Vaella Laella

Two weeks has passed in Georgia and we have got into many adventures; in addition of visiting in Kwemo Kwaloni Public school and home, made an exiting journey to north Georgia’s Svaneti mountains and all the time have been followed by the policemen. All in all, there has not been too much chances of missing Turkey or anything else but to be here and now, in Georgia.

Since leaving Nana’s place in Khobi we have always had police companion. They want to guarentee our safety, so they are following us and parking beside us. But oh so polite: they dont force us to leave or hurry us up in the traffic, but they are just there, like ghosts… Well in the beginning it was actually quite annoying, they were parking just two meters from the bus door listening loud russian techno. It seemed to be nature education for policemen too: to make them spend nights in the nature just because of some crazy caravan tourists.

Gabriel and Georgi cutting garlic

Guarding us got even more active when we entered to the area of Svaneti mountains which is remote area in north known of the tourist robberies . So 24 hours Big Brother was watching us. Reaching Svaneti mountains and remote village of Mestia was a bit of challenge itself beacause of the holes in the narrow montain road.

Making the better wooooorld  …. or at least road suitable for Ossi kjih:) with police companion

Police was trying to suggest us to either stay in the yard of the police station or reach a camping place after more holey road, but we insisted to get to stay in the nature and so we did, with our guardian police men, Goba and Robert. They were kind and even gave us lift 15kilometers to Mestia (to where the road was impossible for the Bus).

with Roberto and Goba in Svaneti

Mestia has a long history and strong religious background. Something very touching in the landscape with many many watch towers here and there.

Georgian nature has offered Amazingly beautiful waterfalls with mountain views and lovely rivers and a lot of green!! It seems to be rain and sunshine in nice balance in the springtime here…

This Im writing in our camp after mountain journeys, back to Khobi area by a strange abandonded factory area with thousands of frogs making noise and the police cars just some tens of meters of us. I guess we will be guarded until the boarder of Azerbaizan so some weeks more

Making the road movie on police car:)

After few days in Georgia we got the first English speaking visitor to the Bus. Nana was her name and she told to be an English teacher in local school. She invited us to visit her school and sure we did! It was a perfect chance to start our FriendshipSchool Project  which means connecting Caucasus children by video and letter greetings to Finnish schools or schools in Asia. When visiting a school it is an idea to prepare something on video to be sent to another school in another country. With this video performance can be included some letters of the children for the correspondence.

 So, in Kvemo Kvaloni Public School we worked two days with pupils of 5th grade making puppet theater. First day passed by playing with sounds and making own puppet and the scenery. Second day was for making a play with them and filmed it for sending to Finnish school in Jyvaskyla. . It became “Loma’s Birthday”; everybody got a role and it seemed to be good fun for the children. 

Making the puppets and scenery

Practising… and: The Show Time!

For us it was beautiful to experience Georgian school which in european standard felt like travelling some 50 years back in time. Everybody was of course curious of us and so there was always audience in the workshops.

It was lovely also to visit Nana’s home in Khobi, her two children had full show in traditional dances all evening long…

Since the first moments in Georgia we have got introduced also with the toasting traditions of this country. The host always has to make the toast and there is hundreds of kinds reasons for giving the speech. Also in the school while having a break from the workshop, we got invited for lunch in the teacher’s room and many many toasts with wine for us… Wouldn’t have happened in Finland for sure!!

Thank You, Didi Madloba !!!