Egil Ruud

My friend the Landscape architect Egil Ruud from Norway taking a rest in the Caucasian mountains

Mountain Man and Poet

The Khevsur Lagaza Arabuli from Dshuta, a man I adore for his wisdom and great life.

The joy of a mother

the essence of life, raising the small ones.

A 1,5 year old shepherd female "Kalia" from Khevsureti with her first puppies.

Men without faces- a small fresco from Sveti Zkhoveli

Yesterday I found this fresco in the famous Georgian Church Sveti Zchoweli in Mtskheta. The scratched out faces of these Nobles did not harm the power of the image itself. It lets one feel an idea of Eternity.

Ovcharka from the Monks of Sedaseni

The Monks from Sedaseni are passionate breeders of pure Caucasian Ovcharki

Culinary Caucasus 1

Sturgeon with pomegranate dip
Restaurant Zveli Sakhli, Tbilisi

What do you think is the best car for Georgia ?

This is my Nissan Patrol, he is like an old warhorse. 2.8 TD, the European Version made in Spain, built 1990. 7 years running in Germany (3 owners before myself) now 9 years in Georgia. He carried lots of folks through the Caucasus, sometimes donkeys, sometimes chicken or ducks, quite often sheep for shashlyk, very often my dogs, sometimes pigs, sometimes wine grapes, sometimes all that mixed. I changed the Turbo loader in 1999, overhauled the engine twice, but anyway I was astonished what big punches took my car without a scratch over the years. I really love him. But I consider to buy a new, I mean used, new one. I am keen on a Nissan Safari with a 4.2 Diesel Engine. But what you may suggest on the best car for use in Georgia and the Caucasus ?

Ferries Italy Greece and vice versa

Going to Georgia the land way often one wants to make a part of the way on one of the ferries. Between Italy and Greece or Italy and Turkey. Here is the website you need to book your tickets: http://www.ferries.gr/

Autumn in Georgia

Sometimes I would like to write as freewheeling and good in English as does Carpetblogger from Baku if I could. About the every day life in Georgia, about the trivia and peanuts, about what is on the first hand not that spectacular but on the second maybe just interesting. I love the people living in Georgia of all coleur, but sometimes I like very much the "simple" folks, the workers on the street, the old grandmother, who is selling cigarettes, the guy from Abkhazia, who changed the oil of my motor engine today. They live their fate and their fortune. If you find a common language, than there may be a deep understanding of each other, a simple trust, that they do their best work they can for your tyre or your engine. You listen to their weird stories, to their hopes and dreams.

I again bought those Russian tyres today- Medved (bear)- and after mounting them it was like driving a complete new car. Actually they lasted under the stress of three years Georgian roads much longer then my German Fulda tyres and are of course much cheaper- 140 Lari each appr. 80 USD instead of 260 USD what I paid in Germany, but those 80 $ are still more than the official monthly salary of a teacher. Buying the tyres on Eliava-Bazaar suddenly stood there a small crowd between the boxes around a dead man. His face looked very calm and peaceful. Somebody shifted a pillow under his head and everybody looked very sad. I asked somebody, the man died of a heart attack or a stroke and there waited for a physician and the police. It made me sad too under the bright sun of this October.

I bought a new calculator too, one was for 2,20 Lari and one for 3. I am impressed by Chinas productivity, my old one 3 years ago costed 15 then. So I took the one for 3 Lari in the hope of the better quality ;-)
Later I met a German journalist from Leipzig at McDonalds and we had some nice conversations about our different and similar lifes here and there. The coffee was good, thin, but hot. The girls behind the tender had a smile for us and my dirty hands. This was a quiet normal day in Georgia, I am glad that the kids are sleeping in their beds. Tomorrow comes a new day of this brilliant life in Georgia.

I post now some old photos from the deep grounds of my computer.


Bazaar Kabali, Region Lagodekhi Winter 2002 Photo: Joachim Strunk


Two friends, Rustavi Winter 2002 Photo: Joachim Strunk


Azeri Ladies on Gori Bazaar,Winter 2002 Photo: Joachim Strunk


Bazaar Kabali, Region Lagodekhi Winter 2002 Photo: Joachim Strunk

Georgian girl restoring a carpet

Tbilisi, October 2005 

Adjarian Khatchapuri !!!

If you are hungry, thats the right stuff ! Its hot and cross. Inside "the boat" from white bread are melted cheese, butter and eggs. Good for breakfast or any other time.

4 Georgian still-lifes

1 Beefsteak, cheese, bread, wine


2 Prepared sheep meat for Shashlyk


3 Bread on a table


4 Kazbegi Beer, pears, water melons, champagne
Alvani, 2005

Reisebericht Familienurlaub Georgien

Ein neuer Reisebericht über einen Familienurlaub mit Kindern in Georgien unter dem Titel "War es schön?" von Karin Kahlich befindet sich auf diesem Link.

Images from Tusheti 2005

From time to time I will post some more impressions from Tusheti wich I took before and at our cattledrive with Tushetian shepherders this autumn. The first snow now closed the Abano-Pass already on 10th of October. If you are interested to book a tour to Tusheti next season from Mid-June to Mid-October 2006 please contact me at



Near Abano-pass on 2700 m


View on the Alazani-River


Shepherder resting


Milking in the evening


Four year old boy riding near Hegho


Sheep near Abano-Pass


Gogita, Sultan and their friend


View on Dartlo


Out of the window of a herders camp

Reisebericht Autoreise Osttürkei-Georgien

Wilhelm Siepe unternahm mit seinem Kumpel Tomi eine abenteuerliche und sehr schöne Reise von Köln nach Tbilissi mit einem Mercedes-Benz im September 2005. Lesen Sie den sehr ausführlichen Reisebericht hier: Link

Gugula

Gugula became our good friend, always joking, a hard working shepherder, and a great singer of Georgian folk songs. He is origininally from Akhalsopeli in Kakheti. Now he works as a shepherder in Tusheti, in the winter at the winter pastures in Shiraki. In the background the great book of Lesley Blanch on Shamyl with the title " The sabres of paradise " No book fascinated me over the last weeks like this one. Here is a link to Amazon, but read also the interesting review there of Kakha.

Caucasian shepherd dogs- Ovcharki aboriginees Tuscheti

Female with puppies, 12 days old, on the journey the puppies are transportated in the saddle bags. Shepherder: Kakha


Hungry shepherd dogs waiting for their food at night, Tusheti, Georgia near Omalo October 2005


Batso


Patschara


Garindscha