Places you should visit Part 2: Mestia, Georgia

Welcome back to Places you should visit!! I want to thank all of you for letting me reach 100 followers in only 3 days I've been on Steemit!

Today we're going to talk about a pristine town in the mountains with great food, welcoming and proud locals and a breath-taking scenery! To be honest, it's one of the few places I have been where every single tourist was respectful of the local customs and nature, something that cannot always be taken for granted. But enough with the talk, let's introduce Mestia's Factbook! PS: we're talking about Georgia the country, not the US state!

FACTBOOK

WHAT IS MESTIA

Mestia is a village of 2600 people located in Svaneti, a historical region of Georgia, a country bordered by Russia, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Svaneti is in the north of the country, close to the Russian border. Mestia is 1500 metres above sea level and it's located in the Caucasus mountains. It's the capital of the region and a good starting point for excursions to the nearby towns including Ushguli, the highest inhabited village in Europe!

HOW CAN YOU REACH MESTIA

There is a small airport in town, with only domestic flights. Georgia has 3 international airports: Batumi, Kutaisi and Tbilisi. Batumi is a sea-side town that has mostly summer flights, Tbilisi is the capital of the country and Kutaisi is Georgia's second biggest city and its airport has low-cost connections (Wizzair) to European countries.

For road transport, the Russian border is closed due to the ongoing situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Also, Mestia has only one road going out to the other parts of Georgia, which means that if there is an accident you can be stuck for a couple of hours (true story!). I took a marshrutka, a shared van very common in former Soviet Union countries, to Tbilisi. The trip took about 10 hours, including a couple of breaks and the accident I mentioned in the previous sentence. Tickets must be bought in advance at one of the local shops. If you're coming from the seaside, there is a marshrutka departing from Zugdidi.

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT MESTIA

There are a few guesthouses and hotels. I paid less than 2 euros to pitch my tent in a family's yard, with the view you saw in the first picture. There aren't any supermarkets but there are a few bakeries and restaurants. I would always eat at Cafe Laila, in the centre of the town. For 5 euro, I would eat two dishes ( I was keen on trying the local Svaneti cuisine) and a pint of Natakhtari beer. Cafe Laila has kosher food, as there are many Israeli tourists around, due to the proimity of the two countries. The main attractions in town are the mountains (there are many that can be done hiking for the day) and the surrounding Svaneti villages. In winter, there are ski resorts where one can go to. The architecture is typical of the area and features watchtowers, often used in the past. You have an example of them in the last picture. There is also a river flowing through town and I have seen people doing tours riding a horse, if that's your thing.

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT GEORGIA

The local language is Georgian, which not only has its unique alphabet, it's also not related to any other language on Earth! So good luck trying to learn a few words! The older generation speaks Russian, while the younger people speak a bit of English. 30 year olds are hit-and-miss, as it may happen that you meet someone who only speaks Georgian! Georgia is an Orthodox Christian country. The electricity plugs are identical to the European ones and the timezone is GMT+3. The local currency is the Lari. The exchange rates are 1 EUR = 2,70 GEL and 1 USD = 2,41 GEL.

The country is mountainous and doesn't really have highways so even short distances may take longer than expected. Marshrutkas are commonly used to get around, even though trains connect the major cities and provide international connections to Armenia and Azerbaijan. Georgia is famous for it's wine, as it has been produced here for thousands of years! The local beer and soft drinks are all branded Natakhtari, after the name of a Georgian town. The local liquor is chacha, a fruit brandy that will most likely be offered to you!

Georgian cuisine is amazing and you should try its various recipes, also because prices are very cheap. By cheap, I mean paying a can of cocacola or a bottle of water and khachapuri for 2 lari! Even in Tbilisi! Khachapuri is similar to the Italian cheese focaccia, but can also feature other ingredients such as potatoes or, in the Adjaran khachapuri, an egg! Lobiani is a focaccia with red beans. Khinkali are dumplings filled with meat, similar to Russian pelmeni.

The most famous gathering for Georgians is supra,a feast with its own unique rituals. Georgians as a whole are very friendly and welcoming of foreigners. Spontaneous hospitality is a thing, and it has happened to me as well in Marneuli, a town 20 km south of Tbilisi. Avoid talking about Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and keep in mind that Russians aren't well viewed around here. In the town of Gori, Stalin's hometown, be careful with political discussions as it's one of the few places on Earth where Stalinists are still a thing.

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