Christmas in Cairo (day 4)

Our last full day of touring took us on the road to Alexandria. This was more than a two-hour drive. The road was good and our guide, being a former colonel in the army, was able to show his ID and bypass the toll checkpoints.

We stopped at a (Shell) gas station, and saw this lady making bread in her curbside pizza oven.

Drove past a lot of apartment blocks that looked very much like apartments in Tbilisi.

In Alexandria we visited the new, spectacular library. No, not this one... Library of Alexandria.   THIS one... Library of Alexandria

We visited the port and had a seafood lunch overlooking the water.

Took a stroll on the pier.

And, of course, enjoyed the typical street scenes.

A cup of tea and a smoke at the cafe

Tourism police still everywhere

Somebody dropped their eggplant

And we posed in front of this little shop where we got some great baklava.

Svaneti (1)

Last week we had the chance to travel to the Svaneti (სვანეთი) region in northwestern Georgia. Svaneti is the highest occupied region in the Caucasus. It is remote and rugged, with high mountains and deep gorges, and occupied by a distinct group of people, the Svans, who speak their own, unwritten language. They tend to be closed, and suspicious of outsiders.

We went with a small group, which included a friend who had relatives in Svaneti. One of her uncles joined us for the four days we were there, and was our guide and security. We found lodging at a home-stay in Mestia, one of the chief communities of Upper Svaneti, and toured from there with a driver and four-wheel-drive van.

Following are pictures with a few notes. Of course, you can click on any picture for a larger view. Or, click on either of these two links for a bit more info about Svaneti.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svaneti

http://wikitravel.org/en/Svaneti

Svaneti (2) Getting there

We left Tbilisi in the early morning by marshutka (a public minivan) bound for Zugdidi, five hours away.

The sign in the window says "Zugdidi"

Of course we had to make a bathroom stop.

Pay 20 tetri (12 cents) to use the toilet

Buy some delicious sweet bread or bags of fruit

Zugdidi is a nice looking town

Change to another marshutka for the 4-hour ride to Mestia

Starting to look more rural

Strange sights

and more bathroom breaks

We now have our Svan guide (left) and driver

and the scenery begins to look more rugged

and beautiful

and remote.

We do make a lunch stop for some khachapuri (cheese bread) and I get a few shots of the kitchen in the cafe.

Svaneti (3) Mestia

Mestia is where we found our home-stay, and was our base for the days we spent in Svaneti. From here we toured out, to Usghuli the first day, and for a long hike up to a glacier the second day. In between these side trips we did wander around the town a bit. Here are some representative pictures of what we saw there.

Our home-stay

run by the Svan wife (left) of our driver.

The rooms were comfortable

and she made some great food.

We did visit the museum

Shoes and snowshoes

Pot for boiling meat

And, here are some representative views in the town.

The town square

Old Svan

Young Svan

Svan women with their ducklings

Old with new

Fixer-upper on the main street