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        OUR DESTINATION WAS Dedalauri in Imereti, and the Jalagania family's farm four hours drive east from Nikortsminda, and at sea level. A family gathering was awaiting us. The climate is very different from the cool mountain air in Nikortsminda. The air is extremely moist and warm and perfect for growing all kinds of fruits and vegetables. The Imereti region is completely green. We spent 45 minutes on

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the last 3 kilometers to the farm. Once this was a road, now it seems more like a dried up river. The small farm is surrounded by trees bearing all kinds of fruits. It is hot and humid; perfect for growing fruit and vegetables. Still they have up to one meters of snow in the winter here. That's a lot more than I am used to from Norway!

The Jalagania family.
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Elene receive us with wine and fresh fruits. A piglet has been slaughtered for the occasion, and we are going to have some fish. They have their own dam with carpe, ready to be eaten. It’s royal, just like in Versailles, in fact. In the Jalagania-family Elene is the only one living at the farm. Now she has a housekeeper staying there to help her out with the daily work. Elene is soon 80 years old, and speaks about the old times when this was a prosperous farm and one of the largest in this community. They grew grapes and produced wine. Both Elene and her now deceased husband had jobs in addition to the farming. She was in charge of prisoners in the county jail, and he was working for a constructing company. They had put away large amounts of money for children and grandchildren, but everything was lost in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed. Now she has nothing. Not even a pension possible to live from. But still she can prepare a Georgian feast!

Nana, Elenes maid and friend.
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Nana is unmarried and without children. Like many of the women in Georgia she prefers a life on her own. She lives together with Elene, and have some minor pay and the food for free. In the evening she and Elene watches Mexican soap-opera on TV. Nana feeds the chickens, takes care of the cows and cooks. Some months ago they had to kill all the chickens and ducks because of the bird flu. That was a set-back, and the whole village is without ducks now. But Elene and Nana has bought turkeys. A couple of them will have a great life until Christmas. We spent the rest of the afternoon eating piglet, carpe and about 20 other more or less unknown dishes. In fact I think it was too much wine and food. My interpreter got drunk, and the rest of the evening I was suspended. So who had to drive the car afterwards? Yes. Me.

Back to Nikortsminda?
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The rain had set in, no lights at the road, and I was looking at a total climb of 1200 meters straight up the sliding edges of a mountain to the Racha region and Nikortsminda. If you laugh at me for making that 1200 meters climb into a problem, you have no idea of what you talking about. There is no maintenance at these roads. They consist of 10% asphalt (which is the most dangerous part), 30 percent big rocks, gravel and holes big enough to get the car stuck in them. Then try this with a BMW. Add thick fog, extreme rain, water flowing over the road, no railing, 3-400 meters straight fall from the road several places, and it is truly a miracle we made it.












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Lena gutting carpe.