Georgia

Some time ago I did a comparison of minimum government set wages in Former Soviet Union republics. Today, I decided to figure out - what is the average salaries in those republics. I must admit, it was harder to gather data about average salaries, than gathering data for minimum wages. Seems governments are not eager to share such data. So in this average salary table you will find figures for 2012, 2013 and 2014. Unfortunately it makes this table not 100% reliable, but it gives us some…

This is already third post in my Tbilisi restaurant series. Today I got a chance to visit Dzveli Kalaki restaurant (near Didube bridge) For a prelude - we found and interesting offer on Georgian Groupon clone site www.hotsale.com - Entricote with 30% Off. This hotsale systems works like this - you pay some small fee for coupon/voucher and then you get your discount. So we bought a coupon for Dzveli Kalaki - it was for about 2 GEL. Since we had no clue, where exactly it's located, we used a…

This is my second post on series covering Tbilisi restaurants. A while ago I decided to start a new topic series, with aim for locals and foreigners find great dinner places in Tbilisi. I'm reviewing only places I have tried by myself. Update, this restaurant seems is out of the business, but on its location is some other restaurant (2021) I'm an expat living in Georgia (Tbilisi). You can find some articles covering topic Living in Georgia. I'm huge lover of restaurants and coffee shops, and…

The other day was damned hot in Tbilisi, and we decided to take a minibus to head to Borjomi (temperature there is significantly cooler than in Tbilisi). Said - done. In matter of few hours we were at Borjomi National Park eating barbecue and figuring out - should we stay or should we leave (As the song of The Clash - Should I stay or should I go). Since this was not the first time visiting Borjomi and staying overnight here, we already knew - apartments for rent here sucks - they might be…

Georgian citizens might have Visa Free Travel with European Union (Schengen area) by end of 2015 or at start of 2016 - told Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs - Maia Panjikidze on live translations on Imedi TV station, Wednesday, August 20, according to NewsGeorgia  I have a assumption based on realistic data that by the end of 2015 - beginning of 2016 we will have visa-free travel with the member countries of the Schengen Agreement  - told Panjikidze According to the official Tbilisi -…

I have decided to start a new post series - Tbilisi restaurants. As you might already know I'm an expat living in Georgia (Tbilisi).  I'm a huge lover of restaurants and coffee shops, and since living in Georgia I have came even a bigger fan of eating outside the home.  Since I'm eating out pretty regular - there are my favourite places, then there are places, that once was my favourite places, and then there are places better to avoid.  I'm willing to make an description of them and to…

<p>Mestia is a remote mountainous village in region of Svaneti in Georgia. You can reach Mestia by car, minibus (<em>marshrutka</em>) or even by plane. Speaking of the last one - I'm not sure, but there is <a href="http://www.reinisfischer.com/flights-mestia-tbilisi-will-resume-startin… flights available from Tbilisi to Mestia</a>. Depending are you a solo traveller or you travel as couple, or maybe as a group, you might want to check this list with Top…

Update: This article originally was written back in 2014 - a lot has changed since then, mostly prices and services - prices have gone up, service in some cases have gone down - I've removed any contacts listed in this article - please read comments section for up to the date information.  See: Tbilisi - Yerevan Transfer by GoTrip.Ge Review Those of you looking to travel from Tbilisi to Yerevan, or from Yerevan to Tbilisi, you have few options to choose - I'm not 100% sure but one of the…

In this article, I'm sharing notes on how I opened a bank account at ProCredit Georgia Bank back in 2014. Since I originally wrote this article, I have opened several additional bank accounts in Georgia - at Bank Republic for check redemptions (Sold to TBC bank) and Bank of Georgia. If you need consultancy or help with opening a bank account in Georgia, visit the Terramatris website: Opening Bank Account in Georgia There was a law- asking foreigners to register for temporary residence in…

In the wake of the recent power outage in Tbilisi, I decided to delve into electric power consumption in the Former Soviet Union (FSU) space. In this article, I explore the kWh per capita consumption in various FSU countries, based on data from the World Bank. Surprisingly, Russia, with a minimum wage of $160 per month, has the highest kWh per capita consumption, followed by Estonia, which has a higher standard of living. This article serves as a starting point to better understand the economy…