The buildings are monumental and will look very nice. The street and sidewalks are also being rebuilt with paving stones. At one end of it is a very nice park that is the center of downtown and is frequented by many people.

The main plan for the day was an outing to two monasteries in the area. I went to the marshruta stand at 9:36 and the man showed me 11 fingers. I figured that meant that he would leave in 11 minutes. But, no, he didn't leave until 11:00! I had wasted 1 1/2 hours there waiting.

The marshruta took me to Gelati Monastery. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful old churches in Georgia. The interior is covered in frescoes. And there is a huge mosaic at the front of the church made with over 2 million pieces of stone. It is considered to be one of the greatest art treasures in the country.

Rather than waste more time on marshrutas, I decided to walk when I left Gelati. It was 3 km back to the highway, about 3 more km up the highway, and then 2 more km off the highway to get to Motsameta Monastery. It is known for two things. First, it is set on a point above a river--a very dramatic setting. Second, it was built to honor two Georgians who refused to convert to Islam when invaders tried to force everyone into their religion many centuries ago. The men were thrown from the point down to the river. Their skulls are entombed in the church on a raised platform, and there is a legend that one's wish will come true if he can crawl under the tomb 3 times without touching it.

Walking back to the city a further 3 km or so, I explored the old Jewish quarter of Kutaisi, saw a couple of other churches, and went to Bagrati Cathedral, a ruins of the huge church that once existed here.

I was exhausted, so I returned to my guesthouse at 16:30. I found a huge feast occurring. A long table was set up on the balcony of the house, and at least 40 people were sitting at it (men toward one end and women toward another) eating. As I entered my room, one of the women came to me and took me by the arm and insisted that I join them. I had read about Georgian feasts, so I was happy to have the opportunity to experience it.

Two different men were insisting that I sit beside them. The one who was next to the women won out, because then a woman who spoke English could sit on the other side of me and translate what was happening. It was a feast to honor a man who had died 2 weeks earlier. It had already been going for 1 1/2 hours with lots of eating and many toasts with homemade wine. The mean were already glassy eyed and boisterous, while the women sat quietly visiting and drinking a sweet green-colored soda.

They put a plate in front of me and started offering me all the different foods. There was too much, so I concentrated on trying the dishes that I have not already had since being here. There were some wonderful beans. And there were cornbread patties that were heavy and crusty. There were spicy green tomatoes, a sweet rice mixture with raisins and apricots, and other items. All were delicious. But the toasts kept interfering with my eating.

I was expected to join the men with each toast. The normal Georgian thing is to drink the whole glass of wine with a toast. That's why the men were already reeling when I got there. I tried it once, but then I tried to get out of it. Of course, they insisted, so I tried a joke on them. I took a sip from my glass, quickly set it down and picked up an empty one, and acted like I had drunk it all. They, of course, had seen and laughed. But they didn't try to force me to drink too much after that. I told them I enjoyed the wine, but I was not raised to learn to drink like a Georgian, and they seemed to think that made sense. Anyway, after that, I sipped except once. The other man who had wanted me to sit by him joined me in a toast with the arms bent around each other. He insisted that I drink it all, and I did, since the feast was coming to an end.

With the end of the party, the men were all drunk and their wives were trying to get them to leave. But they all insisted on being friendly. They wanted me to know how they appreciate that the U.S. and Georgia are close. And everyone was kissing everyone good-bye. The guy whose wife translated for me kissed me good-bye. Then while I was saying something else, he kissed me again on the cheek. Then before leaving, he move in for us to kiss again. Later, one of the other men and his family returned in the evening. He must have continued drinking because he was so drunk he could hardly talk. All of us visited, then the kissing started again!

There was a nice lady there who works in Turkey. She told me of her problems with work. She cleans a theater and provides various services for the actors. She can only stay in Turkey for 90 days, then she must leave. It's a 2-day journey from Kutaisi to Istanbul. She uses all her money to travel back and forth and to pay her expenses there. But she would have no work if she stayed here, she said.

Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008--Kutaisi to Borjomi

Breakfast was rather simple today--fried meat, cheese, bread, sweet roll, jam, and tea. But it was good and filling. I ate with two Georgians who had also stayed at the guesthouse.

I could not get a bus to Borjomi, so I had to take two marshrutas. They are tight accommodations, but it was okay. It took me 3 hours to travel on the two.

A woman sitting beside me on the second van was met by her grandson who speaks English. He asked where I would be staying. When I told him, he said it was near his grandmother's home and that she also had a room she rents. He asked if I would like to see it and said that I could go to the other place from there if I prefered.
Well, the room was fine, so I agreed to stay. It was $17.75 per night including 3 meals. The only drawback was the bathroom. It was in a basement outdoors and did not have hot water. I could live with that, however.

Atiom, the grandson, is so nice. I thought he was older, but he is only 19. He is tall (much more than me). The grandmother had a new puppy, and I thought that Atiom was a bit like the puppy--young while living in a big body that made it a bit awkward for him at times. But he is so sweet and caring. He helps his grandmother all the time and, because of that, was helping me all the time.

Borjomi is known for its mineral water. It used to be THE water in the USSR. It has a bit of a sulphur/salty taste--somewhat like water that has an alka-seltzer tablet in it. But the bottled version that is sold elsewhere is a sparkling water.

I explored the town. There are old spa hotels scattered around. Some have been abandoned. Others are still in use. Some are being restored. There is a wonderful park in the city that has a cinema, restaurants, and amusement rides toward the beginning and then wanders along a stream going up the mountains in the woods. I walked and walked through it enjoying being in nature. Then I returned as it began to get darker.

I met a policeman who wanted to talk to me, but he really could not speak English. He talked in such a low voice that I found it disconcerting. I kept thinking he was trying to talk to me about something illicit. But he was friendly and probably just was mild in his manners.

When I returned to the guesthouse, I had warm borscht for dinner. It came with homemade sour cream/yogurt to put on top, and bread. Thee was also a cooked grain with a spicy paste and cheese bread to eat.

There is an interesting lack of knowledge about the war here. People in Kutaisi said that Borgomi had been spoiled by the Russians and that I should not go here. I knew it was too far south for there to have been much, if any, damage. Sure enough, the only problem is that there were some forest fires set near here. Now the people here are warning me that I should not go to Signaghi later this week because of the war damage. Well, I already know that the Russians were not in that area which is south of Tbilisi.

Monday, Sept. 8, 2008--Borjomi and Bakuriani

Atiom was at the guesthouse this morning to take me to catch the right van. He also served me my dinner last night and my breakfast this morning. I cannot quit admiring him for how sweet and nice he is to his grandmother.

It rained during the night. I hope it clearns up like it did in Kutaisi since I have an outing for the day. I will go anyway and take my raincoat and umbrella.

I caught a van into the mountains to Bakuriani. It is a farming community that also has a ski resort nearby. I should have brought my pullover. It is cold up here even with my raincoat on. But I am enjoying being in nature and exploring the place. I have to limit myself, though, because the trails into the woods are clay and muddy. It will cake onto my shoes if I try to go off the trails that have stones or grass.

Most people here live in old homes built of wood. They have lots of glass windows, so they must be cold in the winter. They are just typical old farm houses, though. The wealth from the ski resort does not reach many who live here. But some have built new hotels to cater to guests who do not want to stay in the bigger resorts. They are being optomistic, because there seem to be too many of these places.

I stopped at a park to read for a while. It's distasteful, though. There is trash all around the two benches--beer bottles, wrappers, etc. And two cows just wandered by to try to find something to eat from the trash. Georgia shares three problems with India that are not good for the country to have: 1) They throw their trash to the ground wherever they are. In town, people are constantly cleaning in front of their homes. In the country, the trash just stays there beside the roads, the railways, etc. 2) There are loose cows everywhere. There aren't as many as in India, but they are in the cities as well as in the countryside. It is common for sidewalks to have cow patties that have to be avoided when walking. 3) Pedestrians have a big problem here. Cars are even worse than in India at giving right-of-way. They almost dare the pedestrians by coming close to them on purpose to show that they should have gotten out of the way.

I met a man while walking in the countryside who started talking to me in a mixture of English and German. He didn't speak much, but I could understand that he was a ski jumper who had been in four different Olympics. He took me to his home and showed me his medals and his trophies. He had a huge room full. There were also books and articles about him. He was very proud and should have been. And he still looks fit at his age. His name is Koba Tsakadse. He gave me a cluster of grapes to eat as I left.

On my way to the train station to return to Borjomi, there was something happening in front of the police station. Many people were standing around. It was a drunk man who the police were trying to settle down. It was a big event there, however, based on the attention it was getting.

The train came late. Then it took 2 1/2 hours to go to Borjomi (whereas the van up took only 35 minutes). What what a trip, though. It is a toy-like train on a narrow-gauge track and having only 2 cars. We twisted and winded slowly through woods with occasional views of the mountains. There were at least 5 small stations along the way, and people got off and on at these. It was a great trip.

I was hungry when I got back. I was served a mixture of eggplant, onion, tomatoes, etc. with bread. Then I had another bowl of the borscht. Finally, there were pancakes with home-canned peaches and their juice and a glass of fresh milk. That satistifed me. In fact, I worry that I may be gaining back some of my weight.

Atiom's sister was there in the evening. She is an English major, so we visited. They watched the news, because there are meetings about the boundries to the country following the war. Then it was bedtime.