Lagodekhi

While packing my stuff at Qvareli Lake on Tuesday morning (23.07.2019), I am visited by some hotel employees. They approach in a sort of golf cart and check on things. The whole thing goes quite relaxed and so we can continue our journey undisturbed shortly afterwards. We walk along the lakeshore to the Lake Resort and then descend from there, following a small path, to the main road. This leads us further east along extensive vineyards. The Kakheti region is known for its fine wines. Until twelve o'clock, we have covered exactly 10 km when we reach the small village of Zinobiani. Here, I want to look for a hot drink and pause for a while. But I still try unsuccessfully to talk to a bus driver when the opportunity arises. Two Estonian women seem to have noticed this and offer me a ride in their rental car. As it turns out, the two of them, just like me, want to go to Lagodekhi. So I can get off directly at the entrance to the national park shortly after one o'clock and look for a spot on the campsite located here. After our camp is set up, I treat myself to a coffee and a piece of cake at the nearby forest café and relax for a bit. Then I take a little tour around the village with my motorcycle, buy some food, and browse through the many clothing stores for a new pair of pants. Luckily, I find a suitable pair directly on my first try. Then I head back to the campsite, take a bath in the nearby mountain stream, wash clothes, and otherwise lounge around. In the evening, a few thunderstorms approach and it rains a bit. Nevertheless, Rango is thrown out of the tent at night because of noise disturbance. The big guy is simply breathing too loudly for him. Seems to suit him just fine.

I spend Wednesday morning uploading pictures and working on a travel report. After having a coffee at the forest café and doing some shopping, I have some sewing work to do in the afternoon. I need a new washcloth and I use scraps from my old hiking pants. In the meantime, I listen to a few podcasts. Before retreating to the tent in the evening, I lie down in the grass next to Rango for a while and gaze at the starry sky. When I see a shooting star pass by, I can't think of anything to wish for out of sheer surprise. Unburdened, free, and perfectly happy. Quite crazy. Then it's off to bed.

On Thursday, July 25, 2019, I have breakfast around eight o'clock and an hour later, I start with the big guy on a trip towards the Black Grouse Waterfall. It's already quite warm in the morning and I'm glad that the hiking trail takes us mostly through untouched (primeval) forest. We follow the Shromis Khevi northwards. The valley becomes increasingly narrower and presents itself as a gorge in the meantime. Around half past ten, after a quite steep final sprint, we reach our destination. We are alone and I take the opportunity for a swim in the cool water, right below the waterfall. Then I sit in the sun for a while and enjoy the wonderful nature around me. On the way back, we meet the first other hikers who are on their way to the waterfall. Around half past twelve, we are back at the campsite, where I park Rango in the shade. Sadly, there is no coffee for me at the forest café due to a power outage, so I walk down the village and combine the trip with a little shopping. I spend the rest of the day reading, learning Russian, listening to podcasts, and working on my travel blog. When darkness falls, I retreat to the tent.

I have planned another day off for Friday. I still have a few gigabytes of mobile internet left that need to be used up. So I upload a few pictures, download a few podcasts, and complete a travel report. Otherwise, I regularly go swimming in the river and relax in the shade. In the evening, it's time for a campfire again. I ran out of gasoline and I was too lazy to go to the village. Three Russians join me, who want to go into the mountains the next day. Very relaxed fellows.

I unexpectedly oversleep on Saturday morning and only get up shortly before eleven. I spontaneously extend my stay by one day and head to Lagodekhi in the afternoon to run errands. A visit to the hairdresser is also on the agenda. Back at the campsite, I meet some locals who are celebrating the birthday of a guy named Georgi. I am invited to eat and drink. Later, a larger group of students (about 40) from Tbilisi arrives at the campsite. So I don't get to bed until well after midnight. Since I also received plenty of leftovers, there is no sign of starting the next day. Just before going to bed, I have to collect Rango, my sleeping bag, and a few peaches. One of the students was drunk and apparently mistook the tent. The fact that the dog jumped out when he opened it didn't seem to confuse him at all.

So I spend Sunday (28.07.2019) once again in the Lagodekhi National Park. In the afternoon, Dominik from Cologne arrives at the campsite. The young man is a student of education and is hiking alone through Georgia for 5 weeks. A understandable plan. So once again, I am in good company in the evening and the day ends again by the fire. Not quite as late this time, there seems to be nothing standing in the way of a departure to Azerbaijan on Monday. Let's see...