My first impression of travel in the Caucasus region was a good one, arriving in sunny Batumi, Georgia to a warm welcome from the immigration officers. One night later, I was on an overnight train, sharing a couple of bottles of cognac with three new Georgian friends. It was just a taste of what was …
Travel in the Caucasus: Comparing Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan Read More »
I have more stamps in my passport from the Republic of Georgia (not to be confused with the state of Georgia) than from anywhere else – 10 altogether, 5 entrance and 5 exit. How did this happen? Well, let’s just say the Republic of Georgia is really convenient. It probably enjoys the best flight connections …
The Republic of Georgia could be considered the cradle of Christianity and wine. While it was the second country (after Armenia) to officially adopt Christianity as its religion back in the 4th century, archaeologists have traced the origins of wine production back to 6,000 B.C. in Georgia. The Kakheti region in Georgia provides …
Joseph Vissarionovich Djugashvili was born in the town of Gori, Georgia in 1878. Locals may still think of him fondly – after all, he is the local boy who made it big – really big. Indeed, my taxi driver in Gori bragged to me that his grandfather and Djugashvili were schoolmates. I arrived at the …
The One Where I Visit the Birthplace of an Evil Dictator Read More »
I thought I was going to die. Every time we cruised toward a hairpin turn without slowing down at all, the cement barricades directly in front of us, I thought I would die. Every time we sped past multiple vehicles on the single lane highway with a semi-truck bearing down on us in …
Tbilisi is one of those cities that just kept growing on me. I stopped through for the first time back in March, fresh off the Black Sea Ferry and on my way to Armenia to volunteer. The weather was cool and windy and I didn’t feel up to exploring much. The next time around, in …
The high mountainous region of Svaneti in Georgia is the land of the Svans – a culture that has existed in Georgia since the 2nd millennium B.C. and a people who speak a 6th century dialect of Georgian that most others in the country can’t really understand. Defensive towers that date as far back as …
Okay, so I guess there are other places you could conceivably stay in the Kakheti region of Georgia. Heck, there’s probably at least one or two other places in the town of Telavi itself. But I really don’t know why you would want to stay anywhere other than Eto’s Guesthouse. I found myself not wanting …
Eto’s Guesthouse: The Only Place to Stay in Kakheti Read More »
> Mestia is one of those still slightly hidden, hard to reach places in the Republic of Georgia, located high up in the mountains in the region of Svaneti. To get there, I had to take an overnight train from Tbilisi to Zugdidi, followed by a three hour marshrutka (mini-bus) ride up winding mountain roads. …
When traveling, first impressions mean a lot – especially when it comes to hostels. Over the last eight and a half months, the hostels I have enjoyed the most also tended to be the ones that started things off on the right foot. The Old Town Hostel Tbilisi was actually the third hostel I visited …
Tbilisi’s Old Town Hostel: First Impressions Are Everything Read More »
