If there is a paradise on earth, it must be here in Letshumi, in the west of Georgia. Behind our old wooden two leveled house with a large balcony, there is the Elbus, the highest mountain of Europe. All around the area you find fresh springs and many small rivers to swim in. There is enough water for any kind of vegetable and fruit to grow: Apples, pears, nuts, vine, corn and whatever you can think of. Goats and sheep, cows and pigs run around free and come home by themselves at the end of the day.
Small villages are scattered over the mountains, all with tightly knit communities. Village people here are extremely friendly. Every day some neighbors drop in to bring food and talk a bit, or to invite us to their place. They wonder how a stranger as me could find the way into this little village.
They have and keep their own peaceful world, whatever government in Tbilisi or far away capital reigns the country.
When the war with Russia in August 2008 arrived here, the villagers hosted about 10 times as many people as live here. All are home again now and life is back to the old ways.
What they do not have is money. The unemployment rate is high and only those who earn money can effort comforts as TV and computer, microwave and internet, and higher education for their children.
