It had continued raining throughout the night but not heavily. The green mountains all around and the low clouds were playing their part in keeping the climate balance. When daylight broke there was still a bit of pitter patter around, but the views of the mountains were gorgeous. The white clouds, and some grey, pranced around the mountains, sometimes enveloping them in tight hugs.
The stay in the Hotel Kazbegi 1963 had been very comfortable. I wished I could stay on and relax in the wooden sit-out, admiring the green mountains, pulling in lungful of the clean air. But it was time to move on. Another month had begun and there were places to go before the return flight to India was taken from Tbilisi.
There wasn't much of sightseeing to be done this day. The first half was at the Gergeti Trinity Church located a few km from the mountain town that bears endless hours of exploration and panoramic views. The church is perched high on a mountain, unreachable it looks before the steep 5.6 km ghat road. Soaring high above the clouds against a backdrop of towering mountains, this picturesque 14th century church is a must see on any Georgian adventure.
Apart from driving up, adventure enthusiasts trek the distance to reach the church standing at a height of 2170 meters above MSL. How you reach there doesn't matter; the astounding beauty of the backdrop and the stunning church and belfry will take the visitor's breath away. The unique location makes the church out to be an outstanding example of Georgian religious architecture. The Gergeti Trinity Church is unquestionably one of Georgia's most recognizable monuments.
Frankly speaking, I was not prepared for the well surfaced bituminous road all the way up the diversion from the Georgian Military Route to the base of the church. I thought it would be a semi-finished, kuchcha road. I had read that the church would open only at 9 am and hence, had delayed our departure from the hotel accordingly. But when I was driving up the lovely winding road many vehicles were already on their way back.
When we reached the final stretch, I saw a fair number of cars and tourist buses parked. The air was thinner, and the cool air made me tug the cotton jacket tighter around my body. The views from the cliffs around the church were mesmerizing; most importantly, the moments there drove home to me the vastness of nature and insignificance of man.
The Gergeti Trinity Church was built in the 14th century and it belfry a bit later. The church is surrounded by a wall, as are most Georgian churches. The church provided refuge to parishioners and religious articles, like the St Nino cross, during troubled times of strife and invasions. The church and the belfry had wooden and steel scaffoldings around them indicating renovation.
I went around the church wall a bit and didn't find a way inside the fortified compound. Then, I heard chatter from within and went around to the other side of the wall and met two Indian couples. They told us of a small window like opening at the farther end through which we could breach the wall. There were a couple of construction workers about at that early hour.
Just as I did not find the opening in the wall, I thought that the church too was closed due to the renovation as the thick metal door was closed. I was about to leave when I asked one of the construction workers if we could enter the church. He told us to push the door a bit hard, which I did and entered a magnificent church where prayers were going on and monks were reciting prayers.
The church holds fascinating 16th century art depicting Mother Mary, John the Baptist and St Nino. The icons are awesome. We spent many precious moments within the church in prayer, thanking the Lord for the benefit of this visit. As we were about to leave, the altar door opened, and the priest came out to bless and present the sacrament. What a goosebump moment it was! It was as if the Lord was sending us his blessings and confirming His care and protection. With that, we returned to the car for the drive from the gaze of Mount Kazbegi with the blessings of the Almighty.
On the way back we saw an enclosure that served as a starting point for trekking expeditions in the nearby mountains under guided care. The area also served as an assembly point for those interested in horse riding. There were quite a few there on horseback and many were waiting for their mounts.
We drove through the Stepantsminda town and made our way back through the route we had come yesterday. The route to Borjomi, our destination for the day, would take us back almost all the way back to Tbilisi before we branched off to the Batumi route. The drive through the Jvari Pass and the Friendship Monument brought back wonderful memories of the day before.
Our next halt was at the Jvari Pass Travertine Natural Monument. Set against the vibrant backdrop of the Bidara River valley, the Travertine is a testament to the beauty and wonder of nature and natural geological processes. At an elevation of 2197 meters above MSL the natural formation is a head turner. It is formed from a specific type of limestone, called calcareous sinter or tufa. It is a precipitation of carbonate minerals in ambient temperature water.
The result is a spectacular array of broad fields of travertine, which are awe-inspiring in their rugged beauty. The texture and colour of the travertines vary across fields, I made out. In Pamakulle, Turkey the landscape glowed an ethereal white while here the field had an orange hue, possibly due to the ferrous salts intermixed with the rock. I was told that the travertines are used for construction and decoration too, due to its hardness and low density, such as it was in the Roman colosseum.
Busloads of passengers descended at the site and started prancing atop the travertine, posing for photos and taking selfies with pouted mouths and false smiles. Some even used the water flowing across the body of the travertines to clean fruits! Just across the mesmerizing travertines were local vendors selling fruits, vegetables, honey and souvenirs.
We walked across to one who seemed to have the maximum variety of fruits. The display of the fresh fruits was a feast for the eyes. There were peaches, plums, apples, nectar, berries, different types of honey, spices, local sweets and much more. The peaches I was given to taste was so sweet that I ended up spending on a variety of fruits such as blackberry, mulberry, peach and cherry. I also picked up a couple of Churchkhela sticks.
During the travel through Georgia I have been fascinated by these sticks handing in front of shops and vendor kiosks and was keen to try them. Churchkhela, the traditional Georgian candle-shaped candy, is rich in calories and were carried by soldiers in the past for nourishment. The main ingredients of churchkhela are grape must, nuts, and flour. Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, raisins and chocolate are threaded onto a string, dipped in thickened grape must, mulberry juice, or fruit juices and dried in the shape of a sausage. The first bite of a walnut churchkhela did not bring back much encouragement from the palate.
The drive to the Tbilisi bye pass was tedious because of large number of freight trucks and slow-moving vehicles. The dual carriageway was busy. Once I hit the Batumi highway matters changed dramatically. The 6 lane concrete highway was signposted for 110 km. Surprisingly, my jalopy, though it shook and sang, took up the speed challenge. I reached the outskirts of Borjomi in good time, despite being waylaid by a Google Maps blooper. I switched to Waze.
Along the way I had been caught up in two massive traffic snarls, one where a bridge was being repaired and another near Borjomi, for which I could not fathom any reason. The hotel we were booked into was in a busy part of town. The rooms were not insulated and hence, were quite noisy and bothersome. The room itself was well appointed and maintained.
Borjomi is a resort town with a population of just 12,000. The River Kura flows right through the centre of the town. We walked around a fair bit to find a restaurant, which we eventually found in the picturesque park near our accommodation. It was nearing 4 pm and the hunger pangs had grown loud. We ordered two soups, a bean soup and the traditional Chikhirtma, and bread.
I also ordered a pint of local Georgian beer. The bean soup, delicious though, was made of Rajma. The traditional Chikhirtma soup is made of chicken broth, beaten eggs with lemon curd. The one I had in Tbilisi had been much better. It started raining as we got back to the room. It spiked our plans to explore the town in the evening.
When the rain showed some mercy after 7 pm we walked through the beautiful town with the lilting sounds of the river soothing the mind. The two sides of town are bridged by numerous bridges across the River Kura, the most famous among them being the Mobius Loop. Many noteworthy buildings stand on either sides of the river. We were perplexed by a large number of empty water cans set up on the side of the road for sale.
As we reached the end of the road we saw the entrance to a park. The lights were on illuminating buildings and trees within the park. As the main gate was closed, we asked the guard if we could walk around a bit in the park. He asked us to take the side entrance, which we did. That's when we realized the importance of Borjomi and the Park.
Where we had walked into was the Borjomi Natural Mineral Water Park, the only one of its kind in the world. The Borjomi Mineral Water is the number one export of Georgia and bottling the mineral water is the main source of income for the town. The supposed curative powers of the area's mineral springs, by balancing the pH factor, brings many visitors seeking cures for their illnesses, particularly of the digestive tract, pancreas, liver, etc. The bottled Borjomi Mineral Water is sold in over 30 countries, mostly the erstwhile Soviet Republics. Mystery of the empty water cans on the road solved!
Though the Borjomi Central Park, renovated in 2005, is the primary source of the Mineral Water, there many mineral spring health spas within the vicinity of the Central Park. The Ekaterina Spring is within a dome shaped building. As you near the spring you get hit by the strong smell of sulphur. Taps within the structure dispense mineral water. I could not even take in a mouthful of the saline and strong tasting water. People were filling bottles of the water and drinking copious amounts of it, which is free.
Apart from the mineral water Borjomi draws tourists from Poland, Israel, erstwhile CIS countries and Germany for bird watching, amateur botany and geological interests. Braving a light drizzle, we walked back to the hotel room. It was time to draw curtains on our tour of the town.
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