Ushguli - a high mountain village in Georgia’s region of Svaneti, looks and feels more like a medieval town, and not at all like an inhabited human settlement in 21st century.

The road from Mestia to Ushguli is adventure in itself. After first three quarters of the way, the concrete pavement ends and surface turns into a mixture of stones, mud, puddles, crossing streams, all while surrounded by mountain wall and falling rocks on one side, and a cliff with river at the bottom, on another.

Small and intimate, dotted with dozens of svan towers, stone homes with massive wooden doors and slate roofs, the village is just incredible place for a slow walk. And while muddy walkways might seem like a nuisance - they really add to experience.

After browsing for a bit more, the time is right to have a breakfast. It is still early in the morning so only dogs, chikens, cows, pigs, and a couple of tourists and locals are up. There a few cafes in town but they are not yet open. Finally, passing by one just on the edge of the village, I spotted the owner. Fifteen minutes later, and I am sitting on a side of a hill, admiring the town bellow and surrounding green hills, while getting my coffee fix and devouring hot khachapuri, fried eggs, and slices of tomato with almost controlled substance addictive - svanian salt.

Snow-covered peaks of Shkhara mountain is the main backdrop of the valley. The Shkhara glacier, a partial source of Enguri river, is about 10 km from Ushguli and a popular easy day hike. Being short on time and having a car, I drive the first 7.5 km of that distance.

Standing in front of the glacier and feeling the cold coming from it is humbling. Looking at the melting water dripping down the ice-sheet is both inspiring, because the tiny drops coming together give birth to a mighty river down below, and sad - because just like here, ice-sheets all around the World are rapidly melting away...