The mountainous villages of mountainous Adjara have their own higher mountains for nomad life in summer. Macharelati, 2000 meters above sea level, is the mountain of people from three villages - Gurdzauli, Kinchauri, and Dzmagula.
At the beginning of June, "Memteuri" women, mostly grandmothers, along with their grandchildren, take their herds and move to the "summer mountains" to stay there until the end of August. They provide their families with food and dairy products for the whole year - Adjarian ("daptsnili") cheese, yaghi, kaimaghi, kuruthi, etc.
Herds live on the first floor in the huts (yailas), and people stay on the second floor. This is for practical purposes, they can keep warm in Yeila more easily. The cattle are milked at 6-7 in the morning, then the herdsman comes with children and leads the herds to the pasture.
Summer mountains are a women's world. Men are in the minority here. By 10-11 o'clock, all the main work is done, and until the herds are back home, there is time to chill, visit neighbors, drink coffee, and "slaughter watermelons".
There is only one way to visit Adjarian nomads in Macharelati. A big old car, rented by the municipality, once a week, on Wednesday goes up from Kinchauri village and returns back the next morning. Even the complete strangers here are welcomed as if loved ones, who have not been seen for a long time, and there is a competition to win them back.
Year by year, the number of families moving up to Macharelati is decreasing, and more and more huts are being demolished. Every woman here has a big story. But, grandmothers are leaving. There was a time when 96 huts stood proudly in Macharelati. Now there are only 30 huts alive.
