Ch 43, Day 21: Life in the Georgian Mountains

 28.5
kms, July 30, 2021

The
Traveler wants to soak in the guesthouse experience as much as he
can. And the next morning his host is eager to talk—and show him
around.

The
Traveler wonders how typical his story is: the fellow went to work in
Germany for several years as a truck driver. He saved up money and
it seems has figured out ways to make money here in his own country.
He has a house in Kutaisi—but it's clear his real love is here in
his mountainside home.

He
shows the Traveler his vineyard where he grows grapes to make his own
wine. Then he shows the Traveler his beehives that he used to make
honey which he uses for his own distillery to make his own vodka.
Even though he doesn't depend on these things to be able to feel his
family, he does seem to have that “pioneer spirit” preserving
those important skills needed to live off the land.

...Although
“living off the land” here in Georgia seems to mean, first and
foremost, being able to produce your own alcohol!

“I
even have a waterfall!” he proudly tells the Traveler, as they head
up the lush mountainside. Sure enough, there's a little creek
tumbling down the mountainside, with a shady spot where you can come,
relax and disconnect from the world. “It's always cool here in the
summertime”.

And,
then he shows the Traveler his family's secret: up the cliff and
behind the roots of a tree is a cave hideaway. “My grandfather hid
from the Russians here” he tells the Traveler. Its a sobering
reminder that, in the past—and possibly in the future—war might
make mountain survival skill much more important than they are today.

The
Traveler feels a lot of respect for this fellow and what he is doing
here. This place is not just his weekend home where he comes to
relax. It's the place where he can carry on some of the traditions,
knowledge and skills of mountain life that are being lost in urban
living. And hopefully pass these on to his children.

A
Rugged Gorge

The
Traveler bids his host farewell, and continues on up the road. The
road is muddy, and it's threatening to rain, but the Traveler doesn't
mind. He's happy for a break from the heat—and as long as there's
a roof over his head at the end of the day, he doesn't mind the rain.
Today, it seems he doesn't have far to go. Nicolas, the French
filmmaker in Tbilisi highly recommended a guesthouse not far up the
road, so the Traveler decided to take the advice—although it isn't
quite clear what is so special about this guesthouse. But Nicolas is
a travel guide the Traveler would definitely trust.

The
view—combined with the weather—is amazing. Across the river, the
mountainside is a mix of jagged cliffs and think jungle like brush
and trees hanging on to the precipices. At the base, tucked in a
valley with cliffs on three sides, is a rural village with spread out
homes. After his experience at the Mekvena guesthouse, the Traveler
is more inspired by these rural folks living out the “Georgian
Mountain Dream”, preserving their various traditions.

Soon
the Traveler reaches what looks like an actual village, Tvishi.
However, here things don't seem to be looking so well. The shops
are abandoned... buildings falling apart. As a weekend home
destination, this area seems to be doing well. But as far as
preserving a sense of community, not so much.

Immediately
after Tvishi, the valley narrows into a jagged slit gorge. So narrow
that at times the road is chiseled into the side of a cliff, with the
rocks jutting out above. Here the Rioni river turns into raging
rapids as it squeezes through the mountains. The Traveler pauses to
soak in the amazing moment.. and finds a ledge to sit on, pull out
his guitar and dedicate a couple of songs to this amazing spot.

Zanduri
House

Finally
the gorge widens just a little bit... and the Traveler feels he has
entered another world. In a sense he has. As he will learn more in
the days ahead, each of these mountain valleys has it's own distinct
history and culture, as well as it's own dialect or even a separate
language. He has now entered the Lechkhumi region, which is in the
Lechkhumi-Lower Svaneti-Racha province which administers three of
these regions. And little does he know it, but he's going to spend
the night at the best place to learn about this region.

For
this, he will need to take a side road higher up the mountainside.
This is an even more rugged dirt road that the zigzags up the slopes
higher and higher above the Utskherisghele River that joins the Rioni
behind him. Here the Traveler starts to feel more and more cut off
from the outside world, with little sign of civilization—other than
this dirt road.

“Cut
off” turns out to be quite literal. He reaches a point where,
again, the road is chiseled into the side of a stunning gorge. Only
this time it's halfway up, with a dizzying drop. And... thanks to
the rain, so boulders have fallen, blocking the road. A couple of
fellows are wrestling with a big boulder, trying to push it to the
side. Just a typical day for folks who life up here in the
Lechkhumi highlands.

They
don't seem to need assistance, so the Traveler continues on. And
then he sees it: A beautiful waterfall spewed out from the lip of the
cliff and disappearing into the narrow gorge below. Unlike his last
waterfall, this one has a name, Ghvirishi Falls—and a lookout
platform where you can gaze out to the waterfall below. It's
actually a very expensive looking platform, with a glass floor to
look down at the waterfall below you. It's seems a little odd,
considering the Traveler hasn't seen any sort of tourism
infrastructure in the last two days.

Who
paid for this? He wonders. There's no “entry fee”, so this
platform isn't bringing in any income for the local economy... It is
kind of nice to see something like this, but financially it doesn't
really seem to make sense.

And
then... the gorge widens and the Utskherisghele River becomes a
peaceful stream meandering through cow pastures and vineyards. There
are houses... farming going on... an entire community here in what
feels like a true Shangri-La valley, at this moment cut off from the
outside world (until those boulders get moved out of the way).

Yes,
Nicolas was right. Nasperi valley is an experience to be had.
The Traveler looks around for the “Zanduri Guesthouse”, which he
has not trouble finding. It's actually a full size farm, with
several beautiful buildings that blend Georgian architecture with
Swiss crispness and perfection. On the side, are various traditional
farming tools—like a giant millstone and traditional well pump. It
feels like whoever is running this place it going to full nine yards
in trying to preserve the beauty of the Georgian farming tradition.

The
Traveler goes inside. Here he is greeted by Mrs. Manoni, the owner of
this farm, as well as two other ladies who apparently work with her.
Nicolas had told her that the Traveler would be coming, so she's been
expecting him.

The
Traveler is intrigued by this all-woman team. Georgia, while in
general does feel like a progressive country, in rural areas it does
still feel like “a man's world”. What is the story behind this
place? He hopes to find out.

First
he is shown to his room, which has a balcony overlooking the
vineyard, a Georgian flag waving, and the wooded mountains that
almost completely surround this valley. The younger woman then
offers to show the Traveler around the farm.

The
go to the wine cellar, where wine is fermented in giant buried
pots—just like the traveler remembers seeing in the 2000 year old
ruins near Mtskheta. Then there's a hollowed out log, another
traditional way of storing wine. Another room is laid out museum
style like a traditional rural kitchen and living room.

They
continue on, across the vineyard, to another storage hut. This one
contains samples of different types of grain, and farm produce, each
labeled.

The
lady (who speaks a little English) explains. “there is a strain of
wheat called 'Zanduri wheat' that is endemic to this region. But it
is endangered, and Mrs Manoni is working to cultivate it and
re-introduce it—that's why this place is called 'Zanduri House'”.

The
Traveler is intrigued by this. He's heart of people striving to
protect endangered animals, but never a strain of wheat. It seems Mrs
Manoni feels that Zanduri wheat is an important element in Lechkhumi
culture.

The
day is still young, so the Traveler goes for a walk around the
valley, following the peaceful dirt paths from one end to another.
Again, he wonders how many people live here year round. It's clear
that some of them do—as there are a lot of cows, pigs and chickens
that need to be cared for day by day.

When
he returns, Mrs Manoni has prepared an amazing feast for him. 6
separate dishes, each one delicious—some with flavors he's never
tried before, followed by a delectable dessert.

The
Traveler is amazed—and a little embarrassed. Here he doesn't just
feel like a guest, he feels like a king. And he isn't quite sure...
am I supposed to finish all the food served to me? Will they be
offended if I don't? He's the only guest here, so it seems all this
was just for him.

That
evening he sits and chats with Mrs Manoni and the other lady. She
doesn't speak English, but they still manage to communicate a good
bit. Turns out, she's not just a farmer, winemaker, botanist, museum
manager and guesthouse owner... she's also a member of the regional
parliament, committed to improving things here in this region. The
Traveler doesn't fully understand her story, it seems she took over
this farm after her husband passed away, and is well known in the
region for her projects for preserving the Lechkhumi culture.

Finally
the Traveler heads back to his room for the night, trying to soak in
all that he has experienced today. This little “mountain detour”
has already turned out to be a very rich, inspiring experience.

And
it's all just beginning.