August 24th to August 27th, Sighnaghi and Lagodecki

A week before the events in this entry occurred, I had made an acquaintance of a peace corps volunteer named John, from Chicago, who after twenty four months of being stationed in Kenya, had signed up for another four months to work at Mtiarla national park near my town. John's term with the peace corps was at an end, and he had some time off to travel and see some more of Georgia. John had a good friend who was also from the peace corps living in Lagodecki, who entreated us to stay at his guesthouse and visit Lagodecki national park. After taking the night train to Tbilisi, I met up with John and we set out on Friday morning on a Marshutka to the eastern region of Georgia, Kakheti.

Before meeting up with Shannon, John and I went to Sighnaghi, which was to be a slight detour to Lagodecki. The marshutka ride was uneventful, much of Kakheti reminded me of the central valley of California in climate and in appearance. The valley was flat but fertile, the hillsides were browned grass and the summer air was dry. Sighnaghi is however, located on a mountain range that splits Kakheti in two regions. The town itself is perched at the top of a mountain overlooking the eastern valley below. Further east, at the foot of the next mountain range is the town of Lagodecki.

The township had been redone a few years ago and is now a major tourist destination, due to its scenery, an adjacent monastery, its wine production and for it having a large wall. John and I first started out exploring the wall. We started at one section and was charged a lari by an old man, who urged us to put it in a tin cup. I know he was not a legitimate museum curator or groundskeeper, but simply a local trying to make a dollar. I simply wanted to be left alone, and was more than willing to depart from a lari so that I could depart from this persistent denizen of Sighnaghi's wall. John and I were able to explore most of the wall, which is entirely intact, and stretches around a circle. The modern city itself is built on both sides of the southern wall. Climbing on and walking the crenulations and towers commanded exceptional views of the township mountains and valley below, which is shown in the photos on this post.

John and I also visited the monastery, which I highly recommend on seeing. The walk there was about a one and a half kilometers long outside Sighnaghi, and mostly in the shade. We decided upon reaching a fork in the road to take a side trip to some holy springs, apparently adjacent to the monastery. We could see the monastery from where we were, and was only a short walk from the fork, we figured the springs to be close, but after a half an hour walk down the mountain and no sign of any springs, I made the decision to trudge back up the road to the monastery. At the time, I was hot and frustrated at how far a walk it was taking to get to the springs. I felt that it was not worth actually going to the springs themselves, because they were so far away, and the sign at the fork in the road said nothing about how long of a trek it was. Its silly to have walked such a long way and to not have seen them. The monastery complex itself was very beautiful. The church gardens were exceptionally beautiful. They were covered in grass and greenery and the view from them spectacular. John and I did, after the holy spring fiasco, came upon a direct walking path down to the springs from the garden itself, to our agitation! We decided against going down the path, since it was still too far away, and the day was waning. Adjacent to the gardens was a old church with fantastic icons and paintings on the inside walls, and I also got to hear a choir sing! Other than the garden and the church, the monastery is closed off to the rest of the public.

Heading back to Sighnaghi was uneventful, and when reaching the city again, we found the major winery there was reserved for a huge supra/party, and was closed to the public, which was a shame since I was really interested in the wine culture in Georiga. Apparently the production, distribution and consumption of wine is incredibly ancient and sacred, especially in Kakheti. What is interesting to me especially is that production of the wine is different from every wine producing region. The grapes are essentially pressed and their juices are poured into large clay amphoras buried in the ground. There they ferment for a number of months and are dug up and consumed. I'd highly advise learning more about the wine culture and the process here. It says so much about Georgian custom, where wine holds a strong part of. The wine culture also says something about Georgian hospitality, where refusing a toast or a glass of wine is a much greater insult than one may expect.

Having nothing left to see, and evening approaching, John and I decided to take a cab over to Lagodecki. Two hours drive down one mountain range, through the valley, to the foot of the eastern mountains, we arrived to the city. The guesthouse was located off the main street, towards the park, which is the mountains north of the city. We ended up staying for two nights, had three meals, for a total of 25 lari each! I have never stayed at a hostel for so cheep, and having meals included fortunate.

In Lagodecki, John and I met up with two other TLG'ers from South Africa. Shannon, the peace corps volunteer who works at the park, led us to the park and up the trail to a waterfall. Lagodecki National park is comprised of forested mountains and alpine wilderness at higher elevations, our hike consisted of following a river, up the forest. The trees were humongous, and there was a dense canopy, providing shade for most of the way there. The trail was well marked, and at times times extremely steep. The waterfall we went to was smaller than I expected, but was still a pleasant end to a hike. The South Africans were as into hiking as John, Shannon and I, so going on a simple hike was ideal. To see more of the park, John and I did plan on going on a larger hike the next day, where we could walk to our hearts content without making our

The hike that John and I took the next day was more difficult, as the trail was difficult to find, being placed upon a dry riverbed. Getting lost however is out of the question, being as the trail would simply follow the river and the river was confined in a narrow valley. About two hours later, we reached another waterfall, much bigger than the first we saw. The falls went about 30 meters down, and we were able to climb up to the top of the falls and look out through the side, a bit frightening, but fun! At the end of the hike, we hitchhiked back to our guesthouse. I really enjoyed one particular car. The three men that picked us up bought a two and a half liter bottle of Kazbegi beer, and urged us to have a few glasses with them on the side of the road. I now consider that brand of Georgian beer to be my favorite, it was a perfect end to a wonderful hike.

After the marshutka ride back to Tbilisi, we reached the train station, only to discover the night train had sold out all of its seats. I had to stay at Tbilisi an extra night, but I would still be getting home by Monday night. Staying with John an extra night was pleasant enough. Tbilisi has more of a variety (we had shwarma for dinner!) and I got to learn more about John's stay in the peace corps, and about his term in Kenya.

I would like to stay in Kakheti longer, however I wanted to make it back to my host mother, Naira's birthday. I feel that I have been neglecting my family this past week, and I've been meaning to spend more time with them. When I get back to Gorgadzeebi, I plan on sticking around there for a about a week. School is starting in Mid September, and although I don't quite know when the exact date is (the sources vary from September 17th to the 20th) I should start thinking about lesson plans and preparing for my actual job.

Sighnaghi: Looks like a village in Italy right?

Climbed myself a city wall, you can do this in Georgia without  any concern of someone telling you not to.

John, My peace core friend. Behind him lies the valley Sighnaghi overlooks.

Big waterfall at Lagodecki.

John and I climbed to the top of the waterfall and took a picture off the edge, quite a thrilling experience. 

Further up the river, we came upon a smaller waterfall, you don't know how cold this water was.

Can you see the rainbow? The area below this waterfall is absolutely splattered with vapor. Standing there for 30 seconds gets you completely soaked.  A bizarre piece of land where the distinction of water and air are blurred.

Big trees at Lagodecki