People in Pankisi
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The Kists are very hospitable and kind people, quite friendly to strangers. One remembers for a long time the joy derived from the contact with them. Their lifestyle, so different from the Western European customs, has not been tainted by commercialism yet, which makes tourists compare their stay in Pankisi to expeditions to most exotic corners of the earth.
An inseparable element of the Kist hospitality is feasting together, according to the following Georgian saying: "a guest is God’s messenger". The Kists are honoured to have guests and gladly invite them to the table. During such feasts the natives often organise Kist and Georgian music concerts as well as traditional dance shows. The Kists usually make available to their guests a whole storey of their house, with a separate entrance. The guests are offered spacious rooms. Most houses are surrounded by a big garden, in the vicinity of which there are orchards, vineyards, apiaries as well as bird and cattle farms. Vast terraces are usually covered in grapevines from which heavy, purple and dark blue Kist wine is made. The wine is drunk from glasses or special buffalo horns, and it leaves on one’s lips a specific residue in that very colour. At their doorstep, the Kists treat their guests to local culinary specialities. They don’t let their guests buy any food, and offer them home-grown fruit for free. If so required by the guests, the hosts provide car transport from the airport or the bus station in Tbilisi to Pankisi. The Pankisi Gorge can also be reached from the Ortaczala bus station in Tbilisi by the so-called marszrutka (a minibus which runs on a regular basis; travel time: 3.5 h).