Blog Archive: September 2020
Rustaveli Borjomi Hotel
| Hotel reviews | 7 seen
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)
6 Best Value Hotels in Borjomi, Georgia
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 a shower and free toiletries, rooms at the hotel also have a river view. At Rustaveli Borjomi Hotel, all rooms include a seating area.
Rustaveli Borjomi hotel
The accommodation offers a terrace.
Rustaveli Borjomi Hotel provides an ironing service, as well as business facilities like fax and photocopying.
Bakuriani is 29 km from the hotel.
Carved Stone Sculptures near Sno - Akhaltsikhe - Juta road
| Tourism objects | 11 seen
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 did
Carved stone sculptures near Sno village in Georgia
It 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 Lightroom metadata to find GPS coordinates)
Sno village in Georgia from a drone flight
Doing my research on this place it was fun to learn that the village of Sno is famous not only for mineral water but also is known as the birthplace of the current head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Ilia II.
Carved stone sculptures near Sno village
I was able…
Orio Center Shopping Mall in Bergamo
| Shopping Venues | 125 seen
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 KFC
Orio Center in Bergamo
In 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 or walking through the numerous food stops like ice-cream parlors, delicatessens, cafes.
In addition to clothes and accessories, you can visit the Apple store to see the latest in technology, or stop at the Lego store and its thousands of small colored bricks. You can see the many events organized in the Mall, with the presence of famous people such as singers, actors and TV celebrities and maybe take a selfie with your favorite star!
…Samsung Galaxy A51 6GB RAM 128GB Review
| Gadget Reviews | 49 seen
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 2020
My 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 of storage (extendable up to 128GB). Taking videos for Facebook is quite good, so do share pictures on Whatsapp.
I'm using this phone together with my DJI Mavic Mini drone controller, works awesome
Samsung Galaxy A51
It works very well together with my Samsung Galaxy Fit activity tracker
Bought this phone at the AltaOk store in Eastpoint Tbilisi. The price was GEL 999…
And We are Back / DJI Mavic Mini drone
| Documentaries | 13 seen
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
| Real Estate | 9 seen
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 nearby
wow what an adrenaline, there was more competition than I thought,with 2 additional 5min overtimes but I won this auction and now we have a flat in Vīlgāle. average buy price EUR 71/per m2. at the start i was looking to get this for EUR 45/m2
Can't wait to visit the place, invest some additional 5k and trade stocks from the Vilgāle
Gudauri View Point from a drone flight
| | 344 seen
Gudauri viewpoint is a cool attraction located some 2 km up from the Gudauri to the Kazbegi (Russian border)
Officially named as the Russian -Georgian Friendship monument, this place has been "installed" back in 1983, but seems to have gone under major reconstruction works recently.
We were returning from a weekend trip to Kazbegi when it was agreed to fly my little DJI Mavic mini drone around the monument.
Gudari viewing platform
Located on the Georgian Military Highway between the ski resort town of Gudauri and the Jvari pass, the monument is a large round stone and concrete structure overlooking the Devil's Valley in the Caucasus mountains.
Parking lot near the viewing platform
This monument has been built in 1983 to celebrate the bicentennial of the Treaty of Georgievsk and ongoing friendship between Georgia and Soviet Russia.
Gergeti church from a drone flight
| | 11 seen
In today's Piece of Life series - Gergeti Church from a drone flight
The region of Kazbegi is very nice for drone photography and videography.
Gergeti Trinity Church is a must-have destination in Georgia. The church is located at an elevation of 2170 meters, under Mount Kazbegi some 160 km North from the nation's capital Tbilisi.
It was in the middle of August we did a short trip to the Kazbegi region in Georgia and I had a chance to fly my DJI Mavic Mini drone in the area. Thanks Johann Kritzinger Photography for organizing this trip
Gergeti church from a drone flight
The Gergeti Trinity Church is built in the 14th century, and is the only cross-cupola church in Khevi province. The separate belltower dates from the same period as the church itself. Its isolated location on top of a steep mountain surrounded by the vastness of nature has made it a symbol for Georgia. The 18th century Georgian author Vakhushti Batonishvili wrote that in times of danger, precious relics from Mtskheta, including Saint Nino's Cross were brought here for safekeeping. During…
List of Georgian laboratories offering to make a test (Paid) to diagnose COVID-19
| Living in Georgia | 14 seen
Colin (form a parent's group here in Tbilisi) shared a link to the spreadsheet containing a list of Georgian laboratories offering to make a test to diagnose COVID-19.
The list was published on the Agenda.ge website and contains the medical facilities name, and address, the original list also contains the e-mail of the facility (to avoid spambots harvesting the e-mail list here, I'm pasting info without e-mails)
I don't have exact info, but for the test, we have to pay (at least in September 2020) - according to different sources some should expect to pay GEL 120 - 200 for a test to Diagnose Covid-19
There are medical facilities in several cities of Georgia, including - Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi, Zugdidi and Ozurgeti
I believe there is a chance to call for a test to be done at home (expect to pay a higher price)
Source: List of Georgian laboratories offering to make a test to diagnose COVID-19
Tbilisi
- The First University Clinic – Tbilisi, 4 Gudamakari Street
- Aversi Clinic – Tbilisi, 27b Vazha Pshavela Ave
- NeoLab – Tbilisi, 47 Tashkenti Street …
Tbilisi Open Air Museum of Ethnography
| Museums | 35 seen
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 Festival
Open air museum from a drone flight
There is an awesome restaurant located near the park (upper side), offering spectacular views towards the city and of course delicious meals - see: Rachis Ubani Tbilisi Restaurant Review
The Giorgi Chitaia Open Air Museum of Ethnography is an open-air museum in Tbilisi, Georgia, displaying the examples of folk architecture and craftwork from various regions of the country.
Open air museum in Tbilisi
The museum is named after Giorgi Chitaia, a Georgian ethnographer, who founded the museum on April 27, 1966. Since December 30,…
Expats in Georgia (Facebook group)
| Living in Georgia | 153 seen
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-related questions, good services, ask for advice, and more
If you are an Expat in Georgia, or just looking to relocate here, feel free to join here: Expats in Georgia (Country)
This group has been launched at the start of September 2020, two years latter group unites already 1,000 members
Dry Bridge & Alexander garden in Tbilisi from a DJI Mavic Mini drone flight
| | 3 seen
It was on an overcast Saturday afternoon (at the end of August 2020), we went for a long walk in Tbilisi.
Equipped with a baby stroller and DJI Mavic mini Drone here is what we found today:
View towards Dry Bridge in Tbilisi
In one of these building, you can see, is located famous 'former hotel London', where some 19th-century writers have stayed
Aerial view of Tbilisi
Many good things can be seen from this place (Alexander garden), like the Public Service house, Sameba church (in the background), Orbeliani square
Tbilisi TV tower and The Biltmore hotel
Almost like the How to get on one photography Tbilisi TV tower, Narikala and Tabor Monastery
Aerial view of Alexander Garden
Ok, this park is bearing another name: Giorgi Leonidze Park
Jvari monastery from a drone flight / DJI Mavic Mini crash
| Tourism objects | 13 seen
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 drone is missing and I don't have actual SD footage). Post-processed in Adobe Lightroom
Music by Scott Holmes: Hotshot
P.S. New drone to be shipped in next 2-3 weeks
Narikala fortress from a drone flight
| | 11 seen
Narikala fortress is probably one of the most known tourist attractions in Tbilisi.
It was on an easy Sunday afternoon we decided to take a lazy walk around the old town of Tbilisi equipped with a baby strolled and DJI Mavic mini, here is what we got
Narikala fortress from a drone flight
Narikala is an ancient fortress overlooking Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, and the Mtkvari River. The fortress consists of two walled sections on a steep hill between the sulfur baths and the botanical gardens of Tbilisi. On the lower court, there is the recently restored St Nicholas church. Newly built in 1996–1997, it replaces the original 13th-century church that was destroyed in a fire.
Flying over St. Nicholas church / Narikala fortress
The new church is of "prescribed cross" type, having doors on three sides. The internal part of the church is decorated with the frescos showing scenes both from the Bible and history of Georgia
View towards Narikala fortress from the Mother of Georgia monument side
The structure was established in the 4th century as a Sasanian…
August 2020 Dividend Income Report - $171.31
| Investments | 16 seen
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 Georgia
The baby girl attends her pre-school, she is doing great - talking a lot, putting together sentences, mixing languages, figuring out new words. Awesome. Quite fascinating what a two-year-old can do. Development is very rapid. in August she learned to answer on question - What's your name? Daddy's heart is melting.
From the perspective of dividend income - last July was neither good nor bad, we keep suffering from trimmed dividends, and by the end of the month, we barely took $171.31. Relying on dividends these days is very hard.…