Ushguli: towers and Mt Chubedishi

Wow! Ushguli is a magical place. We took a taxi from Mestia to Ushguli. In some parts, the road was questionable, but our driver, David, made us feel confident in our safety. He also shared with us some of the history of the area. Apparently, the towers were built starting in the 8th-9th century for defense. Each family had their own tower and would put a light in it if there was a threat. That light signal would then travel from tower to tower and then village to village. They have withstood the test of time and battles. According to David, historians still do not understand what makes them so strong. Part of the village is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Ushguli is a farming village nestled in the valley of the highest mountain in Georgia (Mt Shkhara @ 5200 meters) with mostly cattle and horses and small gardens. It is the highest year round inhabited village in Europe. There seems to be an interesting mix of the old with the new. Frequently, the power goes out and no one seems to notice. We shared our guest house with an extended family that has a toddler and 7 year old. They slept in the room next to us and we shared a bathroom with them. The kids are so cute and spirited. Throughout the village, we saw children helping out their families with chores. However, the overwhelming sounds of happy children coming from all corners of the village was definitely noteworthy. They seemed to be able to freely roam the whole village to meet up with friends, jump on a horse, have a pick-up soccer game, etc. And even though the village has access to the internet, I never once saw a kid on a screen or anyone in the village watching TV or on a computer.

After we arrived in the town, we walked around and checked out the church and towers - lots of super old stuff.

After getting to know the town, we went for a hike up the Chubedishi viewpoint. It was a hard hike because there was a lot of elevation gain in a short distance. At elevation, the hiking was tough and totally kicked my butt. But the outstanding 365' views of massive, snow and glacier covered mountains made it worth the effort. We had a fun time taking pictures at the top.

We enjoyed a delicious meal with views that couldn't be beat. The clouds usually roll in on the mountains in the evening which makes the mountains even more enchanting. And the people of the Svaneti region have been more than welcoming. The kids have been especially fun to get to know. On our way back to our guest house, we even saw the family from our guest house in their car with their 7 year old driving!