Discovering Pankisi. A brief introduction.

In 2008 I wrote a Blog about my travels with my family in Tusheti. The Blog became a bit of an institution with many travelers using it as a point of reference for the region. Time has since passed, my daughters now experience their own adventures, while leaving my wife and I to discover the world's treasures on our own. This Blog is about some of those treasures.

One of the joys about exploring the world is you meet all kinds of kindred spirits. One of those spirits is Gurjeet Batth who over the past few years has been discovering the joys of Georgia, specifically the region of Pankisi. After many conversations while comparing notes he persuaded my wife and I to take a trip to the Pankisi valley and discover the region for ourselves.

This blog is about a trip taken by my wife and I in June 2014 to the Pankisi valley, due south of the Tusheti National park, on the doorstep of Akhmeta.

The Pankisi valley has been largely forgotten by travelers due to some recent history when Chechen refugees were coming over the border from Russia. The area was considered turbulent and travellers were discouraged.  Time has since past, the region is now back to its sleepy self and without a tradition of tourism. The only distinguishing feature of this region is it is still inhabited by the Kist. The Kist, who are Sunni Muslims, populated the area over three hundred years ago. What sets the Kist apart, is that many of the women practice Sufism which I believe predates Islam but is still part of the Sunni traditional thinking.

I hope this simple introduction to Pankisi paints a compelling picture for you. To pull my story into focus, scroll down and learn more about this hidden gem cradled in the Caucuses.

Nazy's Guest House

Nazy's Guest House in Jokolo.

If you have traveled and stayed in a Homestay (Bed & Breakfast) you will know there are some real gems to be found in the world.

It is rare you will find luxury like a Boutique Hotel but what you can find is something far more exciting and closer to local life. Nazy’s Guesthouse was one of those genuine surprises. A large and beautifully maintained house, Nazy lives with her Mother and Father running an exceptionally clean and well turned out accommodation. The magic of Nazy’s place was not the house, which is charming, but the food. Everything is grown or reared by the family. The cows are milked, providing wonderful fresh milk, yogurt and cheese. The chickens flourish and do their very best for your breakfast and the kitchen garden provides a cornucopia of fresh produce. All of which is cooked fresh or preserved and cherished by the visitors. The following pictures illustrate Nazy’s Homestay, their garden and the village of Jokolo. Try this link for more http://nazysguesthouse.com/

This is not our messy room but I took a quick sneak at some others before visitors arrived.

Melissa and I keep a vegetable garden but this is something else.

A very happy looking frog. Always a good sign of an organic vegetable garden.

Neighbouring homes in Jokolo.

Jokolo church. Although the community are Muslim there is this very well preserved church in the village. 

I just love these shops, packed to the brim with colourful goodies. Great bread and tins of sardines which are perfect for a picnic.

  

Nazy's father loading up hay for his dairy cows.

Some of the houses towards the mountains north of  the village are very old indeed and still made in the traditional construction, similar to Tusheti. This is the exception but worth finding.  

Life in Jokolo is slow and traditional scything hay and collecting in a hay-wain is still a regular occurrence and worth seeking out in season.

A few yards from Nazy's house are the meadows either side if  the river where the cattle graze and local horses swish their tails keeping the odd fly at bay. You will find families of Geese strutting by and Turkeys looking for shade under the Walnut trees. Everything would be perfect but this is also a place villagers throw their debris. Not a great deal but this is a working community. 

Water Mill in Jokolo

A few minutes walk from Nazy's house, towards the river is a little gem of a water mill. As the millstones fly around the local maize is ground into a fine flour. These images capture a tradition rapidly vanishing in the Georgian countryside.

Nazy's family vegetable garden

If you like gardening and growing vegetables here is a feast for your eyes. If only our veg patch was as abundant as this. All of the food we eat was cultivated in this magnificent vegetable garden. The family cow muck is used to spread on the ground and everything is organic. There is enough fruit and veg here to feed an army. If you ever make the trip ask to see how the fruit is preserved . Melissa  and I preserve our fruit but this is done on what I consider an industrial scale albeit domestic . Nazy's Mother and Father are super human.