Tbilisi & Svaneti, Georgia, July-August 2010

Tony the amateur handyman wiring lights in his & Lali's new apartment! Didn't know I had it in me! But necessity is the mother of Give it a Go

Centre - a new icon for Kvirikoba

Bottom - Lali at Pari

Batumi & Svaneti, July-August 2010

The church bell from K'ala's St Kvirike Church

Adjaruli khachapuri (Adjaran cheese bread), before the fork is stuck in & everything gets mixed together - yum!

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

Nr. K'ala, Svaneti, Georgia

Don't mean to scare off any prospective independent travellers - it was only 4 hours from Mestia to Ushguli in the newly inauguratedmarshroutka (public minivan).  Some of the delay was due to a stop for the men to drink at a famous cross near K'ala; and then there was the small rockfall a bit higher up from that, in the section of road which I call "Mordor" for its forbidding aspect.  We cleared the rocks away with hands and shovels, all exited the vehicle, and Mikho drove it across the scary bit on a wheel and a prayer.  Whew, going home.

K'ala, Svaneti, Georgia

This time I've included a couple of views of the village of K'ala itself, so you can see where I was shooting. It's about 10 km below Ushguli on the way to Mestia.

K'ala, Svaneti, Georgia

Not getting tired of endless vistas of the same stretch of frozen river, I hope, dear viewer? Sorry, I'm kinda stuck on it, but not for much longer. Bear with me.

K'ala, Svaneti, Georgia

These pictures would all look totally different in other lights. Earlier sunlight wouldn't have the same gold colour about it, not having had to travel as fat to the atmosphere to reach the scene and the eye. This late afternoon light (and that of the morning) also has the advantage of lengthening shadows, giving landscapes more fully realised 3d definition

K'ala, Svaneti, Georgia

Furry snow, anyone? Layered ice? Fractal edges and textures? The river had it all on display, pulling out all the stops for my enjoyment and now for yours, I hope

K'ala, Svaneti, Georgia

The necessary element I forgot to mention in yesterday's post was H in the process of becoming He - in other words, the sun, casting its low late golden light over almost everything I saw and transforming it

K'ala, Svaneti, Georgia

More of the winter ice at K'ala during the hour or so of my stop there in December. H(two)O really does have infinite variety in its choice of forms, as well as at least three states in which to manifest - here the solid dominates, liquid plays a supporting role, and gas is not visibly present