Ch 33, Day 22: The Gateway to the Svaneti

 27.2
kms, July 31, 2021

Up
until now, the Traveler has done well following the advice of Google
Maps as it's led him across Armenia and Georgia. But according to
Google, he'll have to make a big loop back south in ordder ot
continue north towards the High Caucasus. But it looks like there
should be a direct route north...

So
he tries the old fashioned way: ask the locals. They confirm that,
yes, you can follow back roads up over a ridge to the north and down
into another valley.

And
so he does. After a delicious fit-for-a-king breakfast, he bids his
kind host farewell, and heads up the quiet road over the ridge, past
more down to earth rural homes, with big elevated storage rooms to
protect their harvest. Here in the wetter highlands it seems corn is
the crop of choice—in contrast with wheat in the drier lowlands.
However the Traveler hasn't seen many Georgian foods that contain
corn, so he's not sure what they do with it.

Over
the ridge at the village of Sanorchi, he's greeted with the
view of another river valley far below. This is the Tskhenistskali
River, which eventually joins the Rioni far to the south. This river
looks different. The river isn't very big, but the riverbed is very
wide, suggesting that it's experienced some dramatic flooding.

After
miles of zigzagging, the Traveler reaches the valley floor. It's a
bittersweet feeling to bid farewell to the isolated Nasperi
community. Seeing the love Mrs Manoni has for her region gave him a
new appreciation for this culture. Now it's time to explore a region
with a more interconnected feel. There's road that runs through
here, connecting towns farther upstream with the rest of the
country... not such an isolated feel here.

The
Traveler does take a little sidetrip up the slopes again to the
village of Dekhviri. Here a sign says there's supposed to be a
castle, but the Traveler isn't able to find it. So after a rather
discouraging 40 minute climb, he turns around and goes back down
again.

Across
the river and a few miles along a relatively busy road is the main
town of district, Tsageri. Here, again the Traveler figures
he should go ahead and find a place for the night before heading
deeper into the mountainous Svaneti region. He finds a guesthouse in
town with what seems to be a fairly well to do family. In fact, the
son is about to head to United States to continue his studies.

He
tells the Traveler a bit more about this region. “Right up the
road is the gateway to the Svaneti Region. It's a place very
different from the rest of the country. They've never been conquered
by anyone. Not the Turks... not the Persians... not the Mongols...
Even under the Soviets, they maintained some level of autonomy. While
the rest of Georgia has been devestated by invasions time and time
again, they have remained isolated. Even their religion is different.
The blend certain things of Christianity with pre-Christian
traditions. They have their own appointed religious leaders—they
aren't under the Georgian church authority.”

The
Traveler is fascinated by what he is hearing. A mountainous people
who have never been conquered? This can only mean one thing: he's
about to experience a true, 21^st century Shangri-la. A
geographically isolated, self dependent, defensible region high in
the mountains. It's the Holy Grail he's been searching for so long
in his travels.

Yes,
I definitely made the right choice in heading this direction. There
is far more to the High Caucasus region than just natural beauty and
cheap prices. This is a world he is now really psyched to discover.

Once
again, the Traveler has arrived to his day's destination early, so he
has plenty of time to get a good dinner and explore the area. He
assumed that Tsageri would be a rather upscale “tourism hub” as
it is the gateway to Lower Svaneti. But it actually feels a bit
shabby with just regular shops and not a whole lot of eating options.
He does finally find a little hole in the wall restaurant by the
market where all they have left is Russian borscht. He figures that
will have to do.

It's
what's right around the perimeter of Tsageri that really interests
him though. The town is snuggled between the river and the steep
moutainside. And high up the near vertical slope he has already
spotted the ruins of several castles. And he's been told their are
trails to go up and explore them.

And,
now that he's learned a bit more about the Svaneti region, these
castles take on a whole new meaning. Why? Well, if this is really a
region that has never been conquered, mainly due to its isolated
geography, then these castles were the gatekeepers that kept this
region safe for thousands of years. Right beyond Tsageri is a narrow
gorge. A gorge that is the only really feasible route of attack into
this naturally fortified region. And if what he's been told is true,
then these castles have done something few other fortifications
anywhere in the world have managed to do: protect a region
indefinitely enemy attacks. Creating one of the world's few true
“Shagri-Las”.

The
Traveler gets more and more excited as he thinks of the implications
of this. All throught his Journey he has experienced cultures and
regions with a common experience: at some point in their history,
they've been invaded, looted... their rulers deposed and new powers
rose in their stead. It's just the sad reality of human history.
It's a fear that drilled deep into our collective psyche: no matter
how high we climb as a society, there are enemies—other people—who
can pull us down again and destroy us.

The
Traveler has always wondered though: what if a society didn't have to
deal with that fear? What if they had never had that experience? How
would this society evolve differently? What would be their view of
the world? Would these people be happier... more at ease, without
this almost universal stress that almost all humans have to cope
with?

Or...
he wonders... is their something instinctive in our human nature that
needs a feeling of danger to feel things are “normal”? If
people don't have external dangers to worry about, do they create
internal ones to make up for it? Is conflict a necessary part of our
human experience?

This
is going to a very, very enlightening experience he hopes.

He
reaches the entrance to the gorge. The unconquered gate to the Lower
Svaneti Valley. Here, only the river and a road squeeze between two
sheer cliffs. Here the Traveler will follow this valley as far as it
goes... the go up and over a high mountain pass to Upper Svaneti...
and follow the Patara Enguri River downstream to the Black Sea...

Right
now, though, he wants to explore the gateway. And it looks like that
won't be difficult. These castle were built on top of cliffs to be
almost impossible to attack back in the day. Nowadays, there isn't
the same concern and there's actually a stairway with railing and all
so visitors can climb up and experience this important site.

The
Traveler quickly makes his way up. Evening is approaching and he
really wants to experience this view in all its grandeur. Finally he
reaches the first castle, which is small and overgrown with bushes
and trees. But he's still able to climb inside and gaze through the
window to the town of Tsageri and the wide Tskhenistskali River
below... imagining being a watchman and seeing an army marching up
along the riverbed... sending the alarm and preparing the defenses to
insure the army would not enter the gorge and this freedom loving
region remain free...

He
continues as the trail continues up to a razor-like ridge... then to
the other side, to where he gets his first panoramic view of
Svaneti... The river snaking up the gorge... the wild, undisturbed
wooded mountains with misty clouds billowing over them...

His
heart beat a little faster, as he anticipates this adventure.

Here
no expense was spared in creating this trail, which actually is a
metal platform attached to the side of the vertical cliff. Again,
the Traveler has mixed feelings about this, as it isn't quite clear
how the cost of building this trail is going to be recovered (as
there is no entrance fee). Also the question... will it get regular
maintenance? All it would take is a couple bolts to rust out... and
somebody could go plummeting to their death...

Finally
it turns into a regular trail again, as it passes the second tower.
The trail doesn't reach the tower itself, so the Traveler has to
clamber up the rocks the narrow ridge to get a better look—and
enjoy the 360 panorama... with a rather dreary Soviet style town and
river dam to the south... untamed wilds to the north...

He
continues on... reaches the third tower... then tries to follow what
looks like a trail down the Svaneti side. It plunges in to a thick
jungle-like landscape, leading to a cheerful stream tumbling down the
mountainside—but not any farther. So he heads back to where he
finds another trail that zigzags down the Tsageri side... and back to
civilization again.

An
unforgettable experience, exploring the Gateway to Svaneti. Tomorrow
the real quest to find a Shangri-La will begin.