Investment Goal #5 - $100,000 by the end of 2021 in Savings Account (Stocks, Cryptocurrencies, Peer to Peer Lending)
| Investments | 52 seen
This article has been in my blog drafts section since January 2018. With the New Year fast approaching, I took another look on it, and despite the goal sounds a bit scary to me now, I decided that January 1st, 2019 is a great day to publish it. As they say, there is no better date to make a wish. Here you go - my New Years resolution - a plan for the next three years.
I'm 33 now, and I have a goal to have in saving account a million dollars by the time I will turn 60, in 2045. I started my wealth building journey just two years ago in 2017, and by now I've managed to save ~ $20,000. On average that's about $10,000 a year.
To make it to $100K in the next 3 years, it would ask me to save $80,000 or about $26K a year. With my current savings rate, I could barely reach $50K by the end of 2021.
Now, that's why I decided to boost my goal (Which is just a small step from the bigger goal) - frankly speaking, from today's perspective, looking - I have not a single clue, how to double my savings rate on a yearly basis.
On the other hand, there are a couple of options I'm considering…
The Botanical Garden of the University of Latvia
| Tourism objects | 23 seen
The Botanical Garden of the University of Latvia is located in Pardaugava (Kandavas 2), just a 10-minute ride from the central part of Riga. The garden was founded in 1922.
Over 15ha visitors can explore hothouses and outdoor collections with some 6,000 different plants. It is one of the most well-loved recreational spaces in Riga - you can slowly walk the garden’s compact yet informationally saturated territory, get to know plants from all over the world, visit the Plants House, the Azalea House as well as the Tropical House, or just enjoy lush nature in the middle of the city.
Whether you are a gardening enthusiast, a botanical expert, or just want to spend time in a beautiful and pleasant environment, you will always find something interesting here.
Tropical house building in Riga Botanical garden
I first visited Riga Botanical garden in March 2018. I haven't seen many botanical gardens, but this one really reminded the one you can find in Kiev, Ukraine (Hryshko National Botanical Garden in Kiev)
The garden’s collection is wide and carefully chosen - it includes protected plants, or those used for medical treatment,…
The Grand Documentary of 2017
| Documentaries | 17 seen
The Grand Documentary of 2017 is a second part from the never-ending Grand Documentary series, originally set back in 2016.
The Grand Documentary of 2017 is a 5 minutes and 23 seconds long short film documenting our lives back in 2017.
Filmed in various countries across the Globe throughout 2017, glued, polished, laminated, beaten and put together in Tbilisi, Georgia, using Premiere CC
Places from the film:
- 3 Weeks in Crete (Complete Itinerary list)
- Weekend Trip To Kiev, Ukraine
P.S. There is also in production "The Great Documentary 2018", which promises to delight us very soon - in the first quarter of 2019
Top Hotels in Baltezers, Latvia
| Hotel reviews | 9 seen
Baltezers is a popular recreational village located in Ādaži Municipality some 17 km from Riga city center.
The place is popular among tourists from the close neighboring countries like Estonia and Lithuania (because of Via Baltic road) and also for tourists from Scandinavia and Russia.
In today's article, I've listed the top 3 hotels to book here in Baltezers.
Disclosure: hotels listed below contain links to Booking.com, by clicking on links on this page and by making a reservation on Booking.com site, I will earn an affiliate income, at no cost to you.
BaltvillaRead my review here
This 4-star hotel Baltvilla is located 9.3 mi from the center of Riga, on the shore of a lake with a private beach area and on the Via Baltica highway (E67). Baltvilla is located 2.5 mi from Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum. Free WiFi is provided throughout the property and a wide private parking is available for guests free of charge.
Baltvilla hosts a restaurant on the ground floor. It specializes in European and Italian cuisines and there guests can enjoy meals throughout the day. A summer terrace with a…
Weekend Trip To Kiev, Ukraine
| Travel guides | 15 seen
Weekend trip to Kyiv, Ukraine is a short recap of my 32 birthday celebrations back in 2017.
In short, we booked a central hotel in the city center, used local taxi's a lot, traveled forth and back to the distant neighborhoods, and tried a lot of great Ukrainian cuisine.
Traditions should be respected. For the fourth year in a row, I have been celebrating my birthday at one of the former Soviet Union member country's capital cities. It all started in Yerevan, continued in Tallinn, Vilnius and now it was the turn for Kyiv.
In fact, we made a short trip to Kyiv at the end of 2016, during a flight to the US, and back then we decided to return here in Summer. See Short Day Trip To Kiev, Ukraine
Puzata Hata, Khreschatyk Street, Kyiv, Ukraine
| Restaurant reviews | 34 seen
Puzata Hata is a popular (and probably the largest) chain in Kiev - it serves traditional Ukrainian cuisine for a budget price.
Puzata Hata was one of our favorite Kiev restaurant chains we visited during our latest trip to Kiev in August 2017. See: Kiev restaurants
The Puzata Khata Restaurant Network opened its doors to the first visitors in 2003. Then it was the first restaurant in Bessarabka, in the center of Kiev.
Puzata Hata in Kiev
Today, Puzata Hata is a network of modern restaurants with quality and fast service, where you can taste delicious Ukrainian and European cuisine.
Traditional Ukrainian Cuisine
Mmm, pancakes ... yummy
I doubt we spent even USD 10 here for two person meal. Highly recommend!
3 Weeks in Crete (Complete Itinerary list)
| Travel guides | 66 seen
This is a round-up post for our 3 weeks trip to Crete, Grece in June 2017, listing most of the places (tourism objects, hotels, restaurants, and more)
In short, we fled from Tbilisi via Athens to Chania, see About Tbilisi - Athens - Chania (Greece) flight by Aegean Airlines, spent some 8 hours in Athens, and arrived at Chania international airport from where our Cretan trip started.
From the airport, we took a public bus (the price was cheap, some EUR 2 per person, or something).
Once we arrived at the Chania bus station we found our apartment we had prebooked already in Georgia, and it was some 5-minute walking distance from the bus station.
In the evening we went out to have some Cretan-style dinner, and I made some lovely night photography in Chania.
The next morning we decided to head to the nearby town of Agia Marina and caught a taxi at Chania bus station which to us to the hotel in Agia Marina for EUR 8
We spent the next couple of days in Agia Marina, laying on the beaches, dining in the nearby town of Platanias, and sometimes driving to Chania…
Postcards from Kvareli
| | 14 seen
Kvareli is a town in northeastern in Kakheti Province, Georgia. Located in the Alazani Valley, near the foothills of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, it was the birthplace of Georgian author Ilia Chavchavadze
The area is in the center of the Kakheti wine-producing region, and the town itself is known for its Kindzmarauli wine, a semisweet red variety.
Kindzmarauli Corporation Wine House in Kvareli, Georgia
Anyhow, there are many cool things to do and explore in and out of the city, like Grape Harvest Rtveli in Georgia (Region of Kakheti)
For today's Piece of Life series article, I decided to share photographs from our latest trip to Kvareli in mid-November 2018
Kvareli Eden in Night
See Hotel Kvareli Eden Review
Dwelling house in Kvareli
Georgia never ends to surprise, from high-end remote hotels to ruined dwelling houses in the neighbors.
Similar scenery you can find in Sighnaghi, see: Postcards From Sighnaghi
Street in Kvareli
You could film a Western here.…
Top hotels in Rustavi, Georgia
| Hotel reviews | 8 seen
Rustavi cannot be proud of having top luxury hotels, like the one you can find in Georgian resort towns of Bakuriani, Gudauri, Batumi or the nation's capital Tbilisi.
The reason probably is plain simple - the close distance to Tbilisi city. On the other hand, Rustavi is known for it's racing track and huge auto market. Many international travelers from neighboring countries of Armenia and Azerbaijan are coming here to buy used and new vehicles.
Continue reading to find out top hotels in Rustavi
Disclosure: hotels listed below contain links to Booking.com, by clicking on links on this page and by making a reservation on Booking.com site, I will earn an affiliate income, at no cost to you.
PrestigeFeaturing a bar, Prestige is located in Rustavi. This 2-star hotel offers a 24-hour front desk. Free WiFi is available.
The rooms in the hotel are equipped with a flat-screen TV with cable channels. All guest rooms have a closet.
Price: ~ GEL 40 Book this hotel on Booking.com
Hotel RustaviFeaturing a terrace and free Wi-Fi, Rustavi hotel is just a 10-minute walk…
Kvareli Public Service Hall
| Tourism objects | 16 seen
Kvareli Public service hall is located in the center of Kvareli town near Chavchavadze Street.
Public Service Hall is an agency of the Georgian government which provides a variety of public services, these include the services of the Civil Registry Agency, the National Agency of Public Registry, the National Archives, the National Bureau of Enforcement and the Notary Chamber of Georgia. Services are made available at public service halls throughout the country.
Public Service hall in Kvareli
I was not able to find much about the construction of Kvareli site (as I was, with the Public service hall in Tianeti), but here is what I found - most probably the Kvareli Public service hall was opened for public in 2013, total area is 530m2 and the architect is AG & Partners.
Top 3 Things to do in Kazdanga, Latvia
| Tourism objects | 9 seen
I first discovered the small Latvian town Kazdanga back in the Summer of 2015, since then I've returned here many times.
Kazdanga is located near the motorway P117 some 9 km from the Aizpute and 167 km from Riga.
In today's article, I decided to list the top 3 places/things to do once in Kazdanga.
Tutarchela Megrelian Restaurant in Tbilisi
| Restaurant reviews | 18 seen
Restaurant Tutarchela is located on Archil Mishveladze street 76, Tbilisi, just next to the Vake Park.
I was a bit surprised to learn that here is served Megrelian cuisine, and should admit that Megrelian cuisine is as great as Georgian
According to the restaurant's FB page, there is served a wide selection of delicious Megrelian dishes, and for the preparation of all dishes, the restaurant uses natural products.
Anyhow, here is what we got
Elarji
Now, this was something new for me - at the start, it looked something like a Swiss fondue to me, then I thought it is Georgian Ghomi porridge. To learn this is actually a typical Megrelian food Elarji.
Elarji is a popular dish from Samegrelo region, made from coarse cornmeal, cornflour and Sulguni cheese.
Nadugi in Sulguni cheese plates
Another popular Georgian food - nadugi. Kind of one of my favorites.
Nadugi is a snack in the shape of sacks, made of thin sulguni cheese flat cakes with the filling of nadugi, light milk product with a delicate taste of cream, and mint.
How To Make Nadugi -…
Top 14 Luxury 5-star hotels in Baku, Azerbaijan
| Hotel reviews | 48 seen
Baku is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region.
Baku is located 28 metres (92 ft) below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world and also the largest city in the world located below sea level. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, alongside the Bay of Baku.
Here are the top 3 reasons visiting Baku (according to Booking.com) old town, city walks & friendly locals.
Surprisingly but a a luxury stay in Baku, doesn't mean expensive, in fact you could get a 5-star hotel in Baku, starting EUR 65 per night.
Continue reading to find out the best luxury 5-star hotels in Baku
Disclosure: hotels listed below contain links to Booking.com, by clicking on links on this page and by making a reservation on Booking.com site, I will earn an affiliate income, at no cost to you.
Boulevard Hotel Baku Autograph Collection…
Hotel Kvareli Eden Review
| Hotel reviews | 17 seen
Kvareli Eden Hotel is located in a remote place some 1 or 2 km from the Kvarteli town center, Georgia.
Kvareli Eden features an indoor swimming pool and a wine therapy spa center. Free Wi-Fi and free private parking are provided.
We booked a stay at Kvareli Eden in the mid of November 2018 during Georgia Discount week (kind of paying half the price). We stayed here for two nights and paid about GEL 500 (EUR 165 / USD 188) for that.
Disclosure: this article contains links to Booking.com, by clicking on links on this page and by making a reservation on Booking.com site, I might earn an affiliate income, at no cost to you
Top 5 Luxury & Spa Hotels in Kvareli, Georgia
Kvareli Eden hotel in the night
I was very eager to make a long exposure night photography tonight and were thankful for having a sturdy tripod with me.
Kvareli Eden Hotel is located in Kvarteli town center, on the right bank of the Bursa River. It features an indoor swimming pool and a wine therapy spa center. Free Wi-Fi and free private parking are provided.
Room at hotel Kvareli Eden…
The Grand Documentary of 2016
| Documentaries | 19 seen
Filmed in 8 countries throughout 2016, glued, sanded, laminated, blamed and put together in Tbilisi, Georgia using Adobe Premiere CC.
The Great Documentary is 13 minutes and 2 seconds long short from our lives back in 2016.
The story starts in Venice, Italy, travels to Georgia, Armenia, then Latvia, Lithuania, Spain, Gibraltar and ends in New York, US.
Jokes, notes and wine (chacha) traverse the scene from the first seconds of the movie. Spoken in Latvian (and a little bit Russian)
For HD quality lovers, the Full HD version is available privately by talking to an exclusive show.
Places from the film:
- My Italy Travel Guide
- Best of Armenia in Two days (Yerevan and Beyond)
- 7 days in Spain (Region of Andalusia)
- 10 Day Business / Leisure Trip to the United States (New York & Philadelphia)
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