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Published: September 28th 2009
Hi Everybody!
After writing yesterday's entry, I was surprised to go outside and find that the temperature had dropped at least 10 degrees and it was raining. We decided to take a cab back to our hotel. By the time we got back, it was dark. I stayed in for the rest of the evening. Walt ventured out to the nearby shops. He thought he would bring me back a small .25 L bottle of wine similar to what was served on the plane. He didn't realize that he was buying something like cognac with 40% alcohol. I took one sip and it burned my throat. He had a headache today from sampling more than me.
The written language is a big obstacle here. Oral communication is much easier. Some individuals understand a little English, sign jestures, drawings, etc. Their alphabet is impossible for me to decipher.
I spent a little time at breakfast with the Spanish couple and their new baby. The little boy was born on Sept. 8th. They have had to make two trips to Georgia, one to have their egg and sperm implanted in the surrogate mother and one to pick up the child. They paid the
mother $25,000 for her services. I don't exactly understand all the red tape and their explanations.
For breakfast, ,we were served an omelet, thick slices of bread, butter, sour cream, plum jelly, plum juice, coffee, and long pink sausages. I skipped the sausages. At the end of the meal, they brought a plate of fruit which consisted of sliced apple, green pear, and a mystery fruit. It was dark red, a little larger than a grape and shaped a little differently on one end. It had one seed in the middle and was very sweet. The fruit was tasty and is native to Georgia.
I forgot to mention that I went to the lobby a few hours before breakfast to ask the manager a question regarding our driver for today's trip. In our discussion, we talked about the Kakheti region of Georgia that we plan to visit this afternoon. It is Georgia's wine country. Hundreds of different grapes are grown there with every village having its own particular variety. The manager asked me if I liked wine and I assured him that I do. He invited me to the cellar to see the hotel's wine room. They produce
their own wine and spirits - in limited amounts. He wanted me to sample their latest batch of wine. He poured some into a small wooden bowl. It was not the best wine that I have ever had but it wasn't unpleasant. I guess that is the first time that I have had wine before breakfast.
Correction: Tibilisi doesn't sit on the Black Sea. The Black Sea borders the country of Georgia. I didn't word that well yesterday.
Even though this is a fairly large city with 1.2 million residents, it is easy to get around in it. Going between towns and countries, people use marshrutkas (vans.) We could have taken a van this afternoon to the town of Sighnaghi but decided instead to hire a driver. We left around 1 PM for the 2 hour trip. The roads were very foggy and the rain never let up. Walt asked the driver if leading tours was his occupation. He said, "No, that he was the manager of our hotel." That really surprised us! He was well educated and drove a nice Mercedes. He used his IPod to play pleasant American music. As we left Tibilisi, we traveled on a new
road that was recently named for President George W. Bush.
As we traveled to Sighnaghi, we passed through beautiful countryside. We saw many orchards and vineyards. This Western section of Georgia has very fertile land and a good climate for growing crops. Vendors on the roadside had quarters of beef, vegetables, cheese, and sweets for sale. The cheese looked like large 3 layered cakes. In W. GA, it is made from cow or goat milk. In E. GA, it is usually made from sheep's milk. One of the large rounds of cheese would cost around $48 US. I was excited to be able to stop and buy a Georgian sweet called churchklela. It resembles candles or sausages. Roasted walnuts are threaded on a thin string and then are dipped repeatedly in grape juice. They are an amber color and are soft to bite into. The ladies on the roadside had them hanging from racks with wax paper covers. Each one is at least 12 inches long. The driver called them, Georgia's Snickers.
70% of the population of Georgia are Orthodox Christians. I asked our driver if the Soviets closed the churches during the years that they occupied Georgia. He said
that they did not, but they discouraged people from going. He said that if you were seen in church, you probably would lose your job. Note: the Orthodox Christians make the sign of the cross with 3 fingers (representing Father, Son, and Soul.)
Sighnaghi is a beautiful, medieval town in the Kakheti district of Georgia. It was built in the 18th century by King Erekle II as a refuge for the area's people against the Lekianoba tribes from Dagestan (today's Russia.) The name of the town comes from a Turkish word that means "shelter." It sits on a hill and much of its defensive wall still stands. The town had 6 entrances and 23 towers in the wall. Each tower was named after a local village. When the invaders came, the villagers would take refuge in their village's tower. In 2007, the government of Georgia decided to renovate the town and develop it into a tourist hub. A large wine festival is held in the town each October. I was able to get a few pictures in the town before my camera stopped working. I took the batteries out of a small flashlight but was only able to get two
more pictures. No shop in the town had AA batteries. I was disappointed that I couldn't get pictures of the ancient fortress wall.
As we traveled to and from Sighnaghi, we passed small herds of cows grazing in unfenced areas. Each herd was kept out of the road and controlled by a single man and his long stick.
Tomorrow, we are going to take the van to Yerevan, Armenia where we plan to spend two nights. The hotel has agreed to let us leave our large suitcase here while we are gone.
Often, when we travel to unknown places, I feel apprehensive. People give you mean looks for no reason. Georgia is different. Even when we were out in the middle of the night, I never felt threatened. These people just seem to have good hearts. They are real survivors. I hope they can keep their independence.
I added some photos that I took before having trouble with the camera. On this computer they were almost completely black. I had to guess what they were by the outline of the buildings. Please excuse any mistakes.
Take care,
Everette
The travel blog website was not working at 100%. I could not
enter the name of the country or region.
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Everette
Everette Studdard
mistake
The 5th picture of one of Tibilisi. I actually still can tell what the 6th picture is. It is almost completely black on this computer. Sorry.