Georgia

 SUMMARY– Tbilisi

Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. 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 capital of Georgia is Tbilisi. Georgia covers a territory of 69,700 km², and its population is almost 4.7 million. Georgia is a unitary, semi-presidential republic, with the government elected through a representative democracy.

During the classical era, independent kingdoms became established in what is now Georgia. The kingdoms of Colchis and Iberia adopted Christianity in the early 4th century. A unified Georgia reached the peak of its political and economic strength during the reign of King David IV and Queen Tamarin the 11th–12th centuries. At the beginning of the 19th century, Georgia was annexed by the Russian Empire. After a brief period of independence following the Russian Revolution of 1917, Georgia was occupied by Soviet Russia in 1921, becoming the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic and part of the Soviet Union. After independence in 1991, post-communist Georgia suffered from civil unrest and economic crisis for most of the 1990s. This lasted until the Rose Revolution of 2003, after which the new government introduced democratic and economic reforms.

Georgia is a member of the Council of Europe and the GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development. It contains two de facto independent regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which gained limited international recognition after the 2008 Russo-Georgian War. Georgia considers the regions to be part of its sovereign territory under Russian military occupation.

(further reading) 

DRINKS

Alcoholic drinks from Georgia include chacha and Georgian wine. Some of the most well-known Georgian wines include Pirosmani, Alazani, khasheni,Saperavi, and Kindzmarauli. Wine culture in Georgia dates back thousands of years, and many Georgian wines are made from traditional Georgian grape varieties that are little known in the West, such as Saperavi and Rkatsiteli. Georgian wine is well known throughout Eastern Europe, and is a significant national export, with exports of over 10 million bottles of wine per year.

Georgia is also home to many beer brands, including Natakhtari, Kazbegi, Argo, Kasri, and Karva. Lagidze water is a Georgian flavored soda made with a variety of natural syrups, sold bottled, or mixed directly in a glass from a soda fountain. Common types of mineral water from Georgia are Borjomi, Nabeghlavi, Likani, and Sairme.

TRANSPORT

TBILISI – BUS SCHEDULE  (Pls check with driver before boarding as the bus schedule may not be updated)

Getting around Georgia by public bus or car is very convenient and straight forward. In Tbilisi, the metro card costs 2 lari and top-up any amount from 0.50 tetris.  It can be used on buses and underground trains.

Sign boards are placed along the road before the start and end of each town. Many marshrutkas (mini buses) are easily available within the cities and from one town to another. 

Bus 37 (Fare 0.50 tetri coin) goes to the airport and terminates at the Tbilisi railway station. From Tbilisi railway station, outside and above the station square, there are many marshrutkas to Batumi  Around Didube Metro Station, mini buses ply Batumi, Mtskheta areas. Around Isani, mini buses ply Kakheti-Telavi regions.  The fare to Batumi from Tbilisi is 20 lari. It is better to check where the bus terminates in Batumi, as there are many termination points.

Coaches from Ortachala Station goes to Yerevan, Istanbul and other countries which I have not taken.

And I think there are other stations which I am not aware of. Would appreciate any updates from readers visiting this site.

BATUMI  BUS SCHEDULE  – (Pls check with driver before boarding as the bus schedule may not be updated)

In Batumi, you can buy the bus ticket, 6 rides for 1.70 lari or 15 rides for 4 lari from any tobacco kiosks. Buy onboard the bus is more expensive, 1lari for 2 rides.  At the Batumi airport, you can get the ticket at the kiosk opposite the Tourist Information Counter.

Bus Services 10 and 9 go to the Batumi International Airport.  Service 16 is a scenic ride that goes to the Sarpi/Turkey border.

Note: The exchange rate at the border is much lower  (US$1 = 1.60 lari) than in town (US$1 = 1.63-5 lari) depending on the day’s rate.     

There are many mini buses to Tbilisi and various points.  I always take mine along Tsereteli Street, near the roundabout. Buses from here go to Sarpi, Kobuleti, Kutaisi, etc.

Coaches to Istanbul –  I always buy ticket from Metro Turizm at 44 Chavchavadze Street (near junction of Melikishvili Street) to Istanbul. Fare is 60 lari for morning 10am bus, terminates at Otogar in Istanbul and 55 lari for 5.30pm bus (think it terminates at Aksaray in Istanbul)  From Istanbul, the fare is 90 TLira (approx. US$47.80/78Gel).

NOTE: My last trip on 14 Jul 2013, I had to pay 100 T Lira to Batumi on Metro from Istanbul. Could be summer time fare.  

There are also many coaches from the bus station along Maiakovski Street that goes to Turkey, Yerevan. Just found out a new bus  station at 1 Gogol Street, but have problem locating it.

BANKING

Opening an account is easy even without a permanent address in Georgian.  Just produce passport.  However, it is best to check the rates the bank charges for foreign funds withdrawal and also the tax for interest earned per month.  I used Kor Standard Bank (KSB) and only learnt recently that money transferred from overseas bank is subject to  a 5% fee for withdrawal.   Though the fixed interest rate of 7% for a 3-month term is high but the interest earned from fixed deposit is subjected to a  5% charge. There is no interest for current account, so it is better to open a universal account, interest is 5%p.a for USDollar deposit.  Was informed by the locals that the fee charged by Liberty Bank and Bank of Georgia are more compatible. So, it is best to scout around.

Prepaid Phone Card / Internet

There are many operators but was recommended Geocell by the receptionist at Astoria Hotel. It costs 1 lari for the sim card and you can add 1 lari or more for making calls. Incoming calls are free. Per message charge is 6 tetri and calls to same operator is first minute 6 tetri. Monthly charge for this discounted rate is 1 lari.  It is best to ask the counter staff to disable extra services such as Balance messages after each call, as they are chargeable which I was not aware.  

Topups can be done at :

1) Geocell office – 5 lari or  purchase the 5 lari card and topup as and when you need to.

*100# to check call balance /

*100* followed by the pin number on the topup card # press ok

*135# to check internet data balance (choose the services offer) 6 is to check balance.

2) Paybox on passage ways to add money, commission is 4 tetri per 1 lari topup.

For internet access, the charges are :

30MB    –  3 lari

500MB   – 10 lari

1 GB     – 15 lari

3 GB     – 22 lari

5 GB     – 30 lari

100MB daily   – 1.5 lari

Note : If there is 0 balance in your card for calls, the internet service is deactivated and  1 lari is charged for re-activation.

 For home broadband, I find Maximali reliable in Batumi. They have a few packages, using or renting their mobile and broadband modem. I paid 20 lari for activation (one-time), 15 lari per month for rental of the home modem set and 30 lari monthly subscription.  It is simple and easy, just bring home the set and key in the user name and password provided by the office and you are online.  No configuration required.  I can use it on my Ipad, laptop and mobile phone. 

Their website :  http://maximali.ge/#/lang=en/page=23/child=0

Internet in Poti

As I have moved to Poti, was told  maximali’s connection  is inconsistence in my area and was recommended BoatExpress. As it’s DSL, I have to purchase modem  (TP-Link WR740N 45lari) for wifi.    One time installation fee 60 lari and 30 lari unlimited data monthly..  Experience occasional hiccups but so far managed to troubleshoot by resetting the modem or checking the modem’s cables.

Payment of service can only be done at ProCredit Bank with the company’s supplied bank account.  That’s the inconvenient part.

Further reading : list of service providers in Georgia (Boatexpress is not listed)

http://transparency.ge/sites/default/files/post_attachments/State%20of%20the%20Internet,%20Press%20Release%20ENG.pdf

 Georgia II

 Updated  18 Aug  2013 (Edit/add – highlight in red)

Gallery – 2013

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Gallery – 2011

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