The Price is Right

It is very rare to travel to a place where you do not see the inflated tourist prices whether it is a meal or a taxi or exchanging money. The tours are fairly priced, the transporation(taxi, bus, maruska), and the local food is mainly based at Georgian prices unless it is a hotel or highly touristy area. 

When I leave a local the leftover change or a tip they usually say “no thank you” like they cannot accept it or they feel bad taking money from me. You can insist and they still will not take it from you. 

It is really so incredibly refreshing as a tourist to not have to worry about getting overcharged or have a tourist fee- example museums and tourist attractions can charge different prices for tourists- this just does not happen here. 

Many people had been telling me to visit Georgia for years, not just because of the food, but because of the overall vibe. You get good quality food, drink, and accomodation for your money and you get to explore all different landscapes. 

Wine tasting is fairly priced, the market, the cafes and buying groceries, taking the bus, buying food or drinks outside, and the more upscale restaurants are even fair. Its very impressive to see a country that is treating a tourist like a local, like a family member or friend especially at guesthouses, restaurants and wineries. 

You can make friends easily with locals and tourists.

People are not judgemental making you feel like a tourist or like they are intent of getting extra money or overcharging. That was not a concern in this country and it was a breath of fresh Georgian air just enjoying and being a tourist with local prices...fair, just, and honest. Thank you Georgia. 

More detailed post to be continued....excuse me for being so vague and basic yikes 

The Weather of a Lifetime

Time to leave Telavi and head down the wine route on another gorgeous day-divine the weather. We all shared breakfast together and Bakti made a beautiful spread of food. She made homemade porridge with apricot and blackberries. She usually meditates on Saturday and does not speak or use her phone. Clearly, she made an exception for this day. 

The Chinese girls were making some soup with meat and the leftover horse-it is very interesting to see them eat as they love to eat meat...as Zoe said, "All kinds of meat." That gives me the chills a bit. Let’s just say they eat very differently than us. Zoe was kind enough to braid my hair and we took some fun photos together.Bakti went on her morning walk. She said she’s not religious, but she likes to sit in the churches and finds peace there. She is such a simple yet beautiful, creative human being. It’s so refreshing to meet people like her and then way she reminded me of myself especially with the way we like to cook and serve others and we like to wake up in the morning and write. She is my sister in another lifetime I think.  

After my educational lesson about Georgian men from her and Ms. Korea, I know to avoid them like the plague. She said to avoid them at all costs because they will just take your money or break your heart or both. 

The day was perfectly clear, and you could see the most beautiful view of the mountains. I wanted to stop by the bazaar before heading on the Maruska(van) down the wine route.
The bazaar was so much fun, talking with the man who sells the various types of cheese. I sampled the teas and the different nuts/ fruits and some women were not as friendly.  The cheese can be very salty and they were not my favorite, but I had to buy some from a local guy outside for $.50 he gave me a big chunk of cheese and cut it into pieces. 

The butchers were cutting the meat that was all types of various produce being sold on the streets. The locals were entertained by my prescence. The way I probably say I am Indian and walk around with curiosity and kindness in my eyes. 

I stopped in the grocery store for some local food to eat before my bus ride and I was instantly approached by a 12-year-old boy, who wanted to practice English. He told me about his family, where he lives, their names, and he told me my English is good, but he needs practice lol. He was charming, funny, and adorable. 

He was trying so hard to form basic questions and was asking all about my life. His name was Otto and he was hanging out in the grocery store with his sister waiting for his mother to get out of work. 
A Taxi is trying to get my business, but I am talking with the van drivers trying to get to the winery. They are all talking about me in Georgian. It’s always so interesting when a tourist gets on the van and they are trying to figure out where I wanna go. They drop me off at the Shumi winery which was stunning- one of the biggest and best wineries in Georgia with over 2,000 varietals of wine! You can just grab a few tastes and walk around in the garden, near the fountain, or in the Rose garden. There are not many tour groups there or guests so it is super peaceful and the fountain with the Fall pumpkin display is lovely-ahhhh winery heaven!

I met a nice girl name, Sasha who moved to Georgia from Russia. She said she likes Georgia because she can be free in her mind and her actions. She said Russia is very strict and controlling. She doesn’t miss living there and loves her life and friends in Georgia. She was at such peace just sitting on a swing in front of the vineyards.

She said there’s so much beauty, but she doesn’t want to take photos. She wants to just enjoy it....if the world can have more young people like this...oh the Russians. 

I ended up stopping at a couple more wineries and then catching another bus to Signaghi. The wineries were never ending and I just tried to visit ones that interested me and were on my bus route lol.

The driver was a bit crazy again passing cars and quickly picking up passengers. It was very scenic driving this way as all the Fall leaves were changing. It really is the perfect season for Georgia. I can see why many people visit in the Fall. 

He drops me off and shouted 10 Lari and he pointed out his watch indicating I should hurry up. I was shuffling through my change purse for 10 as I ran out of change. I just gave him 20 and let him leave because he was shouting like a maniac that he needed to keep moving. 

He drops me off and I am doublechecking making sure I have all my stuff because I had to get off so quickly. I took a walk down the main road and realized that I had a 30 minute walk ahead of me. A local doctor sees me walking and offers me a ride- this is not weird people-this is called being a kind local when a guest is visiting your country.  He drops me directly off in front of my accomodation, which was on the way to his weekend home. I am so grateful after the long day of bus rides and just want to take a nice shower and walk. 

I had read many reviews about this accomodation saying the family is very lively and welcoming. I take time choosing the right places and it ends up being worth it most of the time....The family was lovely, but the room was a library/book study turned into a room-very small, but it was clean. 

Within minutes this Indian family arrived and they were staying above me in the triple bedroom. It was a husband and wife, their two kids and mother and father and they were from Bangalore. They were super nice and immediately I really liked them. There was a young baby and George worried it would be too noisy for me, but I figured it would be nice staying with Indians. I walked around the city tasted a few different wines-it is hard to just get tastes, but if I did not I woud just request half a glass because red wine was very acidic and too strong for me to drink too much. 

This season is coming to an end so there were less people and the tour buses usually leave by sunset, which I knew this and for this reason-I chose to stay overnight with some peace and quiet. The further away from the tourists and the more interactions with locals-the better. 

The views and the sunset were spectacular. It is truly a beautiful, romantic hilltop city. Couples pass by holding hands and taking romantic photos, sharing food, and gazing into each other's eyes. It was a romantic destination for sure and I had no romance happening at all. 

It seems like so many of the businesses are all run by families they have their children there tending to the business and younger kids are there playing. I met a nice Ukrainian man well dressed in a nice suit and he gave me his business card and was trying to communicate with me in Russian. He looks like some kind of politician or somebody important, but he stopped and asked to take a photo with me and kissed my head which i just love this form of endearment.

The sun was setting, and there was a great DJ playing music at the restaurant. He was up on the top level and he had the moon right behind him- great Dj with European vibes- nothing better than this and a nice decaf cappacino.  

I went back to the guest house, and the Indians were downstairs in the cellar doing a wine tasting so i joined them. There was Sapervi red wine, dry white wine- both homemade and peach ja ja , tarragon, and apricot brandy. George was doing a whole demo with Ja ja and lighting it on fire and giving us history of his winery and the different instruments downstairs in this underground cellar.  

This tarragon Ja ja was absolutely amazing. He told me that he would be insulted if I left his home and did not at least taste it and Boy I am glad I did. The tarragon and the mint were both excellent. 

 He explained that Georgians drink large quantities until they feel good and go to sleep. George showed me the local horn that holds a bottle of wine and there is a Tumador(previously mentioned) who drinks out of this first and then the rest of the people follow with his tradition of each Georgian drinking a bottle of wine. George, said in his heavy accent that he could drink a bottle of wine in under 3 minutes and this does not surprise me at all....maybe even 2 minutes for some Georgians. He is very busy always having tours, managing a guesthouse, and inviting tourists to his wine cellar and making wine. He has a very cute personality and innocence...he helped me in my room get the mosquitoes out and was climbing up to the ceiling to smash the bug so I could be comfortable...

I would wake up to the kids outside playing on their bikes and the sunrise was spectacular like an Ooty it reminded me of in India....a hill station. 

It was special just visiting the city on my own and having this time to know George and his local city and traditions. 

Adventures of Korea and India Take 2

Off we go, Ms. Korea and Ms. India, with the town at our fingertips just spinning around walking down the hill. 

We stop by a winery just around the corner. An old Georgian woman invites us inside. She doesn’t speak English, but she calls her son on the phone to translate. He is interested to meet us,but tells us we are welcome to do the wine tasting with his mother. She will give us 3 small types of Red. 

He says he studied wine in California, UC Davis and he spent time in Chicago and he was proud to say he is also attending the 2023 New York wine festival. His mother opens up a Georgian magazine and there is his face in the article. We would have loved to meet him in person, but he was out of town. 

A man in a Mercedes is following behind us as he sees us taking photos with the beautiful fall leaves, and the various mountain views. He stops the car to take photos of us and then he says goodbye and continues on. He then stops and he is driving his car along and talking to us at the same time. He is not weird at all, but very nice and friendly showing us where Simone's winery was located. 

While we both wanted to visit a famous cheese shop in Telavi, we ended up visiting Simone‘s Winery. The cheese shop was a bit more upscale and formal and we were just in a "let's keep talking and chill." 

Our new friend, winery owner and his house, showed us the winemaking process and we had a tasting of white wine, red wine and the famous ja ja. 

Ja ja is like an Abstinent or a Raki-it is very strong alcohol, which is made from the leftovers of the wine. What is distilled that is left over and it is aged for a long time. It’s a 40 percent plus alcohol percentage. I had to at least try it once and that was it for me. 

Kaheti is known for dry white wine, which was what I was sticking to -just white, no red. 

My beautiful friend-ja ja, red, white, red, white, white, ja ja-her tolerance was unbelievable, and Simone could not believe that she could keep up with the Georgian-the troubadour! 

Again, we just had the best time together the three of us talking about Georgians and their funny behaviors, how it’s so hard to find people to do work for the house, how she doesn’t have a proper water supply, but she loves a simple life and would not want to live in a big city again. She lives in a very small village with chickens, cows, and limited electricity. 

Simone keeps making toast to various things like good health, good fortune, meeting, new friends, saying cheers in Korean and Georgian, and just wishing all of us a great life and a happy one. He says that all his guests are gifts from God and he loves all the countries that come right to his door to taste his wine. How amazing to have a winery where you can be at home and everyone comes to you and you live with your family. 

In the small wineries, they are usually started by families. Simone lives with his brother, sister and her husband, his mother and father. He said his great grandmother lived to 117 and she always drank wine and the traditional Georgian yogurt- Makriani.

Simone was always smiling and even if we were speaking of something and he disagreed-he would never speak negatively about any topic. He was always neutral and said there are good people and bad people everywhere you go, but he likes to give people a chance rather than make negative assumptions- example being many Georgians who do not like Armenians. Armenians do not like people from Azerbaijan. Israel doesn’t like Palestine. There are all these world conflicts yet he stressed that you have to stay peaceful, and positive no matter what the circumstance.
Hahe, the Korean girl said she is the woman who drinks like a man and can handle drinking anything. Simone continued to give her many tastes of wine and she actually did Reach a limit. Simone looked very tired as we had so many questions and had spent over two hours together. We left and head back to our original party. Many people had left, but Victor was there playing the guitar. What an educational, fun, adventurous, exciting, thought provoking, blessed, kind, lovely, incredible day!

PotLuck, Friends, and Wineries

I woke up refreshed around 9:00am and ready to take a walk around the city- it was very quiet with only a few shops open. I stop at the community hotel and speak with the girl working there who says they only have one room filled and a large group coming in the evening. She made me a coffee even though they were only serving hotel guests at the moment. 

The hotel is just perfect with such traditional Georgian touches. The chefs are in the kitchen with bags or produce and meats ready to cook.
I walk up to an abandoned church with an amazing view and a cute puppy is following behind me- nicest street dogs ever. 

I walk down the hill and there is a man picking persimmons from his tree. He points at me and points at the tree and I nod my head. He walks over and has me open my hand and hands me a whole bunch of them on a branch.  I say, "Thank you" in Georgian and I am happy walking around with a rose I found, persimmons, and now a cake.  I stop at a nice bakery, which I was informed is the best bakery and there is a line of people buying cuts of different cakes. They looked delicious and they were priced at $2 a slice. Some of the cakes were just $7 which is outrageously low for a whole birthday cake. It is nice because she would cut a row off the cake or a portion and sell it that way.  

Next, I stop in the produce shop where I am just standing and admiring the produce- it is unbelievable how fresh everything is anything from pomegranate to heirloom tomatoes, carrots, and fresh green onions. I buy some oranges which she picks out special for me. I visit with my English friend again from the cafe who asks about America and teaches me Georgian. This time she makes me a Turkish coffee and gives me a local fried pastry with creme inside. She watches me take the first bite and says “its very good right” again another food straight out of the oven made from the older Georgian lady in the back kitchen. Many locals are coming in for this same pastry and I can see this shop is a local community spot where "everybody knows your name."

 

We sit and have a talk together. She shows me her boyfriend and tells me she is so happy she just got a new 2013 hynundai shipped in from America and asks me what I think of it. She says how beautiful I am and I say No you are the cutest. She is just 25 and a bit critical of herself saying she hates her teeth and wants to have better skin. She is stunning, adorable, and does not need to change a thing. 
She teaches me Georgian basics and I repeat after her. It is embarassing because I still cannot pick up Georgian, which I would usually know more words by now traveling in a new country. She says she can teach me the bad words too and I tell her to leave those ones out- not my thing-learning the bad words of a country-serves no purpose, but some foreigners find it so entertaining. 
I quickly go back up the hill, which is quite a hike and quite a view.  Bakti has everything prepared as Zoe was helping her set up. She seemed to want to have that time alone with her so I was going to help with the food, upkeep, and cleaning. I swept the house, cleaned the bathroom, and wiped everything down. Bakti was frying dough and giving me some fried dough to try, but I was all doughed out after my morning snack. 

Guests began to arrive again international crowd from the various villages in Kakehti region. 
They started a Facebook group and have various events throughout the year. There were multiple countries for example: UK, Malaysia, France, Germany, Russia, and Azebajan. People were all very friendly, kind and welcoming. 

The German man owns a beautiful guesthouse in the mountains with a pool. He just built dit himself a year ago. A very interesting man and his wife were cyclists who traveled all over cycling from country to country-I mean alllll over.  They were talking about how they were stuck in Ko Samui during the pandemic for 10 months, they were just fascinating individuals with such an interesting skill set and various life experiences. He said he was lucky enough to retire at 40 she seemed very sweet, but I felt like maybe she was sick or had some illness(my heart felt for her). 

The French man, Jean paul is a chef from France, and he brings various pates(duck and chicken liver) and homemade wine from his cellar. Many people in Georgia even ex-pats make their own wine. Bakti has her "horse speciality" that people are loving, but I cannot do it. I apologize to her, but it is a hard No. It feels like a crime. 

We are having such a great conversation and making many jokes the French man says how much he loves India mostly Cashmere and Pakistan, he started traveling to India in 1989. He said he loves to sing in French and we played all kinds of music on YouTube, singing karaoke, and dancing with one another anything from Indian to French to Salsa to American. 

I am connecting with another girl from South Korea. She is tall, full of life, and very interesting and quite beautiful. She moved to a remote village to write a science fiction book. She has a background in business, and once lived in Seattle, she has the funniest stories about Georgian men and she shares a lot of her real experiences and the differences between Asian and European culture.

 

We get along so much that we decided to go out and take a walk and visit a nearby winery as they pulled out the guitar inside and we were interested in fresh air and a wine stop.  

Telavi, Telavi, Telavi

The weather is overcast, but it is quite manageable. The city center is just a 10 minute walk up the hill. There is a lot of construction going on and the smell of exhaust from cars is a bit annoying. A friend told me they use the cheapest form of gas in Georgia and many young people die from car accidents, which is very sad but understandable. 

I walk to the main center where i see there are beautiful views from every point you stand. There is a tree that is 900 years old, the architecture is special to the region of Telavi and the dogs are out being very friendly as usual.

Georgia has he most friendly dogs of any country I have ever visited-calm, sweet, adorable, chill, and kind (yes kind) 

I stop in a coffee shop where school kids all stop to get a snack. A very sweet girl speaking English offers me some coffee and fresh khachapuri from the oven. The streets are not crowded and chaotic like Tblisi. 

There is still traffic, but the city is so easy to walk around and see the sites. I stop by the tourism office and speak with another sweet Georgian woman wearing a beautiful black dress and black stockings- black seems to be a common color. I told her she looks like a model and so did my friend at cafe. The way people take pride in their appearance no mattter what their job is beautiful. 

My tour agent explains the wine route and all the different wineries from village to village. It really takes a car to drive from winery to winery or a group tour, which I do not prefer. She tells me about the local wineries and makes a phone call to her friend who owns one. She puts him on the phone and he is so kind. He is inviting me to his winery and saying I am welcome to come anytime and he can come pick me up from the main square in the afternoon. 

She felt so insecure about her English and I encouraged her to keep speaking as she was doing really well. It was above and beyond her description of the wine routes, the different papers/maps/contact numbers, and connecting me to the winery owner...so sweet melts my heart everytime ugh 
In various spots, you see signs for wineries, but then some are not labeled so that is confusing. I walk up to the Nadikeri park where they have an outstanding view. There are clouds and a fog under the mountains, but you can see the snow on top- very peaceful as there are very few people around. I walk back to my guesthouse and say goodbye to my owner. 

He has his hand gesture pointing at the chair telling me to sit. He offers me some juice while he is organizing his coins with his older tv on in the background-it had this thing called an Antenna lol 

He is sad to see me leave and writes on google translate “please come again.” We take a photo together and off i go back to the center to stay with Bakti. 

Bakti is a lovely, talented kind girl from Kazebkistan. She is a photographer, a writer, she plays the piano, loves to cook, and also coaches people who have Chrones disease as she has the same illness. She tries to teach others a more hollistic approach rather than being on medication.
We share ginger tea and she tells me she has lived in Telavi for 6 months. Her house is lovely with a full mountain view, a small living room and 2 bedrooms. As we are talking, a knock on the door comes shortly after and it is the arrival of two Chinese backpackers. They were traveling for 2 months coming from Baku Azerbaijan, Egypt, and Kuwait.
Zoe and Joanna- Zoe is the extrovert and Joanna the introvert. Zoe has a super friendly and engaging personality always wanting to learn about culture and asking questions to learn more. She likes to try new things and meet new people traveling. We share some time together and help Bakti prepare for tomorrow as she is having a gathering at her home with the expat community. She is preparing a speciality from her country with homemade dumplings and she had horsemeat brought over from her country. She is also making pumpkin muffins out of roasted squash. She is baking bread and making compote out of apricots. She loves to cook and says it is her "meditation," which we share our common therapy with cooking. 

I went out to purchase some wine and cake for the evening gathering and that was it for the night. I had the main bedroom and the girls took the floor in the living room with sleeping bags (old woman gets priority) sorry girls. 

 

When it Rains, it Pours Blessings

I left Mr. Latvia's house and it was an awkward goodbye as we had such a great time and it was sad leaving, but that is the travel life. 

Off I went on a small passenger van for $5 that made about 50 stops and took 3 hours. Some tourists take the easy route and I take the budget friendly local route.

I forgot to mention the word “direct” to the driver, which is important because there are “direct” vans and ones that make local stops.  This is just the way the buses work in Georgia and many countries in the world- take a taxi or deal with the stops and the longer commute time.

At our main stop, I grabbed my coffee and then went to talk to all the drivers (they speak No English) but I say silly things and they are laughing. They offer me a cigarette(no) and they offer me some mints. I was waiting for our driver to finish his 5 cigarettes and that was taking forever.

For me, I know the schedule of these drivers and it is sad because it really is cigarettes, coffee, lunch, and talking with other drivers.

Georgian men are actually not very strong with the work ethic and the women are the main providers, but these men were all working so props to them.

Having this friendly nature and spirit where you can just sit with people not speak their language, but share a moment, a spirit, a connection while drinking a coffee and wishing they would stop smoking-it is really a nice gift-Rare beauty.

Off we went on a route where we passed 50 miles of straight vineyards. The fall colors were beautiful, sheep and horses, and all the local beauty you see from a bus window. There were so many fruit stands selling watermelons and green melons.
A man who is just walking with the sheep waves at me through the window. The camera just cannot record the simple exchanges or traveling.
Finally, we arrive and I am the last person to get off the maruska. Its a crowded bus area and I have no clue where I am as we were dropped off on the side of the street in a major intersection(not an official stop or bus station), which I needed the bus station because it was a 10 minute taxi ride from my accommodation.

I was seriously concerned with my host not speaking English and no one around me to communicate with and it was starting to rain….oh this was not good.

I walk across the street and put my head inside in

front of a taxi window. I just happened to see the cross on the dash and I use that for some taxi guidance. His name is Soso and he looks like a Georgian model- dressed so clean and stylish. I show him the address and he immediately calls the location.

He says in such words- he has an American here and she has a reservation at your location. He tells me he knows where it is, “Get in.”

And right after I got in the car, the rain starts to fall and I am so grateful that I found him.

He thinks im very cute with the backpack on and the friendly smile-sometimes I behave like a child as I love the attention I get from adults.  I mention the beautiful cross on the front mirror and he says he is Christian. He is married and he has a small baby. He keeps laughing and I am laughing because he thinks I’m funny.
We arrive at the house and I just ran out of cash and he said it is ok just give me what you have and for the $3 ride I only could find $1 USD(otherwise big bills).

“Don”t worry no problem.  You enjoy your stay my friend.”

It was less than 5 minutes the ride and he was happy that he could help me and not focused on money-a human being not a taxi driver lol

He puts his hand on my head, which i loveeee when people do this as a sign of blessing and kind of endearment.
I arrive and a friendly Georgian man(husband, wife, family stay) is waiting and he takes me upstairs, shows me the room, gives me the wifi and says good night. The room is decorated in this Parisian way and I have a full terrace for myself with just another couple staying downstairs. I am going to say this was $12 a night- or less.

Its just 5:30pm and I ask if there are places nearby for food and he says “No.”

On Google translate, he writes, “It is far to walk and it is raining.”

Usually, I can just do a fast until the next day and eat in the morning. This time he could see in my face that I was so disappointed and I said “Thank you” and went to my room.  

He knocks on my door bringing up a traditional Georgian meal, which is beans and spices with fresh brown bread. It is a huge bowl of food and I figure I could save half for the next day. He smiles and hands me the food- so jolly and kind. I relax in my white fluffy robe and watch the rain drops falling with my traditional food and my movie I was going to watch. Its a little noisy with cars passing on the side street, but it’s warm and my stomach is full-be happy and be grateful. 

Wake up and Smell the Beagle

 Wednesday October 18

The next morning I woke up nice and early trying to wake Mr. Latvia up to go for breakfast. He drank quite a bit and then he met up with his neighbor for more drinking while I went to sleep. He is a Latvian, but a real Georgian who drinks until the party is over. I have limited myself to just a couple glasses of wine. I actually just enjoy the small tastings and I am very satisfied. I walked down the hill to see Mr. Armenia

 “ Good morning” and maybe share a coffee. He is an Armenian hotel manager. He has families having breakfast and a wild dog- that dog was a beagle-immediately I was so excited. I started to love Beagles after meeting a few adorable ones while traveling. He is such a little rascal jumping all over the place and he is shouting at him in Russian/ Armenian.
Mr. Latvia told me a sad story that Mr. Armenia is an illegal immigrant who has no insurance and works for very little pay. He works everyday and rarely has a day off. He said he is a hopeless romantic who wants to find love, but his ways of communicating with women are a bit overkill-noted last night.
He gives me some coffee that is super strong and impossible to drink (there is no such thing as Georgian coffee) just turkish coffee, Nescafe, and some instant ones that be quite bitter and too strong for my tastes.
He lets me feed Maura the beagle which gives me such joy as she takes the food and runs with it.
I head down the hill to visit my ladies at the juice cafe(i try to establish connections with locals and then revisit them when I can) they had given me some great food recommendations and were so happy I took the time to talk and learn about their lives- age, going to school, what they enjoy- well it turns only one was there and it was not very exciting. I just got him a smoothie and bought some fresh bread, cheese, and tomatoes.


So the day continues on and Mr. Latvia is starting to do his remote work. I am deciding to stay one more night or head to Telavi. I had another girl to meet in Telavi Thursday so I went with the gut ( good decision) and hopped on a maruska( small local mini van) to Telavi.
I hope to one day meet someone like Mr. Latvia where I can have such incredible laughs and just easily talk for hours, go hiking in remote areas, enjoy nature and travel the world. Where is he? He must be traveling on different planets at this point lol

If this partner ever does come my way- it would be a real blessing. I have been involved in 90 percent of my relationships with people who do not want to be active, travel, socialize, live life, be silly, be adventurous-it just never happened.

So I do not feel much hope but who knows what life has planned. I made a great new friend and im happy with that:)

A Night to Remember

I had a busy day around town visiting the Fabrika district, having some great lunch, and meeting new locals- a typical travel day. I remember that I could not find the location for the cultural exchange travel meeting where I was meeting Mr. Latvia and new friends. 

I did not want to admit it to anyone, but I was just less than mile away and I kept going in the wrong direction.  I was lost and walking in all kinds of directions under bridges across the freeways, and asking taxi drivers or any drivers for that matter. I could have taken an Uber-yes but on Google maps I was only 7 minutes then it became 5 minutes and I wanted to find it on my own and I finally found the Radisson Blu, which was located directly behind the bar. "Big Blue building, You can see it." said driver. 

Well I did not see anything in the dark streets of Tblisi. 

My host had already arrived and he was sitting there smiling at me when I walked in and everyone kindly introduced themselves. It was your typical cultural exchange meeting full of different countries:  Iran, Russia, Egypt, Lebanon, Armenia, Kazebikistan, Serbia, UK, Singapore France, and more.  

It is always great having an International meeting because you learn about visas, jobs/new careers, places to travel, current politics/events/history-it is never ending and full of knowledge. You can network in so many ways and potentially meet new friends to travel/ visit the city/visit in their country etc. 

It was an adorable underground wine bar with a Russian owner named Alexander- i called him Alexander Petrovsky. He thought it was cute, but had no idea what the "Sex in the City" meant. 

"American sitcom Alexander." 

"Oh ok this is funny show?"

"No, this is a sexy show." 

"Ok that is even better." 

Russians are very smart, humorous, great sarcasm, and jokes- just great people in general because I rarely meet a Russian who is super boring. 

The wine was semi dry Georgian wine and of course Mr. Latvia had already started with a bottle. Everyone had a warm welcome to one another and a lovely Italian guy living in Georgia was just beaming with happy vibes. He told me all about his hitchhiking and backpacking trip he just returned from and how much he loved Switzerland. Mirad shared with me his love for Lebanon and his perspectives on culture, war, and Israel/ Palestine. Dragana said she could not believe I actually enjoyed Serbia. JJ talked to me about his life as a gay man in Iceland when I visited because she found it to be cold, dark, and boring.  Another man described in such an articulate way the beauty of Georgia. He loved the way they cook the food in the fire, the inviting atmosphere that felt like home, and the stoned underground cellars. An American married a Georgian woman- the tourist love story. He met her while working on assignment and they had a beautiful baby boy and they were in attendance minus the baby boy. 

David visiting from UK working remotely in AI. A photographer from Australia who has worked with the best companies all over the world.
The melting pot of people is so beautiful when you look around and see people so engaged and sharing their cultural experiences, countries/traditions/ adventures they loved.

Everyone was very entertained with my sense of humor and we all had some incredible laughs- if I could just record every moment. Travel show request for the 1,203,494 time lol 

Some people were gradually leaving and some people were staying til closing. Mr. Latvia and another guy were hanging out outside and decided to leave as I wanted to see live music. Mr. Latvia would like to place a bet with me and says, "There is no live music here after 12 midnight." 

"I told him that he was very wrong and he was going to owe me a glass of wine." 

When we arrived at this place that was supposed to have jazz, there were a few Russians sitting at the bar and I said, "What happened? I thought there was live music?"

The Russian man sipping on his drink said, "Music finished” 

Mr. Latvia did not believe me that there was music everyday so I asked “Is there music everyday?” 

The man and his friends said “Yes yes music everyday- you come next time earlier we stop 12 today”

Mr. Latvia and I went to another place nearby and it appeared very "young and hipster" not our crowd. 

He said, “You know what lets go visit my friends wine bar near the house.”

This was a great idea because we could just walk up the hill and we would be home (great for old people who want to have one drink and call it a night). 
Out comes this short man with light eyes and a big beard. He introduces himself and he gives us some wine tastings- some of the best white amber wine i have tasted. The white amber wine almost looks like urine lol thats like the only way to describe it unfortunately.
We immediately get along and start making jokes. He shares his love for American basketball talking about Scotty Pippen and Dennis Rodman and the Lakers. Some random statistics and then he does impersonations of people from Boston, New York, Indian, Russian, and France. He is absolutely such a funny character and we cant stop laughing. I tell him he looks like the Joker- Joaquin Phoenix. He is flattered and he starts to become cutely romantic saying he wants me to be his indian wife. 

While Mr. Latvia went to the restroom, he tried to pick me up and spin me around. He says he loves meditation and watching movies. In the meantime, he has a cat that is being mischievous, but is so incredibly precious with a smooth gray fur and pink collar- a diva cat. I tell Mr. Latvia to speak Russian to the cat to stop and he said its the same word- the cat will understand the English. It was just hilarious the accents we were all doing and how his friend was flirting with me and it was just a big joke for Mr. Latvia and I laughing at his comments and trying to pick me up. 

They kept going outside to smoke(the normal Georgian thing smoking every 5 minutes) and that was annoying as usual.  It was getting late and he opened some great wines for me to taste-I was grateful, but I had about 3 glasses of wine for the evening-I hit my limit and I wanted to sleep. Good night my friend, Good night! 

Did you know ?

 Georgians know food and wine

Georgians love pomegrante seeds

Georgians love excess of everything

Georgians like to go to sulphur baths

Georgians have great hot water and clean tap water to drink
Most Georgians speak Russian and Georgian
Georgia supports Ukraine
Georgia has great antiques, souvenirs, incredible art everywhere you go
Georgia restaurants make you feel like home
Georgians are crazy drivers
Georgians love bbq, wine, and family all three together:)

Mtsketa-Christianity Capital

 "Bursting with history, Mtskheta was one of the first cities in Georgia and is the former capital. It was one of the first regions to accept Christianity and is therefore regarded as a Holy City by the Orthodox Church. It is only about 20km from Tbilisi and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994." Wikipedia 

A popular day trip from Tbilisi, historic Mtskheta is sometimes called “Little Jerusalem” on account of the town's immense cultural and religious significance. The former Georgian capital is also the seat of the Georgian pm church, and is a veritable living museum with all of the historic sites in and around the town. Wikipedia 

In the morning, I woke up at 4:30am-still enrolled in the jetlag club. I bought my tour ticket for 10am and got there nice and early at 9am. The sun was just peaking out from the clouds- got a chia seed cup and a flat white. The girls were so sweet I asked them about their favorite places in the area to eat and they wrote them down- they were so happy and proud. I then spoke to the restaurant crew from the famous restaurant “Best of Tblisi.” 

She was drinking a gigantic Turkish coffee (usually they are in double size espresso cups). She said she drinks 3 a day! Turkish coffee is so incredibly strong and I couldn’t believe she was serious. Her kind friend said that Georgians like everything in excess. Coffee is not their specialty, but they love wine and food and smoking-obviously. They said that they were all taking a day trip together to the spa area in Georgia. They invited me to come to the restaurant tomorrow when they would be working.

Then I talked with George- the bus driver. He was elated that I spend time talking with him, the standard questions-age, where are you from, do you have kids, etc. Georgians ask questions that are a bit more inquisitive. I have noticed the men can get easily attached just from a simple friendly conversation, so I tried to keep it brief and wished him a good day. 

While I wasn’t feeling my best, I tried to make other people always feel good spreading joy is something I do best.  I don’t usually join structured group tours, I decided to join this one due to the geographical location, and the city, being the oldest and most historic city in Georgia. 

The guide was quite lovely speaking in Russian and English. The Tourists were just tourists taking lots of photos and acting ignorant at times. It was a big reminder that tours are not for me. I always want to spend more time in a place and when I am in a great conversation with someone I hear the 5 minutes left or "Come on it's time to go." It has never been for Priscilla since my first trip to Europe 16 years ago. 

These were locations that required self-reflection and had such incredible meaning. I was absolutely astounded by the beauty of the city, the locals, the priests, the history, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. It was very emotional and it did feel something like Jerusalem, having that special, sacred quality. The Monasteries we visited were definitely places I would visit again and I would return to the city by myself to have that special quality time with the locals, villagers, and priests without the paparazzi.

This city is the heart of Christianity for Georgia. It reminded me of why I came to Georgia in the firstplace- the Christianity made the whole experience worth it...even if I just visited this one city the whole trip-worth it, loved it, check mark, bucket list done. God bless this city! 

Church and New Friends

 A bolt to Tbisli International Church, which happened to be way across town which meant more crazy driving and more traffic. The driver was speeding over cobblestone, which is always great for someone who is very cautious with their back issues. 

When I arrived, the church was setup with worship music sermon and prayer.  A man with a fellowship spoke about his trip to Savaneti in the mountains to build an educational center for the villagers (great project). I was hoping to get involved, but it had already finished for the season and the new project would be more long term. 
There was quite a diverse group: Indian medical students, Canadian, European, Latin, South african, and local Georgian's as well. They all seemed like a closeknit community and I appreciated Grace who warmly introduced herself. She was a math teacher for an intenational school and her husband worked for a large company. She was from Masachusetts moved to Moscow with her husband and then left when the war started and moved to Tblisi.  We literally spoke about everything from cooking to Georgian’s interesting behaviors and some of her own personal culture shock moments.
We took a Bolt back to the center of town and we just had such similar humor and quick- witted behavior.
Its always fascinating how you can meet someone and instantly click with them.
It was such a great church meeting on a very divine Sunday.
And the day continues where I am suppose to have dinner with my host and I am running behind schedule. I cancel dinner stop at the hypermarket and stock up on various traditional salads and hot food items like chicken with walnuts, beef stew, spinach souffle, a potato dish made with maiz, eggplant and pumpkin cous cous- the list goes on and on. 

The Georgian food and wine is spectacular- what is a better food combo. A Chinese girl asks me what to order and I show her my favorites. We both walk out with 5 small containers each and we continue onto the petite desert cakes. It is very hard to leave a hypermarket in Georgia as I just want to taste everything, stare at it, try it, buy it. etc.  The older Georgian lady was not so ammused with us as we were ordering everything in English and she did not want to speak English. The pointing usually works, but not with her lol 

I caught the bus and brought all my food purchases back to the house. We shared wine and great conversation- a darker amber white that has a slight smell of Whiskey not my favorite but paired nicely with Georgian cheese and pickles.
Hes latvian and I call him my friend, Mr. Latvia.  We immediately have such great laughs with each other- the sarcasm and the dry humor-it just works and right on the same page with our jokes. 

With traveling solo on the rise, people are becoming more understanding of true cultural exchange- not romance or feeling unsafe, but genuine culture exchange.

It is the best experience to be in someone's home and get to know who they are as a person. He said that Georgians have big family meals and drink a lot of wine- a lot of wine! Bottles and bottles and they take wine shots- they usually have one person called a Troubador to organize the excessive drinking i.e. they make a new toast every five minutes encouraging people to keep  drinking until all the wine is gone or until they go down to their cellar and get more wine lol. 

He has a son who is 15 years old and he takes a lot of trips with him. Mr. Latvia travels in Europe frequently, but just got back from a trip to Calfornia where he visited for Burning man and loved it. I was just leaving Calfiornia and he was saying how great he thought it was to live....we agreed to disagree on many things, but overall a great new friend for sure! Good night