While staying with a Chechen family in Pankisi, my tour guide put her mp3 player to work. I wish I could have asked the locals what they thought of my half Indonesian, half German guide blasting out the national anthem of the Chechen Republic Ichkeria. Unfortunately, that opportunity didn't arise. … [Read more...]
Hiking in Pankisi and Staying with the Chechen Kist People
The room is dark except for a fire in the oven and a single, shaky petroleum lamp that lends the air its smell. I sit on the makeshift bed, watching the burly grandmother of the house cook Turkish coffee above a wood-fired oven while the rest of the family is huddled up across the room. We just … [Read more...]
Meet My Positively Insane Tour Guide for Pankisi: Khedi Devi Asmadiredja
When I planned my trip to Georgia, I asked around on Couchsurfing.org for an off-the-beaten track experience, I received a recommendation to get in touch with Devi. After a few e-mails (I lost track after #30), we agreed on an itinerary that would have us visit the Chechen Kist people in the Pankisi … [Read more...]