• ABOUT US
    • History
    • Our Team
    • Advertising
    • Subscription
  • CONTACT US
Georgia Today
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business & Economy
  • Social & Society
  • Sports
  • Culture
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business & Economy
  • Social & Society
  • Sports
  • Culture
No Result
View All Result
Georgia Today
No Result
View All Result

Again with Ushba: Svaneti

by Georgia Today
August 5, 2021
in Blog, Newspaper, Social & Society
Reading Time: 3min read
Again with Ushba: Svaneti

Well, the hardest climb (though not the highest) in the Caucasus certainly has a personality, as much as mountains can. It stunned me again recently with some new looks I’d never seen before.

I was driving back from Mestia to Etseri with my wife and some dear friends who are also guests of ours at the moment, a lady and her niece from Kakheti who had never been to Svaneti before. We saw clouds covering Ushba near Becho on the way out at midday, and I held out little hope for change at our return late afternoon, Mestia also offering no difference. The best time to catch the mountain uncovered is usually mornings, though it can surprise at any time, as my 700+ photos over 21 years point out.

As we swung around the corner where one’s next view happens, above Becho near the turnoff to the village of Tskhumari, there it was. But only just: a veil of mist covered the magnificent top part, barely but definitely visible through it, almost taunting me. I stopped the car and ran out with camera ready, and took a few shots of this apparition.

We stopped again a few minutes later as my wife wanted to check out the concrete block factory above Becho, still going strong since it had finished making raw concrete for President Saakashvili’s road renovation of the region some years ago. There the view of Ushba was still veiled, but getting clearer, yet still as mysterious as ever. While she discussed our café’s materials needs with the factory overseer, I shot away, even finding a smooth puddle of water for much-desired reflections.

Then, business there finished, I decided on a whim to take us on the new asphalt road into Becho itself, to its far end at Mazeri and the Grand Hotel Ushba, to see how the road was and whether the Mountain would continue to reveal itself. Clouds around it really help the dramatic mood, I find, more than a plain blue sky, which can be a bit boring in its featurelessness. Clouds at least let you know that you should count yourself lucky to see the mountain at all. I also find myself converting my color original RAW files to black and white most of the time for this and most landscape work nowadays, and will likely make new monochrome versions of all my old Ushba shots in future too.

It did continue to clear up, and as we drove as far as we intended to, the sharpest view of the day loomed out of the clouds. So we had the best of all worlds in a half-hour time space: from invisibly misted over to well-defined in all its details. The little “fangs” called Babua and Bebia (Grandfather and Grandmother) also stood out well on the left hand side, adding a third dimension.

It is such a privilege for me to live so close to this towering presence. The irony of not being able to see it from our house at all is mitigated by views from five minutes’ walk away, and many other angles, from our own village of Etseri, Pari, various points on the road, Becho, Tskhumari, Latali, Mestia, the Khatsvali and Tetnuldi ski resorts, K’ala and far above Ushguli. I have seen it from all these places, and mostly still lack the view from above Nak’ra, which I’m told will throw in Elbrus, highest peak in the Caucasus, in the same frame as Ushba for free. A balloon ride is still a firm dream, getting my wife and me perhaps closer and to more exotic angles than any other way (except by helicopter, also on my bucket list). Now THAT will be something to write home and here about.

BLOG by Tony Hanmer

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 nearly 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

Tags: SvanetiTony HanmerUshba
ShareShareTweet

Related Posts

One of 6 Foreign Tourists Stuck on Tetnuldi Peak Dies, Rescue Operation Underway To Save 3 Others
Social & Society

One of 6 Foreign Tourists Stuck on Tetnuldi Peak Dies, Rescue Operation Underway To Save 3 Others

August 13, 2022
2 out of 6 Stranded Tourists Brought by Helicopter to Mestia
Social & Society

2 out of 6 Stranded Tourists Brought by Helicopter to Mestia

August 13, 2022
Rescue Operation Underway on Tetnuldi Peak to Save Tourists
Social & Society

Rescue Operation Underway on Tetnuldi Peak to Save Tourists

August 12, 2022

Recommended

Natia Mezvrishvili on Dealing with 2 Political Giants

Natia Mezvrishvili on Dealing with 2 Political Giants

4 months ago
Giorgi Gakharia: We were Told We Were Capable of Nothing – It’s All a Lie and Ukraine is a Great Example of This

Giorgi Gakharia: We were Told We Were Capable of Nothing – It’s All a Lie and Ukraine is a Great Example of This

5 months ago
GT Interview with Giorgi Badridze

GT Interview with Giorgi Badridze

5 months ago
Russo-Ukrainian War and Georgia – Analysis from security expert Kakha Kemoklidze

Russo-Ukrainian War and Georgia – Analysis from security expert Kakha Kemoklidze

6 months ago

Navigation

  • News
  • Politics
  • Business & Economy
  • Social & Society
  • Sports
  • Culture
  • International
  • Where.ge
  • Newspaper
  • Magazine
  • GEO
  • OP-ED
  • About Us
    • History
    • Our Team
    • Advertising
    • Subscription
  • Contact

Highlights

Public Defender: Investigation Should Be Launched into Statements Made by Soso Gogashvili’s Family, Lawyers

Lawyer: Interior Minister Called Soso Gogashvili in Prison and Threatened Him

Kitedreams Georgia Presents Batumi Kite Festival 2022

Russia’s Invasion Week 23: Kyiv Says Warplanes Destroyed in Crimea

Parliament of Georgia Continues Intensive Work on Implementation of Recommendations Set Out by EC

Eerik-Niiles Kross: The Georgian Government is Getting Away with Things that They Shouldn’t

Trending

No Content Available
  • Where.ge
  • Newspaper
  • GEO
  • Magazine
  • Old Website

2000-2022 © Georgia Today

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business & Economy
  • Social & Society
  • Sports
  • Culture
  • International
  • Where.ge
  • Newspaper
  • Magazine
  • GEO
  • OP-ED
  • About Us
    • History
    • Our Team
    • Advertising
    • Subscription
  • Contact

2000-2022 © Georgia Today