David Gareji

A few weeks ago I went to David Gareji, which neighbors Azerbaijan. It's a cave city that dates back hundreds of years and is just another part of Georgia's rich heritage. To get to the site we had to go to Tbilisi and barter with a taxi driver to take us to and from the site. From Tbilisi it took about 90 minutes to reach. David Gareji lies high in the mountains and is a monastary. 4 monks and 6 caretakers live there. One of the monks spoke english and gave us a tour of the monastery. Inside was a small chapel. Although there were interesting paintings and religious artifacts, the most interesting part were the bones of Georgians slayed by Iranians over 400 years ago. These bones are now watched over by the monks.

The view from the monastery was breathtaking. I could see for miles all around. Though the monks lived in small residencies carved into the mountainside, imagine my shock when I saw a tv satellite dish hidden in the brush. I also saw solar panels that powered the facility...or tvs. After the tour, I hiked to the top of the mountain. By the time I reached the top, I had stripped off 3 layers of clothing. That was the most excercise I'd had in months. The higher up I went, the more spectacular the view of the terrain and faraway villages. The mountaintop served as the disputed border between Georgia and Azerbaijan. Technically I was in AZ for about an hour. On the otherside of the mountain was a small trail leading down the backside. It was a treacherous trek with loose, sandy trails and lots of snake holes (good thing it was wintertime). Carved into the mountainside were small rooms with frescoes. These frescoes date back hundreds of years. Many were damaged due to graffitti and natural erosion. Despite this I was quite suprised to see the vibrance in their color. It was a beautiful sight. The further I ventured down the path the more rooms I discovered in the mountainside. Each room was bigger than the next with the last being exceptionally large. This room once served as a church. I could see where the altar used to be and found some religious artifacts still in place.

After visiting David Gareji I had one of those moments where I could truly say "Only in the PC could I have experienced this!"