How Amazon Associates Receives Their Checks in Republic of Georgia - Part 4 - Bank Commission Fees

24 February, 2015 | Living in Georgia | 25 seen

Welcome to fourth and final part of my blog series on how Amazon Associates receives and redeems their checks in Republic of Georgia (South Caucasus).

How participants of Amazon Associates program are getting paid in the Republic of Georgia by a bank check is a blog series I originally made at the end of 2014 / start of 2015 while struggling to redeem my first bank check issued by Amazon,

Although it's still technically possible to withdraw bank checks in Georgia, at the end of 2016, I flew to the US and opened a bank account there, see: How To Open A Bank Account in the U.S., As A Non-resident Non - citizen, Wells Fargo Bank

For complete series of my adventures while living in Georgia with Georgian banks and checks from Amazon, please see:

• How Amazon Affiliates get paid in the Republic of Georgia - Part 1
• How Amazon Associates Receives Their Checks in the Republic of Georgia - Part 2
• How Amazon Associates Receives Their Checks in the Republic of Georgia - Part 3 - Waiting 40 Working Days
• How Amazon Associates Receives Their Checks in the Republic of Georgia - Part 4 - Bank Commission Fees

By writing these lines I can officially say - I have finally received my money (check sent by Amazon) on my Georgian bank account. I took some time, but as I said in previous blog posts - I was looking to set a precedent because I have never ever heard of some other Amazon Associates living in Georgia and receiving their checks in Georgian banks.

Now, here comes a full story

Back in November 2014, I wrote the following words:

I have a feeling this will be a long and fun experience on how to get paid in Republic of Georgia by Amazon Associates checks :)

It took another 2 months before I got my first check here in Georgia via a snail mail, and I finally received it at the end of January 28, I straight went and opened a new bank account at the branch which said, they don't have problems to redeem a check - Bank Republic. 

Unfortunately what seemed like a nice option, turned out a bad user experience using it's internet-banking and unfruitful talking with bank clerks, you can read about how 2 weeks turned into 40 working days here 

Luckily, yesterday I received a SMS from my bank, and here it was - money was deposited on my bank account. 

• In total It took 56 days, or 1 month and 25 days between check was sent from the US (on December 28, 2014) and received in my bank account (on February 22, 2015)
• It took 31 days for a check to arrive here in Georgia
• And additional 25 days for bank procedure

Bank fees in Georgia

I was charged $35.00 for a check redemption here in Georgia. Since some of the online income money I have decided to put on my savings account (in another Georgian bank) I transferred some amount from one bank to another (I have a multi-currency account), Bank Republic took a $15.00 fee for a such transfer, and for my surprise second bank (ProCredit Bank) took another $7.00, in total adding a $22.00 fees for a such transfer. 

From total amount I received as a check, I have lost pretty impressively $57.00. I doubt I have any legal ways to avoid $35.00 check redemption price, but speaking of second ($22.00 fee) I believe next time it would be cheaper to go to the first bank take out money in cash (not converted to National Currency) go to the second bank and deposit this money in cash. I'm not sure if this "scheme" is cheaper, but taking into account that I don't want to pay $22.00 in transfer fees between two Georgian banks, I will try this next time.

P.S. Direct deposit is not an option right now for me, because I'm not an owner of US bank account, neither I'm a US citizen. I'm left with two options - gift card or check. 

About Georgia: A Chef In Love (1996 Movie)

24 February, 2015 | Worth to Watch | 40 seen

Last night was the Oscar night - Estonian/Georgian movie Tangerines was nominated for best foreign language film. They didn't won, Ida did. 

I decided to look is there some more Georgian movies nominated for Oscar, and turns out one film prior to Tangerines actually was nominated, back in 1996 - A Chef in Love. I was a bit surprised to learn - that main role in this movie is portrayed by a very popular French actor - Pierre Richard.

A Chef in Love, (Georgian: შეყვარებული კულინარის 1001 რეცეპტი / Shekvarebuli kulinaris ataserti retsepti) is a 1996 Georgian film directed by Nana Dzhordzhadze. It stars Pierre Richard and Nino Kirtadze.

The movie tells the story of Pascal Ichak, a French opera singer and chef living in Georgia, who opens a restaurant. It also shows the life in Georgia in the beginning of the 20th century, including its short period of independence (see Democratic Republic of Georgia). After the Bolshevik coup attempt of Georgia (1920), the chef refuses to emigrate and endures the brutalities of the new regime.

The film was selected as the Georgian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 69th Academy Awards in 1997. A Chef in Love was among the final nominees for the award, but did not win.

Update: I have removed link to this movie, instead you can acquire a legal copy in DVD format at Amazon: Shekvarebuli kulinaris ataserti retsepti

Tbilisi - Gudauri Transfer By Vazha Travel

22 February, 2015 | Travel guides | 12 seen

Around two weeks ago we had a two day trip to Gudauri, where we stayed at Hotel Shamo, and enjoyed skiing opportunities in Gudauri.

In this post I decided to write about transfer options from Tbilisi to Gudauri by a local company called Vazha Travel. Owner of this company is a personal friend, so I had all opportunities to bargain price  down.

Since this road offers plenty of spectacular views, I decided to add some photos to better illustrate this trip.

• Total distance from Tbilisi to Guadauri: ~ 120km
• Total time: ~ 2 hours
• Price: (One way) Negotiable, could start from GEL 100 and up for a private car, 150 GEL for a minivan 

Update: See how can I save you time and money by helping to plan your itinerary to Georgia, see organized tours in Georgia.

A cozy minivan

Road to Gudauri

Road to Gudauri

Some valley

Some valley and a road

Some valley

Water reservoir close to Ananuri castle complex

Georgian Military Highway

About Vazha Travel

Vazha Travel is a door to door transfer service available in Tbilisi and all around Georgia.

Call +995 599212224 or visit Vazha Travel FB page

Drupal module - For Embedding A SoundCloud Media Files

21 February, 2015 | Drupal Development | 6 seen

How Amazon Associates Receives Their Checks in Republic of Georgia - Part 3 - Waiting 40 Working Days

19 February, 2015 | Living in Georgia | 21 seen

Welcome to the already third part of my blog series on how Amazon Associates receives checks and get them redeemed in Republic of Georgia.

How participants of Amazon Associates program are getting paid in the Republic of Georgia by a bank check is a blog series I originally made at the end of 2014 / start of 2015 while struggling to redeem my first bank check issued by Amazon,

Although it's still technically possible to withdraw bank checks in Georgia, at the end of 2016, I flew to the US and opened a bank account there, see: How To Open A Bank Account in the U.S., As A Non-resident Non - citizen, Wells Fargo Bank

For complete series of my adventures while living in Georgia with Georgian banks and checks from Amazon, please see:

• How Amazon Affiliates get paid in the Republic of Georgia - Part 1
• How Amazon Associates Receives Their Checks in the Republic of Georgia - Part 2
• How Amazon Associates Receives Their Checks in the Republic of Georgia - Part 3 - Waiting 40 Working Days
• How Amazon Associates Receives Their Checks in the Republic of Georgia - Part 4 - Bank Commission Fees

I created the first post of this series at the start of November 2014. Back then my earnings for August, September, and October has reached $486.00 and I was looking for ways to get paid.

Prior that I did set up a minimum threshold of $450.00 on Amazon Associates before processing the payment - because I'm aware of bank commission fees.

Direct deposit is not an option right now for me, because I'm not a holder of US bank account, neither I'm a US citizen. I'm left with two options - gift card or check. 

The first check from Amazon was issued at the end of December (December 27, 2014) - I received it via snail mail here in Georgia on January 28, when I created a second post of this series.

After a struggle with a few local Georgian banks, I felt pretty happy that I believed I have found my new best bank in Georgia - the Bank Republic, which offered to redeem my check in two weeks. I processed my check to the Bank Republic on January 29 and started to wait when money will be actually transferred to my bank account.

Once in a day I logged to my new internet bank - but found just 0.00 there. OK, I understand I must wait, it's not a problem for me, but I decided - I could contact my bank and ask a simple question - what is the current status of this check.

Hello! I have a question regarding a check processing, I submitted at your bank at late January (29).What is the status of this operation? Thank you for looking into this!

Unfortunate  - answer (which came few hours delayed) was something from league of my previous experience dealing  with other Georgian banks:

Hello Mr. Reinis, We have received your message on info@republic.ge. 37,50 Gel is charge for opening account. So, you have payed this fee for one year.

At this moment I started to regret that I decided to deal with this bank at all, because as you can see - the answer is not anyhow related to question, but I tried one more time, took my phone, made a snapshot of the current order issued by this bank attached to mail and sent another message:

For some reason your internet bank message system works very poorly, so I'm sending you reply here: Hello, my question is not about 37.5 GEL. but about a status of a bank check (please see attached current order) What is the status of this check, when I could see incoming money on my account for this transfer? Please - look into this and call me back,

After some hour I got a reply:

Mr. Reinis, Sorry for misunderstanding. Bank check amount will be received on your account during 40 working days. We will inform you about this.

Well, 40 working days are not 2 weeks, right? But at least it's some answer. 

Building A Simple Drupal Booking Engine From Scratch

18 February, 2015 | Drupal Development | 22 seen

Originally this post was planned to be a part of building a Drupal website from scratch series post, I did in late 2013. For some reason this post was left unpublished, so today I decided to review it one more time and make it public. 

In this article, I'll show how to create simple, but powerful booking engine for fictional tourism company's webpage using Drupal.

Part 1 - Modules

• Download References module
• Node Reference URL Widget
• Extract modules to sites/all/modules
• Enable modules

Part 2 - Content type

I'll use a custom content type - to serve bookings.Go to admin/structure/types/add and create a new content type: Bookings

Next let's add some fields to our new content type: First name, Last name, E-mail and to make a reference work add a reference field:

Settings for reference field: Label: Booking, Field type Node reference, Widget Reference from URL, hit save.

In the next window you will be asked, which content types you would like to reference:

Part 3 - Views

By right now, we have done 2 great things: Enabled necessary modules and created a booking content type.

But how to make them actually work on our tours? By using views and displaying created views as blocks:

I decided to create a view, which contains - Photo, Price, and Booking reference URL:

As you can see from the picture above, the view is not fully themed yet (CSS) but it does show pictures, price and Book this tour (by pressing which, booking reference would be called, like this:

OK, back to views:

Create a new view - call it - Tour Header

Add fields: Title, Price (if you have it), Booking, Photo, NID and 2 times a Custom text:

Why do we need a NID field?

• By using Nid field, we are going to pass URL from our tour to booking.

Why do we need 2 Custom text field?

• We are going to use a first custom text field, to create a link to a booking page, but a second custom text field we will use, to override the display of our container.

Make sure Custom text field, which will contain our overrides is the last one in a row. Exclude from display all other fields, expect last Custom text field:

Create a URL with reference to booking page:

Open first custom text field and override it:

Here you can see, how I applied - Book this tour, and how I turned it to url. Note that we are using :node/add/your-content-type/[nid] to reference a node. Field [nid] is unique URL identifier.

And now let's override all display in last Custom text field:

Save the view, and head to block (admin/structure/block), find the newly created block and put in your content section, to make it work.

It's up to you to apply CSS styles. 

To make it more convenient, you should think to apply Date to booking content type, so the customer can enter dates. You should apply also some Rules like to end e-mail when a new booking is created.

If you need any assistance of creating this simple, but yet powerful booking engine, let me know by leaving a comment or contacting me.

Engineering An Empire The Byzantines

14 February, 2015 | Documentaries | 9 seen

A long time has passed since I have reviewed some documentary film. Today, I watched an interesting documentary made by History Channel - Engineering an Empire The Byzantines.

I must admit that now I feel more educated about ancient history.

In this documentary is covered the time period from the founding of Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) 330 AD, till falling of Constantinople in 1453.

Santa Claus originates from Ancient Byzantine Empire.

In this documentary I learned an interesting fact that present-day Santa Claus origins are coming from Byzantine Empire:

Saint Nicholas (15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century Christian saint and Greek Bishop of Myra (Demre, part of modern-day Turkey). Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker.

He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, a practice celebrated on his feast day―St Nicholas Day (6 December, Gregorian calendar, in Western Christianity and 19 December, Julian calendar, in Eastern Christianity) and thus became the model for Santa Claus

About Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire, alternatively known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the predominantly Greek-speaking eastern half and the remainder of the Roman Empire during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages.

Its capital city was Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), originally founded as Byzantium. It survived the fragmentation and fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD and continued to exist for an additional thousand years until it fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453.

During most of its existence, the empire was the most powerful economic, cultural, and military force in Europe. Both "Byzantine Empire" and "Eastern Roman Empire" are historiographical terms created after the end of the realm; its citizens continued to refer to their empire as the Roman Empire, or Romania, and to themselves as "Romans".

Several events from the 4th to 6th centuries mark the transitional period during which the Roman Empire's east and west divided. In 285, the emperor Diocletian (r. 284–305) partitioned the Roman Empire's administration into eastern and western halves.

Between 324 and 330, Constantine I (r. 306–337) transferred the main capital from Rome to Byzantium, later known as Constantinople ("City of Constantine") and Nova Roma ("New Rome").

Under Theodosius I (r. 379–395), Christianity became the Empire's official state religion and others such as Roman polytheism were proscribed.

And finally, under the reign of Heraclius (r. 610–641), the Empire's military and administration were restructured and adopted Greek for official use instead of Latin.

Thus, although it continued the Roman state and maintained Roman state traditions, modern historians distinguish Byzantium from ancient Rome insofar as it was oriented towards Greek rather than Latin culture, and characterised by Orthodox Christianity rather than Roman polytheism.

The borders of the Empire evolved significantly over its existence, as it went through several cycles of decline and recovery. During the reign of Justinian I (r. 527–565), the Empire reached its greatest extent after reconquering much of the historically Roman western Mediterranean coast, including north Africa, Italy, and Rome itself, which it held for two more centuries.

During the reign of Maurice (r. 582–602), the Empire's eastern frontier was expanded and the north stabilised. However, his assassination caused a two-decade-long war with Sassanid Persia which exhausted the Empire's resources and contributed to major territorial losses during the Muslim conquests of the 7th century. In a matter of years the Empire lost its richest provinces, Egypt and Syria, to the Arabs.

Location of Byzantine Empire 555 AD  by Tataryn77 - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 

During the Macedonian dynasty (10th–11th centuries), the Empire again expanded and experienced a two-century-long renaissance, which came to an end with the loss of much of Asia Minor to the Seljuk Turks after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. This battle opened the way for the Turks to settle in Anatolia as a homeland.

The final centuries of the Empire exhibited a general trend of decline. It struggled to recover during the 12th century, but was delivered a mortal blow during the Fourth Crusade, when Constantinople was sacked and the Empire dissolved and divided into competing Byzantine Greek and Latin realms.

Despite the eventual recovery of Constantinople and re-establishment of the Empire in 1261, Byzantium remained only one of several small rival states in the area for the final two centuries of its existence. Its remaining territories were progressively annexed by the Ottomans over the 15th century. The Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 finally ended the Roman Empire.

Watch this documentary on YouYube

Helsinki - Tallinn tunnel could cost up to €13 billion

13 February, 2015 | Railway / Bus / Ferry | 6 seen

I first heard of idea to build an undersea tunnel connecting Finish capital Helsinki with Estonian Tallinn, back in 2006. Soon it will be already 10 years, and I would probably have forget the idea of this project, but, today I red an article suggesting that estimate costs of such project could be EUR 13 billion, and it could be completed toward the end of 2030s.

The submarine tunnel, connecting Tallinn with Finnish capital Helsinki, could cost 9-13 billion euros, according to a preliminary feasibility study, released today.

The travel time between the two capitals would be reduced to 30 minutes. The study found that a railway tunnel would be the most viable option, as it could be connected to the already existing infrastructure in both countries.

One of the prerequisites of the project's success is also the completion of Rail Baltic, said the spokesperson of the Harju County Government.

According to the current vision, the travel time in the roughly 50-kilometer tunnel will be half an hour. The Rail Baltic, in turn, would reduce the travel time from Tallinn to Riga to less than 2 hours.

The calculations show that the total cost of the tunnel, along with traffic management, logistics centers and vehicles, would be in the region of 9-13 billion euros.

The preliminary study estimates the period of return to be around 35-40 years. About 40-50 percent of the building costs should fall on the shoulders of Estonian and Finnish governments, and the EU.

The preliminary study was based on the assumption that the tunnel will be completed toward the end of the 2030s. It was conducted by experts from Estonia, Finland and Sweden. The results of the study give reason to launch a more thorough investigation into the construction of the tunnel, its economic benefots and other broader impacts. If completed, the Tallinn-Helsinki tunnel would be the longest submarine tunnel in the world.

Used resources:

• http://news.err.ee/v/economy/8d7cff6a-f383-4e8a-848a-99928cfb1ded

Ananuri Castle Complex On The Aragvi River, Georgia

12 February, 2015 | Churches and Monasteries | 130 seen

Ananuri is a castle complex on the Aragvi River in Georgia, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) from Tbilisi. 

Located on the Georgian military road heading to Gudauri and Kazbegi and later to Russia via Upper Lars. Due to its close proximity to the nation's capital, Ananuri is a popular tourist spot. 

Ananuri castle complex in Georgia

Ananuri was a castle and seat of the eristavis (Dukes) of Aragvi, a feudal dynasty which ruled the area from the 13th century. The castle was the scene of numerous battles. In 1739, Ananuri was attacked by forces from a rival duchy, commanded by Shanshe of Ksani and was set on fire. The Aragvi clan was massacred. However, four years later, the local peasants revolted against rule by the Shamshe, killing the usurpers and inviting King Teimuraz II to rule directly over them. However, in 1746, King Teimuraz was forced to suppress another peasant uprising, with the help of King Erekle II of Kakheti. The fortress remained in use until the beginning of the 19th century.

Within the complex, amongst other buildings, are two churches. The older Church of the Virgin, which abuts a tall square tower, has the graves of some of the Dukes of Aragvi. It dates from the first half of the 17th century, and was built of brick. The interior is no longer decorated, but of interest is a stone baldaquin erected by the widow of the Duke Edishera, who died in 1674.

The larger Church of the Mother of God (Ghvtismshobeli), built in 1689 for the son of Duke Bardzim. It is a central dome style structure with richly decorated façades, including a carved north entrance and a carved grapevine cross on the south façade. It also contains the remains of a number of frescoes, most of which were destroyed by the fire in the 18th century.

Ananuri castle complex in Georgia

In 2007, the complex has been on the tentative list for inclusion into the UNESCO World Heritage Site program.

The fortifications consist of two castles joined by a crenellated curtain wall. The upper fortification with a large square tower, known as Sheupovari, is well preserved and is the location of the last defense of the Aragvi against the Shamshe. The lower fortification, with a round tower, is mostly in ruins. Within the complex, amongst other buildings, are two churches. The older Church of the Virgin, which abuts a tall square tower, has the graves of some of the Dukes of Aragvi. It dates from the first half of the 17th century, and was built of brick.

Ananuri castle complex and Aragvi river in Georgia

The interior is no longer decorated, but of interest is a stone baldaquin erected by the widow of the Duke Edishera, who died in 1674. The larger Church of the Assumption (Ghvtismshobeli), built in 1689 for the son of Duke Bardzem. It is a central dome style structure with richly decorated façades, including a carved north entrance and a carved grapevine cross on the south façade. It also contains the remains of a number of frescoes, most of which were destroyed by the fire in the 18th century

Gudauri - Cost Free And Fun Outdoor Activities

11 February, 2015 | Outdoor Activities | 99 seen

Gudauri is well known as Georgian winter capital thanks to it's skiing infrastructure. But that doesn't mean Gudauri is expensive and those with limited budget can't have fun at Gudauri as well.

Turns out - there are a dozen of option to enjoy winter activities absolutly for free. Honeslty speaking I was sursprised and that's the reason me making this blog post.

OK, who I'm trying to trick - actually if you are heading to Gudauri for mountain skiing, there are two options: You are coming here with your skiing equipment or you will rent skiing equipment on site. 

If you are already equipped  - the the only costs you will spend here - probably will be just ski-lift pass (it's 5GEL single ride or 30GEL multi pass) + money you will spend on local restaurants/hotels.

If you don't have your skiing equipment - you can easily rent it out in some of Gudauri Ski rental points - costs - 25-30GEL for skis and skiing boots. 

Again - depending on your equipment level a day on mountain at Gudauri will cost you 25 - 60 GEL. I wouldn't call it expensive.

But still there are some activities you can enjoy absolutely for free:

Colourful sitting bags

You can try and site on some of these colourful sitting bags

Tent at Gudauri

You can visit Geocell's tent 

Hot Wine at Gudauri

You can watch how others are enjoyng a hot wine

Snow tube riding at Gudauri

You can ride for free a snow tube

Snow tube riding at Gudauri

Snow tube riding for donations

You can donate some money if you liked a snow tube riding

Author of this blog captured in action

Free drag lift at Gudauri

If you still have some amount of money to spend at Gudauri, read this article, covering skiing, snwboarding, paragliding and even heli-skiing in Gudauri

Hotel Shamo Gudauri Review

10 February, 2015 | Hotel reviews | 18 seen

Hotel Shamo in Gudauri actually is a very cosy guest house located close to Gudauri (in Kumlistsikhe village) not far from ski-lifts.

I first stayed at this hotel back in April, 2011, then again at the end of 2011, and finally we stayed here during our recent visit to Gudauri.

The default price per person at Hotel Shamo are about $50 per night. 2 meals (breakfast and supper) are included in price. Also a free transfer to and from ski-lifts as well.

Guests staying at Hotel Shamo can receive pretty good discounts at Gudauri ski rental points (ask for more details on site)

During your supper you will enjoy a great Kakhetian red wine (for free).

I believe the magic of this place comes from it's owner - Gela. Gela is a story teller, you will definitely enjoy chatting with him sitting next to fireplace. Gela knows everything what's happening around - ask Gela anything, and he will gladly help you around.

Another feature I like at this hotel/guest house - it's one of the few in Georgia, were it's kindly asked not to smoke inside. You will notice Thank you for not smoking signs all around yourself at Hotel Shamo.

Bedroom at Hotel Shamo

Shower

Hot water was all the time without interruptions

Free coffee & tea 24/7

Supper at Hotel Shamo with Wine

House plants at Hotel Shamo

View from Hotel

Rooms at Shamo

Thank you for not smoking

Fire place at Hotel Shamo

About Hotel Shamo

The "Shamo" hotel is in Gudauri, at 2000 meters above the sea level. It offers comfort and nice atmosphere, excellent service. 

People working at the hotel are at you service to make everything easier and available for you, doing it with smile and in a friendly manner. Having a long day of skiing on the best routes, you will find it appealing to be back to the hotel to relax and have fun. A bar, billiard room, Georgian cuisine are at your service. All of the first category - STANDARD, HB, Services to the funicular.

Contact Hotel Shamo

Gudauri - Georgian Winter Capital for skiing, snowboarding, paragliding and heli-skiing

8 February, 2015 | Living in Georgia | 38 seen

Gudauri is a popular winter resort located in the Republic of Georgia, Caucasus some 120 km from Tbilisi. I first visited Gudauri back in the Spring of 2011, and since then I have come here at least once a season.

The resort offers high quality skiing opportunities. The slopes of Gudauri are completely above the tree line and are best for free-riders and are generally considered to be avalanche-safe. The ski season lasts from December to April. Heliskiing is also available throughout the season.

In the last years, seems the global melting has been hitting Georgia by a storm, as the snow is actually decreasing every year.

Browse till the end of the article and you will learn about skiing, ski lifts, paragliding, and even heli-skiing options in Gudauri.

Besides Georgians, many Russians, Ukrainians, Israeli, Turkish and visitors from the Gulf states love to come here.

There are plenty of hotels in Gudauri, a New Gudauri is built just next to the ski-lifts at the height of about 2600 meters

Gudauri skiing slopes

Skiing instructor Vaso

Friend of us hired a skiing instructor to learn basic skiing techniques for 50 GEL/H

Waiting in a line for a Gudauri mountain lift

Ticket price here as on 07.02.2015 - single ride 5GEL, multi-pass (all day) - 30 GEL

Updade: In January 2023, single ride price was GEL 14

Open cabin ski lifts at Gudauri

Cafeteria Time Out at Gudauri

Gudauri skiing resort

Little skier at Gudauri

Para-glider just landed

Paragliding at Gudauri

Author of this blog captured in action

Grilled sausages at Gudauri

Rest area at Gudauri skiing slopes

View to Gudauri

Gudauri ski lifts

Map of Gudauri skiing slopes

Snow bikes at Gudauri

Heli-skiing Gudauri

Heliski

Heliskiing provides skiers with access to some of the finest powder-snow in the Caucasus. With helicopters granted almost unrestricted access to local mountains, skiers can experience some of the most sublime runs in Europe - at altitudes between 1,500 and 4,200 meters above sea level.

The helicopters drop clients off on mountain tops, glaciers, fabulous ridges, and in the hands of highly experienced guides.

Speed riding and paragliding

Gudauri is one of the best places in Georgia for speedriding and paragliding.

Here you can learn how to Speed Riding they have had only the experience of freeriding. Increase their level of speedriding by experienced instructors. Your friends and acquaintances can ride on a glider with experienced instructors.

Routes and lifts

Gudauri contains several routes and lifts. The first, lower lift station is at 1,990 m above sea level and the last, top station is at 3,306 m, called Sadzele. The lifts are by Doppelmayr. The first lift is 1,010 m long (three chairs), the second is 2,310 m long (four chairs) and the third is 1,060 m long (three chairs). Over the past few years the resort has consistently been adding new chair lifts, the most recent construction includes a speed Gondola. The lifts usually work from 10:00 to 16:00-17:00.

Neighborhoods of Tbilisi - Abanotubani

6 February, 2015 | Tourism objects | 88 seen

Abanotubani is one of the most attractive neighborhoods in Tbilisi. It's famous of its public sulfur baths, and very spectacular views.

I believe Tbilisi Sulphur bath district is one of the most iconic Tbilisi sights. Personally I doubt there are many tourists who have not seen Abanotubani (Tbilisi bath district) while visiting Georgian capital. Though - I believe fewer ones have actually visited them. If you are among the lucky one, please leave a comment!

Tbilisi sulfur bath district

Narikala fortress on top of the hill? Colorful carved wooden balconies? You name it - Just a few of the reasons to fell in love with this beautiful city.

High end hotel in Abanotubani neighborhood

There are dozens of budget to high end hotels in Abanotubani. If you are looking for a hotel here or in Tbilisi, take a look here: Tbilisi hotels

Public bath houses and a mosque

An old channel in Abanotubani

You are free to walk near channel and you can actually reach a lovely waterfall at the end of this channel. There are some other hidden treasures if you will make a longer walk around public bath houses here.

A channel and fortification walls in Abanotubani

About Abanotubani

Abanotubani is an ancient district of Tbilisi, Georgia, known for its sulfuric baths.

Located at the eastern bank of the Mtkvari River at the foot of Narikala fort across Metekhisubani, Abanotubani is an important historic part of the city — the place, where according to a legend the King of Iberia, Vakhtang Gorgasali’s falcon fell, leading to a discovery of the hot springs and, subsequently, to founding of a new capital.

About accessing sulphur baths

Now - speaking about getting in one of the sulphur baths  - price here at Abonotubani will vary, starting 30 GEL and up for an hour. You can order some Turkish coffee or beer on site for a small fee. They provide you with sheets (towels) and shampoo's here (again for additional charge). You can even order a massage here - haven't tried - but they always offer it. Leave me a comment, if you have tried massage here.

Go, try yourself, and don't forget to leave me your comments! 

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6 February, 2015 | Drupal Development | 6 seen

Organique Josper Bar - Tbilisi Restaurant Review

5 February, 2015 | Restaurant reviews | 24 seen

Welcome to another Tbilisi Restaurant review post series - today I will speak about Organique Josper Bar/restaurant/steakhouse, located in Tbilisi Old Town. 

I have previously much heard of this bar/restaurant/steakhouse and have seen plenty of it's ads on local English language newspapers (Georgian Journal, if correct), but never had visited it before.

My (our) visit to Josper bar went pretty spontaneous, as it might happen in Georgia, we were cut of electricity, and during days like that, we prefer to take our laptops and head to some restaurant with a good internet connection.

So we headed to Tbilisi Old town (Shardeni), and actually spent few hours in another Tbilisi restaurant - Jazzve coffee, after enjoying a delicious tea at Jazzve, we were looking for some lunch offer (Jazzve might have something, but I had a demand - I would either have - carbonara or grilled meat, though I didn't find such offer at Jazzve ,somehow we find that Josper bar has some lunch offers.

Turned out it does - they had, exactly what I was looking for - Carbonara.

As usual for taking photographs I'm using my Samsung phone and using Instagram (then taking them from Instagram and adding to posts - you can read a blog post on how I turned my Instagram account into a photo blog 

Josper Bar for meat lovers

Josper's bar outdoor terrace

Inside interior at Josper Organique bar

Lunch menu for 15GEL at Josper's Bar

Italian lunch - salad Caesar with chicken and pasta carbonara

Ukrainian lunch

Mega Cappuccino at Josper's Bar

100% Georgian Beef

Cat at Josper's

In total we paid GEL 50 ($25.00/EUR 22.00) for two lunch menus (Italian and Ukrainian (15GEL each)), some sodas and mega cappuccinos. 

Personal at Josper Organique bar is friendly  - food quality is good - I definitely will come back to this place more, and i can recommend Josper bar  to you as well.

About Organique Josper bar

We believe that the best taste is natural. That is why we use only organic Georgian products.

We believe that the healthiest way to cook meal is to bake it. That is why we cook in specially designed grill Josper that allows to keep all the best of the product with it.

We believe that Georgian bio wines are worth trying again and again. That is why we use enomatic wine dispenser that serves 16 kinds of wine by the glass.

We believe that a good meal always ends with a good talk. That is why our stuff does everything for you comfort. 

We believe that you deserve the best.

Official website: http://www.restorganique.com