Jen Rice Travels

Loved this place at cracko dawn -- no tourists, just a full moon, a gently violet sky, and fun with reflections :).

Fun weekend trip to Yerevan! We took the midnight train from Georgia and spent a couple days in the city. No pics, but we enjoyed the food and wine. The drive back to Tbilisi featured a couple lovely, photogenic stops with 5th century churches and monasteries.

Unwavering purpose.
I was in the mountainous borderlands of far eastern Georgia, on the edge of Russia, last month.

This elderly woman and her aging son are the last Protectors of the Highlands in this part of the country. The Protectors have held the borders for 1,000 years against invaders, but the young generations are moving to the city or out into the bigger world.

They are the sole residents of an otherwise empty, crumbling and remote stone village, and their life's mission is to hold the border. When they're gone, the region will be considered unoccupied territory and the Russians can move the line.

They don't leave their tiny home in the winter; they're quite literally snowed in for months at a time, living on stockpiled food and water, with just each other for company.

But they refuse to move. Their role as Protector, passed down through generations, is passionately held.

She eagerly agreed to allow me, the western foreigner, to photograph her. Through a translator, they told me -- "please take our story to the world. We're alone out here, and people need to know." Holding onto the Georgian identity and land is paramount.

I share because it needs to be shared. Because they're an inspiration. Because their unwavering commitment and sense of mission is so rare these days.

It got me thinking about holding the boundaries of identity, and being rooted and grounded in passion and purpose. Not flexing with popular trends, or people-pleasing, or just not feeling like it.

Ruined fortress near Diklo in the remote region of

Oh hello, foals! I didn't realize the babies have blue eyes... :)
--
is the main (albeit quite small) village in the region of Georgia. Nestled between mountain ranges, it's home to horses, cows, wildflowers, and - as base camp for hikers - quite a few guest houses. You'll find loads of trails here, from short day hikes to multi-day backpacking (or horse riding) trips.

Long weekend in the remote Tusheti region of Georgia. 9 hour drive both ways (ouch) on a pretty scary road, but totally worth it. These 4 pics were shot near our guest house in Omalo.

Summer road trip time again! This time roaming the North Coast 500 in Scotland. First stop, Pitlochry! Now in Inverness and will pick up my Campervan tomorrow.

I don't even remember where this was. It's just yet another scenic stop in a country that is, in itself, a scenic stop!

Hi kids! The sheep are always so curious.

If Mordor was a real place, this is it -- Krafla lava fields in Iceland. Scorched earth as far as the eye can see, with steam percolating from deep under the earth. Very, very cool.