Sakartvelo 5/30/10

Almost two weeks of my five week stay here are done. Today we did some sightseeing in the Eastern part of Sakartvello. It's a very beautiful part of the country that I had not seen before. The Georgians call it desert because it is very dry in the months of July, August and September but right now it is lush and green rolling pastureland. There are no fences and large herds of both sheep and cattle roam free over the land. I asked who owned the land and found that it is owned by the government and so everyone is free to use it. The end of our journey took us to David Gareja Monastery which was started in the third century. It is very close to Georgia's border with Armenia. It has been attacked,burned and rebuilt several times. The Turks and Mongols in the earliest times. The last interruption was during soviet days but today this incredible monastery, carved into the rock, is once again inhabited by Georgian Orthodox monks. Tomorrow, Sunday here, is the election of the mayor of Tbilisi. This will mark the first democratic election of a mayor of Tbilisi and there is much excitement. The last week has seen pamphletting on the sidewalks as we normally see in the US. Misha is a member of a political party and so has committed to working at the polls so I will not see him tomorrow. A thunder and lightning storm is starting and likely to take out our electricity so I'll sign off. Utilities in Tiblisi are rather tentative at best. In this flat I never have water between 3:00pm and 6:00 pm.