May
20th
2010 - After
the picnic a la montagne our new friends escorted us to the top of
the hill and pointed us in the right direction, a route that was to
take us on a loop to another riverbed that would then lead back to
the one from which we entered. From there we would be able to follow
the river back to Zaqatala hopefully hitching a ride on the same
vehicle we came in with……theoretically. The next couple of hours
were spent meandering downhill where we eventually connected to a
small valley with a stream leading towards a village on the edge of
the juncture where we would hang a right.
Not
long after a short lunch and just before the stream we were following
reconnected with a larger river (which would then connect us with the
riverbed we came in on which would lead us back to
Zaqatala…..theoretically) we encountered a gentleman by the side of
the stream hailing from the nearby village. Clearly, our arrival
perplexed the hell out of him. We might as well have been Martians.
That is not to say he was unhappy to see us. In fact, he was elated.
And for good reason. He lives in an semi-abandoned village (peopled
with farmers and animal herders) where only five families remain. He
himself sent away his wife and children so the latter could attend
school. They do return in the summer but I have to believe the
solitude to be overwhelming at times. As you might expected any
distraction from the monotony is a welcome one.
Arif was quick to offer an invitation to his home. We were quick to
accept.
