Sketches of Kazbegi

Kazbegi is a region in Northeastern Georgia. The main town is surrounded by the towering Mount Kazbek, rising to over 5,000 meters, and it is a popular destination for scenic hiking and mountaineering.

I had already visited this place twice, some seven years ago, with the same car, though it had a different license plate back then. Yet, it still felt refreshingly breathtaking to be in that valley again, surrounded by very steep mountains.

Within a day, however, I realized that the scenery was becoming less and less impressive as I was getting used to it. I remembered what I had read recently by a travel writer: the place, however impressive, is only the stage, and the stories are told by the humans you spend time with there. As I had already been thirsty for some sociable human interactions over the past weeks (that is, without serious language barriers), I went up towards the popular destination, Gergeti Trinity Church, determined to initiate small conversations with some of the many foreign visitors there.

Already at the parking lot, I saw two guys scouting for a spot to pitch their tent. Instinctively, something seemed quite Korean about them, but I disagreed to assume too quickly. But as I was walking towards them, hearing the first words confirmed that they were from my country. Having just arrived in Georgia two days earlier, they were going to have their first wild camping experience in the country. Basic and introductory small talk was still enjoyable when everyone was friendly and curious. Perhaps we could not afford to have a bad time against such an astonishing backdrop.

Much younger than myself, and perhaps less experienced in wild camping, I noticed that they weren’t aware of the usual information sources for camping in the region. Knowledge can be crucial when traveling, especially to avoid danger, but I also thought that a certain audacity is a telltale sign of youth, or a basic premise of traveling. Being able to take the next steps despite uncertainty allows the stories to continue, and may bring us to places that we would never get to otherwise.

Buying them a meal in town was an excuse to see them again the next day. I was grateful to be convinced that the money was completely irrelevant, and that the memory of exchanging kind energy, however brief, was what mattered.

20 May 2026,

Kazbegi, Georgia