We spend a very unrelaxed night near the church in Ushguli. Barking dogs are not as much a problem as the cows around our camper. Beside of mixing up our dishes, they like to rub their heads on the vehicle. I jump out of the car every hour once at least and around 5am, there wasn't any thought of more sleep. But just looking out of the camper, i am thrilled by where we are!
Georgia isn't exactly big, especially north to south. It only depends on the quality of the road, which is improving day by day. The whole country is under construction!
After a hike and some "sightseeing" through the villages of Ushguli, we decide to take the Zagari Pass to Kutaisi, instead of goin back to Mestia.
The hike to the Tamar tower
Since the weather didn't motivate us for a big hike, we decide to do a two-hour-tour up to an old tower, located near to the village of Murkmeli.
We should have brought our rain gear, since the path was covered by high grass. After a kilometer of walking, we were wet through and through. None the less, it is just beautiful! Everything is green in an almost unnatural way, every corner full of life.
Arriving on top, the sight on Ushguli and the peak of the Shkhara mountain (5201m altitude) sometimes pointing out of thr clouds, is worth all the struggle. My clothes are somewhat between rainwater and sweat.
The ruin of Tamar isn't exactly secured, you really have to mind your steps, since the stones are hanging very lose.
On the way down, we get a beautiful sight on the towers and houses of Murkmeli. The weather changes from rain to some sunlight and we take a walk through the village.
We finish the day with a local dinner. While mama is cooking, the three kids are running the service. Cute, all of them! It was delicious, and finally we got to eat Chatschapuri, a form of bread stuffed with goat cheese before baking.
For the night, we make our way pretty far into the glacier valley to make sure to be alone. We have a peaceful night!
Zagari Pass
Since it was rainy the last days, we weren't sure about how to drive out of the Caucasus. We read about the beauty of the Zagari pass and really wanted to try it. People wrote, that the road is still in progress around the highest peak, so it might get muddy. We dare to try it, since we gained alot of trust in our Flöckli! In the end, i only used the 4wd once and everything was absolutely relaxed.
After reaching the peak, we drive into an endless valley with little, lost villages. The road is getting better every kilometer. After some hours of driving, we arrive in Kutaisi, the second biggest city in Georgia. I remember places where i drank a beer, where i bought new trousers and where i did a tatoo. It has a sleepy vibe, pretty relaxed to drive through. We then got into contact with the swiss couple which bought our old van. They are travelling Georgia as well and suddenly we realize, that this will be the day to meet, since we're heading the same direction.
By the time we met them, another couple from Lichtenstein joined our convention and we spend a relaxed evening together with a beautiful view over the rock formations and wild nature of Katskhi.
We will spend a few days Kathi and Fabio, since both of us are heading to Tbilisi for a few important things. While they need a good car doctor for their breaks, we'll have to do a laundry and hoping that everything works out with our russia visa.
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