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Published: August 4th 2010
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Having decided to fly over Azerbaijan due to the 100 dollar price tag for visas we have found ourselves with a bit of time on our hands.And what better way to use that time than a 300km detour on a crap road through the high Caucasus mountains of Svaneti.Five years ago we thought about doing the Svaneti loop but banditry was rife at the time so we turned it down.Seems the bandits have gone now and found new professions.Hairdressing perhaps?
They didnt become roadworkers judging by the state of the road.We heard every possible condition about the road surface ranging from a smooth slick of tarmac to not fit for donkeys.I'll set the record straight now.From Lentekhi all the way past Mestia to Khaishi its totally crap(minus 10km near Mestia).
On the way up from Kutaisi its very green and lush in this sub tropical climate.Day one went well considering we haven't climbed any mountains since western China.The good road runs out 29km from Kutaisi, from there its a mix of broken tarmac and dirt road.The rains just about holding off allowing us to put in a good first day of 75km and about 1000 hellos from the
friendly Georgians.But guys roll your tops back down from over your fat hairy guts,its NOT a good look.Georgians aren't big on exersise but big on food and drink.Saw a bus on the way up stopping every 20 metres or so to let people off.When we tell people of our mountain plans they look at us astonished.
''Take the bus''!
If only there was one to Ushguli.Sadly though the bus runs out somewhere near Lentekhi and all services to Mestia go from Zugdidi,the road is just too bad.
And it really does disintergrate after Lentekhi becoming muddy and potholed.Climbing alongside the Tskhenistskali river we pretty much had the track to ourselves.Finding a campspot alongside the river we began to use some of the two kilos of cheese we bought accidentally from an old babushka.
From Kutaisi to Ushguli its 165km and on day 3 we covered just 35km of that distance.Heres where it gets steep and by all counts near Tsana its bear country.Luckily for us though our only meeting in that area was with a tour group of 28 Israeli's having coffee and cake on the road.Dont mind if we do!
Israeli's aside our only traffic
Heading up
bad roads 20km from the top that day were two polish motorbikers and locals coming down the mountain in a jeep ,pissed on beer.Its 4x4 country, with numerous fast flowing streams to cross, some of them spill down the trail for hundreds of metres.Large rocks and deep muddy puddles make the going slow for many a kilometre but the views are worth the struggle.Watching Ailama and other huge peaks tower above the wild flowers and hazel trees was a fine reward for the hard work.
The pass lies at 2623m and although thats not quite the lung buster it should be we found ourselves short of breath at the top.Possible lack of altitude experience showing, where the highest thing weve been up recently is a flight of staırs in Kazakhstan.
The clouds have come to meet us at the top.Ushguli lies 10km down the valley and after a cracking descent we were soon pitched up overlooking the village drinking mountain water and the last contents of our food bag that consisted of porridge and dry bread,not exactly fine dining but the view wasnt bad.
Ushguli promotes itself as the highest permanently inhabited place in Europe.At 2200m its closed off for about 6 months
of the year and goes along way to explaining why its in such a mess.Alot of the UNESCO 12th century towers are crumbling and many houses lay abandoned giving the place a haunted edge.However its set in an amazing valley under the shadow of Shkhara(5068m)Svanetı's tallest peak standing proud and snow capped in the background.The villages are great though,really medieval,the towers are something else,I hope UNESCO helps preserve them.
We were told from Chikharesi and also from Mestia that Ushgulian's are animals.Harsh words!Like to see that lot come and live up here year round and do better.I sensed a bit of mountain rivalry towards any one but thier own.They (Svan) dont have the same openness that lowland Georgian's do.To me it seems tourism as a new found income will only benifit a few and has caused rifts in this small population.
It seems all that more apparent in Mestia,having made our way there from Ushguli via the continuing bad road passing small hamlets with crumbling towers and cliff top churches weve made our way to a homestay in Mestia at Mirinda's a young local woman .She told us about the missgivings many townsfolk have with the changes being
made here in Mestia.The town is like a building site, change is happening fast in the land that time forgot.Svan are rightly proud of their towns,language and culture and for many unassosiated with tourism they would rather have things the way they were.They seemed a cold bunch to begin with but after learning a few phrases in Svan we were walking around like locals.
Personally I preferred Ushguli,Mestia is undergoing a facelift of Hollywood perportions and building work is all that can be seen or heard in the downtown which reminded me far too much of what I'll be doing in about 4 months(sob).
There are some fine alleys with views of the towers from varying parts of the town ,it was here we were told to 'fuck off' for the third time in Georgia by teenage youth.I think its good that they dont speak Russian anymore and have a general grasp of a bit of queen's.Keep up the good work and watch out for bears!
After a visit to the Khergiani museum(he's was a local international mountain climber) we went to the ugly looking Mestia museum but like many places of this kind in Georgia,it was
closed.
It was at dinner that evening I pointed out to Mirinda why did they decide to build such a horrible building in the middle of town.
She told me it was built by her late uncle,something of a hero in Mestia.
Ooops,we decided to 'fuck off' in the morning before they surrounded the house with flaming torches and pitchforks demanding a foreign sacrifice.
Just kidding.Actually things didnt go that well with Mirinda before I put my foot in it.She didnt seem too happy with her job or with us.Her initial interest died quicker than a moth with petrol and matches and we ended up going out for some food AFTER she had fed us.
With the weather being bad we didnt feel like any hikes so come the morning we cleared off on the new road towards Zugdidi.So it does exist!Well not really.Theres a good road for about 10 km and then its back to the rough and tumble of Svaneti's tracks and trails.
Not so much down to begin with as our road followed the Enguri river from its elevated perch before plunging down into a gorge that followed the grey rushing waters. With its angry sounds bouncing off the rocks as we followed its course down towards the Black sea it was like being in a tunnel of noise and water,the road surface ,although slightly better here was nowhere near the smooth surface conjured up by the imaginations of most Mestians.This road wont be finished for a while.
We picked up the tarmac again at Tobari which gave us about 170km of off road,funny it seemed alot more than that.
WE made camp at the Enguri resesvoir,the water here is a pale pastel turquoıse a far cry from the turbulent grey up stream.Tried fishing but caught my usual amount of no fish and no bites.
Svaneti is a tough ride but the views are stunning and well worth the effort,ım glad we went before the fınıshed road brıngs mass tourısm and shops full of I '' heart '' Svanetı t-shırts.
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