Up and down the Georgian countryside

Pheeww!! What a day! Partly amazing, partly aggravating, great overall.

We overnighted in Tbilisi. In order for us to drive the car into Armenia, we must obtain a permit from Avis, and to do so we have to put up with old-world bureaucracy. While you would expect all the formalities to happen at the rental booth at the airport, we were asked to forward a copy of my license and passport to the central office downtown. We were then told that the permit would be ready after three days, because of the weekend, and that the permit could be picked up in the city center. We went there in the morning and found out that it would not be ready now until tomorrow, since it was produced in another office and it would be delivered downtown in the late afternoon. Well, being in the city gave me opportunity to find the computer stick I needed to be able to do my blogging. At least that part is done.

Tbilisi's Liberty Square

Forgive the F word, but this picture is very indicative of the country's state of mind.

We had, however, planned a full day today, and did not expect such a late start. We decided that we will return to Tbilisi on Wednesday to pick up our permit, and headed southeast toward our first destination, the awe-inspiring Monastery of Davit Gareji.

A Soviet monument in the middle of farm country

You might question why we are visiting so many churches, and it will be a pleasure to tell you. A trip to this country will have to focus primarily on places of worship; that’s what makes this place unique. Georgia and Armenia house the oldest churches in the world, and Davit Gareji was built inside a mountain in the 6^th century!!

Now, we had not expected the type of road we had to take to get there. It was not an easy destination. The place sits right on the Georgia-Azerbaijan border, and the road there becomes very rough, and at times it amounts to no more than a cow path, through a desolate, yet charming valley, which actually crosses briefly into Azerbaijani territory. Signs along the lonely road warn not to trespass. There is much dispute along these borders since they had been drawn by the Soviets and one would hate to get caught in the middle, not to mention that part of the border remains mined. We had originally planned to also visit Azerbaijan, but with the limited time at hand we felt it would have been a stretch. Oh well, if for just a few minutes, we actually did touch Azerbaijani territory.

Really no man's land.

The border between the two countries is not very well outlined. Check out what became of the road (on the right).

Now, as for the monastery. It was certainly worth the while. It was built into the rock and winds inside it, though only some areas are accessible, but you could feel the history of the place.

Very few tourists get there, and at times it seemed as though we were back in God-forsaken areas of Bolivia. The whole experience was really cool.

Our first glimpse of Davit Gareji

You can always count on the presence of a random pomegranate tree.

From there it was on to Georgia’s wine-country and the town of Sighnaghi , where we will be for the next couple of days.

We stumbled upon this old fortress. It was cool and it offered great vistas.

Entering wine country

Our first glimpse of Singhaghi was one of awe. It sits on a hilltop and is so reminiscing of Tuscan villages.

It is truly beautiful here. Our hotel has a million-dollar view, and the town’s vibe is hip. Restaurants abound and there is so much charm around; cobblestone streets, ancient Georgian-style homes, fortresses, and stunning views.

Tomorrow, I’ll be able to tell you more about it. Thank you for following us, friends.