From Kutaisi, we took a marshrutka (shared van) 5 hours north to Mestia, the largest town in the Svaneti region, set among the stunning Caucasus Mountains. Svaneti is inhabited by the Svans, a distinct group in Georgia with its own language, dress, and traditions. The UNESCO-recognized Svan towers dot the landscape. 5-story structures mostly built between the 9th-12th centuries, the incredible towers served as dwellings and defensive posts against invaders in this remote region. We took in some Svaneti history at the excellent Museum of History and Ethnography – a must-see collection of material culture and history. For dinner, we had a light meal of eggplant with walnut paste, bread, and vegetable soup at Sunseti Restaurant. The next morning, we set out for our 4-day trek from Mestia to Ushguli, Europe’s highest permanently occupied settlement. The winding dirt and gravel trails took us over mountains, through pastures, across rivers, into valleys, and finally to the village of Zhabeshi, where we spent our first night. Locals run simple guesthouses with one shared bathroom for all guests, enormous meals, and livestock neighbors. We enjoyed our stay, and were fascinated to see how these villages, some of the poorest and most remote in Europe, are developing as tourism in Georgia and the Svaneti region increases. The second day took us on a steep hike over a mountain ridge where the brand-new ski lift signaled the arrival of the Tetnuldi ski resort. The sharp peak of Tetnuldi Mountain reaches 15,938 feet. The glaciers on the mountain supply part of the network of streams and rivers of clean water that sustains lkife in the region. We continued down through the forest on the other side of the mountain, passing rivers and wildflowers, then arriving in Adishi, where we spent the night. At our guesthouse in Adishi, we met backpackers from Belgium, China, Lebanon, Italy, Israel, and elsewhere, a testament to Georgia’s growing popularity. The country of 3.7 million had an estimated 3.5 million tourist visits in 2017, contributing 18% of GDP. Only 42,645 of those arrivals were Americans. Our guesthouse hosts cooked an enormous meal for the 18 guests (again, sharing one bathroom, so we took our showers early before most arrived). We enjoyed meeting people from around the world and trying the local white wine. Unfortunately, our trek was cut short when I woke up sick at 2am. I caught a terrible stomach virus, and Alexa took great care of me for the next two days as I was mostly confined to bed and had no appetite. We were disappointed to miss the rest of the hike, but are grateful for the two great days we had, and are looking forward to returning to Georgia to finish! We took a taxi to Zugdidi to catch the train to Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, and are now back on track.
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September 2018
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