Back in Svaneti now: I came up to host a young couple from the Netherlands who wanted to stay a week in our guest house in Etseri. Lali had other important things keeping her at the other end of the country, so they’re enjoying my cooking: Not very Georgian, but also not bad. No complaints so far, and enough compliments.
They’ve hiked around the village, tried horses (first time ever for him), spent a day in Mestia. They’ve also met a few local people, and we were invited firmly to lunch by a former school colleague, so they’ve experienced some real Georgian hospitality too. Seen the oldest church in the village, ruined St Barbara’s near Ladreri (mistakenly mis-signposted the first and second time: First it was Landreri, now it’s Landleri!). Been accompanied by dogs a few times en route, but no incidents: They’re ready, with walking sticks. We even, finally, saw magnificent Ushba from one high viewpoint not far from the house.
I also took them for a drive to a picnic lunch above Mazeri, the top of Becho village. Here, just on the other side of the Dolra River, sits the Hiker’s Inn, much deserving of success. It’s far past electricity, but they’ve made everything out of rustic wood. There’s an icy swimming pool and next to it a fish pool too, plus a sauna, wood-fired, to restore your blue skin to sweating. The path continues towards the Georgian border and a magnificent waterfall. We walked in that direction a bit.
There had been new light snow on the vertical faces around us. Here, Ushba has vanished from view, even on clear days, which this wasn’t. But the sights gave me plenty to photograph anyway, some of it obvious, other parts revealing themselves once I opened the photos on my laptop later.
That thin snow is the best at giving dramatic definition to mountain faces, increasing the contrast greatly. Here were more monstrous faces, even some composed of smaller ones, enough to give one a shudder. Does no one else see these things? I wondered. More material for my Svan short story collection, which I hope to see published this year.
Most of the faces I see are serious or terrifying, in features and expressions. Few are cartoonish or funny. They are a good reminder, I think, that one can die in quite a few ways in the mountains. Weather can change suddenly. Rocks can fall on you. These are not kind places, though they are awe-inspiring. One treads carefully, prepares well, remains alert, makes backup plans. Full, sunny summer is one thing, but now is still a season when snow can return.
Though I sometimes gasp with shock at what the mountains show me, I wouldn’t give up what I see for anything. Having been seeing Svaneti for nearly half of my life now, and living in it since 2007, I am only in these last few years being granted such visions. Call it the “affliction” of pareidolia (the seeing of patterns in nature’s randomness). I just call it pure joy, mixed with a dash of fear. Strange, powerful combination, very fitting for the grandeur that is all of Georgia’s varied mountains. If you have not seen them up close and in detail, the effort is so much worth it.
Tony Hanmer has lived in Georgia since 1999, in Svaneti since 2007, and been a weekly writer and photographer for GT since early 2011. He runs the “Svaneti Renaissance” Facebook group, now with over 2000 members, at www.facebook.com/groups/SvanetiRenaissance/
He and his wife also run their own guest house in Etseri: www.facebook.com/hanmer.house.svaneti
Blog by Tony Hanmer
