Gonio, Adjara, Georgia, August 2010

By the way, the dancing was in honour of the TLG first team's arrival in Adjara province, where most of this team will be stationed for its teaching work. (3 lucky ones, myself included, get to be in Mestia, Svaneti.)

British Columbia, Canada, July *1989*

Just noticed that I hadn't posted anything for today, so I slipped this in now:

Blast from the past, 21 years ago, a mountain bike trip with a good friend from Jasper to Sidney, BC. Scans from b/w negatives - not perfect, but not too bad either. 3 weeks of sunshine interrupted by only 1 stretch of rain lasting about 2 hours

Waterfall, central Svaneti, late July 2010

A welcome stop on the way down - funny, all these 11 years driving by it, occasionally stopping, never knowing (middle picture) how great it was at the top...

Svaneti, Georgia, late July 2010

Glacially fed Enguri reservoir, which, dammed, gives all of Svaneti's Mestia Region free electricity

View towards Mt Tetnuldi, Mestia

Unfortunate unintended victim of a mousetrap - at least the end was instantaneous

Wondering what the new background is...?

R U S T

K'ala & Mulakhi, Svaneti, Georgia, late July 2010

Wouldn't YOU feel better in this remote mountain village, potentially cut off by winter avalanches or summer rockfalls, knowing this shiny new machine was around to help clear the roads? I would - I've been cut off from the rest of Georgia for a month due to avalanches in Ushguli before...

Bottom - view from the pass between Ipari & Mulakhi, roughly halfway between Mestia & Ushguli

K'ala, Svaneti, Georgia, late July 2010

This is a small 9th-century family church in K'ala, along with some of its interior - an angel fresco, middle, and icon, of the Virgin Mary and her Son, below

Kvirikoba, K'ala, Svaneti, Georgia, 29/7/2010

Okay... if you've forgiven me for the gore of the last post's images, a regular part of life in Svaneti, here are a few shots from the interior of the church where Kvirikoba happens

Kvirikoba, K'ala, Svaneti, Georgia, 29/7/2010

I TOLD you there'd be sacrifice! Did you think I was joking?

Kvirikoba, K'ala, Svaneti, Georgia, 29/7/2010

Top 2: candles on the outside of the church wall

Bottom: boy with goat, the latter soon to be sacrificed

Kvirikoba, K'ala, Svaneti, Georgia, 29/7/2010

Above the village of K'ala stands this beautiful little church, reachable by a somewhat tortuous track. The Kvirikoba festival, Svaneti's most important religious event after Christmas and Easter, happens here, visited by hundreds of people in late July from all over the world.

Top 2, people watching a strongman competition - the rock is not only very heavy, it's also very difficult to get a firm grip on due to its size

Bottom - view of part of K'ala, with Mt Ushba (top centre) presiding over all, nice weather for it

Gonio, Adjara, Georgia, August 2010

Yes, it's time for a few more motion-blurred dancer shots, in my opinion the best way to capture dance in a still image. Take a Gravol if they make you dizzy

Becho/Mulakhi, Svaneti, Georgia, late July 2010

A very convenient and nice group with which Lali & I traveled from Etseri to K'ala for the Kvirikoba festival, then back to Etseri, and down to the lowlands the next day. Bottom is a view of the south peak of Ushba from Becho as we were going up, in the morning. Top 2 - the same mountain, behind the group.

Introductions via Blog, Batumi, Georgia, 15/8/2010

This is Bie (pronounced "bee"), from Belgium/Canada, in Georgia for the TLG programme. She came up to me recently in Tbilisi, said, "Tony?", heard my affirmative, then asked, "Geosynchronicity?" This stunned me, until she explained that she has been a faithful visitor to my blog for a long time now, from Toronto, Canada! She is the first person I have met as a result of the blog, which rates an introduction to the rest of you. Now, as I reach 20 followers and 20000 visits from 126 countries, is a fitting time to have met such a person - makes it all feel even more worthwhile.

Meeting the President of Georgia

Yesterday, all current TLG people in Georgia were invited to Batumi, on the Black Sea coast, to meet with President Mikheil Saakashvili. 2 from Mestia couldn't make the journey due to very bad roads after heavy rains, though they certainly tried, setting off at 0300!

More than 100 of us did meet the man, though. I was ready with a gift from home - one of my photographs of Tbilisi from the year 2000 (see it below); many thanks for the print from some years ago, NWB!

He talked about our coming to Georgia via the TLG programme, his own initiative, and what he hopes it to mean for the country - a chance for the entire country's population of schoolchildren to learn English, an ambitious undertaking which is gradually taking shape. By the beginning of September 2011, there should be more than 2000 TLG volunteers here, one per school, helping to teach English to all grades...

Etseri & Pari, Svaneti, July 2010

Mineral water spring just outside Etseri

Mt Ushba peeking its southern peak above Pari

Fence gone horizontal

A New Adventure Begins

I've signed on with Teach and Learn with Georgia (TLG) and will begin a school year of English teaching in Mestia, Svaneti, in September. Lali & I will be staying with a local family. Although I've been to and through Mestia many times over the last 11 years, I've not spent much time getting to know this town, the capital of Svaneti, home of nearly 70 ancient stone watchtowers. Should be fascinating!

NB If YOU decide to join the TLG program, please tell them that I sent you there...

Etseri, Svaneti, Georgia, July 2010

Waltz, spin

Etseri view

Ruined house again, open to the sky

Etseri, Svaneti, Georgia, July 2010

Happy 20th Christine! (left)

Swinger

Long-ruined house, tragedy

Etseri, Svaneti, Georgia, July 2010

Views around Etseri fom a high vantage point - top, the hamlet where we stayed a month recently, a favourite haunt