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– Tell me, how did you end up in Sakartvele?
– The time has come when I came up with the idea to leave everything (not only did I quit my job, I work remotely as a programmer) and run to travel indefinitely. I have wanted to visit Iran for a long time. After reading about Pakistan, I also got involved there. A completely different world, different cultures, and at the same time, a more radical way to get out of your comfort zone, not just to sleep outside in a cooler time. So after buying the necessary items, I flew to Sakartwell after getting vaccinated in January because there were cheap tickets in and near Iran.
The original plan was to spend a week there, then travel to Turkey for three months, at least a month to Iran, maybe a few months to Pakistan, and finally to India. The plan was very elegant and vague, things could change all the time. That week was not enough, I repeated “another week”.
And at the beginning of March, more borders are closing, I see that it will not be possible to travel to Iran. When I went to Tbilisi I realized that I had three options. Cross the only open border with Turkey, fly to Lithuania, or stay in Tbilisi. I chose the latter. It is still much cheaper than in Lithuania, it has not been visited much in the country and I have a good place to get stuck there with sweet people and other musical instruments.
– What kept Sakartvele holding you back for longer and longer?
– The country turned out to be much more interesting than I originally thought. One of the most stagnant regions is Svaneti. The place is really charming, there are very beautiful Caucasus mountains. It is not easy to say, you have to go see, because the mountains are really something like that. The blood revenge is said to have ended there 20 years ago, but some people have brought it up while it is still happening, saying that murders do happen from time to time. The region is barbaric, but the tourist will not feel it. Everything is very beautiful, the people are great and hospitable as in all Sakartvele.
It is still much cheaper than in Lithuania, you don’t visit much in the country and I have a good place to get stuck there with fakes and other musical instruments.
I still really liked the region at the top of Kazbek. After hitchhiking with Saartvele, a Lithuanian living in Sakartvele, we hitchhiked to the town of Stepantsminda on a 3 km high mountain. After climbing another 300m to the glacier, a powerful view of Kazbek opened. Go up the mountains and you will see those things!
Photo by G.Baranauskas / Saule, a Lithuanian living in Sakartvele. All strengths
I liked the nature of the place where the mountains were the most. I also met many other travelers who became friends. All that atmosphere led me to stay.
– How has everything changed in the country since the introduction of quarantine?
– The quarantine in Tbilisi began in mid-March. Many travelers, foreigners got stuck or chose to get stuck. The shelters where they had stayed began to close. I quickly had to look for places to stay, rent. I was lucky because the owner of the hostel stayed with us, so it didn’t close. You just couldn’t accept new people because it was dangerous, illegal.
I lived in the same hostel from March until my departure at the end of October, except for the month I was in Batumi. Over time, the population changed slightly, but there were 5 to 6 permanent at all times. He lived in a dorm room with six or eight beds, but most of the time alone.
Photo by G.Baranauskas / Near Utah, Mountain Inn
Life was comfortable. Get up, work, take a walk around the city, meet people, in your spare time hitchhike to mountains, canyons, caves.
The hostel is great to live in flourbecause we agreed well between us. We watched movies in a separate common room and every now and then we throw an involuntary party. The hostel owner is playing progressive metal music, he’s a guitarist. Many guitars just hang on the walls, pick them up, and play them.
We also cook food together or among ourselves. We dyed our hair once, after which all the guys walked with red hair for three weeks.
Photo by G.Baranauskas / I, Dan and Kazbek. The photo was taken at 3014m high.
– What kinds of dates, people or their stories are the most stagnant?
– I met a lot of interesting people, I heard all kinds of stories. For a time, I lived with a recipient who was engaged in clothing design, fashion. He has created a brand, with his creations he has participated in London Fashion Week, opened a store in Tbilisi.
But even more interesting is that he comes from a very conservative Muslim family. When he found out that his parents had found him a wife, he was very happy. Something very very strange. You really like the idea of a planned wedding. As he himself said – usually, if a couple does not like something, divorce, but in this case they have to reconcile, try to live together, divorce as they can not.
Even if the parents choose, the final decision is still up to you. I had 15 min. long call with a girl, after which he seemed to have to decide whether to marry or not. Of course, there can be everything, that when you are live, everything will change. Once upon a time she already had a fiancé, but on the eve of the wedding it all ended when she found out that he was not chaste. Automatically that’s it, the wedding is interrupted. Such a conservative community.
Photo by G.Baranauskas / Chacha tasting with a Belarusian acquaintance. The glasses are small
I don’t know exactly by what criteria a wife is chosen. They are apparently looking for them through acquaintances and a slightly more similar direction, as this girl is also into the arts. Both “to art”, as they say. Horoscopes also play an important role in compatibility. After traveling for a while and coming back, I no longer found him at the hostel. Unfortunately, I didn’t make any contacts, no one else had them either. There is a good chance that she returned to India precisely because of the wedding.
I also met an American who plays experimental music and has lived in Sakartvele for 8 years. He speaks potatoes and has national citizenship. I don’t really want to go back to America, especially now that there is total chaos. Together with an Estonian in Tbilisi, we started playing music together. He worked in the tourism business as an architectural guide. However, this activity has stopped and he is currently trying to earn money in England to be able to return.
Photo by G.Baranauskas / Tabatskuri. Armenian village and lake of the same name. 2000 m high
– What experiences would you call particularly cardartal, what was the most authentic experience in the country?
– The country has a different alcoholic culture. The really difficult thing here is the toasts. They are said by a man named Tamada. Basically, that’s your role and duty: toast all night long. There is even a special system. The first toast is said to God, the second to the family, then to the country. He takes a full glass of chacha (grape vodka) in his hands, sometimes even helps him, then takes it again. The toast lasts a minute, five or even more. He says something very, very, very long, turns to me and says, “Now we drink for a good harvest of grapes.” I can’t experience all the beauty of this tradition because I don’t speak the language.
Another more interesting experience that has occurred more recently has been the grape harvest. In the Kachetia region, I helped a friend’s family pick grapes for winemaking. Arriving at the vineyards at about 10pm at the beginning, of course, they fed us chacha (in the morning). I was the only foreigner, all the other potatoes, but most also participated in the process for the first time.
Photo by G.Baranauskas / We collect 2-3 tons of grapes
After collecting those seven hours, I realized that the work was hard enough. Lots of bends, kneeling, standing, so everyone hurts their back while working. You cut the bunches with a knife and they are still intertwined all the way around. When I tried the huge grapes to eat instead of making wine, I was shocked because I hadn’t really eaten the sweetest ones in my life before. Well, when I got back from work, we were already expecting a party, a table full of all kinds of food and drink.
– You mentioned that Sakartvele is cheaper than in Lithuania. What are the usual prices in that country?
– I would say that all expenses leaked between two and three times cheaper than in Lithuania. Living in a hostel, I didn’t even pay a month, but a night, a little less than 5 euros. The cheapest accommodation in a hostel costs 2 euros per night. In a good location in Tbilisi, the apartment can be rented for 150 euros per month.
Photo by G.Baranauskas / My friends and I traveled to see the highest waterfall in Sakartvelas. We don’t get close because it’s hard to walk on slippery snow
The cheapest way to eat a very tasty meal is to order about six meatballs (stuffed meatballs) at the restaurant. The usual price of one is around 30 euro cents, so you pay a few euros and eat. Fruits and vegetables in every corner can also be purchased at very low prices.
Beer prices in the bar start from one euro, “kraft” beer costs up to 2-3 euros, in the store – 70 euro cents. A liter of poured wine costs one and a half euro. The train ride from Batumi to Tbilisi takes about 5-6 hours, the ticket price is about 7 euros. I did not try to save much there, you could say that I lived a little spending.
* Having been isolated in Latvia for ten days and visiting friends there, Gabriel is currently in Estonia with a girlfriend. He will not know when he will return to Lithuania.
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