From Tbilisi to Haghpat to Yerevan.

At Haghpat Monastery.

We were barely out of Tbilisi when Gurgen pulled over to the side of the road. There was a small roadside nursery selling mainly trees. Gurgen wanted to see if they were selling a particular tree that he was interested in planting in his garden. We spent a few minutes walking about. They didn't have what he wanted so we left empty handed but it was nice to see what kind of plants they sell here.

Last Morning In Tbilisi. The Dry Bridge Bazaar.

Happy Earth Day, Passover starts at sundown. George Clooney arrived into Yerevan today, in advance of Armenia Genocide Day which is in 2 days!!  There is also a strike against Russia today in Yerevan to protest the country providing arms to Azerbaijan. And it will be a full moon tonight.

Sameba Cathedral and More of Old Tbilisi.

Inside the Great Synagogue, Old Tbilisi.

As I write this post, I'm already getting sad as it means we only have a half day left in Tbilisi before we leave for Yerevan. It also means that our time in the Caucasus is almost two thirds over. That's the glass half empty side of me talking. That side of me crops up every now and again.

Wandering Tbilisi.

Old city Tbilisi.

We began our first day back in Tbilisi having breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts.  Don't shame us! After more than two weeks of Caucasian breakfasts, we needed a break.  Who doesn't love donuts?  Plus Pat could finally enjoy a cup of coffee.  Might not be the best brew but some coffee is better than none.  Besides all this, Dunkin' Donuts was conveniently located right next door to our apartment building.

Back in Tbilisi.

On Kote Marjanishvili Street.

I

have to begin this posting by admitting to a mistake.  For years, literally years, I have been spelling the name of the capital city of Georgia wrong.  Yes, me the geography nut has been misspelling Tbilisi and Tblisi - leaving out the first *i*.  That oversight only dawned on me as I was traveling in Georgia.  I shall never misspell it again!

Gori and Uplistsikhe.

The ruins of the ancient rock hewn town of Uplistsikhe.

We left Kutaisi at our usual 9a hour. First destination of the day was the town of Gori and by day's end, we would be back in Tbilisi. Our few days roaming the Georgian countryside is quickly coming to an end and I'm very sad about that. I've really enjoyed being off the beaten path and in the mountains.

Roadtrip Back to Kutaisi.

Posing with my blue slipper with Mount Ushba in the background.

Today we returned to Kutaisi. But, before leaving Mestia, Salome wanted to take us to see the town's small ethnographic museum.  First, we had to say goodbye to our lovely hosts at Hotel Chubu.  They've been very friendly and accommodating.  Next, I had to say goodbye to our friendly guard dog - I did a quick run with him down the length of the chain he's tethered to.  Little did I realize my lens cap fell off during the run.  I would come back later to retrieve it.  Lastly, we had to pile our luggage into the trunk of the car.  Thankfully, Pat and I travel light so even with four people travelling, we'e been able to get everything into the trunk....with space to spare!

Svaneti and Ushguli.

Ushguli. The snow capped ridge is Shkhara which at 5,193 meters (17,040 feet) is the tallest peak in Georgia.

Pat, Salome, and I left Hotel Chubu at 9a. Shalva was to come with us today but decided to stay back to rest which was fine as we had a new car and driver today. Lasha, our driver, was already waiting outside with his Mitsubishi Delica 4x4. He would be taking us to the remote mountain village of Ushguli and back. After a quick stop to get gas, we hit the road.

To the Upper Svaneti. Mestia.

Mestia.

Despite how excited I was to be going to the Svaneti region, heart of the Caucasus mountains in Georgia, this day turned out to be very inspiring. I barely took any photos....at least barely for me, and the videos I took pretty much all turned out to blurry. Was I not paying any attention to focusing? Well, I blame it all on the dreary weather that we had today. Everything looked drab to me. Anyway, flash back to this morning.

Roadtrip Through Georgia. Two Monasteries and a Cathedral.

Mural painting of Christ Pantocrator on the central dome of the Church of Virgin Mary the Blessed at Gelati Monastery.

Road trip!  We left Tbilisi today to begin a several day tour around the country.   We've not spent much time exploring Tbilisi but I've planned time for that later. 

Pat had set the alarm for 7a but I was awake well before then. I had had a really good night's rest. Pat and I shared a small piece of the cheese bread and some tea for breakfast.

Our First Full Day in Georgia.

Houses in the small town of Sighnaghi, overlooking the Alazani Valley below.

I was up well before my alarm was set to go off at 8a. Today, we begin our sightseeing in Georgia and I think I was much too excited to sleep!  I stayed in bed until I heard Pat's alarm go off and then it was time to get ready for the day.

Hello Tbilisi!

View of Tbilisi and the Mtkvari River from Narikala Fortress.  Parts of the old city can be seen in the foreground.

After Shalva left us in our apartment, we took some time to settle in.  We started with doing a load of laundry.   We had been hand washing items of clothing all during our time in Azerbaijan but with a washer in the apartment, we took the opportunity to do a big load.  There was no dryer so I hung up my line - stringing it up across the kitchen which by the way is small but functional. 

Packing List. The Caucasus.

Advertisement for for Louis Vuitton July 1898.
From from Villanova Digital Library.
 Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

I wasn't planning on putting together my packing list for the Caucasus until I got home from my Thailand and Myanmar trip but now that I'm sidelined with a sprained ankle, I might as well use the time to come up with the list.

Pat and I are headed to the Caucasus pretty much around the same time that we went to Central Asia in 2015.  The one thing we learned from that trip was that we were not well prepared for the cold weather that faced us.  It was 23 degrees Fahrenheit the morning after we arrived into Tashkent!

With El Niño affecting weather world wide this year, it's going to be more difficult than usual to predict what the temperatures will be like when we are in the Caucasus.  I've been keeping watch and  even in February, there are days that the temps are unseasonably warm, some days unseasonably cold.  So, I think I will err on the side of cold than warm meaning packing in more long sleeve shirts than short, bringing along a down vest and my lightweight down jacket.  Good thing is that shirt wise, Pat and I are the same size so we can borrow clothing from each other if need be.

Luckily, with the exception of our time in Azerbaijan where we will be staying in hotels and guesthouses, our accommodations in Georgia and Armenia will be mainly Airbnb apartments, all of which are equipped with washers so we can do laundry.  This will lighten the load of the clothes we need to bring along with us.  Otherwise, I will pretty much follow my Central Asia packing list.

Money Matters.

Photo by Veronidae.  Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The trips to Thailand and Myanmar and the Caucasus are pretty happening back to back so while I was reading up the currency and money issues for Thailand and Myanmar, I decided I would just read up for the three Caucasus countries at the same time.

The Food of Georgia.

(Photo from advantour.com)

I have been drooling for the past hour as I read up on the cuisine of Georgia and look at one image after another of delicious food. At least it all looks so delicious. I think Pat and I are really going to enjoy our meals here!

The added plus is that we get to enjoy at least of one those meals with Yuriy Klyuev, the Advantour travel consultant who coordinated our trip through Central Asia.  We had planned to meet up with him in Tashkent but at the last minute, he was relocated to Tblisi to help start up Advantour's offices there.  Yuriy and I have kept in touch, off and on.  I let Yuriy know that we'll be in Tblisi and we've agreed to meet up either for lunch or dinner.  It'll be nice to finally meet him in person!  I'm going to tell Yuriy to come starving hungry so we can order a lot of dishes!!  Oh....and he's not getting Uzbek food.

Introducing Georgia.

Tblisi.  Our two apartments are located somewhere down there :-)
(Photo by Nino Ozbetelashvili.  Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.)

Pat and I will arrive into Georgia via train from Baku to Tblisi, the capital city of Georgia. We'll be staying in two different apartments during our stay in the city - a few days in one located in the old city and a few days in one located in the modern city. I've probably allotted more time than necessary to see the sights in Tblisi but both Pat and I agree that it's nice to just have time to chill out.  Hopefully, there will be some nice cafes that we can do just that in.

Like its neighbor Azerbaijan, Georgia is located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe. It is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan.

The country was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1921 as the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic and became an independent nation shortly before the collapse of the USSR in 1991.

The Caucasus. Itinerary and Cost Comparison.

Azerbaijan Landscape.  Photo by Matthew Hadley. Licensed under CC BY 1.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

It's hard to believe that at the same time that I am planning a trip to Myanmar and Thailand, I'm also planning a trip to the Caucusus! 

It's been crazy juggling the load of keeping destinations, travel dates, local guides, and flights all in order but I've gotten good at it having done it for so many other trips now.  Last year, I was handling Turkey and Greece and the five Central Asia countries all at the same time and before we even left for Central Asia, I already had Madagascar in the works!   Hi, my name is Julee and I am a travel addict :-)

The Caucasus. Armenia, Georgia & Azerbaijan.

Tatev Monastery, Armenia.  (Photo by Alexander Naumov)

Atrip to the Caucasus was something that my Central Asian travel partner, Pat, and I had talked quite a bit about when we were traveling through those countries this past spring.  Like me, she has a love for going to places that are off the beaten tourist path and most certainly, Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan fit that bill to a tee.

Both Pat and I will be busy for the next couple of months but starting mid October, we'll be hunkering down and planning out the details of this trip which is slated to happen early next year, 2016.