Tag: georgia

Day Five should be one of the highlights of the Caucasian Challenge 2016: driving up the narrow and winding mountain roads to Ushguli, one of the highest-altitude continuously inhabited villages and, after that, crossing the 2600-meter high Zagor Pass.   A Strange Crew on a Strange Brew: a Few Hiccups in Fluidity But first things first: a significant number of party-maniacs, especially members of Team Care Bears and Team Llanfair Railway, had to get over last night’s hangover. We are not sure if the advocates of a newly invented chacha-rum cocktail (50 % chacha, 50% rum. Don’t try this at home, except if you are a professional!) would still defend the genius of their idea as vehemently as they did the night before… As if to mirror the experimenters' inner weather, the asphalt road out of Mestia gradually gave way to potholed gravel roads, often interlaced with clear mountain streams and populated more by cows than by cars. The view of old houses and defense towers on both sides in lush meadows hinted at what more was to come.   Ushguli: Majestic Mountains and a Spot of Folk Wisdom     When the valley to Ushguli finally opened up, the teams were taken aback by the majesty of the ancient town, skirted by lush green mountains and snow covered glaciers. Having come to terms with the sheer beauty of it all, some stopped for a leisurely lunch, while one person decided to take their still-lingering hangover to  the strategically placed magical pillows just a few steps away that came cleverly disguised as the stairs of the local grocery store. Then the shop owner came out. Luckily, not to shoo the poor soul away to kick his professional reputation back up the few notches the spectre of his drowsy doorstep-dweller had