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Other entries in Kazbegi

Excursion to Kazbegi

A day after returning to Chokhatauri from a month and five days of rest in America, I was already swept away by my close Georgian friends to go on another spur of the moment excursion to Kazbegi in the far East. The real plan was to visit Shatili, but because of landslides and rained out roads, that plan was changed. We set out with fifteen eager Georgians and I in a fairly comfortable martshutka (minivan) at 7:00 AM. Late afternoon, we finally reached Ananuri, where the Russians have built a lake full of Chlorine (but beautifully clear) and drowned an ancient village. The girls and I went on a boat ride over this ghostly area, castle walls sticking out of the water to remind people of the splendor that used to be beneath. We roamed for hours around the church beside the lake, with its ancient castle walls. A full day of swimming and playing, and we were well ready to reach our final destination (Kazbegi). Climbing up the majestic peaks of green, we finally arrived at 10:00PM to find that all of the hotels were full (of course) because of the holiday Mariamoba the next day. The ones that were not full cost 7Lari, which my fellow friends couldn't really afford ($3.50) ... because most of them are unemployed. The average salary for most that do work is about 60 Lari ($30.00). You do the math. So we waited, searched and finally negotiated with a kind woman who let us stay in her private home for 5 Lari a bed (we shared 6 beds).
Early the next morning, we climbed the steep trail to Gurgeti's Sameba. This is probably one of the most famous and well photographed churches that I have know of in Georgia. Many families gathered in circles with sheep, other food, and wine and celebrated this important holiday in honor of the Mother Mary. There was even a sacred sacrifial altar where many sheep where slaughtered and skinned on the spot. I took pictures, but then I decided perhaps there are better things to look at in like than bloody sheep. On the way down the mountain, as Aleko tried to teach me a long and beautiful five couplet Georgian song, we ran into and had the joy of taking photographs with the infamous late (and murdered) first president's wife (Manana Archvadze, widow of Zviadi Gamsakhurdia).
That evening we went to Lake Basileti, were we had a supra, and slept in sleeping bags under the full moon. Our neighbors even had tents and spoke some English. We really didn't sleep at all, we sang Georgian songs until the morning light. The next day, went to Kintsvisi Monastery where the most famous fresco of the Head Angel. This beautiful frescoe still has a halo with a great deal of real gold remnants. In the churchyard, we found a table, my friends killed and skinned a sheep and cooked sheep kabobs. I was very American and made a sandwich out of mine. We had another joyous supra before finally returning home exhausted at about 1:00 in the morning. It was a full and adventurous excursion.

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