We awoke early and walked up famous Rustavelli Avenue to check out the more administrative side of the city – Parliament, Opera and Theater and Georgian History Museum are located here. We stopped in the Marriott (not the Courtyard) and introduced ourselves to the staff of this lovely property.

As most breakfast places don't open until later, we decided to opt for the buffet breakfast at the Courtyard. A bit of a pricy option, but it offered a wide assortment of mostly traditional Western breakfast options along with some local favorites (cheese, yogurt and dried fruits). Our ride from Envoy Hostel for the tour was supposed to pick us up at 9am, so we had a bit of time to spare.

We were waiting outside the Courtyard and at about 9:30 a large bus (actually a school bus with what appeared to be a large bullet hole in the windshield) came trundling along negotiating the wild traffic on Freedom Square. We were a bit surprised when we entered to find nearly 30 folks on the cramped bus. Envoy prides itself on "small group" tours that are kept to under 12 people. We later learned they had some issues that day and instead of 2 tours had to combine into one. The bus was not up to their usual standard and was old and cramped. Not the most auspicious start for our Envoy experience, but we would soon realize this was the exception and in every other degree this operator was top-notch.

What turned out to be the highlight of this tour was getting to meet fellow travelers from around the world. Craig quickly struck up a conversation and made friends with Venkat, a very nice gentleman from India working in Saudi Arabia. Efren sitting one row ahead started chatting with Sarah, an American living in Rome who recently started a food and wine tasting operation in Georgia. Little did we know these folks would soon become very close friends of ours.

The tour started heading north out of Tbilisi on the famous Georgian Military Highway which climbs up through the Caucasus Mountain and into Russia. The border is open (despite lingering tensions with Russia) and the road forms a major thoroughfare for trucks between Georgia and Russia. The highway is known for stupendous views and access to mountain hikes. Unfortunately for the first time on this trip, the weather wasn’t so great. The bright sunny skies had given way to mostly cloudy skies. We were pretty much guaranteed not to see the postcard-perfect views of Gergeti Trinity Church at the end of our journey, but it didn’t seem like it would rain (much) so we were still hopefully for some decent views.

Our first stop was at a bakery where the tour guide picked up bread for the group. We would later learn on the way back that he left his cell phone here, and luckily he was able to collect it on the return journey to Tbilisi (about 14 hours later!). After the carbo stop next was the impressive Ananuri Fortress overlooking the reservoir creating by damming the river. The location was superb and we enjoyed popping in to the cathedral to hear part of the service and climbing the remnants of the walls and towers. One thing that we definitely noticed here was that this place was overrun with tourists. Ananuri is a popular stop on the Georgian Military Highway, so it gets lots of visitors. What was disappointing, however, was tourists blatantly ignoring “do not enter” signs and treating the site with disrespect. Hopefully this changes as there is concern that all the traffic will cause damage to the site.

Shortly after Ananuri we stopped at probably the busiest gas station/convenience store located in the middle of nowhere we’d ever seen (until Armenia, that is) to “stock up” on food and snacks that we’d eat in Guduari before the hike up to the church because dinner (a much anticipated Supra, included in the tour) would not happen until after the hike. We drove a bit further through the increasingly stunning scenery past Guduari, known as the premier ski resort in Georgia. Shortly beyond Guduari we stopped for views and gobbled down a bread, cheese, ham and peanut lunch at a rest stop. The highlight was seeing a paraglider drifting through the high Caucasus beneath us!

We reboarded the bus after lunch making our way to Kazbegi, the end of the line where the walk to the church would begin. Shortly before Kazbegi those of us in the front of the bus saw our lives flash before our eyes as a car, overtaking a truck on a blind curve in the other direction, nearly hit us head-on. Scary! Don’t underestimate the aggressiveness of Georgian drivers, and definitely think twice before renting a car and striking out on your own in these parts! Near-death experiences aside, the scenery on this stretch of the highway was nothing short of breathtaking. The jagged peaks of the Upper Caucasus lay before us. The landscape has a tundra-like appearance, similar to what I imagine Alaska looks like.

Upon arrival in Kazbegi, our tour guide asked several times how many folks wanted to walk up to the top and how many wanted to go up by jeep. This should have been our first indication that this walk was not going to be a leisurely stroll. Only 3 folks opted for the jeep – the rest of us were up for the hike. Pulling into “downtown” Kazbegi offered the image of the Gergeti Church perched impossibly on top of a mountain. Unfortunately due to clouds Mt. Kazbek, one of the highest in the Caucasus, which looms behind the church, wasn’t visible. Wow, the church is up high. Are we really going to walk up there? We learned that at Guduari we were at about 2100m. Kazbegi town is 1800m and the church is at 2200m. A 400m climb isn’t that bad, right?

Our tour guide said the walk was “moderate” and would take about 1 hr. Let’s just say that was putting it mildly. The hike started with a relatively steep walk up a dusty dirt road and then soon diverted up what appeared to be a dry river bed that seemed to be at a 45 degree angle! We huffed and puffed our way up. We reached a watchtower and thankfully the path leveled off for a bit allowing us to drink some water and catch our breath. Soon thereafter, the path ascended via another very steep stretch that pretty much seemed to go on forever. This was truly a tough hike, and many of the group struggled. Sarah, who hikes in the Alps, was surprised how tough it was. Probably the high altitude had something to do with it. Surprisingly, several older couples from Holland on the tour walked up as if they were strolling through the garden. They got up there so quickly that they had to wait for the rest of us to get there. We were a bit concerned about them at first, but it turned out us 30 and 40 somethings in the group were the ones panting the most!

The walk took closer to 2 hours for us. In fact, by the time we reached the church at the top, it was getting dark. As expected it was quite cold and windy at the top, but we enjoyed scrambling around the church and taking pictures out over the valley with Kazbegi town that we started the hike from way down below. We quickly made more friends on our struggle including Erica and Cristina – both from the Philippines, but living in Saudi Arabia. We affectionately tagged ourselves on Twitter as #kazbegisurvivors. There are a good number of visitors to Georgia from the Gulf States – both because of the relative proximity and because they can travel to Georgia without a visa.

At the top we had the option of hiking back down (much easier than the way up, but still a “hike”) or taking a jeep down to town where we were going to experience the supra dinner. Efren opted to walk and Craig to take the jeep. The jeep turned out to be far from gentle ride. The “road” was an incredibly steep series of switch backs on dirt, mud and gravel. After the first few minutes Craig said to the group in the jeep (including Sarah, Cristina and Erica) that thankfully the road is one-way. No sooner than those words left Craig’s lips did jeeps start appearing ahead of us coming UP the mountain. Watching the drivers negotiate this trip was insane, and the experience was not for the faint of heart. In addition to the treachery of the road, at 2 points horses came running toward the jeep on the road. Definitely a heart-pounding experience, and we all agreed we would need some chiropractic assistance after the journey to deal with our badly dislocated backsides.

We arrived at the friendly Ketino’s Guesthouse which was where the supra was being held. The 3 folks who took the jeep up and back were already cozy in the guesthouse drinking tea. The walkers were still another 30 minutes or so behind us. Envoy does a great thing with these meals – they work with local families to provide them a source of income – allowing them to showcase their famous cuisine and giving tourists like us the opportunity to experience a near-traditional experience.

The guesthouse was set amongst flowers and fruit trees. Cristina and Erica were happy to see, for the first time in their lives, apple trees! Of course mango and bananas are more what they are accustomed to coming from the Philippines. Once the slow-poke walkers arrived we sat down to one of the most delicious dinners ever. We started with hearty vegetable soup (delicious) followed by wine, a variety of small plates (carrots, salads, eggplant stuffed with walnut sauce – absolutely delicious). There were meat and vegetarian options, and the piece de resistance was khinkali. We actually got to see the women making them by hand in the kitchen – what a privilege! Our tour guide served as the toastmaster and we toasted to peace, health, friendship, and the ability to travel. We couldn’t think of a more fitting way to cap an amazing day with new friends exploring incredible scenery and eating delicious food in one of the most beautiful countries on Earth!

Unfortunately a 3+ hour ride back to Tbilisi lie ahead of us, and it was close to 10:30pm by the time we got back to the Courtyard. Craig was exhausted, but Efren somehow found the energy to meet up with Venkat and Sarah at a wine bar (Vino Underground) recommended by Sarah. The 3 of them became fast friends and ended up drinking, talking and having a great time until 4am! Unfortunately Sarah as leaving the next day to return to Rome, but Venkat would be around for a few more days so we looked forward to seeing again on tours and in the evenings.

We got a few hours of sleep before tomorrow’s Envoy tour – this time the tour promised to be much more relaxing and less strenuous – wine tasting tour in Kakheti, the eastern part of Georgia near the Azerbaijan border.