Where is Svaneti?

It's not the greatest map, but the red circle is were svaneti is, note the Inguri River we drove up to the headwaters at Ushguli.

Traveling friends and then some

These are the Perdue's. Mike and Jane, with Ian, Hannah and the little one Neve. They are from Iowa.
Very nice folks and they invited me to go on a Svaneti adventure with them! I said cool!


and this is bon jovi...

First stop...Lunch

Our view during our roadside lunch break.

Bee boxes! There is fantastic honey here

Sorry they made me do it freddy! Unmarried women are supposed to eat the wing, so they will get married. Married people can't eat the wing, I couldn't let it go to waste!

Our yummy bread was baked there! Cool huh?

Side trip into Racha Province

We decided to take a side trip in to the province just to the east of Svaneti. It is also mountainous and most of the time over looked for Kazbegi (further East) and Svaneti. Our guide Shota is from Racha, way up in the hills where he learned how to ski and climb.

Our homestay house!

A church in Racha...i can remember the name..but Shota said we had to see it if we went to Racha, it is famous for the carvings on the outisde, which isn't common in Georgia.

It is very cliffy here, very pretty!

Holy Dam Batman!

Gotta have the smooth talking guide, Shota (not Rustaveli) to get you in to...


This! The Inguri Dam and Resevoir. Wow it is massive and just crazy looking in this kind of topography.
Those kooky Soviets!

Abkhazia is just on the other side of those mountains! Crazy.

In to the wilds of Svaneti

But first the Check point...Russians on the left with huge guns...

the UN on the right with...a trailer...and a tough, but all too shiny car

gotta have some goofiness..Thats Hannah..yes thats a blue fauxhawk, she is cool and she knows how to milk cows

thats me! see i really did go, i didn't just steal someone's camera that had sweet photos on it! hah ..or did i?

The drive into Svaneti

Inguri River! Look at that gorge, this river looks like it has some amazing kayaking possiblities

a town nestled in the hills...

..complete with a Svan Tower. It is said these were used during waring times to house the whole village and animals. The bigger the town the more towers

These towers go all the way to Ushguli, gotta love those Soviets. heh

MOUNTAINS EVERYWHERE!

Here! (sorry for the blurriness, it was from the car blazing forward towards Mestia)

There!

Everywhere!

...and then there's Ushbah (4700m)! It's actually a fish tail peak (2 summits!), the other is hiding behind. (I don't think I got a photo of it, i'll dig)

Mestia

At the edge of town

Downtown Mestia, alpin-glow and the cows coming home

View from the homestay in Mestia

These dove fence toppers are everywhere and i had to take a picture, not everything is about mountains...heh

Mountaineering Museum in Mestia

Mikhail "Misha" Khergiani, was a very famous climber during the Soviet era. He climber all over the world, starting with his home in Mestia, there is a Svan tower next to his home where he would practice when he wasn't climbing Ushbah. He died while free climbing the Dolomites.


The "Rock Tiger"

Some other Georgian climbers, I didnt catch the names, but they are sweet photos!

Misha's maps in his bedroom.

Driving to Ushguli

Mt. Elbrus is that you?! See the white moon-like peak behind the Sawtooth-y range. It is possibly Elbrus!

Check out that landslide...don't ask me what kind...Marty, man?


One of a dozen river crossings


Beautiful, but look at the road! Right on the edge! EEk!

Still driving up to Ushgui

Fall colors

That's our truck!

Svan Tower

Inguri River