Traveling in Georgia: Unexpected Challenges and Delights

A Japanese traveler experienced robbery in Georgia; they hope for peaceful coexistence in neighboring countries.

### Exploring Azerbaijan and Georgia: Unexpected Incidents, Cultural Observations, and Gastronomic Delights
* 😨 A Japanese traveler was recently robbed in Georgia, and there are concerns about safety due to **occasional theft targeting tourists**.
* 🏛 The buildings in Tbilisi, Georgia's capital, have a **distinctively old-fashioned vibe**, with many **leaning structures** and **uninhabited buildings**.
* 🇬🇪 Due to the recent political tensions with Russia, the cost of living in Georgia has significantly increased, with prices now **comparable to Japan** in many aspects.
* 🥖 In Georgia, known for its **wine and bread**, the streets are lined with **wine shops**, and the smell of **freshly baked bread** fills the air.
* 🐕 Unlike Azerbaijan, where cats were prevalent, Georgia is home to many **friendly stray dogs**, with some sporting **ear markings indicating rabies vaccinations**.
* 🍽 Georgian cuisine offers unique and delicious dishes such as "**chikhirtma**," crispy garlic chicken in a flavorful broth, and "**pkhali**," a dish made of vegetables or walnuts wrapped in fried leaves.
* 🚇 The Tbilisi Metro features the **longest and fastest escalator in Georgia**, descending about 15 floors underground, and requires passengers to **purchase a transportation card before boarding**.
* 🏰 To enjoy the **breathtaking night view**, travelers can take a cable car up to the castle walls overlooking Tbilisi and the **illuminated cityscape**.

Something serious happened. Five days ago, a Japanese person was robbed again. After being assaulted, they had their money taken. I'm sorry, it really looks delicious. What is this? I entered the Azerbaijan (Airport) lounge, it's really cozy. The size of the airport here feels quite unique. There were hardly any foreigners, and we were the only ones going through baggage inspection and immigration. It seems like there are more staff than passengers. We spent about 3 and a half hours here, and we are going to transfer to Georgia. Upon arriving in Azerbaijan, the next day, we bought a SIM card. Let me check how much data is left from the 1.5GB I purchased. I used 1.27GB. With just one 1.5GB SIM card, by using it in [data saving mode] and sharing data with Mickey, we were able to travel around here with no major issues. We are planning to stay longer in Georgia than here.

I think I need to buy a SIM card that has about 5GB (Lounge food) - Everything tastes delicious. / - Is it delicious? I hope Azerbaijan and its neighboring countries can live in peace. - Let's also get along well. / - Earlier, a Turkish person said that even they don't get along well with the Greeks. It seems like the countries next to each other have a lot of such issues. The scenery is amazing. - It's nice because it's close. / - It didn't even take an hour, right? We arrived in Tbilisi, Georgia. The immigration process was very simple and pleasant. (Airport currency exchange) If you exchange $100, there's almost no difference from the bank, only about a thousand won. There are indeed many trees. It feels like the buildings here are somewhat old. Normally, when you go to any country, the surroundings of the airport don't give this kind of feeling, but here, the buildings and the surrounding scenery give a slightly old-fashioned feeling.

Arrival. This seems to be the city center. There is an underground shopping mall here too. Oh, the exchange rate! The airport seemed better earlier. If you're not going to change a lot of money, there doesn't seem to be a big difference between the airport and the city. The atmosphere is not significantly different from Azerbaijan. The atmosphere here feels a bit dark. Maybe it's because of the weather. It seems necessary to be cautious around here. It just feels like Asia here, like Malaysia or Thailand. Thank you for arriving at the accommodation today. Is there a power outage now? So the rumor about frequent power outages was true. The ceiling is very high, and there's no place to put your bag. It feels like a motel. It seems like they cut the bunk bed into single beds. Let's check for bed bugs. You can tell by looking for traces like this. We need to check between the mattress. Since there are no traces, it seems okay. Can you take a picture of the bathroom? It's really narrow, isn't it? Even though it's narrow, where is it?

Will hot water come out like cheap rent in Tokyo? It's just at a low-cost accommodation level. Let's stay for two days and move to another place. We came to Tbilisi, Georgia, and even moved to Kutaisi to catch a flight to Athens. We arrived in Athens in the morning and already booked tickets to go to another place for lunchtime in Athens. But we received a call saying that the flight schedule from Kutaisi to Athens has changed. If we take the plane at the changed time, we won't be able to catch the connecting flight within Greece. - Why did we suddenly receive this call? - It suddenly changed, that's why. That's why it's better to avoid tight schedules with layovers. Lately, there have been many unexpected things happening. What should we do? This is a big problem... (In a situation without a flight ticket) I should make a call. Could you please give me the phone number?

- Are you looking for alternative flights that you can depart with? / - Yes, I'm calling from overseas to Japan, and it's an IP phone call within the website, so there are no costs incurred. I hope it gets resolved well. The accommodation costs in Athens have increased, strangely, it seems like you won't be able to board the Athens flight. Currently, the only thing we can offer for free is a date change. We have to leave Georgia earlier than planned. I was looking forward to the trip to Georgia, it's shocking. The day before (to Athens), there are no tickets available, and the day before that, there are no tickets available either. They say if we take the flight three days earlier, we can go without any issues. These things happen when you travel, it's not common, but it happens. Just experienced something unexpected at the accommodation and still haven't resolved it. We came out for a walk in Tbilisi city center, to see what this place is like for a moment. For now, there are plenty of places selling wine.

While walking around here, I've seen Asians and Japanese restaurants selling kimchi. There were many cats in Azerbaijan, but here, there are many dogs. There are quite a lot of big dogs, even stray dogs, and they are very friendly. I just arrived in Georgia yesterday and now I'm on my way to get a SIM card from a telecom company. The buildings are leaning; maybe because this is the old town, it gives off an antique vibe. There are not many buildings that are straight. It seems like the buildings are either deteriorating or the terrain has changed. Many buildings look uninhabited. Also, I can smell territorial markings from people in the alleyways. They say there are occasional thieves targeting travelers, so let's be careful as we explore the area.

Five days ago, a Japanese person was robbed again. They were sprayed with pepper spray, assaulted, and then robbed. Notifications like this keep coming. There are many graffiti like this. There is no place without graffiti. It's strange that the building owner doesn't do anything. Or maybe they can't intervene. It's also very windy here. A lot of dust is flying into my eyes. Why is it flying around like this? The temperature in Georgia is warmer than in Azerbaijan. The current temperature is 20 degrees here, but it's very windy. It feels like around 12 to 13 degrees. A secondhand bookstore on the street? A secondhand bookstore, right? Even a place where books are displayed is graffiti-covered. The dogs are all grown up. What's in their ears? It's a mark of rabies vaccination in their ears. It's huge like a castle. Is it a museum? Because of the dust, my eyes are itchy. When I open my mouth, pollen gets in, so I can't talk with my mouth open.

Let's do this and walk. Even if you say so, we can see the front. They say it's a very bad time to come to Georgia this time. The cost of living has doubled. They say it's because of Russia. Now, except for Vietnam, there are hardly any countries with low cost of living. Thailand has also raised prices. They say this is a water and tobacco street. It smells like water and tobacco. Look at the menu and come to our store. This is how they do business. Hello. You hit my head. Apologize quickly. Park Miki. No, you apologize. You bumped into me. - I got hurt. There is a clock in the crowded place. Let's see it from here. The top door will open later. It's not a very old clock, but a famous designer made it to match the atmosphere of this village. It supports the building with pillars. This is the scene I saw in Cartmandu. (July 2023, Cartmandu) It looks like it's under construction. It's a little past 8 a.m. now.

I'm going to climb that mountain early in the morning, even though it's not a big mountain, more like a hill. When you go up there, you can see the old city walls and the view of Tbilisi downtown. Is it working? I don't know, the call to your wife got cut off. It's already 8:30, we should head back. I really wanted to come here. The view is already beautiful. You can see many churches. Is this a tunnel through the old city walls, or a gate? Let's pass through here and go up further. Come with me. We need to check the carbon dating to know the era. When I compare the ruins I've seen with my own eyes, it seems like they are not more than 500 years old. Let's take a picture. What's this? It's a commemorative coin of Tbilisi. Even this is a souvenir now. The path looks a bit dangerous. - Do we have to go? - If we don't go now, when will we? We have to go. Mickey always wants to climb stairs and high places. There's no way I can stop him. Is Mickey healthy?

I'm scared. It's a cliff right in front of us, it's dangerous. Are you satisfied? Alright, let's go down. Good, the view is nice, let's go. Come here. Oh my, are you drawing? They say there are several hot springs here. The smell of hot springs is in the air. In the name of the region Tbilisi, it means hot springs. Over there, that building that looks like an Islamic mosque is also a hot spring. It was mentioned on a Japanese blog. It said that there are massages and saunas for men, but for women, there are only shower facilities. When I asked about the price, they said it's ₾10 per person (about 4,980 won), which is less than 5,000 won. It smells like delicious bread. It seems like the sparrows can't just pass by the mill. Gamardjoba - Is this enough? - ₾1.3 (about 640 won). Nice, thank you. It would be nice to have soup. It's longer than my arm, isn't it? Very simple. The taste is like French bread.

I'd like to dip it in the soup - Can I take that to the cafe? / - I'll fold it and put it in my bag. One cappuccino, please. - How much is this? / - ₾7.3 (about 3,600 won), please give it to me together. I will enjoy it. The coffee is delicious. There's no way this doesn't taste good. It's perfect. The combination of bread, cream, and orange scent is artistic. Perfect, really delicious. Wow, this is so good. Snobby. Oh, the coffee is also delicious. It has a slight acidity, thick, and nutty. Doesn't that cat look like it just walked in off the street? It's a bit sly, isn't it? I have a story I want to share with everyone. Thomas Fuller once said, There is no person without a flaw. Before marriage, look with both eyes, after marriage, look with one eye closed.

Flaws exist in everyone, so we shouldn't demand perfection, but rather move past the parts that don't fit, right? There are certainly parts that don't fit. Today, we will move to a different accommodation within Tbilisi, and after staying there for 3 nights, we might move to another area (Georgia). Surprisingly, the internet speed is not that fast even when using it in different places. It's actually on the slower side. Since it's a country where you can get a visa for up to 1 year without a visa, it is said to be a country that many digital nomads visit. However, thinking about whether digital nomads can endure this internet speed, from the perspective of someone uploading videos on YouTube, I can't really feel the benefits. Maybe it's because of the low cost of living. I heard that in the past, the cost of living was low, but now, except for transportation, it's similar to Japan.

Milk and other groceries are quite expensive. We are going to take the subway to go shopping mall. It seems like the station is attached to the mall. According to what I heard, the escalator at this station is very long and goes deep underground. In Georgia, you have to buy a transportation card first. Do we need to do the same with the English Touch? - Got it. - That's simple. Here, two people could ride with one card. This escalator is the longest in Georgia, even longer than in Azerbaijan. We are not impressed because we have seen places like this in Azerbaijan. But the speed of the escalator is really fast. There is no escalator this fast in Korea and Japan. It feels like we went down about 15 floors underground. Look at this. There is a phone charging station on the seat. It shakes like the subway is jumping. We got off at the subway station and now we are going up a lot here too.

When the escalator goes up, is it just the end? It seems very simple. It looks like a vintage shop. It would be fun to look around. - It smells like Dongmyo. / - It's fun. I should buy an outfit. Hehe. It's so fun. I think our accommodation is nearby. There are no signs, but is this the right place? Sorry, sorry. It's okay. I'm sorry. Can you explain the situation to me? I thought I booked for 3 nights from today, but it's from tomorrow. It's really lucky that there's a vacancy today. - Why did they give us this plastic bag? / - It's for covering your shoes. Since the policy here is like this, we should follow it. It seems like they care about cleanliness, which is nice. (Homestay atmosphere) I like the room. - It's very clean. / - I like it. It's really clean. There's even a trash can. - It wasn't here yesterday. / - I really like it. It's ₾117 for 3 nights here (approximately 57,620 won).

I really like it, thank you. She is really neat. Her cleaning style is just our style. There are some rules, but those rules are rules that we really like. Clean thoroughly, Don't eat smelly food, we can keep all of these. We can cooperate perfectly. Eggplant and walnuts? It's an unusual combination, let's try it. - Shkmeruli? / - It's a dish with garlic sauce on fried chicken. Did you order lemonade? This isn't pear, right? It's not real lemon since they serve it in a bottle. Should we have ordered wine? I thought about trying it once, ordered a bottle, and it filled two cups. It's like non-alcoholic champagne for Christmas, lemonade with a drawing of a pear. If you don't mention the lemon flavor, people might not know. The pear flavor is much stronger.

Thank you. Something really cute came out. It's an unimaginable visual. Is it walnuts wrapped in fried leaves? It looks delicious. Koreans would like it more. The garlic flavor is quite strong. I made a good choice to order. It's huge. It really looks delicious. What is this? Is this chicmeruli? There's too much, so I can't order it alone. The chicken skin looks crispy, so it seems delicious. It feels like eating something you only see in cartoons. Is it hot? How is it? It's surprisingly delicious. Koreans would like this taste. This should be sold in Korea. It's garlic chicken. It's like fried chicken, but not greasy, very light and crispy, and the garlic flavor captures all the greasiness, making it very savory. - How much is this? / - About 10,000 won. It's delicious even when eaten as fried chicken, so why put it in soup? That's the same as what Miki calls tteokbokki.

Why do you eat rice cakes spicy? Isn't this it? It tastes better when it's spicy. Let me try the broth. There's chicken broth in garlic soup. Is it the taste of cheese? Is it the taste of milk? It has a slight probiotic flavor. When I first saw it, I thought it was rice grains, but it was all garlic. It's a unique dish. Overall, the food is a bit salty. If people who like beer come here, this could be the perfect side dish. Except for us, no one in this restaurant doesn't drink draft beer. It's so delicious. As we are finishing up, it would be nice to have some kimchi. I've finished all the chicken, but the broth is too salty, so I can't finish it all. I left a bit of broth. Now, we will take the cable car up to the castle wall to see the night view. Shall we go together? - I'm from India. / - Namaste.

물가 걱정 없이 1년 살 수 있는 저가형 스위스 조지아? 이제는 옛말인 듯…｜일방적인 항공권 취소

10분 안에 여행을 떠나고
20분 안에 가진 물건을 다 셀 수 있으며
30분 안에 집을 버릴 수 있는 궁극의 미니멀리스트
결벽증 한일부부

※인생 상담, 친구 요청, 식사 제안,
과제 인터뷰, 동거 제안 정중히 사절합니다.
인생 상담은 간판 내건 곳에
친구 요청은 외로운 갈매기에게
식사 제안은 얼굴 모르는 이웃에게 하세요❤️

미니멀유목민

A Traveler's Journey from Azerbaijan to Georgia

A traveler experiences a cozy lounge at the Azerbaijan airport before a simple immigration process in Georgia.

They navigate the currency exchange and compare the atmosphere between the two countries.

The journey continues with observations of the city center and a stay in a unique accommodation with a high ceiling and narrow bathroom.

Challenges and Surprises of Traveling from Tokyo to Athens

Unexpected flight schedule changes caused a tight layover and the need to leave Georgia earlier than planned.

Accommodation costs in Athens have unexpectedly increased, adding to the travel challenges.

The traveler also experienced unexpected issues with their accommodation and encountered a unique blend of cultural influences while exploring Tbilisi.

A Japanese person was recently robbed and graffiti is widespread in the city.

The warm and windy weather, along with high living costs, are notable features of Georgia.

Despite the challenging conditions, the city offers beautiful views and historic landmarks for visitors to explore.

Exploring Tbilisi: A Day of Sights, Food, and Reflection

The Tbilisi region is known for its hot springs, with a unique building offering spa services mentioned in a Japanese blog.

The area also offers delicious and affordable bread, along with a variety of food experiences such as cappuccino and soup.

Tbilisi's internet speed may not be ideal for digital nomads, despite its reputation as a country with a low cost of living.

Exploring a Subway Station and Homestay in Georgia

The subway station is attached to a shopping mall and features one of the longest and fastest escalators, providing a unique experience.

The homestay accommodation in Georgia is clean, follows strict cleanliness rules, and offers a good value for a 3-night stay.

The travelers enjoy trying unusual food combinations and experiencing the local cuisine, including a unique pear-flavored lemonade.

Korean Garlic Chicken: A Unique and Savory Dish

This Korean garlic chicken dish is huge and delicious, with a strong garlic flavor and crispy chicken skin.

The dish is not greasy, offering a light and crispy texture that captivates the taste buds, and it would be popular in Korea.

Overall, the food is a bit salty, but it makes a perfect side dish for those who enjoy draft beer.