Gudaleti Monastery Complex
Gudaleti monastery complex is located in the village of Gudaleti on an elevated spot, on the edge of a high gorge on the river Gudaleura. The church is located about 1 hour and 20 minutes drive from Tbilisi. The complex includes the Church of the Assumption and a tower fortress.
We discovered this church by chance while driving through the village of Gudaleti to visit a friend who has bought a house in the same village.
Seems the church is under renovation and is being completely rebuilt (2022)
The Church of the Mother of God is a cross-domed building, built at the turn of the XIII - XIV centuries, built of cut stone, cobblestone and bricks are also used.
I was able to find some…
How to Setup XTRF with Apache HTTP server as a reverse proxy and SSL from Let's Encrypt
XTRF is a Polish translation management system available to install as SAAS or on your own server (both Windows and Linux). In today's article, I will keep notes on How to Setup XTRF with Apache HTTP server as a reverse proxy and SSL from Let's Encrypt
The company I'm assisting in server works has been using the XTRF translation management system since 2011 (if not earlier). A few years ago I helped to perform a major upgrade (from version 2 to version 8).
How To Install XTRF 8 on Ubuntu 18.04
The system was launched over the internet, but recently the latest Google Chrome update stopped supporting the system saying: ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH
XTRF…
Postcards from Pasanauri
Pasanauri is a small town in Georgia, situated in the Dusheti district, Mtskheta-Mtianeti region.
We have been traveling this small town through zillions of times, mostly when heading to Gudauri or Kazbegi, but never had we made a stop here and explored more.
It was in the mid-February 2022, we headed to Gudauri, but as the road was blocked and not willing to wait more we turned our car around and headed back to Tbilisi, but decided to make a stop at Pasanauri to make a drone photo of black and white Aragvi
I couldn't catch the colours today, but I guess I was making a photo at the wrong season and should return here in Spring / Summer.
Pasanauri lies about 90 kilometers (56 mi)…
Bristol Hotel and Spa Bakuriani
Bristol Hotel and Spa Bakuriani is offering accommodations in Bakuriani. The property provides ski-to-door access and ski storage space, as well as a restaurant and a bar. The hotel features an indoor pool, sauna, karaoke and a 24-hour front desk.
We booked Bristol Hotel and Spa Bakuriani hotel at the end of January 2022, for a two night stay, paying about $250 (breakfast included)
When visiting such hotels it's always about personal, not interior or location (which both are great for this hotel).
During our stay here we faced several issues, which luckily where solved, but I was left wondering why they even happened first hand - like, they have little nice indoor swimming pool…
Spice and Herbal Garden No7 near Bentota, Sri Lanka
Spice and Herbal garden No7 is located next to the Galle - Hambantota - Wellawaya Hwy near Bentota in Sri Lanka.
We visited this place during a day trip from our hotel (Taj Resort & Spa) to Madu Ganga river when returning back to our hotel. We didn't have any special plans to visit this place, but our driver (s) just took us there.
Once here I didn't understand how this works and thought - oh, nice we are enjoying a nice excursion at the spice and herbal garden which indeed was nice, but at the end of the tour we were taken to the shop and they tried to sell us some expensive things we really didn't need or we could get for free back in our hotel.
I kindly refused but left some…
Hiking trip near Turtle Lake
Hiking trip near Turtle lake in Tbilisi, dining with Rapunzel and other fictional Disney characters near the Svan Tower, meeting real South African and Georgian friends near Bazaleti, tracing numbers and bitcoins back in Tbilisi. enjoy and thumbs up!
Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery Sri Lanka
Kosgoda Turtle Care program aims to protect sea turtle eggs and increase hatching rates.
I had a chance to visit Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery in Sri Lanka at the start of January 2022, during a day trip from our hotel at Bentota. After returning from the Madu Ganga riverboat safari our guides took us to the Turtle hatchery.
Arriving on the site a guide come made a littlec excusrion on the site, telling the story how turtles are rescued, hatched and released back to Ocean.
It was said they are also treating disabled Turtles and the weak ones. Also it was said that their staff patrols the beach all night looking for mother sea turtles that come out of the ocean to lay their eggs.
The…
Bentota Beach in Sri Lanka
Bentota is a small coastal resort town, about a 2-hour drive away from Colombo, Sri Lanka.
We visited Bentota and Bentota beaches at the start of January 2022, while staying at the 5-star resort hotel Taj Bentota and Spa
It is said that Bentota has been the water sport capital of Sri Lanka with the hoteliers in the area actively promoting water sports from adrenaline filled speed boat and jet ski riding, wind surfing, boogie boarding, water skiing, kite surfing, to a leisurely ride on a banana boat for the family & kids.
During our stay here we both built sand castles, surfed and anf course get some tan at the lovely white sand beaches of Bentota.
If there is a reason to Visit Sri…
And drones fly at Pasanauri
'Un droni lido Pasanauri '- or another strange but awesome weekend has been in our tapes - it was planned to visit Gudauri, but 16km from the skiing resort the road was blocked, we turned our car around and visited Ralph Schmidt in Gudaleti, with nice views toward Mount Kazbek instead.
Bandaranaike International Airport / Colombo, Sri Lanka
Bandaranaike International Airport, commonly known as Colombo International Airport is the main international airport serving Sri Lanka.
It is named after former Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike and is located in a suburb of Negombo, 32.5 kilometres (20+1⁄4 miles) north of the nation's longstanding capital and commercial center, Colombo. It is administered by Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd and serves as the hub of SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka, and domestic carrier Cinnamon Air. The other airport serving the city of Colombo is the Ratmalana International Airport, primarily serving domestic destinations.
We first visited Colombo airport at…
Villa Park Gori
If there is a reason to visit Gori in Georgia, then a visit to Villa Park Gori restaurant in Georgia would be at the top of my priorities.
Villa Park Gori is an elite-class restaurant in Gori, with comfortable spaces and a variety of dishes. Located on Tskhinvali highway a few kilometers out of the Gori town.
My friend David took us here at the end of January 2022
Tasty Georgian and European cuisine. Live music. English speaking staff. Awesome.
We spent here a few hours drinking red wine David took from his home. Trying many dishes, badrijani, lobio a lot of mcvadi. The Bill? Under 100 GEL.
If you happen to be in the area - I highly recommend visiting Villa Park Gori
Cinnamon Island, Sri Lanka
Cinnamon Island is situated in Bentota in Sri Lanka. This is a little, but a charming island that offers a few fun activities for you. Here you will be able to learn about cinnamon cultivation and if lucky will meet a monkey or at least a dog.
We visited Cinnamon Island at the start of January 2022, during our trip to Sri Lanka, and in particular during the Madu Ganga River Boat Safari.
Cinnamon Island is situated in the Southern Province in Sri Lanka. This is the place where you will be able to learn about the cinnamon harvesting and even the whole process of cinnamon cultivation. You can even visit this place with your friends and family as this is a very informative place and there’s…
Sri Lanka Chronicles: A Tropical Escape to Colombo, Bentota, and Galle
Ahoy, fellow wanderers! Join me in this travelogue as I take you on a sun-kissed journey through the gem of the Indian Ocean – Sri Lanka. In January 2022, the island nation unveiled its wonders as I explored the vibrant cityscape of Colombo, basked in the coastal bliss of Bentota, and wandered through the historic charm of Galle. With the Indian Ocean as our constant companion, infinity swimming pools beckoning, and a myriad of flavors to savor, this was a trip to remember. Buckle up for tales of exotic fruits, fish curry feasts, encounters with elephants and varans, tuk-tuk adventures, and the warmth of +38°C. Welcome to the tropical paradise that is Sri Lanka!Colombo: A Tapestry of…
Taj Bentota Resort & Spa Hotel Review in Sri Lanka
Taj Bentota Resort & Spa - is located in Sri Lanka's Galle District, offering breathtaking views of the Indian Ocean. Pampering spa services, an outdoor pool, and 5 dining options are provided.
We booked this 5-star hotel for a 3-night stay at the start of January 2022, while traveling near the Ocean in Sri Lanka. For a 3 night stay here we paid about USD 580.
The room seemed a bit small at the first glance, but after all it was quite perfect (as most of the time we did spent near the Indian Ocean or at the swimming pool)
The property's well-lit rooms come equipped with a minibar and tea/coffee maker. It provides a cable TV and safety deposit boxes. Private balconies have…
Royal House Gori
The Royal house is said to be a 4-star hotel located in Gori, Georgia.
I booked this place for a one-night stay at the end of January 2022. The pictures on Booking.com and reality are totally different. Luckily the price I paid was just GEL 64 (that's about EUR 20) and the stay was only one night.
Now, the so-called hotel is decent, there is a bed (a lot of beds) heating, shower. Just hard to call it a 4-star hotel, more like a hostel or a guest house.
As we had a lot of wine that night, the stay was OK.
ideally suited for backpackers or you get what you paid for. Really I was hopiing to get a 4-star hotel for 20 EUR? LOL
If you are looking for a cheap and decent stay…
Galle Face Green
Galle Face is a 5 ha (12 acres) ocean-side urban park, which stretches for 500 m (1,600 ft) along the coast, in the heart of Colombo, the financial and business capital of Sri Lanka.
The promenade was initially laid out in 1859 by Governor Sir Henry George Ward, although the original Galle Face Green extended over a much larger area than is seen today. The Galle Face Green was initially used for horse racing and as a golf course, but was also used for cricket, polo, football, tennis and rugby.
i had a chance to visit Galle Face green park at the start of January 2022, during our 11 day trip in Sri Lanka. To get here I was using the tuk-tuk service.
We our Tuk - Tuk driver at …
Sulfur Bath N5 in Tbilisi
Sulfur Bath N5 is located in the Tbilisi Bath district of Abanotubani.
We have been heading to these bathhouses a lot in the past (back in 2011-2013), since then we have changed our location, visiting other, not so fancy ones on Kyiv street, but lately again, we have started to visit sulfur bathhouses in the old town district.
Chreli Abano Sulfur Bath in Tbilisi
This time we visited Bath house N5
The bathhouse is located near the Heydar Aliyev park
We got this small but deep sulfur bath for about GEL 70.
Tea with jam after or during the bath.
Place seems bit neglected, but also price for private rooms is bit lower. I guess they also have public bath…
Experienced my second Earth Quake in Tbilisi
On February 13, 2022, late evening for the second time in my life, I felt tremors of an earthquake and they happened in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia. According to the sources the magnitude of the earthquake was 5.4 with the epicenter in Armenia.
My previous experience with earthquakes dates back to June 2014, when I experienced tremours from a 4.8 magnitudes strong earthquake.
We were watching a TV show, when the tremours started, the bed was shacking quite well. I bit panicked, ran to the child room and quickly thought how to evacuate in case of something serious, but couldn't figure nothing better than just to cover our child with my body. Luckly the tremours soon stopped, but I still…
Bakuriani ski resort in Georgia
Bakuriani COOL - another awesome weekend has been on our tapes. The little one for the first time on skates and skis. Paragliding, chariot riding, and some investment opportunities. Enjoy the video and thumbs up!
Independence Memorial Hall in Colombo
Independence Memorial Hall is a national monument in Sri Lanka built for commemoration of the independence of Sri Lanka from British rule with the restoration of full governing responsibility to a Ceylonese-elected legislature on February 4, 1948.
It is located in Independence Square (formally Torrington Square) in the Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo. It also houses the Independence Memorial Museum.
I first visited it at the start of January 2022 during our first sightseeing trip around Colombo. Got here by a tuk-tuk.
The monument was built at the location where the formal ceremony marking the start of self-rule, with the opening of the first parliament by Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester…