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of Amazon Associates program are getting paid in the Republic of Georgia by a bank check is a blog series I originally made at the end of 2014 / start of 2015 while struggling to redeem my first bank check issued by Amazon,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

Building A Simple Drupal Booking Engine From Scratch

18 February, 2015 | Drupal Development | 30 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 For some reason this post was left unpublished, so today I decided to review it one more time and make it public.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.

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

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:

Engineering An Empire The Byzantines

14 February, 2015 | Documentaries | 16 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.

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)…

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…

Ananuri Castle Complex On The Aragvi River, Georgia

12 February, 2015 | Churches and Monasteries | 136 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.…

Gudauri - Cost Free And Fun Outdoor Activities

11 February, 2015 | Outdoor Activities | 116 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…

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…

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

8 February, 2015 | Living in Georgia | 47 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…

Neighborhoods of Tbilisi - Abanotubani

6 February, 2015 | Tourism objects | 105 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…

Drupal module - Social Media Links Block

6 February, 2015 | Drupal Development | 6 seen

Organique Josper Bar - Tbilisi Restaurant Review

5 February, 2015 | Restaurant reviews | 27 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.

…

Blog Online Income Report - January 2015 - $701.80

5 February, 2015 | Blogging | 8 seen

Welcome to my blog's thirteen online income report, this time covering earnings I have made solely with my blog in month of January 2015.

Those reports keeps me track were I'm, were I was and were I'm heading to. I hope they can inspire some as well.

In total my blog helped me to earn additional $752.65, what is a decrease of -62.95% if compared to previous month, when we (blog and me) earned pretty serious $2,029.67

$752.65 in a month equals to $24.27 in a day

Technically speaking, my January's earnings would be about the same as minimum wage in Portugal.

I guess it would be just fair to share some data how much visitors my blog is attracting in these income reports, right? Well, Actually, I have a separate blog category for such kind of reports - 'Blog Statistics' - but to keep it simple, I will give you some overview of January traffic:

Speaking of January traffic - in short - it was an awesome month, in total my blog attracted 19,798 users, I didn't managed to crack 20,000 milestone, but I do not feel…

Drupal Module - Administration Views to Replace Default Content Overview Page

4 February, 2015 | Drupal Development | 7 seen

Blog Traffic Report - January 2015 - 19,798 Users

3 February, 2015 | Blogging | 10 seen

Welcome to already 16 my blog's statistics and traffic report, this time covering month of January, 2015. 16 months ago I started a journey called blogging. 

I have done those reports from first month I started to blog, to measure were I was, were I am and were I am heading too. Those reports keep me track my progress (or bounces), and hopefully can inspire some other bloger(s) as well.

Speaking of January traffic - in short - it was an awesome month, in total my blog attracted 19,798 users, I didn't managed to crack 20,000 milestone, but I do not feel sad about that at all. 

Blog Traffic January 2015

19,798 users is a 51,43% growth if compared to previous month.

It's a 6724 users gain if compared to previous month.

19,798 users in a month equals to 638.64 users in a day, again, it's up from 421.74 users in a day from last month

Following words I said last month (when foretasted traffic results for January):

Speaking of forecast for January - I will keep my forecast modest - 10,000 unique visitors or a little bit less (I'm afraid of traffic drop…

Drupal Rules - How To Configure Journalist and Editor roles to Unpublish/Publish Content

3 February, 2015 | Drupal Development | 9 seen