The Stori River valley on the road to Omalo, looking back towards Kakheti
The Alazani River Valley and the road to Omalo
The map of Tusheti outside the visitors centre in Omalo
Our hotel and their dog Gabi in the warming afternoon sun
Our host Paata plays a traditional Tushetian song before dinner
Wildcat, badger and bear skins hanging in the hotel, which is also Paata’s family’s house
The fields of Lower Omalo and our horses for the day’s trek to Lake Oreti
Omalo, with the towers of Keselo watching over
Looking out over the Alazani Valley towards Dagestan from our lunch stop near Lake Oreti
One of the locals in the village of Dartlo
Our host for lunch in Dartlo, Alika, and his son Erekle. The boy would not leave his father’s side and, confusingly for me, kept saying “Mama, Mama!”. “Mama” means “father” in Georgian.
An impromptu lunch offer from Alika, who gave us a lift from Omalo to Dartlo. The pizza-looking dish is Khachapuri, a typical Georgian cheese bread. After lunch we and his family piled into his Hilux for the ride to Omalo. They were moving back to Kakheti for the long Tushetian winter.
We visited a museum in one of the Keselo towers and a rain storm came through. After it had cleared we stepped out to the sight of afternoon rainbows
These houses on the side of a hill near Shenako are where the animals are kept for the winter. Three families in Shenako remain for the winter to look after the flocks.
The frescoes in the little church on the hill in Shenako
Berries by the roadside on the walk to Shenako
On the walk back from Shenako, a 30-year-old Lada Niva rumbled past and offered us a lift. In the back, in a box, was this Caucasian sheep dog puppy. They cut the ears when days old so they don’t impede the dog’s hearing.
The Accidental Oriental 