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AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures
Georgia-Armenia 2024 Day 10: Kutaisi To Tskhradjvari
Georgia-Armenia 2024 Day 10: 26th September (Thursday)
Group (Non-cycling) Tour of Georgia & Armenia:
Day 10 - Kutaisi: to Tskhradjvari:
Kutaisi (Prestige Guest House)>Tskhradjvari>Lake Shaori>Nikortsminda Cathedral>Kutaisi>Soviet Sculpture Complex Kutaisi>Mon-Plasir Archway>Wall of Love Kutaisi>Prestige Guest House.
Day 10 - Kutaisi: to Tskhradjvari:
Kutaisi (Prestige Guest House)>Tskhradjvari>Lake Shaori>Nikortsminda Cathedral>Kutaisi>Soviet Sculpture Complex Kutaisi>Mon-Plasir Archway>Wall of Love Kutaisi>Prestige Guest House.
This is page 10 of a 14-page blog, Click Here To Go To Title Page.
< D9: Kutaisi | Go to Other Days | D11: Mestia >
Route recommendations, here're some tips on travelling in and around Tbilisi (Georgia):
1. Traffic Directions!
Driving in Georgia is left-hand drive, with a speed limit of 60 km/h in cities and towns, and 80 km/h in other areas unless indicated otherwise. Armenia is also left-hand drive, so in both Georgia and Armenia drive/cycle on the right.
2. Immigration & Customs Requirements
For Georgia, citizens of Malaysia do not need a visa to enter for travel purposes and can stay in the country for 365 days without a visa. The travel passport must be valid throughout the whole period of stay in Georgia. A blank page is necessary for an entry stamp. Click here for a list of countries that need visa entry. Click here for the Georgia E-visa application portal and click here for guidelines on the E-visa application which costs USD20 (30 days validity).
For both countries, after clearing immigration, one will have to go through customs. We had to carry our luggage personally through. They are green lanes for those with nothing to declare; for duty-free good exemption, click here for Georgia's regulations, and here for Armenia's. Our vans had to go through the vehicles' lanes.
For those bringing in personal medication (up to 31 days usage) into Georgia, do get a prescription from your doctor; click here for guidelines.
3. Getting to and around Georgia & Armenia.
Major airlines serve both Georgia & Armenia. We flew from KLIA Terminal 1 into and out of Shota Rustaveli Tbilisi International Airport via Qatar Airways, with transit at Doha. It would have been time-saving into Armenia via Yerevan's Zvartnots International Airport; but we naively erred on the side of caution. Our airfares were bought during the MATA Travel Fair via promotions by the RHB Debit Card, the return fare cost us between MYR 2,800 to 3,200.
We got around both countries by using a local long-chassis Mercedes Sprinter Van with an extended rear luggage section for the 16 of us, and a Mercedes V-Class 7-seater van for another four of us who enlisted later. The rides were generally comfortable as most were on tarred roads with some stretches of gravel roads.
For harsher rides we used smaller local vans with drivers familiar to the rougher, steeper roads - this was to the Gergeti Trinity Church, Ushguli Village, Koruldi Lakes and Chalaadi Glacier.
We got around both countries by using a local long-chassis Mercedes Sprinter Van with an extended rear luggage section for the 16 of us, and a Mercedes V-Class 7-seater van for another four of us who enlisted later. The rides were generally comfortable as most were on tarred roads with some stretches of gravel roads.
For harsher rides we used smaller local vans with drivers familiar to the rougher, steeper roads - this was to the Gergeti Trinity Church, Ushguli Village, Koruldi Lakes and Chalaadi Glacier.
There were a couple of free days to explore Tbilisi by ourselves, but it is possible to use the Uber Georgia app to get further around. Other ride-hailing alternatives are Bolt, Yandex and Taxi Maxim.
4. Places & Things of Interest
Enroute were several places of interest, some of which we visited and others we did not for lack of time (Note: click on GPS coordinates for a directional map to respective places):
a. Colchis Fountain (კოლხური შადრევანი) (GPS:42.27148, 42.70548).
b. Tskhradjvari Hiking Trail (GPS:42.38742, 42.98303).
c. Tskhradjvari Viewpoint (ცხრაჯვარის ხედი) (GPS:42.38498, 42.97831).
e. Lake Shaori Panorama Viewpoint (GPS:42.39807, 43.03945) of Lake Shaori.
g. Soviet Sculpture Complex Kutaisi (b) (GPS:42.27028, 42.70319).
h. Mon-Plasir Archway (GPS:42.26988, 42.70273).
i. Kutaisi Beauty (GPS:42.26979, 42.70269) by French artist Vinie.
j. Wall of Love Kutaisi (GPS:42.26980, 42.70236).
5. Food
a. Breakfast:
An excellent inclusive Western/Georgian Fare at the Prestige Guest House (GPS: 42.25811, 42.6871) in Kutaisi.
b. Lunch:
Take-away from Carrefour Supermarket, Kutaisi (კარფური - Carrefour) (GPS:42.26286, 42.67087), eaten at Tskhradjvari Viewpoint (ცხრაჯვარის ხედი) (GPS:42.38498, 42.97831).
b. Lunch:
Take-away from Carrefour Supermarket, Kutaisi (კარფური - Carrefour) (GPS:42.26286, 42.67087), eaten at Tskhradjvari Viewpoint (ცხრაჯვარის ხედი) (GPS:42.38498, 42.97831).
c. Dinner:
Thai food from Thai & Co. (GPS:42.26897, 42.70222); (alternate dinner place serving more authentic Thai Food: SiamThai Restaurant (GPS:42.26900, 42.7015) in Kutaisi.
6. Accommodations
Second of two nights at Prestige Guest House (GPS: 42.25811, 42.6871) in Kutaisi. The alternate hotel for the second group was Gala Boutique Hotel (GPS: 42.27376, 42.70787).
7. Tour Costs & Arrangements
Return air tickets bought during the MATA Travel Fair/RHB Debit Card promotions were between MYR 2,800 to 3,200.
The ground arrangements tour package included a 10-passenger van to take us around, starting from & returning to Tbilisi. It also included 3-star hotels/homestays. The charge per pax for this ground arrangement was at MYR7,400. This excluded meals (other than hotel breakfasts & 3 dinners at Mestia), airport transfers, most entry tickets and tips. This allows for individuals to have meals according to their own liking & budget. Allow per meal should be adequate.
On average, the overall tour cost worked out to be around RM950 to RM1,000 per day. For those interested in this tour, contact Eddie at +6012-6122600 for more details and updated costs.
For out-of-pocket spending, we exchange some Georgian Lari (GEL) and Armenian Dram (AMD) in the respective countries. Some brought along their Wise debit cards to use; one can pre-load the card with the local currency. Or let it auto-deduct the currencies existing in the card. We found that it deducted other currencies first before deducting Malaysian Ringgit.
8. Communicating with Each Other
When travelling in a group it's important to be able to communicate with each other, especially if one gets lost from the rest. Georgia pre-paid sim cards are easily available and cost 5 GEL to 20 GEL, depending on the provider and the included benefits. While Armenian pre-paid SIM cards range from AMD 1000 to AMD 3000. Those in our tour group pre-ordered their SIM cards through our Georgian guide.
Those who use Maxis as their telco can purchase the Maxis Roaming Pass. The RM89 15-day Multi-country Roaming Pass covers many countries including Georgia, Armenia and Qatar.
The Pass can be bought before the trip with a designated starting time/date, BUT DO TURN OFF your data roaming just before the Roaming Pass expires OTHERWISE any subsequent usage will automatically trigger off the 1-Day Roaming Pass costing between RM29 to RM38 per day!
The Pass can be bought before the trip with a designated starting time/date, BUT DO TURN OFF your data roaming just before the Roaming Pass expires OTHERWISE any subsequent usage will automatically trigger off the 1-Day Roaming Pass costing between RM29 to RM38 per day!
9. Communicating with Locals
At favourite tourist destinations, locals may speak fairly good English. In the smaller towns, locals speak some rudimentary English, and our local guide was most helpful in translating for us.
10. Weather
Useful weather forecast sites for Georgia & Armenia is AccuWeather. For more detailed weather, including cloud cover and wind speed, use Weatherspark and Ventusky.
11. Navigation
I used MapMyRide to track our routes and stops. Geo-tagging of places of interest was via FaceBook or Google Maps.
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PRELUDE
Yesterday we let Stepantsminda for Kutaisi, Enroute will visit a micro-winery, the Joseph Stalin Museum and the ancient Uplistsikhe Caves.
Today, we go on a day tour for some hiking up an interesting trail with good views, followed by a visit to a scenic lake.
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DAY 10: STEPANTSMINDA TO TSKHRADJVARI
Most posts below are linked to my Facebook postings during the trip and are embedded here with some comments. (NOTE: Click on respective posts to link to the FB post for more details. If you can't see the posts, please log out from your Facebook first)
A good breakfast at our hotel in Kutaisi, the Prestige Guest House. Love their crunchy bread sticks and the cucumber/tomato salad.
We will be going hiking later. Nearby will be no eateries, so we packed takeaway lunch from Carrefour Supermarket, Kutaisi.
While leaving Kutaisi, we passed by the Colchis Fountain. It's "a monument in the city's central square, that celebrates the ancient kingdom of Colchis. It is adorned with 30 large-scale copies of the famous gold jewellery discovered at archaeological sites in Georgia, including the nearby Vani. The fountain was created by Georgian architect David Gogichaishvili and opened in May 2012."
On the way from Kutaisi to the lake district, going along Route M17 and then
onto rural roads.
Hiking along the Tskhradjvari Hiking Trail up to the Tskhradjvari Viewpoint. It's not too difficult a hike taking us about an hour to reach the top.
At Tskhradjvari Viewpoint overlooking the Lake Shaori.
At the hilltop shrine - the Tskhradjvari (Nine-Crosses) Shrine, its shiny golden cross stands out against the blue sky.
Sitting right at the top one of the hills here, the shrine commands a great panoramic view of the forest and lake below.
2:45pm - Back down at the start level, having our takeaway lunch, a simple yet gratifying lunch.
Later on, a quick stop at the Lake Shaori Panorama Viewpoint, its calm water rippling below the blues sky with puffy clouds.
Buying trinkets and souvenirs form a lady at a stall nearby.
A further ten kilometres down the road is the Nikortsminda Cathedral which is a millennia old.
6:00pm - Back at Kutaisi and taking a walk around the city centre. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, it is the third-most populous city in Georgia after Tbilisi and Batumi.
Evening views of the Colchis Fountain, and the surrounding buildings, including the grand Lado Meskhishvili Theater.
Round the corner is the Soviet Sculpture Complex ....
..... and further along, is the Mon-Plasir Archway .....
.... which leads to Kutaisi Wall of Love .....
..... where there many wall murals, including this “Kutaisi Beauty” by French artist Vinie.
After ten days of Georgian food, we wanted to try some Thai food. We saw one that had a good range of authentic Thai food at SiamThai Restaurant, but there was an hour's wait.
So ended up having dinner at Thai & Co., which wasn't so authentic.
Drat! Should have waited that hour.
To make up for the poor dinner, we rewarded ourselves with ice cream snacks at Luca Polare Kutaisi.
(For more photos of Day 10, Click Here)
This is page 10 of a 14-page blog, Click Here To Go To Title Page.
< D9: Kutaisi | Go to Other Days | D11: Mestia >
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