Georgia

I have been living in Georgia for more than tvelwe years already. I have traveled around the country quite a lot.  Probably one of my favorite destinations in Tbilisi is Turtle Lake. On hot summer days, I like to head here to perform some work (in my early Tbilisi years for some Drupal development, latelty managing my crypto hedge fund) or brainstorm new ideas. Though I started to blog - and document my travels just in 2013, I have been here (at Turtle Lake) some hundred times for sure. If at…

Governments across the former Soviet Union have felt the impact of currency devaluations, but currency depreciations and related economic problems in Georgia and Moldova are exposing their governments to major political pitfalls this year, including even potential government collapse. Both countries have been pursuing greater integration with the West but are still heavily linked to Russia, making them susceptible to Russia's economic downturn. Economic difficulties will undermine both…

On the lovely date of March 8 which in Georgia and many other countries is celebrated as International Women's Day I headed to Tbilisi Dezerter Bazaar to capture impressions of that day. I was hoping to capture smiling man with flowers in hand but instead I did photographed a lot of vegetables, fruits and yes flowers as well. As well I managed to capture both happy and unhappy sales persons in action. Take a look Narcissus for Sale at Tbilisi Dezerter Bazaar Radishes and sorrels for…

Welcome to another cycling in Tbilisi post series. Today I will write about our latest cycling route near the Lisi lake, will provide you with a cycling map and plenty of photos I managed to capture here.  During this cycling route, we discovered a few and very interesting places in Tbilisi I had previously barely heard but never had visited them before. Places like Tbilisi Hippodrome and Tbilisi Dog Shelter.  It all started with a call to a friend with a mini-van. Damn, we are like typical…

The other day during our cycling near Lisi lake in Tbilisi we discovered a few and interesting places, I have already wrapped a blog post about Tbilisi Hippodrome we discovered by accident. By accident we discovered a Tbilisi Dog Shelter as well.  When cycling from Tbilisi Hippodrome back to Lisi lake, my eyes cached an interesting scene - in the middle of nowhere people were doing some exercises. So we decided to approach and the closer we get, the louder started a dog barking. And here it…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…