Wine and Georgian

drink and lunch after mass

Georgians are proud of their 7000 years (or some said 8000 years) wine making history, probably the first wine making country in the entire world. Every family have their own homemade wine and chacha (hard alcohol made with stems and skins of grapes or local fruits sometimes). These homemade wine and chacha could be wild and raw, but you may find really good ones if you are lucky. The thing is, they don’t really need good wine with the way they drink. If they are having a feast or gathering, named as ‘supra’, guests gathered at a long table, with a toastmaster, or ‘Tamada’ saying a poem, or toast with a long speech every time and drink bottom up after each toast, then accompany with a piece of bread or grilled meat or for chacha or vodka, accompanying a sip of water or soft drink. And that could go on all night. We only saw them gathered in a restaurant having such big feast and unluckily haven’t been to one at home during our month stay in Georgia.

home-made chacha distillation

home cellar in Kutaisi

Georgians are very generous about alcohol too. Many a time, we were walking down the street, bumped into some gathering, usually guys, in a flee market, a wedding preparation, a construction site, or even in front of a grave, we were invited to join and were offered chacha or homemade wine. Once, in Kutaisi, we even got a whole two liter of wine when we were passing someone’s garden. All I could say is, Georgians are extremely hospitable. We are told that it’s normal for a Georgian man to drink 10 litres of alcohol for one evening!

行在霧雨森林間

一起床見到天色陰暗，知道不是行山的好日子。但是心想，所謂好，只是定義在一個期望上，期望天晴。天晴好行山，難道天陰就不行山 ? 為何要個天弄個天晴給我行山? 有時候行多期望都事原於自我膨漲，到頭來弄得做事却步不順心。天晴行山看太陽,天陰行山看雲霧，各有樂趣。

 

提起精神，放開心情讓之後約六小時的行程帶給我們怎樣的經歷。我們選了大部份遊客走的一日路線，經過村落一路往山中走。走進森林中，還以為深秋的佐治亞森林會是紅黃交錯的,誰知紅黃啡色的是我們踏着的落葉，頭上的常綠是松樹弔着大松果。密密的樹影蓋過天際，天色是怎樣看來不太重要了。那又何必追求藍天白雲呢? 況且雲霧在樹間飄渺，像白紡輕撫松葉；也像身穿透紗的少女在林間飄逸，看霧紗也看得我出神。

我們只是騷着森林的外圍，裏面還有更深的林和谷，及更野的生命力，包括不少動物如熊、狐及鷹等。在靜靜的山林間穿梭，感覺每一步都是踏着一個更大生命體，其脈搏像是和我的呼吸交流。空氣濔漫著她的呼吸。有時候停下來看看周遭，發覺山林在晃動,整個生命體就在面前跳舞。腳底的草地變成海面波浪,自己站在浪上浮動,我們不是在行山，而是在踏浪。

途中不見人影，到了路程中間才見兩人從另一兩日路線從山頂下山來。他們來自俄羅斯，很快已經離我們遠去。我們蹣跚地在很斜的山徑下山，老婆時不時坐下來像溜滑梯般下山，我們想起我們的羅馬尼亞朋友和我們行山的模樣，在這情況下他或會飛奔滾下山。

好不容易下完山，我們到了一大遍草地樹林。如果我們是羊，一定樂透了，四周的草都是那麼嫩綠，不像深秋的旱草。再往下走，兩旁是石壁，壁上有古樹，和雲霧一起變成活活的山水畫面。這些石山頂有時有荒廢的石堡壘，這樣佐治亞式的山水畫面別有另一風味。

我很相信山水自然有其力量，使人謙卑，信服其力量。在山林走出來，感覺如從教堂走出來般，感到自己的渺小，但不自卑，而是和這更高力量的溶合的滿足。

*之前已經在到國家公園管理處申請通行證(但一天進園是免費的)。

Georgians could be explosive

wanna complaint against this "hotel"

Not only kids like playing with firework anywhere in the street, Georgian themselves are explosive in character. We met an old female beggar along Rustavili Avenue in Tbilisi, who love to hit my arm asking for money, while another time in Ursguli, we fell into an argument with the hostel owner, as we camped for 10Lari and he suddenly asked for 5Lari extra when we leave and pay, as we have used his kitchen. He was screaming and almost attacked me when we insisted for the unexpected gas usage money back. Eventually, our persistent triumphed and he just gave us the money, asked us to leave right away and nothing else happened when he calmed down promptly, while we packed our tents and backpacks. The spark is strong but short, like firework. Just be firm and calm and you would be fine.

華西亞洞穴城瓹山窿

原本想早些出發截順風車到華西亞，奈何還是近中午才在路上。截了三程車，中間經過河川公路，看到兩旁山崖被紅樹點綴著；入華西亞山谷前，在小鎮卡非斯看到坐立崖頂的堡壘；在山谷中，看到河對面宏偉但險峻的古城，難以想像當時的人怎樣進出及在城來走動。

最後到了聞名的洞穴古城。在石壁佈滿山洞，其實在幾百年前地震才展現了這些出口，之前這些互通的洞穴是隱藏在石壁中。期間亦遭受波斯人的攻擊，所見的洞口只是其中三份之一，可想而知這洞穴城規模很大。

只付約廿五港元的入場費，我們在洞城參觀，在洞穴間穿梭。有些洞穴內還有石室，看似睡房，亦有開鑿出來的窗門。有些甚至有旋轉石階通往第二層洞穴。跟著到了較著名的教堂，亦是從洞穴開鑿出來，門外佈滿壁畫，內裏的壁畫也保存得好。這裏其他洞穴仍然住有僧侶，他們在這教堂作宗教儀式。

我們從教堂側的石通道繞進教堂後面，發現有另一通道住洞穴內的水源，可惜當日有鐵柵欄住，不能進內。我們便偱另一通道迂迴地跨過教堂頂，通道內只有疏落的燈光，有部份漆黑得伸手不見五指，要摸著兩邊牆上樓梯。

在教堂另一面走出來，終於見到藍天，見到更多的洞穴。多留一會便要離開，因為是週日下午，交通疏落，截順風車較難。臨離開還有一段長長的下階通道，還這旅程留下離怎印象。看到老婆很雀躍地笑，她覺得很好玩，舟車勞揗也不算甚麼。幸運地居然給我們截到一程過回旅館的貨車! 為這旅程添上完滿句號。

Finding a good life in a monastery

Staying in Akhaltsikhe for one more day because of the good deal of cheap stay in guesthouse, on the last day of sight seeing we went to the Sapara monastery. Hoping to get a lift for 10.2 km southeast of the town, we waited on the crossroad for an hour on Monday noon (yes we are late again taking off) and there was still no vehicle taking us. So we walk on along the road. We passed village and still followed the road out of my photographic memory of the offline map, not realizing hat there was actually a short cut directly up to a pass. We walked zigzag up passing meadow and had a good view of the town and the old town castle.

When there was still 3 km to go, we were picked up by a father of the monastey who drove a nice big 4x4. We arrived the monastery where there was a monk waited for us to show us the church. He opened the lock and let us see the inside is the church. The fresco was beautiful and well kept since the church was built on the 13th century. David the monk then showed us the old church meat to the current one, it was built even earlier on the 9th century but the fresco had been covered by oil painted during the soviet time and was completely destroyed.  We were left some time to walk around to take some pictures. There was ruin of old castle on the nearby hilltop but we were not interested in climbing up. We picked the sweet water from the spring near the resident building for the monks. 

David offered to find car to drive us half way back. That's so nice of him. 


While waiting for the car he let us ask question about the monastery, I asked about the life in the monastery. There are now eight monks and they are like brotherhood working together, taking turns on different jobs. They include cooking, cutting trees for firewood, raising cattle and milking, conducting religious activities, receiving guests etc. There can be a male guest who can come for 5 days to live with them and their routines. They wake up at 5am sometimes even 4:30 for morning prayers, have only two meals a day, mostly vegetarian unless special occasion there could be meat.

David has been here for four years. Before that he worked in a bank and wanted a more complete life. From friend he knew this place and came as a guest. In staying he followed the lifestyle and felt a more spiritual completeness and kept on. The monks saw his eagerness to stay and allowed him to. Then he became a monk here. As first his parents were surprised and upset about it. Later they visited him and knew he have a happy life, so were less objective against that.

Winter was cold here and the monks still have to work, especially collecting firewood. It was closed off as the road to here was covered in snow, unless a tough 4x4 could risk along. There was no visitor up to five months.

The car came to pick us up for half the way, where we found he way more directly back to the village and then back to the city. In mind I am happy for David who could escape the materialistic world and find a simple lifestyle that makes him happy. Also from the simplicity he has more complete spiritual life and gets closer to God. 

Hope we can do the same too. Happy and spiritual life is in fact not too difficult to reach. Somehow the modern and materialistic lifestyle make such a simple life difficult to reach. Is it just a matter of being able to let go ? It also involves attitudinal change about value of change.