Svaneti. Beginning

Minibus is climbing up the mountain road. There are ten Georgians and five Russians inside it, three youngsters on the back seat and two older men separately from each other. Jeep-Honda overtakes minibus, sounds horn and makes it to stop. Two unshaven Georgian come out from the jeep, ask driver some questions and offer one of older Russians to get off with his belongings, put him into the car and take to unknown direction.
I do not know, what other Russians from the bus imagined, but I was that man taken as "a hostage" by "Caucasian terrorists".
Yesterday Koba through friends of his friends helped me to contact mapping team from Open Maps Caucasus - JumpStart http://www.openmapscaucasus.org/ working in Svaneti and they agreed to meet me on the way from Zugdidi to Mestia.

Manuchar - unchallenged driver on the mountain roads. He likes to be in command.



Vazha - calm and reasonable. In case of any troubles he is always ready to give a hand.



Guys did their job and took me with them. Everything was fine but while crossing one of the small rivers our car engine failed.



We pushed and pulled our jeep and just with help of Tengiz and his tractor we recovered it from the water.





But engine refused to run. Evening was coming, thunderstorm with heavy rain started, and Tengis towed us to his house. On the next day afternoon we could start engine and were ready to leave hospitable house.

From left to right: Tengiz' father, horse, Vazha, me, Tengiz



We were afraid to cross again the same river, so we went another way over the small bridge.



Back in Soli village, where mapping team rented rooms for their office and living place, I met third member of the team - Nino, all smiles, joy and beauty.

Zugdidi and around

From Tbilisi I went to Zugdidi (West Georgia). Koba , friend from Hospitality Club, met me at the station.
We left my small backpack in the Koba's studio in the Regional TV building, and he made me short city tour. The most significant attractions - Dadiani palace-museum and nearby Botanic garden. In the museum, by the way, death mask of Napoleon is kept. Unfortunately it was Monday today and museum was closed due to day off. We just passed it around and walked in the garden.



After that I met Koba's friends and we went by car to the border with Abkhazia near Rukhi. Abkhazia - it is separated part of Georgia, which is occupied by Russia now. Georgian borderguards allowed us to walk in the neutral territory to the bridge over Enguri river. There is symbolic monument on the Georgian side of the border:



On the way back to Zugdidi we stopped at the ruins of ancient fortress.







We continued to Zugdidi but car suddenly stopped. Nothing serious, tank was empty. What to do? To the closest gas-station happened to be about seven hundred meters so we pushed the car to it.
With fuel replenished we decided to go to swim.
Anaklia - is a town on the Black sea coast at the Engury mouth. Plans are to build there new port and resort area. So far just new Youth camp is finished.



After swimming in the warm sea, we returned to Zugdidi and spent the evening in Koba father's house. It was traditional Georgian party with plenty food, wine, toasts, music and songs. By the way - Koba is a composer and musician
http://www.last.fm/music/koba+meskhia .

Tbilisi. Open-air Museum of Ethnography

Next day I visited Open-air Museum of Ethnography. Cable car line was broken, so I went by bus. There is no information signs along the street and I missed my stop again. And next helpful driver explained me how to get there. So I get off the bus and walked half an hour up the steep road.