Mestia, Ushguli → Tbilisi
Day 7
The days that followed the day 6 were quite crazy and fast which is why I saved them for a separate post. If you remember our last post, you know it finished with us arriving in Mestia. We had only 1 full day there and we decided to use it to go to Koruldi lakes.
Above Mestia
You can get to Koruldi lakes on foot, by car and on foot or solely by car. Due to lack of time and lack of hiking and fitness capabilities we chose the second option. At first, we could not find the right road, we were circling aimlessly through Mestia's streets but then Telchac asked someone (I really hate asking people for help, stupid, I know) and they were able to help us (fortunately). We had been warned that the "road" up is quite wild and we have to agree with that completely.
Useful tip: Do not attempt to go up without a proper 4x4, it really isn't a pleasant trip and you might get yourself in trouble.
We drove up for some time and got high above Mestia but still with a lot left to hike. Considering we started at pretty high altitude, it might have affected our fitness level (that is what we tell ourselves, at least :D), either way, we simply had to clench our teeth and go on. There were moments when we turned and looked at the car which became smaller and smaller and then we turned back and looked at the lakes which, in fact, were nowhere to be seen. It wasn't pretty, it took a lot of support (from both of us) to get up but once we did we were really proud of ourselves. Btw the views are worth it - doesn't matter how far you hike, they're amazing and different with every step you take.
At Koruldi lakes
Koruldi lakes are a starting point for Ushba (ridge) which I (jokingly) suggested to be added to our little hike :D. Anyway, if you're lucky and it's not cloudy (or in other words - there are no clouds around Mt Ushba), you get to see it up close and I am pretty sure it must be a great reward after the hike. There were clouds though, when we were there, so no reward for us :D.
On the way back down I wanted to give my respects to the wild Georgian horses, having already met a few in Juta. However, there aren't two horses that are the same because, obviously, the one I decided to get closer to was significantly more asocial - judging from the fact that he tried to kick me :D. At that moment, I was incredibly lucky that I managed to get away fast enough. *No animals were harmed in the writing of this post, neither me nor the horse.* We had no other plans that day except for getting some dinner and getting ready to go to Ushguli the next day, and that was exactly what we did.
Terrific views from Koruldi lakes
Useful tip: Do not rely on Mestia's tourist centre. When we could not find the way to Koruldi lakes we spent around half an hour waiting for someone to show up. Nobody came and we were constantly asked (meaning harassed) by the drivers lurking and waiting for some tourists to bleed them white.
Day 8
Day 8 was very unexpected and very interesting. It changed our itinerary, exhausted us more than any hike or journey and got us plenty to laugh about (eventually).
It started innocently enough - we drove to Ushguli. On our way there, HRH Mt Ushba finally decided to show up and awarded us with an amazing sight (and photos). The rest of the road was fine, nice views, narrow road and sunny weather. When we entered Ushguli, the map (Google map to be precise) chose the road that went across Ushguli. I was on map duty which meant that nobody questioned Google's decision and it also meant that in a couple of minutes we were stuck (literally) between two houses. If you have ever been car-stuck between something, you know there is only one thing to do - get across, no matter the cost. And that's exactly what we did. After we got to our accommodation, we inspected the car and saw that it was dented and scratched.
Mount Ushba on our way to Ushguli
Our plan for that day was to go to the Shkhara glacier (again by car and then on foot) so we didn't want to deal with the car at that moment. Shkhara glacier is a very nice trip, it's more or less flat so it was a piece of cake (especially, after the Koruldi lakes hike). The glacier itself is vast and always moving with ice melting and water pouring from it. There were about 20 people altogether, some went closer, some just admired it from afar.
Shkhara glacier
When we came back, we decided to call the rental company. Unfortunately, they insisted we needed to call the insurance company - where nobody spoke English so we needed to get the rental company to call the insurance company which we managed to do after some time (sounds fun? keep on reading then). When after several (fortunately, online) calls they told us we needed to call the police, our mood shifted significantly. What seemed to be small, trivial damage suddenly became pretty annoying and complicated issue. Again, we had to ask the rental company to call the police. When they arrived, we explained that the cows (to be found everywhere in that country) damaged our car. It seemed unlikely, of course, considering the scratches and dents but we thought it was better than to say, flat-out, that my GPS skills were lousy.
Policemen insisted that we had to go back to Mestia. Mind you, we had a room booked in Ushguli and were going to get back to Tbilisi the way that required us setting off from Ushguli. Nothing seemed to be helping, they had already decided that we were all going back to Mestia. So we, still using the hostel's wifi (the hostel where we only left our luggage for several hours and did not sleep in), cancelled our booking, got into our car and followed the policemen back to Mestia.
We were this sad and angry not being able to stay in Ushguli
The road back was quite uneventful. It started raining and we were discussing how much we were willing to pay if they asked for some money. Surprisingly, when we got to Mestia - 7pm maybe - they handed us over to another policeman.
So we sat down, he opened Google translator and Telchac started explaining what happened. With all our "luck" that day we expected the worst. However, our "luck" finally became our luck and it seemed we found someone kind and willing to help us (although he knew the cows could not have damaged the car like that). He wrote up a record - this took more than an hour because he hadn't saved it and there were several blackouts so he had to start all over like three or four times in a row. Then he let Telchac read it (translated online into English), he signed it and we thanked him (million times) and we were free to go! Exhausted and happy and not believing our luck (no quotation marks this time!) we left and booked the best hotel in Mestia! Then a few celebratory shots of chacha and we were more than ready to go to sleep.
Sleeping in Mestia meant that we had to go back the same way we came (via Zugdidi and Khobi and then Senaki and Mukhurcha to Kutaisi). Telchac needed a while to accept that (I must also admit it would have been much more interesting to take the rougher road from Ushguli to Tsageri) but at that point, it was the only option if we did not want to add two extra hours to our already long journey (8 hours).
Old cable car in Chiatura - Telchac was a bit frustrated it's not in use anymore
We made five stops along the way. The first stop was in Mestia (not really a stop) where we wanted to buy some fruit and churchkhela (more about that next time!). While a "shop assistant" (it was a street stand :D) was packing our fruits, Telchac took out his Bear Grylls Ultimate Knife (to cut off some churchkhela) and he was immediately surrounded by a pack of Georgian men who started brandishing their own knives, demonstrating their sharpness by cutting their forearm hair.
Our second stop was at a roadside bar where we bought sausages for the stray dogs we met everywhere. It did not take very long when we found out we gave out all the sausages. Some Georgians dogs might be reminiscing about that day to this day.
The third stop was at a significantly damaged hanging bridge which we (for no logical, intelligent or apparent reason) decided to cross. With my fear of heights, Telchac ended up to be the only one who did that. Telchac also managed to be the only one with scratched and slightly bruised arm - my fault, I must admit - well, it's quite risky to move without any prior notice and with someone scared shitless on the bridge with you.
Fourth stop was a honey-stand by the road. Just jars full of honey and one elderly gentleman. It's been the best thing we bought, the honey is completely different than the one you can usually buy. So if you see someone selling honey, go for it, it's really delicious!
Katskhi pillar
The fifth and final stop was the Katskhi pillar which is ultimate #housegoal if you're introverted. In addition to seeing the column, we were also impressed by Georgian resourcefulness. A family of three was going for a picnic. Leaving their car, they dismantled the cargo cover (tray) and took it along with the food and drinks. Now, honestly, have you ever thought of using a cargo tray as a picnic tray?
So after a full day driving across the country, we arrived in Tbilisi. There, we returned the car (along with the police report) and went for some khinkali.
Day 9
We had no special plans, just to wander around Tbilisi and then go back home. The bar is set pretty high as to what is worth mentioning in this post and I'm afraid whatever I'd decided to tell you about Tbilisi would have been outshined by the previous events.
Khinkali graffiti in Tbilisi
I have already mentioned several times we got hooked on Georgian food. And it's very very true. Despite their unreadable and completely obscure names, you can get used to them soon. To make things easier, I will explain more about food, exclusively for you, our dear readers, in two weeks! So go ahead, set a reminder and come back (again, preferably, with full bellies and some snack) to learn more about it. C U then!
The days that followed the day 6 were quite crazy and fast which is why I saved them for a separate post. If you remember our last post, you know it finished with us arriving in Mestia. We had only 1 full day there and we decided to use it to go to Koruldi lakes.
|
| Above Mestia |
You can get to Koruldi lakes on foot, by car and on foot or solely by car. Due to lack of time and lack of hiking and fitness capabilities we chose the second option. At first, we could not find the right road, we were circling aimlessly through Mestia's streets but then Telchac asked someone (I really hate asking people for help, stupid, I know) and they were able to help us (fortunately). We had been warned that the "road" up is quite wild and we have to agree with that completely.
Useful tip: Do not attempt to go up without a proper 4x4, it really isn't a pleasant trip and you might get yourself in trouble.
We drove up for some time and got high above Mestia but still with a lot left to hike. Considering we started at pretty high altitude, it might have affected our fitness level (that is what we tell ourselves, at least :D), either way, we simply had to clench our teeth and go on. There were moments when we turned and looked at the car which became smaller and smaller and then we turned back and looked at the lakes which, in fact, were nowhere to be seen. It wasn't pretty, it took a lot of support (from both of us) to get up but once we did we were really proud of ourselves. Btw the views are worth it - doesn't matter how far you hike, they're amazing and different with every step you take.
|
| At Koruldi lakes |
Koruldi lakes are a starting point for Ushba (ridge) which I (jokingly) suggested to be added to our little hike :D. Anyway, if you're lucky and it's not cloudy (or in other words - there are no clouds around Mt Ushba), you get to see it up close and I am pretty sure it must be a great reward after the hike. There were clouds though, when we were there, so no reward for us :D.
On the way back down I wanted to give my respects to the wild Georgian horses, having already met a few in Juta. However, there aren't two horses that are the same because, obviously, the one I decided to get closer to was significantly more asocial - judging from the fact that he tried to kick me :D. At that moment, I was incredibly lucky that I managed to get away fast enough. *No animals were harmed in the writing of this post, neither me nor the horse.* We had no other plans that day except for getting some dinner and getting ready to go to Ushguli the next day, and that was exactly what we did.
|
| Terrific views from Koruldi lakes |
Useful tip: Do not rely on Mestia's tourist centre. When we could not find the way to Koruldi lakes we spent around half an hour waiting for someone to show up. Nobody came and we were constantly asked (meaning harassed) by the drivers lurking and waiting for some tourists to bleed them white.
Day 8
Day 8 was very unexpected and very interesting. It changed our itinerary, exhausted us more than any hike or journey and got us plenty to laugh about (eventually).
It started innocently enough - we drove to Ushguli. On our way there, HRH Mt Ushba finally decided to show up and awarded us with an amazing sight (and photos). The rest of the road was fine, nice views, narrow road and sunny weather. When we entered Ushguli, the map (Google map to be precise) chose the road that went across Ushguli. I was on map duty which meant that nobody questioned Google's decision and it also meant that in a couple of minutes we were stuck (literally) between two houses. If you have ever been car-stuck between something, you know there is only one thing to do - get across, no matter the cost. And that's exactly what we did. After we got to our accommodation, we inspected the car and saw that it was dented and scratched.
|
| Mount Ushba on our way to Ushguli |
Our plan for that day was to go to the Shkhara glacier (again by car and then on foot) so we didn't want to deal with the car at that moment. Shkhara glacier is a very nice trip, it's more or less flat so it was a piece of cake (especially, after the Koruldi lakes hike). The glacier itself is vast and always moving with ice melting and water pouring from it. There were about 20 people altogether, some went closer, some just admired it from afar.
|
| Shkhara glacier |
When we came back, we decided to call the rental company. Unfortunately, they insisted we needed to call the insurance company - where nobody spoke English so we needed to get the rental company to call the insurance company which we managed to do after some time (sounds fun? keep on reading then). When after several (fortunately, online) calls they told us we needed to call the police, our mood shifted significantly. What seemed to be small, trivial damage suddenly became pretty annoying and complicated issue. Again, we had to ask the rental company to call the police. When they arrived, we explained that the cows (to be found everywhere in that country) damaged our car. It seemed unlikely, of course, considering the scratches and dents but we thought it was better than to say, flat-out, that my GPS skills were lousy.
Policemen insisted that we had to go back to Mestia. Mind you, we had a room booked in Ushguli and were going to get back to Tbilisi the way that required us setting off from Ushguli. Nothing seemed to be helping, they had already decided that we were all going back to Mestia. So we, still using the hostel's wifi (the hostel where we only left our luggage for several hours and did not sleep in), cancelled our booking, got into our car and followed the policemen back to Mestia.
|
| We were this sad and angry not being able to stay in Ushguli |
The road back was quite uneventful. It started raining and we were discussing how much we were willing to pay if they asked for some money. Surprisingly, when we got to Mestia - 7pm maybe - they handed us over to another policeman.
So we sat down, he opened Google translator and Telchac started explaining what happened. With all our "luck" that day we expected the worst. However, our "luck" finally became our luck and it seemed we found someone kind and willing to help us (although he knew the cows could not have damaged the car like that). He wrote up a record - this took more than an hour because he hadn't saved it and there were several blackouts so he had to start all over like three or four times in a row. Then he let Telchac read it (translated online into English), he signed it and we thanked him (million times) and we were free to go! Exhausted and happy and not believing our luck (no quotation marks this time!) we left and booked the best hotel in Mestia! Then a few celebratory shots of chacha and we were more than ready to go to sleep.
Sleeping in Mestia meant that we had to go back the same way we came (via Zugdidi and Khobi and then Senaki and Mukhurcha to Kutaisi). Telchac needed a while to accept that (I must also admit it would have been much more interesting to take the rougher road from Ushguli to Tsageri) but at that point, it was the only option if we did not want to add two extra hours to our already long journey (8 hours).
|
| Old cable car in Chiatura - Telchac was a bit frustrated it's not in use anymore |
We made five stops along the way. The first stop was in Mestia (not really a stop) where we wanted to buy some fruit and churchkhela (more about that next time!). While a "shop assistant" (it was a street stand :D) was packing our fruits, Telchac took out his Bear Grylls Ultimate Knife (to cut off some churchkhela) and he was immediately surrounded by a pack of Georgian men who started brandishing their own knives, demonstrating their sharpness by cutting their forearm hair.
Our second stop was at a roadside bar where we bought sausages for the stray dogs we met everywhere. It did not take very long when we found out we gave out all the sausages. Some Georgians dogs might be reminiscing about that day to this day.
The third stop was at a significantly damaged hanging bridge which we (for no logical, intelligent or apparent reason) decided to cross. With my fear of heights, Telchac ended up to be the only one who did that. Telchac also managed to be the only one with scratched and slightly bruised arm - my fault, I must admit - well, it's quite risky to move without any prior notice and with someone scared shitless on the bridge with you.
Fourth stop was a honey-stand by the road. Just jars full of honey and one elderly gentleman. It's been the best thing we bought, the honey is completely different than the one you can usually buy. So if you see someone selling honey, go for it, it's really delicious!
|
| Katskhi pillar |
The fifth and final stop was the Katskhi pillar which is ultimate #housegoal if you're introverted. In addition to seeing the column, we were also impressed by Georgian resourcefulness. A family of three was going for a picnic. Leaving their car, they dismantled the cargo cover (tray) and took it along with the food and drinks. Now, honestly, have you ever thought of using a cargo tray as a picnic tray?
So after a full day driving across the country, we arrived in Tbilisi. There, we returned the car (along with the police report) and went for some khinkali.
Day 9
We had no special plans, just to wander around Tbilisi and then go back home. The bar is set pretty high as to what is worth mentioning in this post and I'm afraid whatever I'd decided to tell you about Tbilisi would have been outshined by the previous events.
|
| Khinkali graffiti in Tbilisi |
I have already mentioned several times we got hooked on Georgian food. And it's very very true. Despite their unreadable and completely obscure names, you can get used to them soon. To make things easier, I will explain more about food, exclusively for you, our dear readers, in two weeks! So go ahead, set a reminder and come back (again, preferably, with full bellies and some snack) to learn more about it. C U then!