Ķemeri Forest House
Ķemeri Forest house is really cool outdoors tourism attraction located close to JūrmalaThe park centre is located in Ķemeri, in the “Forest House” . We first discovered this place back in Spring 2018 and made some nice hiking in the area, see: Hiking Trails in Kemeri National Park (Near Forest House)We have been returning here for a few more times ever since. Forest House in ĶemeriThe history of the “Tree House” dates back to the summer of 1933, when in the newly constructed building, a centre for sports and recreation (arch. Fridrihs Skujiņš) was opened, pleasing the visitors with “a exemplary shooting range, various American sport type apparatus, ping-pong, bowling alley,…
Another Daytrip to Kakheti in Georgia
I have said it already several times in the blog - day trips to the region of Kakheti are quite possible and easily done from Tbilisi
Day Trip to Kakheti in Georgia
In today's article, I'll share our route details and discoveries from the latest day trip to Kakheti on October 3, 2020
We left Tbilisi and headed to Telavi via Gombori Pass, here we made a stop at Ujarma fortress where I made some cool drone photography, see: Ujarma Fortress from a drone flight, our next stop is Italian restaurant Enzo's ezo at Chateau Mere close to Telavi.
From here on we head to the Lopota lake side to find some cool vineyards for more drone videography, see: Daytrip to…
Atskuri Fortress
Atskuri is a medieval Georgian fortress located on the right bank of the Mtkvari River, approximately 30 kilometres from Borjomi, in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region.We discovered this fortress by accident while driving to the town of Akhatiskhe. As I was equipped with my DJI Mavic mini drone I made some cool aerography hereAtskuri fortressBuilt on a massive rock back in the 9th century, Atskuri Fortress was an important stronghold for the defense of Georgia during the Middle ages.The fortress was probably situated near the town of Atskuri, of which no traces have been found. First mentioned in the 9th century, the fortress was significantly…
Colors of Georgia / Failed Attempt to Reach Betania Monastery
It was at the start of October, we decided to visit Betania monastery not far from Tbilisi. We took our almost SUV car - Volkswagen Touareg and started the journey.The road sign said 6,7 km and we will reach the monastery.Cool, I thought, I have wanted to visit this place for ages, let me make some cool drone video.Colors of Georgia, on the road to Betania monasteryLittle we know that the drive is not the best, and can take about an hour. it was getting dark, our toddler girl was crying, and it was decided to turn back the car and return here some other day.Author of this blog captured in actionPiece of Life after all!
September 2020 Dividend Income Report - $117.04
Welcome to the forty-first (#41) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks and peer to peer lending in September 2020.Just like in the previous months, we spent the last September here in Georgia. We did a few road trips across the country.Also, I managed to crash and lose my DJI Mavic mini drone and had to order a new one, which got delivered at the end of the month, so more cool drone videos can be done.Sapara monastery in GeorgiaI had a chance to visit this monastery at the end of September 2020 and capture really awesome drone photography / catching colors of the fallThe baby girl attends her pre-school, she is doing great - talking,…
How To Withdraw PayPal to Bank Account in Georgia
Withdrawing funds from PayPal to a local bank account is a popular question in many countries, including Georgia.
As recently I had to renew my VISA card here in Georgia (Bank of Georgia) I decided to test - can I actually withdraw funds from Paypal to a Bank account in Georgia?
If you need consultancy or help with opening a bank account in Georgia, visit the Terramatris website: Opening Bank Account in Georgia
Turns out I can. And it is done at blazing speeds. Funds were transferred in seconds, Awesome.
For the test purposes, I decided to transfer $40 from my PayPal balance to my Georgian bank account.
the transfer took about 3 seconds and cost $5.
Not sure will the…
Rike Park Concert Hall - Music Theater and Exhibition
As the name suggests, the Rike Park Concert Hall is located inside the territory of Rike Park, Tbilisi. The other name Music Theatre and Exhibition hallRike park concert hall in TbilisiThe project site is located inside the green area called Rike Park, in Tbilisi, Georgia.The building consists of two different soft shaped elements that are connected as a unique body at the retaining wall. Every shape has its own function:The north part of the building contains the Musical Theatre Hall (566 seats), the foyer and several facilities, together with technical spaces for theatre machinery and various storages. The Exhibition Hall opens its great entrance with a ramp that brings…
Italy/Switzerland Travel Guide
This is yet another roundup post listing places from our latest trip to Italy and Switzerland at the end of 2019.
Long story short - we travel to Italy's Bergamo by Ryanair from Tbilisi airport, took a rental car, and went to cool places both in Italy and Switzerland. To make it more fun we traveled together with our 16 months old toddler
Also, see my notes from the 2015/2016 travels - My Italy Travel Guide
Paragraph Resort & Spa Shekvetili, Autograph Collection Hotel in Georgia
Set in Shekhvetili, some 40km from Batumi, Paragraph Resort & Spa Shekvetili, Autograph Collection offers 5-star accommodation with an outdoor swimming pool, a tennis court and a fitness center. We booked this hotel for an about a 4-day stay in early August 2020, to celebrate my 35th birthday here.For this stay here we spent GEL 3030 / USD 980. Arrived here from another great hotel in Batumi (Radisson Blu Hotel Batumi) using Bolt taxi application (About 40 GEL)Family room at Parapgrahp Resort and SPA hotel in ShekvetiliAs we were traveling with our 2 years old toddler girl, our room was upgraded (for free) to the family room. We saved at least GEL 1500 from this free upgrade. Which…
Rustaveli Borjomi Hotel
Set in Borjomi on Rustaveli street this Hotel has a bar, shared lounge, garden, and free WiFi throughout the property.This 4-star hotel offers a 24-hour front desk and room service. Free private parking is available and the hotel also offers bike hire for guests who want to explore the surrounding area.We booked this hotel for a one night stay at the end of September 2020 and paid just GEL 88 (USD 26). Now that's definitely a bargain deal. From several hotels we have stayed in Borjomi, this stands out (budget friendly)All guest rooms come with air conditioning, a flat-screen TV with cable channels, a fridge, a kettle, a bidet, a hairdryer and a desk. With a private bathroom fitted with…
Carved Stone Sculptures near Sno - Akhaltsikhe - Juta road
Driving into the village on the winding Sno-Akhaltsikhe-Juta road, just before the entrance, you pass a collection of massive stone heads, somewhat reminiscent of Easter Island, carved out of granite.It was in mid-August 2020, we took a day trip to Juta village to fly drone when our guides told - hey look there are these cool carved stones, let's take a stop here. I thought cool, I will google this place later, but for now, will just take some photos with a drone.And so I didCarved stone sculptures near Sno village in GeorgiaIt took me some time and technical knowledge to find more information about this place using metadata for photos from my DJI Mavic Mini drone (Adobe…
Orio Center Shopping Mall in Bergamo
Located next to the Bergamo airport, Orio center is one of the largest shopping centers in Italy.We visited this shopping mall in mid-November 2019, a day before departing back to Tbilisi from the Bergamo airport.Arrived here from Hotel 'Castello Visconteo' in Cassano dʼAdda, Italy in the late evening, some 2 hours before the mall was closing. Bought some goodies and ate at KFCOrio Center in BergamoIn front of the Orio al Serio international airport you can find one of the largest shopping centers in Italy, the Oriocenter. With over 200 stores distributed on 2 floors, you can find everything you’re looking for in this mall. You can spend an entire day window shopping…
Samsung Galaxy A51 6GB RAM 128GB Review
Samsung Galaxy A51 was first released in December 2019. I bought this phone as a replacement phone for the Samsung Galaxy A50, to whom glass cracked on the tiles at the Champions Academy in Tbilisi after a good workout, at the start of September 2020My previous Galaxy A50 had served me for about a year and was still a very decent phone, to avoid dealing with repairs I decided to take a new one. I was very happy learning that there is the same version but an upgraded model for my phone. Without much thinking I just took it. I'm not the phone photographer/videographer (for that I have a DSLR camera and a drone), but the phone has a very decent camera and plenty…
And We are Back / DJI Mavic Mini drone
The wait is over - today I picked up my already second DJI Mavic mini drone here in Tbilisi.
See how I crashed the first one at the Jvari: Jvari monastery from a drone flight / DJI Mavic Mini crash
We headed straight to the Tianeti / Khatsiri Forest Park
And we are back - short drone videography from drone 2.0
Khatsiri Forest Park near Tianeti
Music by: Scott Holmes - We made it!
Today I bought my first flat on online auction site
On September 18, 2020, I won an online auction for a property in the countryside Latvia.This was the second time me using E-izsoles platform, and the second time winning an online auction (for the truth I won the first time a plot of land, but that place turned out not good for a house building and I revoked it, back in Summer of 2019)In total today, I agreed to pay EUR 3,760 for a 53,7 m2 flat in a 3-storer building in rural Latvia. The name of the village is Vilgāle, and it's located some 171 km from Rīga. There is a huge Vilgāle lake located nearby the property. Can't wait to fly a drone nearbywow what an adrenaline, there was more competition than I thought,with 2 additional…
Tbilisi Open Air Museum of Ethnography
The open-air Museum of Tbilisi is one of the coolest attractions in Tbilisi, situated in the footsteps of Turtle lake. Many cultural events are held here.The museum is located west to Turtle Lake on a hill overlooking the Vake district, Tbilisi. It is essentially a historic village populated by buildings moved there from all main territorial subdivisions of Georgia.I've been heading here ever since I remember myself in Tbilisi. See: Few shots from Tbilisi Cheese FestivalOpen air museum from a drone flightThere is an awesome restaurant located near the park (upper side), offering spectacular views towards the city and of course delicious meals - see: …
Expats in Georgia (Facebook group)
I have been living in Georgia since 2011. During my time here I have been exploring the country, as an Indie traveler, crosswise from the pebbled seashore beaches near Batumi to the desert sand in David Gareji, and have gathered a great collection of my travel notes all across Georgia
Also, I have been contacted zillions of times online asking Georgia-related questions, starting with how to get a residence permit and ending - is there snow in July in Georgia? (Yes, there is, somewhere atop mount Kazbek)
I've decided to launch a separate Facebook group aimed for ex-pats living in Georgia. In this group, we are going to discuss schools and pre-schools, business-…
Jvari monastery from a drone flight / DJI Mavic Mini crash
Jvari Monastery is a popular tourist destination in Georgia, and I believe there are two reasons for that - first it's located close to the nation's capital Tbilisi and second it offers really scenic views to the nearby city of Mtskheta and the delta of Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers. Another reason to mention - the monastery is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
On September 5, 2020 we headed here to make some casual drone videography, unfortunately I lost my beloved DJI Mavic mini drone while filming here.
Using VW Touareg as a drone pad and crashing drone near a UNESCO World Heritage-listed site? It's possible!
Here is the last footage I was able to recover from my phone (the…
August 2020 Dividend Income Report - $171.31
Welcome to the forty (#40) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks and peer to peer lending in August 2020.Last August I turned 35, because of the Covid-19 we couldn't travel much and decided to stay in Georgia. At the start of August we headed to the Black sea coastal town Batumi, and then visited the 5-star Paragraph hotel in Shekvetili for a couple of days. August was pretty awesome.Paragraph Resort & Spa Shekvetili, Autograph Collection Hotel in GeorgiaThe baby girl attends her pre-school, she is doing great - talking a lot, putting together sentences, mixing languages, figuring out new words. Awesome. Quite…
Lower Bethlehemi Church
The Lower Bethlemi Church, also known as the Church of Saint Stepanos of the Holy Virgins is a church in Tbilisi, Georgia. Built as an Armenian church, it now operates as a Georgian orthodox church.Discovered by accident while hiking from other, Holy Mother of God Church of Bethlehem, Tbilisi at the end of August 2020. Made some drone photography hereLower Bethlehemi Church