all going back this is r.t. now let's have a look at our top stories today just when the u.s. thought it was dealing with its debts it's dealt of vo by a credit score and loses its hollow triple crown and all china's weighing in america's biggest creditor signals it's time to ditch the dollar. israel gears up for another round of mass protests the biggest in decades as people rage against a government they say has a bad guy. and a painful balance elites

a top secret document shows a british officers were encouraged to weigh up how much they explore for president depending on how much information they could get. my colleagues were sushi will be with you at the top of the hour but first we take you to the small caucuses country of across here which has spent years healing its deep wounds that's up next. big that turns here live solely by side with local tribes in two thousand five hundred years ago. but the app has principality established in the eighth century later became known as the peskin don't. the modern day republican vote because you have a scenario by a nine thousand square kilometers because he is south is situated on the eastern

coast of the black sea. a greater cook says mountain range towers in the republic's north. it is a land where some tropics and lakes adjoining the place yes. come on let's go locals remember all too well the tragic events in the kazi is more than the history. of those little snippets eighteen years have passed since then has the balls to my contact about it without my lips trembling and to throw in heart i can't talk about that. up because it is returning to normal and again becoming a truest hub for the black sea region and.

if travelling by sea and old lighthouse points the way to cause is capital some whom. they keep a finds it difficult to open the massive tools it is at least one hundred fifty years old. he then climbs the leading to the lamp. and yes three this is part of a long stairwell made in the nineteenth century. it was built together with his lighthouse in eight hundred sixty one feet. it's beautiful if you will they don't

make anything like it nowadays you need you. to light house is one hundred feet high it's powerful light can be seen thirty kilometers away. this is home light house has french origins the russian empire has navy placed an order for its construction with a company that was at the same time drawing up a blueprint for the eiffel tower. at that time there was an oil lamp here. it was quite an advanced lighting fixture by the standards of the day. a compared to modern one thousand watt lamps it was three or four times a week it's like if you were. with the permitting took these black sea coast can be seen on the horizon the lamp has gone

out only twice in the history of the lighthouse turkish troops took it away as one of the spoils of war occupying our cause in eighteen seventy seven it was put out for the second time after the abkhazian georgian war in the early ninety ninety s. . the old the broke out in them cars here in one thousand nine hundred two lasted for two years i've come to the states it's been all trial in this region at the time and some cream invoked its claims to change the right to self-determination of the georgian troops ended up under the pretext of protecting a railway they were driven out in the course of some of their fights in. some parts about because they were liberated in one thousand nine hundred three and georgian troops retained the op a category gould's but i'm just teaching regionals. following

george's attack on south sets here in two thousand and eight the abkhaz military carried out a special operation in the could dorie region with the russian support georgian forces would driven out of the republics entire territory russia and several other countries have since recognized abkhazians independence. the turbulence could dorie river this is the entire length of the goal which this place was part of the silk road now is the way leading straight to abkhazians capital so whom from the greater coaxes mountain range. a road to the gorge down below there's a chasm with a mountain stream carrying its clear waters. whenever the rocks step

aside the i can see rooftops in the valleys this is the abkhazian region of sphenoid many local people left their homes during the conflict in georgia know they are coming back. the could dori gold was a favorite tourist attraction before the war but it's seen few travelers in the past two decades now visitors come once again of more of the picturesque landscape mountain lakes rules of fools and the unique flora. tourists who used to come to. when it was still a soviet republic. and they knew every mountain path that tourists come here now because this is

a peaceful place again. the folks would forest is one of the most revered places and all of abkhazia as well as in the could glory. the stream running through the narrow creates a special microclimate. the groves of most covered trees look like they've been sprinkled with emeralds. the village of as sits near the fairy tale scenery. each morning the budgie ships go about their household chores. on their farm they have cows and let me go. every day husband and wife to tali and make

salumi a traditional abkhazian cheese a secret this produce is in the fermentation. the cheese making begins with the ferment in process. it will use the x. tracks from the stomach of a car. this is how we do it. the foot quickly brings occurred in the vats to the right temperature once it's really needed the cheese can be served today look at people like that but she ships can again plan for the future italy is going to set up a tourist camp in the courtyard of his house he will treat a guest a homemade cheese and take them on guided tours. cheese is a form of income for us it's like our national currency like why do people

always need to eat and cheese is always in demand here and up with. there is a three hour drive from the farm to see people in the abkhaz capital say the city has taken on a different look in the past several years ruined homes and hotels have been restored. the waterfront has also been transformed it's a traditional rallying point for tourists and locals alike and it has a known history. which of them is this question being merchant ships came here from greece and other places yes that there is evidence and just in there was a marketplace here in the first century b.c. it rocked you just get commercials from nearly the entire black sea coast brought their goods here at the bottom. of just a stand up

a can often visit main pier. the paintings are inspired by the city and the sea it sits upon. more you this see is big in now in the both art of this land grown who don't come here just to have a good time and leave or a god they see and this land as part of all sounds. one of the stand his paintings commemorates her friends from fortune in the war but never returned. her father is still missing but a stand of hopes is a lie. which. i because he is a college minister time and teaches that succumbs state university. today

he tells his students that have caused him boast of vast reserves of pure water due to his glace years and driven as. if we conserve water in the upper reaches of our rivers the republic will have the most valuable resource for many years to come all of mankind needs this resource nowadays the value of a liter of ecologically clean water exceeds the cost of a later of oil revenue. streams from whom is a kook luzhin law in the stands in the downtown area it is more than three hundred years old in the early nineteenth century a botanical garden was laid out around it it is one of the most beautiful areas in the city. this is one of the oldest tentacle gardens in the

world which it currently features over five thousand plants from every continent. this place is a veritable treasure trove of plants exotic flora such as the japanese banana plants have adapted to conditions in abkhazia these plants were brought to the black sea coast at the beginning of the century scientists was surprised to see them bearing fruit kochi two palms bamboo and olive trees only served to be found in the botanical garden but most of all the botanists pride themselves on the sago palm. him here in the garden you can find plants which are one hundred to one hundred twenty years old they are thought to be some of the oldest on earth so the history goes back to the college that is to say they're related to the tree for. today the park is still being restored to its former glory but soon it will once

again open for the public to enjoy. it's. since. he's.

the foreign ministry is situated on the black sea coast twenty kilometers from so whom it was founded eight hundred seventy five by monks who had arrived in a cause here from greece soon after that the cloister became a leading religious center in the caucasus the ministry stands on an elevation of surviving defensive fortifications of the and a copy of fortress around a nearby hill and a capella is the name of the capital of the ancient abkhaz kingdom. wars broke out

here at various times georgians gentle ways romans turks and persians invaded this place but the mountains protected the local people we associate ourselves with the mountain with rather than with people related to the sea. where. the end of compare fulcher stands on a mountain top but the mountain speedy ologists have discovered a vast cabin it attracts numerous tourists a tour of the cave begins with the tourists boarding an electric train locals jokingly refer to it as the abkhaz metro i there is some room that let's get him. to know the i phone cave is one of the world's largest its volume is about one million cubic metres tourists get to experience the or inspiring beauty of this underground kingdom gods lead them through several grottos and many who enter this

cave have another motive other than just a tour of this mysterious world people suffering from asthma or allergies come hits a breathe in the medicinal effects of it's humid as every do you doubt an allergy and asked i'm going to take you on a fascinating tour of the underground chamber ship and all the off on cape cod fish . tourists form a line as they go from one holds when the other to the sound of trickling in the streams small bridges and narrow passages run along stuff like tights and stuff like mites crafted by nature. water dripping from above has taken centuries to form these intricate limestone columns. that mind your feet please it slippery here. in the largest

hole of the lobby and phone there is enough space for three football pitches. one of the most spectacular sights is a waterfall and calcite rock. it's large drops dripped down from a height of two metres but never reached the caves bottom or. a winding road of relic plants looks between the rocks of the reefs and national park the park is under the special protection of a cause it covers a total of forty thousand hectares many of the plants are unique in that they can only be found in this region. h. patch of land in abkhazia is unique because it is inhabited by rare

plants and animals. the road goes uphill only way to the much celebrated pride of the republic lake reach it was forms of the altitude of nine hundred fifty meters above sea level following a rock slide that is described as a remarkable natural creation and the most attractive sites on the black sea shore of the caucuses. are always good if the lake or it was known as a result of an ancient earthquake. and that's how it was filmed. instead of his about one hundred thirteen meters it's just not enough yet. the lake has been joule the entire caucasus as well as at high z.-a just walk across the work of gotham. and causey as nature reserves are constantly expanding another national park is being laid out in the dory gorge it will be adjacent to the wreaths a park

a relic of plants and nature reserves will gradually cover almost one third of the republic's territory. stallion's country house still stands on one of the scenic banks of lake greets soviet leaders were formed vacationing here they often invited leaders of foreign communist parties to visit them to form a state country house stands tool age old trees today it is a church site. a trip is found tucked away in the foothills of a mountain in a cause and situated on the banks of the maci stare river which boasts clean water and a strong current in the old days monks fishtail they lived in a monastery high in the mountains hidden away from will be a fair as legend has it that in the nine hundred thirty s.

then soviet leader joseph stalin went fishing in the river. the catch was so bountiful that he ordered a trout farm to be built here. today there are some three hundred thousand rainbow trout in the farms palms. all. all of course we want to catch. so much of this female is five years alt. it does not exist on in school though frayne will try out we get baby trials from them. the trout farm is situated on the banks of a unique river. it is filled with water gushing from a giant subterranean spring the it is thought to be europe's largest spring of this current.

the village of drips stretches across the foothills several kilometers from the black sea shore it's called the heart because. the backyard of nearly every house here has a distinctly as a look a backyard is one of the keys symbols of the traditional way of life going up cause each backyard is supposed to have a cabin made of rhododendron. it is in fact a kitchen where all family members gather over meals. her idea. of. the fireplace is in the center of the cabin a fire is kinda along the clay funnel or the cauldron that hangs over it on

a chain this is food with memel ego a name given in some black sea countries to corn flour porridge that's when i think i might as well put a lid on it for a while but that's not really necessary. here people live long lives because they all eat natural food cooked all with fire. i know that's moldavian snake monologue to eva i'm puzzling which normally gets called out the stuff. i also know that italians call it polish and that. this is on the mug. because i always try to make sure the fire in their cabins is constantly lit it is both a symbol of affection in the home and the place where food is cooked the . first. you look down the low hello hello hello great to see here. the the guests are always welcome in

our customs at any time of the day the smallest. the gentleman let us celebrate with us may god give us health paste understanding how pianist love and joy to all our nations to all hazards. a stand of the kin the abkhaz cultist is going to pains in your picture she poses a building that was shelled during the war members of parliament used to meet in session here whenever asked on the record is the up because georgian conflict she's always reminded of her father won't post here when to read here in the night and never came back. and there were also people i treasure and remember eighteen

years have passed. and i don't know how much time will task before i can talk about it without my lips trembling and throwing hearts. i still can't bring myself to do it. the sukhumi lighthouse has witnessed many events during its long history. it still serves as a beacon for the growing number of foreign ships arriving at a cause his main hall but. they captains know full well that it is been sending signals over the abkhaz waters of the black sea for more than a century. dish that the turkish merchant

ships were quick to turn up here. no doubt they had information telling them about the location of the lighthouse and the harbor here but when he's touring storms the light horse always fulfilled its vital role with great precision. the lighthouse keeper has yet to repair the pockmarks in the tower left by bullets from the abkhaz georgian conflict. by the same token abkhazia will take some time to rid itself of all traces of war. meanwhile life in the republic is clearly returning to normal.

see. it's.

great for the full.