Photo: Mestia, note old towers
Late in the afternoon, Mike thumbed down a truck for a lift. We all climbed in the back of the truck and took off on a narrow mountain road toward Mestia. A pickup behind us soon sped past, with the passenger shooting a wild shot from his revolver over our heads, all in jest. The driver honked his horn at every opportunity. At one point he stopped a truck loaded with gasoline, so as to buy some gas off of them for his nearly empty truck. The ride took us past many spectacular sights, particularly of the many watch towers. At Mestia we checked into a YWCA.
That night we could not find a restaurant open, so we had to settle for one more backpack meal. It seemed very unusual that almost everything would be closed up at night. Taya blamed it on the new liquor laws. In Mestia as in the other Svantin villages, cows and pigs freely wandered the streets. One had to watch his step.
Photo: Mestia in the morning
Photo: YWCA in Mestia
Photo: Mestia square
Photo: Mestia watchtower
Map of USSR
