We went on a team excursion the other day to the foothills of Mt Elbrus. First stop was the Lower Chegem waterfalls. Here we saw the tree (below) colorfully decorated with rags, ribbons and rubbish. In a curious mix of pagan and Muslim customs, people here hang such things as prayer tokens.
Next, we stopped at Rod’s favorite gorge, the Upper Chegem, to eat at a roadside café. We had shashlik (roasted, marinated lamb on skewers), salads and hitchini. The latter is a delicious local dish of fried dough, grated, cooked potatoes, goat cheese, a generous slathering of butter and possibly some glue.We hiked further up the valley to a medieval burial ground dating from the Ottoman Empire. Exact dates aren’t known, but the tombs are probably between 500-800 years old. These ancient mausoleums across the hillside provided a panoramic backdrop for an impromptu, al fresco lesson by Rod on local history and culture. We learned that this region was completely deserted when all the Balkar villagers were deported by Stalin in 1943. It became a virtual ghost town until they were allowed to return in 1957.
Speaking of the fresh outdoors, here’s a picture of the local bathroom/loo facilities. Unbelievably, one had to pay for the privilege of using them. But not me! I opted, instead, to go without water for the day and risk dehydration and gangrene. This particular ‘ladies’ room’ is going to be featured in my next book entitled, Toilets and Border Crossings I Have Known.
