Mount Kazbek

18 April, 2019 | Outdoor Activities | 41 seen

Mount Kazbek, is a dormant stratovolcano and one of the major mountains of the Caucasus located on the border of Georgia's Kazbegi District and Russia's Republic of North Ossetia–Alania.

It is the third-highest peak in Georgia (after Mount Shkhara and Janga) and the seventh-highest summit in the Caucasus Mountains. Kazbek is also the second-highest volcanic summit in the Caucasus, after Mount Elbrus.

The summit lies directly to the west of the town of Stepantsminda and is the most prominent geographic feature of the area. Mount Kazbek is the highest peak of Eastern Georgia.

Mount Kazbek and Gergeti church

Made this photo in early April 2019 while staying for one night in Stepatsminda, see Hotel Stancia Kazbegi

The great views toward mount Kazbek can be seen also from the Gergeti church, if you prefer more adventure, you could climb to the Mount Kazbek, here is a local Georgian company organizing climbing tours to Mount Kazbek - mountainfreaks.ge

The plan of our expeditions has been prepared by us so that each of you will…

Hotel Stancia Kazbegi

16 April, 2019 | Hotel reviews | 19 seen

Hotel Stancia in Kazbegi is a great and cheaper alternative to the more stylish and lavish Rooms Kazbegi hotel. 

Featuring a garden and a restaurant, Stancia Kazbegi is set in Stepantsminda. Among the various facilities of this property are a terrace and ski storage space. The hotel also offers free WiFi as well as a paid airport shuttle service.

We booked Hotel Stancia in Kazbegi in early April 2019 and paid around GEL 150 (USD 56) for a one night stay, I should add that the listed price on booking.com was GEL 180 (USD 67) per night. By booking directly we saved USD 11. Nice. Not that I'm a fan of such a booking system, but as it was an unplanned stop in Kazbegi, seems like a nice little perk.

Hotel Stancia in Kazbegi

The hotel is centrally located and free public parking is available in front of the hotel. In the background, you can see mount Kazbek and Gergeti church

At the hotel, all rooms have a balcony. The rooms are fitted with a private bathroom with a hairdryer.

A continental breakfast can be enjoyed at the property.

Breakfast at Hotel Stancia

We got a free baby crib for our 8-…

Tsalka Lake / Water reservoir

14 April, 2019 | Lakes | 28 seen

Tsalka reservoir - is the largest water reservoir in Georgia,  located in the Tsalka municipality, some 100 km from Tbilisi, at 1506 meters above the sea level in the valley of Khrami river.

The total area for Tsalka reservoir is 33.7 km²,  Maximum depth - 25m, while the average depth of 9,3 m. Reservoir stretches from the west to the east. 

Tsalka reservoir in winter

Made this photo January 19, 2019, while doing a trip to Ninotsminda

Tsalka reservoir was made in 1946  for energy purposes (Hydropower plants Khrami 1 and Khrami 2). Water accumulation starts in April and lasts until July, 

The level is intensively decreasing since November when the power plants are operating at full capacity. The average annual amplitude of water level is 891 cm . 

Water is the coldest in February (0,2 ° C), warm in August (18.7 ° C). From December till the end of March there are ice caps, ice shelves and so forth.

The average duration of icy events is 82 days…

Hotel Talsi

13 April, 2019 | Hotel reviews | 18 seen

Hotel “Talsi” is located in a picturesque place, next to Vilkumuiza lake. Hotel "TALSI" offers 53 different standard Single, Double rooms and comfortable Suites. 

I booked Hotel Talsi, for a couple of days (nights) in August 2017. As there are not many hotels located in Talsi, Hotel Talsi seemed like a logical choice, which actually was quite true. As I traveled without a car, I managed to organize a taxi service from the hotel during my short stay in Talsi town.

Hotel Talsi offers comfortable rooms, all featuring a bathroom with a shower.

Simple Room at Hotel Talsi

During my stay here at Hotel Talsi, I decided to give it a try for crypto day trading, see Starting To Learn Crypto Currency Day Trading With EUR 25

Breakfast is served in the hotel restaurant that has beautiful lake views. Meals are served only upon previous arrangement, while coffee and tea can be enjoyed in reception.

There are also 2 conference rooms for up to 40 people.

Night view towards Vilkumuizas lake

The mood and atmosphere kind of reminded me of the stay in Lithuanian Telsai hotel, see: …

Trading Bitcoin / Ethereum Options (Selling Puts) on Deribit - Part 1

12 April, 2019 | Crypto | 61 seen

Deribit is my latest discovery from the crazy crypto world. It all started with simple buy-and-hold operations back in 2017.

What followed was, a day trading on Poloniex,  I even built a custom Ethereum mining rig. I have played with cloud mining contracts from hashflare,  and now I've found my way into Bitcoin / Ethereum options trading.

It's not that I would call myself an expert in options trading, in fact, I have made just a couple of put sales in the regular stock market - I tend to write puts against dividend stocks I would love to have (if assigned)

Update: This article has been originally written back in May 2020, some things may have changed ever since. If you are interested to learn more, consider booking an online consultation with me: Selling Covered Call Options on Crypto (BTC/ETH/SOL)

In the case of Bitcoin / Ethereum, unfortunately, there are no dividends, and taking into account high volatility the idea of selling puts might actually sound wrong, instead, it seems some should buy calls. Anyhow, I'm no expert on options trading, and the following written…

Birtvisi Canyon in Georgia

11 April, 2019 | Tourism objects | 33 seen

Birtvisi canyon is located in the Tetri-Tskaro district in Kvemo Kartli  region about an hour drive from Tbilisi. Canyon is ideally suited for those loving hiking (see: Hiking In Birtvisi Canyon (Hidden Trails Of Georgia)) and outdoor activities.

There are many smaller and larger gorges, rocks and of course amazing nature. Also, the Birtvisi fortress is located here (which I still haven't found after some 4 years of inactive searches).

The canyon is managed by Georgian Agency of Protected areas, to learn more see: http://apa.gov.ge/en

Birtvisi Canyon in Georgia

Birtvisi is essentially a natural rocky fortress of 1 km², secured by walls and towers, the most prominent of which – known as Sheupovari ("Obstinate") – tops the tallest rock in the area. Various accessory structures, an aqueduct included, have also survived.

Hiking in Birtvisi canyon

In written sources, Birtvisi is first mentioned as a possession of the Arab amir of Tiflis of which he was divested by the Georgian nobles Liparit, Duke of Kldekari and Ivane Abazasdze in 1038. In medieval Georgia,…

My 17 Year Old Dividend Portfolio (From Single Nasdaq Baltic Stock)

10 April, 2019 | Investments | 16 seen

The inspiration for this post came from a Dividend Empire article titled My 33-Year-Old Dividend Growth Portfolio.

Also, I would like to mention that a couple of weeks ago I met a fellow Italian investor here in Tbilisi (Massimo, if you are reading this -  hi to you), we spent about 90 minutes enjoying a cappuccino and discussing investments in Tbilisi, Georgia, investments in oil, gas, and of course dividend investing. Massimo told me he has been investing for about 17 years and that lead me to realize that in fact, me too - I have been investing since 2001/2002.

I apologize for the somewhat misleading title.  Unfortunately, I do not actually have such a portfolio.  But I sure can model one.  

Now, about 17 years ago I was 16/17 years old, and in fact, bought my first stock using privatization certificates. I bought Latvijas Kugnieciba stock. Which latter in 2005 I sold for about 500 or 600 Latvian lats and bought a Canon camcorder which didn't last long (my mom drowned camcorder somewhere in the Red Sea). Later on, around 2007 I bought some Lietuvos Dujos stock (which again I sold soon…

Google Market Kazbegi

9 April, 2019 | Shopping Venues | 21 seen

There has been a Google market in Georgian Stepatsminda / Kazbegi town at least since 2011. 

No, you cannot get here cloud storage or keyword ideas for your next AdWords campaign, instead, there are tasty Georgian lemonades and other goodies you can find in almost every regular kiosk in Georgia.

First discovered back in 2011, in April 2019, the Google Market was still there, though seemed closed at the time I visited it. 

Google Market Kazbegi

Enjoy!

Kobi Gudauri Cable Car Station

8 April, 2019 | Tourism objects | 331 seen

Kobi Gudari cable car has been opened for public since January 2019.  I first discovered in it early April 2019, while having a road trip Tbilisi - Gudauri - Kazbegi (Stepatsminda).

Not far from the cable car station there is located Kobi mineral water plant. 

Kobi cable station

Gudauri - Georgian Winter Capital for skiing, snowboarding, paragliding and heli-skiing

According to agenda.ge the ropeway is 7.5km long and the total cost to build it was 81 million lari. The cable car connects  Kobi with Gudauri in 15 minutes.

The cable car will serve to make both Kobi and Gudauri more functional winter resorts, offering easier transportation in the area.

Kobi - Gudauri cable cars

Chiatura Cable-ways Central Station

Kobi is a village in Stepantsminda, while Gudauri is a ski resort located on the south-facing plateau of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range.

The distance between Kobi and Gudauri is 15.2km and by car you can cover this distance in about 22 minutes – but since landslides and heavy…

Mount Arejvani

7 April, 2019 | Tourism objects | 11 seen

Mount Arjevani is located in the central part of Georgia, some 70 km west of the Tbilisi. The top of Mount Arjevani is 2,757 meters above sea level or 779 meters above the surrounding terrain. The width at the base is 24.5 km.

The terrain around Mount Arjevani is mainly hilly. Mount Arjevani is the highest point in the neighborhood. The nearest larger community is Tsalka located 19.4 km southeast of Arjevani. The area around Mount Arjevani is mostly agricultural land.

Photos were taken, doing (trying to do) a trip to Ninotsminda (in the region of Samtskhe-Javakheti)  in January 2019. 

Mount Arjevani from Koda - Tetriskaro road

Inland climate prevails in the area. The average annual temperature in the neighborhood is 7  ° C. The hottest month is July when the average temperature is 18 ° C, and the coldest is January, with -8 ° C.  Average annual rainfall is 821 millimeters. The wettest month is May, with an average of 131 mm of precipitation , and the driest is February, with 35 mm of…

Bīne Restaurant in Talsi

6 April, 2019 | Restaurant reviews | 24 seen

Bīne restaurant is located in Talsi, on Krišjāņa Valdemāra street 13, close to the Hotel Talsi.

That's how I actually discovered this place back in 2017, while I stayed for a couple of nights at Hotel Talsi this restaurant/cafeteria was the closest dining place from the hotel.

Restaurant Bīne serves typical Latvian cuisine for very affordable prices. Actually, this place is more a bistro than a restaurant (food is heated in the micro oven).

Cafe / Restaurant/ Bistro Bīne in Talsi

Typical Latvian cuisine dish

Taglaura Restaurant on Tbilisi-Kojori street road

4 April, 2019 | Restaurant reviews | 30 seen

Taglaura is one of the most successful restaurant chains in Georgia owned by VD Capital group, the same group owns several other popular restaurant brands in Tbilisi and Georgia. 

The one I will talk about today is located on Tbilisi - Kojori street 10, and the best way to get here is by driving to Kojori. The same road from the downtown Tbilisi will take you to the Mtatsminda Amusement park

Now, this place serves typical Georgian cuisine in a bit tourist way. And seems they are manufacturing their own Georgian lemonade under Taglaura brand.

Georgian lemonade Taglaura

I can even read - on the left side it's written - "limoni" and the one with grapes on labeling it's said - "saperavi". Make sure to give them a try. Georgian lemonades are fantastic.

Schnitzel served with French fries

Now, this was one great schnitzel, almost as good as you can get in places like this.

The best, the schnitzel with French fries cost just GEL 11 (as of 2019)

Fried khinkali with soy sauce

They call them Asian style. Fried khinkali are really delicious. if you haven't tried yet - highly…

March 2019 Dividend Income Report - $188.36

3 April, 2019 | Investments | 34 seen

Welcome to the twenty-third (#23) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks, peer to peer lending (both fiat and cryptocurrencies) in March 2019.

The last March was very exciting, it has not only beaten the previous year's March by quite impressive 256%, but it also was the first month I earned money from trading options.

Spring finally has come to Tbilisi and more time we want to spend outdoors, unfortunately not always it happens so. Hope to be more outdoors in April.

Blue snowdrops near Turtle lake in Tbilisi at early March

Learn more: Spring in Tbilisi (near Turtle lake)

Now, when speaking about the dividend income, the last March was very good, it turned out the second highest after July 2018.

$188.36 was taken from dividend stocks and peer to peer lending in March 2019. Additional $114 were made from options trading, but as options trading is not actually a dividend income, I won't include them here. 

Here are a few articles to learn more:

• Investment Goal #7 -…

Tbilisi for kids (17 Places to Visit)

1 April, 2019 | Travel guides | 116 seen

Shopping, eating ice cream, spending time outdoors or at cool amusement parks.

Tbilisi has a lot to offer for both grownups and their offsprings. Keep reading to find more about 17 kid-friendly places in Tbilisi

April 1st marks already the eighth anniversary since I've been living in Georgia. It was back on April 1st, 2011 I first put my foot on holy Georgian land.

During the past eight years, I've traveled across Georgia a lot, built a popular Tbilisi restaurants guide, documented my travels across the country, and so on. Also, I have become a father, and have switched the regular places I hang out to more kid-friendly places

To celebrate this little anniversary, I've decided to share 17 kid-friendly places in Tbilisi

Asureti / Elisabethtal

31 March, 2019 | Tourism objects | 203 seen

Asureti is an interesting village situated on the road Koda - Tetriskaro, some 45 km from Tbilisi in Georgia. 

Discovered by accident, while doing (trying to do) a trip to Ninotsminda (in the region of Samtskhe-Javakheti)  in January 2019.

I had heard before about former German settlements here in Georgia from German expats in Tbilisi,  and in fact a couple of weeks ago we visited one such settlement area (Katharinenfeld) in Bolnisi (see Day trip to Bolnisi and nearby vicinity)

German style dwelling house in Asureti, Georgia

You can find many such style buildings in the region of Hesse in Germany, actually some time ago I had a chance to book an apartment in one such building in Gudensberg/ Germany, see Apartment Alte Pfarre in Gudensberg, Germany or Postcards from Germany

Now here is what I was able to find out about German history in Asureti:

The village was founded on 19 November 1818 by Caucasian Germans under the name Elisabethtal or Elisabeththal by 72 German immigrant families. The then civil governor chose this name…