Investing

Opted for 3rd Pension Pillar

On May 22, 2019, I opted for the 3rd pension pillar at SEB bank Latvia.

The main reason to sign up to this voluntary pension pillar is the hefty 20% tax refund once a year for the sums invested* (strings attached though)

For now, I have decided to start small and invest really small amounts of money to get my foot wet.

As I already have SEB bank Latvia account (I'm using it for holding Baltic stocks and getting dividend…

Georgia

Rebi Gurjaani Restaurant

Rebi Gurjaani is a restaurant located in Gurjaani, we discovered back in September 2017, while returning from a weekend trip to Kakheti back to Tbilisi. Seems Rebi Gurjaani is not only a restaurant but also a hotel. In case you are traveling to Gurjaani, consider Rebi.Now, regarding restaurant - this place serves typical Georgian cuisine for very affordable money.The huge outdoor terrace at Rebi Gurjaani restaurantMenu at…

Georgia

Castello Mare Hotel & Wellness Resort

Located at the seafront, Castello Mare Hotel & Wellness Resort is located between Kobuleti and Chakvi seaside villages in Western Georgia. The hotel offers spa facilities, an indoor pool tennis court, and a fitness center.We booked this hotel for a one night stay via Booking.com at the end of April 2019 and paid about GEL 160. The hotel offers spa facilities, indoor pool tennis court and a fitness center.Room with a seaside…

Latvia

Cabo Cafe

Cabo cafe is a cafe with a unique charm, located in Mežaparks, on the very shore of lake Ķīšezers.Cabo cafe serves burgers, french fries, and delicious shashlik. First discovered by a recommendation from a friend. Now visited pretty regular once in Riga.Grilled meat at Cabo cafeCabo cafe neat Ķīšezers in Riga

Georgia

Chateau Eniseli

We booked a stay at Chateau Eniseli back in September 2017.During our stay here we had a great opportunity to enjoy the rtveli or grape harvesting, see: Grape Harvest Rtveli in Georgia (Region of Kakheti)Wine cellar at Chateau EniseliOffering tours of the historical vineyard and winery at the property, Chateau Eniseli provides hotel accommodation located in the heart of the Kakheti countryside. Free WiFi is available.Rooms at Chateau…

Investing

April 2019 Dividend Income Report - $164.24

Welcome to the twenty-fourth (#24) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks, peer to peer lending (both fiat and cryptocurrencies) in April 2019.Despite Spring is in the full blow here in Tbilisi, we still managed to catch a little from winter at the start of the Month when traveled to the Stepatsminda village (this village has a Google Market) in the footsteps of…

Latvia

Autosole Economy Motel in Riga

Autosole Economy is set in a wooden building, 3 km from Riga’s Old Town.We booked Autosole Economy for one night back in September 2017, paid for a stay here ~ EUR 60. Despite a week ago we stayed at 4-star Park Hotel by Radisson hotel in Riga, we booked Autosole motel, because it's a rare pet-friendly hotel in Riga, we had a flight next morning to the Tbilisi and we were traveling with both of our cats.Free parking in front…

Restaurant reviews

Restaurant Antre Batono Ubisa

Restaurant Antre Batono Ubisa is located near the Ubisa village in the region of Imereti, Georgia some 170 km from Tbilisi.

We made a stop here and discovered this lovely place, while traveled to Batumi via Tbilisi - Senaki - Leselidze highway at the end of April 2019.

This place serves typical Georgian cuisine, VISA is accepted and last, but not least prices are considerably lower if compared to the Tbilisi restaurants…

Georgia

Restaurant Marani in Vertkvichala

Restaurant Marani Vertkvichala is located near the village Vertkvichala on Tbilisi - Senaki - Leselidze highway some 160 km from Tbilisi in the Imereti region of Georgia.We stopped here for a brief stop to take a meal and have some rest before heading back to Tbilisi (from Batumi)Restaurant MaraniThe place looked like a lovely B&B to me, as I noticed there are some hotel rooms, but when asked the waiter, he denied that…

Georgia

Day trip To Tsalka and nearby Villages

Originally it was planned as a two day trip to Ninotsminda in the region of Samtskhe-Javakheti.  For the first day, it was planned to make stops at Tsalka reservoir, Paravani lake with an overnight in Ninotsminda.  For the second day, there were plans to visit nearby Russian Doukhobor villages of Gorelovka, Orlovka, and probably some others.

Unfortunately, once we reached Tsalka, the road literally ended, we spent about…

Latvia

Park Inn by Radisson Riga Valdemara

Built in 2016, Park Inn by Radisson Riga Valdemara invites its guests to stay on the western side of Daugava River with good connections to the Old Town, Riga International Airport and main sights. Guests can enjoy a meal at the onsite restaurant, enjoy views from terrace and exercise in the fitness centre.We stayed at this hotel at the start of September 2017. By now I have an extensive list of Riga hotels, and I must admit that Park Hotel by…

Georgia

Hofbrau Munchen Gudauri

Hofbrau Munchen Gudauri is a roadside cafeteria located in Georgia (some 20 km from Gudauri)I'm not very well familiar with Hofbrau Munchen brand but seems this is a popular German brewery brand in Germany and abroad, the one located on Gudauri highway seems is not actually affiliated with the German brand (but you never know). See more: https://www.hofbraeu-muenchen.de/enAnyhow, you can get here some German beer and some German…

Georgia

Tsalka

Tsalka is a town and municipality center in southern Georgia's Kvemo Kartli region located some 100 km from Tbilisi. Next to Tsalka is located the largest water reservoir in Georgia - Tsalka reservoir. 

Town of Tsalka is known by many abandoned houses next to the lake, and in fact, while traveled here for the first time back in 2011, I had an idea it would be cool to buy a house here. My dream of owning a…

Latvia

Restaurant 'Piano" in Liepāja

The 'Piano' is a World class restaurant located in Promenade hotel in LiepājaEnjoy delicious meals and a romantic, relaxed atmosphere at "Piano" restaurant located in "Promenade Hotel". I first discovered and tried Piano restaurant back in September 2017.Restaurant Piano in Liepāja  On the extensive restaurant menu, you will find exquisite and diverse dishes specially prepared from local Latvian products - gourmets will enjoy the…

Georgia

Mount Kazbek

Mount Kazbek, is a dormant stratovolcano and one of the major mountains of the Caucasus located on the border of Georgia's Kazbegi District and Russia's Republic of North Ossetia–Alania.It is the third-highest peak in Georgia (after Mount Shkhara and Janga) and the seventh-highest summit in the Caucasus Mountains. Kazbek is also the second-highest volcanic summit in the…

Georgia

Hotel Stancia Kazbegi

Hotel Stancia in Kazbegi is a great and cheaper alternative to the more stylish and lavish Rooms Kazbegi hotel. Featuring a garden and a restaurant, Stancia Kazbegi is set in Stepantsminda. Among the various facilities of this property are a terrace and ski storage space. The hotel also offers free WiFi as well as a paid airport shuttle service.We booked Hotel Stancia in Kazbegi in early April 2019 and paid around GEL 150 (USD 56) for…

Georgia

Tsalka Lake / Water reservoir

Tsalka reservoir - is the largest water reservoir in Georgia,  located in the Tsalka municipality, some 100 km from Tbilisi, at 1506 meters above the sea level in the valley of Khrami river.

The total area for Tsalka reservoir is 33.7 km²,  Maximum depth - 25m, while the average depth of 9,3 m. Reservoir stretches from the west to the east. 



Tsalka reservoir in winter

Made this…

Latvia

Hotel Talsi

Hotel “Talsi” is located in a picturesque place, next to Vilkumuiza lake. Hotel "TALSI" offers 53 different standard Single, Double rooms and comfortable Suites. I booked Hotel Talsi, for a couple of days (nights) in August 2017. As there are not many hotels located in Talsi, Hotel Talsi seemed like a logical choice, which actually was quite true. As I traveled without a car, I managed to organize a taxi service from the hotel during…

Crypto

Trading Bitcoin / Ethereum Options (Selling Puts) on Deribit - Part 1

Deribit is my latest discovery from the crazy crypto world. It all started with simple buy-and-hold operations back in 2017.

What followed was, a day trading on Poloniex,  I even built a custom Ethereum mining rig. I have played with cloud mining contracts from hashflare,  and now I've found my way into Bitcoin / Ethereum options trading.

It's not that I would call myself an expert in options trading, in fact, I…

Georgia

Birtvisi Canyon in Georgia

Birtvisi canyon is located in the Tetri-Tskaro district in Kvemo Kartli  region about an hour drive from Tbilisi. Canyon is ideally suited for those loving hiking (see: Hiking In Birtvisi Canyon (Hidden Trails Of Georgia)) and outdoor activities.There are many smaller and larger gorges, rocks and of course amazing nature. Also, the Birtvisi fortress is located here (which I still haven't found after some 4 years of inactive searches).…

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I share ongoing portfolio progress with a focus on generating income through covered calls on quality stocks. Each update includes positioning changes, trade rationale, and forward-looking adjustments based on current market conditions.