Hualing Tbilisi Sea Plaza

10 February, 2019 | Shopping Venues | 100 seen

Tbilisi Sea Plaza trading center is located in the eastern suburbs of Tbilisi City, near the Tbilisi Sea.

I first heard about this "project" back in 2013 or something, and actually tried to visit it already in 2015, without luck. Turns out this place has been opened for the public just since the end of 2016. Despite been opened for public for a while already this place is not close as popular as Tbilisi Mall or East Point shopping malls located in the suburbs of Tbilisi. I believe the reason is the missing anchor tenant, some large food store

It was at the end of December 2018, we were wandering around Tbilisi in our new Volkswagen Tuareg car, and decided to locate this place finally.

And we succeeded. Unfortunately, at the end of 2018, this place looked more like a ghost town, though after a couple of minutes of wandering here we did find some actual trading inside the main building.

Hualing Tbilisi Sea Plaza

Warehouses on the left, main building on the right. In the background neighborhood of Varketili. 

Total construction area of “Tbilisi Sea Plaza” is 150,000 m2, out of which 24 000 m2 of the grand…

Cafe "Kāpenieki" in Aizpute

9 February, 2019 | Restaurant reviews | 12 seen

Cafe Kāpenieki has been one of my best finds in the Aizpute town in Western Latvia. Tasty, traditional Latvian cuisine for a very decent price. 

The fun fact, at this place in May 2018 I opened my first online brokerage account and soon started to acquire European and the US stocks. Also, they sell tasty Kvass, which is manufactured by a company listed on Nasdaq Baltics (Gubernija). lol

Traditional Latvian Cold soup

The main course at cafe Kāpenieki in Aizpute

Too big to fail, too large to eat in the first attempt. Damn tasty though.

Located inside the old and neglected, but renovated Soviet-era building, Cafe Kāpenieki attracts locals and visitors from nearby towns and cities.

Cafe Kāpenieki

Top 5-star hotels in Tashkent

8 February, 2019 | Hotel reviews | 31 seen

Tashkent is a very Soviet city that has little remaining from its ancient Central Asian past. The city has a mixture of modern new office buildings, hotels, parks, and crumbling Soviet-style apartment blocks. 

Over the last few years, the Uzbek government has embarked on a major reconstruction program in the center of the city. Roads, government buildings and parks are all being reconstructed (many historical buildings and sites are bulldozed in the process). To the visitor, the new city looks very impressive, although many of the local residents have yet to see any improvement in their residential areas. See more on Tashkent Travel guide

Tashkent is waiting for a boom. The infrastructure, hotels, and shops are there but the influx of people and business has failed to materialize. This is caused in part by a combination of government policy and bad publicity. 

According to Booking.com, there are not many 5 star hotels in Tashkent. In today's article, I've listed the top 5 star hotels in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Disclosure: this article contains links to Booking.com, by clicking on links on this page and…

January 2019 Dividend Income Report - $174.71

6 February, 2019 | Investments | 12 seen

Welcome to the twenty-first (#21) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks, peer to peer lending (both fiat and cryptocurrencies) in January 2019. 

Wow, times flies, the last January disappeared like a flicker, little miss Fischer baby girl turned already 6-month old. This January also marked a small 2 years anniversary since In originally set my goal to have in savings account 1 million dollars by 2045. In general, January was great for most of the investors (except probably just crypto investments) as in January most markets recovered after the sluggish year end of 2018. 

From the point of dividends, last January was awesome, it turned out to be the second largest in terms of income, after July 2018, slightly beating the previous second-best month (December 2017) 

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links to mintos.com peer to peer lending website, by clicking on links on this page and by making an investment on mintos.com, I might earn affiliate income at no cost to you. Also, I'm not a financial…

Chinese Restaurant Ensemble (Hotels & Preference Hualing Tbilisi)

5 February, 2019 | Restaurant reviews | 37 seen

Chinese Restaurant Ensemble is located in a 5-star hotel "Hotels & Preference Hualing Tbilisi" near the Tbilisi Sea in the so-called - Tbilisi Sea New City. 

I got a recommendation to visit this restaurant from some other Tbilisi expats. So some Saturday afternoon in a company of the same expats we visited this place and I had a chance to try really authentic Chinese cuisine.  

Hotels & Preference Hualing Tbilisi building

Here is what it's all about:

For pure gourmets, the hotel offers an authentic Chinese Restaurant - ENSEMBLE with a masterful blend of ingredients and spices. Enjoy authentic Chinese dishes from various regions and provinces of China; discover Xinjiang delicacies, Cantonese and Sichuan cuisine in an exclusive environment, make yourself and friends extra comfortable by reserving one of our private dining rooms for that extra feeling of luxury and service.

Restaurant Ensemble in Tbilisi

Noodles at Ensemble Chinese restaurant in Tbilisi 

Spring-rolls with a sauce

Sliced cold beef meat

…

Day trip to Bolnisi and nearby vicinity

3 February, 2019 | Travel guides | 11 seen

Day trips to Bolnisi and region of Kvemo Kartli are quite possible and easy done from Tbilisi. 

In the mid-December, we bought an SUV VW Touareg car and it was just the right time to put it on the test, so we decided to make a day trip to some easy and close place from Tbilisi. 

As we were traveling with our 5-month-old daughter it was important to return home the same day, though there are some great hotels available in Bolnisi. Bolnisi is located just some 70 km from Tbilisi and it might take about 1 hour and 30 minutes to get there.

Bolnisi is located in the Kvemo Kartli region, Georgia. It has an estimated 13,800 inhabitants.

In 1818 the colony Katharinenfeld was founded in Bolnisi by 95 German colonist families from Swabia. There are still remnants of the German past in Bolnisi. A small street called Mill Street has evidence of 19th-century German architecture and a few signs in the German language that date from the early 20th century.

Bolnisi has long been the seat of a bishop or archbishop and is the home of the oldest dated Christian structure in…

Bird Watching Tower on Sloka Lake

2 February, 2019 | Lakes | 12 seen

Bird watching tower on Sloka lake actually is a floating platform which is a very popular tourist attraction among the locals and bird watchers.

Discovered in the early May 2018, during our "living in Jūrmala" series. 

Bird watching tower on Sloka Lake

The bird watching tower actually is just one point from Sloka lake walking trail:

The trail winds through diverse forest settings along the coastline of the lake populated by numerous waterfowl. It starts and ends next to Sloka Lake, where there is a car parking lot a picnic site and a 7 m high floating overhead platform for sightseers.  Hiking on the trail takes you to a number of interesting sites: the swamp forests of Vēršupīte, a sulfur spring next to Sloka Lake, the great bolder and several swamp lakes.   

Walking on the trail gives you a chance to test your physical fitness by trying out the swing, walking on a narrow log, climbing and doing other fitness tests. 

The overhead platform is a good place for bird watching on Sloka Lake.

Pontoon footbridge connected…

How To Register Hotel / Guest House on Booking.com

1 February, 2019 | Blogging | 181 seen

Registering your hotel, guest house, apartment, Bed & Breakfast, vacation home or hostel is really easy and shouldn't take you more than 15 minutes.

Best you can start online and register now. 

Disclosure: this article contains links to Booking.com, by clicking on links on this page and by registering your property on Booking.com I will earn an affiliate income, at no cost to you. Last, but not least, if you will sign up with my affiliate link - first 5 bookings via Booking.com will be commission free.

Register property on Booking.com

Here’s how Booking.com is helping you feel confident welcoming guests:

• Your place, your rules – Pick your prices, policies, and rules for guests
• Booking.com got your back – Access to 24/7 support and guest misconduct reporting
• Find your perfect match – Set requirements and criteria guests need to fulfill

Open and close your property when you want

Booking.com gives you the freedom to open or close your property on our site…

Saint Peter and Paul Monastery Complex of Bolnisi

27 January, 2019 | Churches and Monasteries | 39 seen

Saint Peter and Paul Monastery Complex of Bolnisi was built in 2012 and is located on Mount Elia close to the Bolnisi town in Georgia.

First discovered and kind of visited in mid-December 2018, during a day trip to Bolnisi region. Originally I thought that at this place is located Bolnisi Sioni, and once we let our Tbilisi apt I just entered Bolnisi church in Google navigation. Huge was my surprise arriving at the real Bolnisi Sioni Cathedral instead of this place.

From Bolnisi Sioni we continued our explorations in the area of Bolnisi, and reached another very interesting church (again I thought this is it) - Tsughrughasheni Church. We already started to head back to Tbilisi, to notice a mosque in Bolnisi. Hmm.. and then we noticed a church a top of the hill. Finally.

Saint Peter and Paul Monastery Complex of Bolnisi

I was really surprised about the road construction taking up to the church - concreted stones.

Pawed road and a cross

On the right side is located mount Elia - on which are built terraces and probably…

Mangaļsala Pier

26 January, 2019 | Tourism objects | 14 seen

The Mangalsala Dam or the Eastern Mole has been built between 1850 and 1861 and rumor has the Russian Empire's Tsar actively followed the developments (back in those days there were two tsars ruling the Empire, Nicholas I and Alexander II). Mangalsala is the first part of the Riga city which is crossed by all ships entering the Daugava river.

The length of the mole is 2240 meters. The sea part of the eastern mole was formed by pile constructions, which were later laid out and covered with stones. The base of the dam is made of heavy fascines and stones. The dam of Mangaļsala serves as a strengthening of the right bank of the Daugava river.

For me, the Mangaļsala pier has always been a very interesting place to visit, either to catch a lovely sunset or make a romantic walk on the pier. 

Mangaļsala pier

Top 10 Luxury Hotels in Borjomi

25 January, 2019 | Hotel reviews | 68 seen

Borjomi is a popular resort town in Georgia. The most popular recreation season probably here is during the Summer. Local tourists from Georgia and international tourists from Russia, Poland, Israel and lately from the Arab countries make the largest amount of tourists here.

In this article have listed top luxury hotels in Borjomi and nearby Likani, Don't worry - the price won't sky-rocket. Although there are not many 5-star hotels (yet) in Borjomi for the ones they have you won't pay more than Eur 80 per night.  The best - for such money you can actually get a celebrity treatment 

Alternatively, see 6 Best Value Hotels in Borjomi, Georgia or  Bakuriani Hotels - Enjoy Your Winter Holidays in Georgian Ski Resort

Disclosure: this article contains links to Booking.com, by clicking on links on this page and by making a reservation on Booking.com site, I might earn an affiliate income, at no cost to you

Read my review here: Borjomi Likani Hotel, SPA and Health Centre

Located 350 m from the Kura River, Borjomi…

Mintos.com Review After 24 Month of Investing in Peer to Peer Lending

24 January, 2019 | Peer to Peer Lending | 46 seen

I've been investing in Mintos.com peer to peer lending marketplace since the beginning of 2017, or it has been already 24 months or two years since I've been exposing my funds to this Latvian fintech platform. 

In the past 24 months I've made a nice revenue of EUR 902.57 (before tax) and in today's article, I decided to share a quick overview for the past two years and also make a quick glimpse for my plans for 2019

Both individuals and entities can invest through Mintos. Individual investors must be at least 18 years old, have a bank account in the European Union or third countries currently considered to have AML/CFT systems equivalent to the EU, and have their identity successfully verified by Mintos. At the moment, US citizens or taxpayers cannot register as investors at Mintos.

Affiliate link here: Sign up to Mintos.com here. By using this affiliate link for registration both you and I will receive — 1% of your average daily balance which should be paid in 3 installments for the first 90 days.

Remember - investments are risky, never invest more you can afford to lose.

Background…

HP ProBook 450 G5 (2RS04EA) Laptop Review

23 January, 2019 | Gadget Reviews | 64 seen

At the end of 2018 I got a new laptop - HP ProBook 450 G5 - in today's gadget review article series I will write down my humble observations. In short - gosh it feels so good owning a ProBook from HP.

I bought this laptop at local ALTA OK store in Tbilisi, Georgia, just shortly before Christmas shopping craze in December 2018. Paid about USD 750 for this model. The sales price for Intel Core i5 8GB HP ProBook 450 G5 on Amazon is about $770. 

This laptop will retire my older Asus X552M Laptop. That said, after about a 3-year pause, while using ASUS manufactured laptop, I'm returning back to HP laptops. For about 8 years I was using the HP Compaq 6510b model, I loved that model so much that even replaced broken hinges. The fun thing, despite that the older HP Compaq 6510b is now more than 12 years old, it still works. Amazing. That's why I really love HP laptops.  They just last like forever.

17 Best HP Laptops You Can Buy Online - Amazon.com

Please note this article contains links to Amazon by clicking on links on this page and by making a purchase on…

2018 Blog Income & Traffic Review - Goals For 2019

22 January, 2019 | Blogging | 9 seen

2018  has just passed, and now it is the right time to take a look back on the previous year of blogging, and of course doubts -  take a quick glimpse of 2019.

In today's article, I will reveal data behind the blog scenes - both traffic and income for the whole year of 2018. But before we dig into the numbers, here is the brief background - blog now is more than five years old, and for the last five years it has gone a very long way,

Make sure to check out my previous yearly blogging reviews:

• 2017 - 2017 Blog Income & Traffic Review - Goals For 2018 / $24,920.47
• 2016 - Blog Traffic and Income Report 2016 - 635,048 Users / $18,586.41
• 2015 - Blog Traffic and Income Report for 2015 - 347,035 users / $9,819.71
• 2014 - Blog Income Report 2014  / $3,334.20

• In total blog have reached 1,212,588 (that's more than a million) users in 2018
• On average it is 101,049 monthly users or
• 3,322 daily visitors

Blog traffic report 2018 (monthly…

Top 20 Gaming Laptops with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB Graphics card

21 January, 2019 | Laptop Reviews | 542 seen

Gaming laptops with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB graphics card are one of the most optimal gaming laptops user choice - here budget meets performance. In contrast to PC's where you can extend your computer with a GPU, when choosing a laptop your options are more limited. See: Mining Ethereum With EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 (Single Fan), 6GB GDDR5 Review

Most of the best selling Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 laptops are powered with the latest 8th generation Intel Core i7 8750H processors, though there are a few Intel Core i5 models available as well. 

In today's article, I've listed top 20 gaming laptops with NVIDIA GeForce GTRX 1060 6 GB graphics card available for sale on Amazon.com

Update: Top 17 Gaming laptops with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 GPU

A quick note: This article contains affiliate links to Amazon.com, by clicking on links on this page and by making a purchase on Amazon site, I will earn an affiliate income at no cost to you. Prices for laptops listed on this page are retrieved using Amazon Product Advertising API and is updated daily.…