Life above the clouds: One man's mission in Georgia's highest village
Irakl Chwedaguridze is 84 years old and is the only resident of the village Bochorna, located in Georgia, a country at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. The remarkable older man revealed why he still lives in this isolated corner.
Bochorna is located in southeastern Georgia, in the Achmeta municipality. At an elevation of 2,340 meters, it is the highest settlement in the country and one of the highest in all of Europe.
The only resident of the isolated village
Bochorna is also considered one of the most isolated places to live. It is 80 kilometres from the city of Achmeta. For years, It has been inhabited by one person: Irakl Chwedaguridze.
YouTubers visited the remarkable old man from the Yes Theory channel, who spoke with the 84-year-old about life at over 2,000 meters.
Others left Bochorna for good years ago, but Irakl stayed with his faithful horse, Bichola, his only year-round companion.
Interestingly, Irakl, who has very poor eyesight, is a doctor who still practices his profession. He studied in Tbilisi and then worked in a hospital in another part of Georgia. Since 1979, he has been caring for Bochorna and the surrounding area.
When asked if he ever considered leaving Bochorna, he denied it. "You have to think about the well-being of others as well. I go to help people who are ill. Even when I am ill myself, I still put my hat on and get on that horse," he explains.
The region he operates includes 40 abandoned and 10 inhabited villages, many of which have a few year-round residents. In this mountainous region, people mainly engage in sheep farming. Most people leave the isolated area at the end of September and return in the spring when conditions are no longer extreme.
Helping others comes first
Irakl lives above 2,000 meters year-round and helps the residents of nearby villages whenever needed.
"My father, my grandfather, all my ancestors were born here. This area belonged to us," he said in an interview for National Geographic in 2022.
The man admits it is hard when he cannot help a patient because the illness or injury is too severe. That is when the isolation is most felt.
"I've had a few cases like that. A 14-year-old boy's palm was cut in the middle - there was blood everywhere, pouring like a fountain from the artery. We were holding his palm very tightly so it would stop bleeding and thank God, Shamila the pilot flew right away and took the kid. It was really critical for me, when you want to help a dying kid but you can't," he says.
The YouTubers emphasize that kindness and selflessness are evident at every step. Even the wine they brought him as a gift, he opens immediately and shares with his guests.
