…and then drive to the Alazani Valley. We have a super place there!

And these are the kinds of views you see from the window!

Let’s get the balloon up and fly above Alazani!

And feast your eyes on this splendor from the basket of a hot air balloon!

The next day, we get an early start and are on our way to Tusheti.

The road winds up into the mountains, we don’t have far to go, but it takes a lot of getting there!

This is not the suburban life you are used to, this is the Great Caucasian Mountain Range!

And Tushins live here (a sub-ethnic group).

it takes around seven hours to make the climb (the local “Schumachers” can do it in four-and-a-half).

We are at an altitude of ten thousand feet!

There are sheep…

and watch towers…

and local contemplative shepherds…

and another lone contemplator.

The horses here are of an endemic breed, they were born and grew up in these mountains and they know what they are doing!

And this is a typical Tushin settlement, the people here still live in ancestral towers.

If you like, you can have a room on the top floor of a penthouse!

The settlements are scattered in the mountains. This is as close to heaven as you get!

The Tushins, like most Georgians, are Orthodox Christians.

You don’t get to visit here without an invitation!

This is the way of life.

And there are some unusual ancient traditions.

What a way to live!!!

As you can understand, no one has ever fought in these mountains for thousands of years.

No one has even wanted to!

We have taken an excursion around the mountains and “tired but happy” went our way home. So how did you like it?