12 Jun 2015
Kazbegi III - Last Day in the Mountains
One advantage of having my writing lag behind is that I get to consider episodes of my trip in hindsight. A pattern I keep noticing is how some weeks are infinitely more eventful than others. This is the third article on Kazbegi (a trip that lasted all of the 3,5 days). Yet I know that other periods of several weeks will barely warrant more than one article. The obvious lesson is that a trip of several months is not just one exciting adventure after another. I suppose it could be, if I really wanted it to be, but who has the energy? Instead, I find that enjoying some downtime can be much more educational than frantic sightseeing. Stay in one place for a bit, have some tea, observe what is happening around you. Heck, maybe use the time to write down how you got there!
Aren’t these story-in-a-story things fun? So artistic, much wow!
Day 3 - Waterfalls
We had arranged our departure from Kazbegi for the third day. Before we left this beautiful part of the world we wanted to see one last sight though: The waterfall at Gveleti.
Our driver from the day before drove us up towards the Russian border for about half an hour, before letting us hop out into the sun. After some back and forth (employing the usual amount of waving and pointing), we understood where he wanted us to go and we stalked off into the greenery.
The fellowship
We quickly found the fast-flowing stream and then followed it up-hill. At that point, I definitely began to notice the ascents and descents of the previous days: My legs began to feel like rubber and it’s almost a miracle I didn’t faceplant straight into the stream.
Eventually, we found the waterfall. The stream fell from a rocky ledge several meters up in the air. The water was then collected in a shallow basin before running down the gorge into the valley. Where we stood, a cool spray was flying everywhere.
The promised waterfall
The view from up there wasn't so bad, either.
Having relaxed at the waterfall for a bit, we climbed down the path and walked back to the waiting car.
Having seen this sight, we decided that it was time we drove back to Tbilisi. I recall sleeping through most of the drive back, but I did get out of the car once we stopped at this fancy monument:
Russian-Georgian Friendship Monument...hehe, yeah, I know!
Back in Tbilisi
In Tbilisi, I checked back into the same excellent hostel I had stayed at before. I then spent another four days in Tbilsi, enjoying the usual dinners and drinks with the others.
Is that a dead fish, nailed to a painting? No, that would be absurd: It's obviously held in place by a screw!
One memory I will always cherish: We took a cab to a student-y bar near Rustaveli Square and had one hell of an evening. Chacha and beer flowed freely there. I vaguely recall randomly pointing at people, yelling “You there, you look interesting. Sit down!” To my great surprise, they tended to follow instructions rather well. That way I got to meet a singer, an event manager, the owner of the bar and a software developer from the Crimean who was very glad about finally having access to the Russian labor market. It was a long, long night…
A student bar in Tbilisi (early evening)
Eventually I had to say my goodbyes to the others, who moved on to explore other parts of Georgia. Instead, I elected to book a ticket for the night train to Yerevan.
Until next time,
Arne