These days I spend most of my time hiding from the sun. It has gotten really hot here in the Ucar with temperatures reaching 100 degrees F in the shade pretty much every day. Going out during the day has become a daunting task so I try not to as much as possible. It is especially hard in Ucar as I have just returned from a little vacation up North in Georgia. The Georgian border is only about five hours travel from where I am now but it is amazing how much things can change in such a short distance. The land turned from flat and dusty desert to rolling green hills with the Caucus mountains rising up in the background. Upon entering the country I immediately realized that no one spoke Azeri. All of the sudden I was a mute. Hand gestures and the word Tblisi were pretty much the only things my fellow travelers and I had at our disposal but it turns out that is all you need. Despite the language barrier we made it to our hostel fairly easily and had an amazing time eating delicious Georgian food, walking around the beautiful city, and getting scrubbed down and massaged in the turkish bath houses. Here are some pictures from our adventures.
First up are a few pictures the Lavra monastery which was founded in the 6th century and flourished until the invasion of the Mongols in 1265 CE. It was restored in the 14th century but again sacked and pillaged in 1615 CE by the Persians who massacred 6000 monks but then restored again in 1675 CE. Later after the USSR took control of Georgia it was used as a barracks for soldiers and wasn't inhabited again by monks until the mid-nineties.
Cool Graffiti
I won!
Friends and some guy clinging onto Jim
Cool Graffiti
what up dan, this is nate with the bicycle. thanks for letting us vibeout in Ucar, the coffee was, well, my mind can't find words for it now because all I can think of is coffee.
ReplyDeleteWe had extremely powerful headwinds out of Ucar, but we made it to Baku.
Stay real!
Hey man glad to hear that you made it alright. You are welcome for the coffee, you guys visiting was a nice break to the ucar monotony.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on the trip, I will be following the blog.
Here are my questions: While you were there, did you find yourselves being pursued by Holy Grail protectors and did you have to flip over the stone coffin to protect yourselves from fire and rats? Next, were you able to get the etching from atop the casket? Because the clue to the Grail lay atop the stone. (If not, I think it's okay because you were obviously of sound enough mind, despite obvious obstacles like fire and rats, to get a photo.) Lastly, what is the next clue to finding the Grail? Do you need help?
ReplyDeleteI find these to be perfectly valid questions.