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AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures
Georgia-Armenia 2024 Day 15: Tbilisi To Kuala Lumpur
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| (Nyonya lady photo seen at KLIA, photo courtesy of Tourism Malaysia) |
Georgia-Armenia 2024 Day 15: 1st October (Tuesday)
Group (Non-cycling) Tour of Georgia & Armenia:
Day 15 - Tbilisi to Kuala Lumpur:
Tbilisi (Golden Ir-me_ni Hotel)>Tbilisi International Airport (Georgia)>Qatar Airways>Hamad International Airport (Doha)>Qatar Airways>KLIA (Kuala Lumpur / Malaysia).
Day 15 - Tbilisi to Kuala Lumpur:
Tbilisi (Golden Ir-me_ni Hotel)>Tbilisi International Airport (Georgia)>Qatar Airways>Hamad International Airport (Doha)>Qatar Airways>KLIA (Kuala Lumpur / Malaysia).
This is page 15 of a 15-page blog, Click Here To Go To Title Page.
Route recommendations, here're some tips on travelling from Mestia to Tbilisi:
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. Duty-free shopping at Tbilisi International Airport (თბილისის საერთაშორისო აეროდრომი) (GPS: 41.66953, 44.96464) and Duty-free shopping Hamad International Airport (Doha) (مطار الدوحه الدولي) (GPS: 25.26720, 51.55832).
a. Duty-free shopping at Tbilisi International Airport (თბილისის საერთაშორისო აეროდრომი) (GPS: 41.66953, 44.96464) and Duty-free shopping Hamad International Airport (Doha) (مطار الدوحه الدولي) (GPS: 25.26720, 51.55832).
b. Wall mural showing Malaysian sceneries and Malaysian culture at the international arrival hall of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur) (GPS: 2.74174, 101.70155).
5. Food
a. Breakfast:
An excellent inclusive Western/Georgian Fare at our homestay Margiansha House (GPS: 43.04041, 42.71321) in Mestia.
b. Lunch: Meals on board Qatar Airways Flight QR 256 from Tbilisi to Doha.
Chicken Biryani Rice or Beef Stew, with coleslaw, Chocolate Mousse, and tomato juice.
c. Dinner: Meals on Board Qatar Airways Flight QR844 Doha to Kuala Lumpur.6. 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.
7. 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!
8. 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.
9. Weather
The average day temperature at Tbilisi was 12°C. While the average day temperature in Kuala Lumpur was 34°C.
Useful weather forecast sites for Georgia & Armenia is AccuWeather. For more detailed weather, including cloud cover and wind speed, use Weatherspark and Ventusky.
10. 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
A day earlier we had left Mestia for a long drive back to Tbilisi. It's almost a 500 km journey but we still managed to arrive in Tbilisii for dinner and a walk around the city.
Today we end our 14-day holiday in Georgia and Armenia, and fly back to Kuala Lumpur via Qatar Airways with a lay-over at Doha.
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DAY 15: TBILISI TO KUALA LUMPUR
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)
Good morning from Tbilisi, Georgia. A peek of the peak of the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi from our hotel, the Golden Ir-me_ni.
Breakfast at the Golden Ir-me_ni. It's our last savouring of Georgian Food for the trip.
Heading for Tbilisi International Airport, along the Kakheti Highway. Passed by several uniquely designed building including the Tbilisi Airport Railway Station (აეროპორტი II) (GPS:41.67129, 44.96457) with it's golden dome architecture.
All checked in and ready to leave for Doha (Transit) and then onwards Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Do be wary of gypsy women hanging, we saw them hanging around the entrance doors. They were led away airport security soon.
Yahoo! Managed to get this Russian Beluga Vodka 🍾🍾 at the duty-free shopping of Tbilisi Tbilisi International Airport. Arising for trade sanctions due to the Russian-Ukraine conflict, it is now bottled in Montenegro. Lucky me, it was the last
bottle on the shelves ☺️ 👍👍👍.
Chicken Biryani Rice or Beef Stew, with coleslaw, Chocolate Mousse, and tomato juice. Being more spicy and full of spices, the Biryani Rice was a good change from Georgian Fare.
4:45pm (Doha Time, 9:45pm KL): A beautiful sunset greeted us on the landing approach to Hamad International Airport, Doha.
More views of the warm sunset at Hamad International Airport.
HaHA! The jokes on me!
The Russian Beluga Vodka is cheaper here from the Duty-free shopping outlets at Hamad International. And they have the premium limited-edition "Beluga Celebration" grade too.
Apparently after the Russians have sold the licensing to manufacture in Montenegro in 2023, so this vodka should now be more available worldwide.
Doha Time, 2:15 am; KL Time 9:15 pm, 2nd October 2024: Meals on board Qatar Airways Flight QR844 Doha to Kuala Lumpur. We had Thai Green Curry with rice, Tomato Pasta, salad, mousse, apple juice, and tomato juice. We went for the Thai Green Curry as it was the closest thing to Malaysian Food being served on board. How we wished that they had Nasi Lemak!
7:15am Malaysian Time - Dawn landing approach to Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Mr. Sun peeping out through the clouds to welcome us.
Welcome home to Malaysia. It's good to be back. Nasi Lemak, Char Kway Teow, here we come!
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| photos courtesy of Tourism Malaysia |
Photos are of posters at the arrival corridor showing Malaysian sceneries .....
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| photo courtesy of Tourism Malaysia |
and Malaysian culture, this one is of a Sarawakian Indigenous Tribal couple.
(.. read more of AhPek Biker's Sarawak Cycling)
(For more photos of Day 15, Click Here)
This is page 15 of a 15-page blog, Click Here To Go To Title Page.
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