Location: Tbilisi [Republic of Georgia]

Week 22 was…largely uneventful. Let’s have a look.

Transportation

On Sunday, I went with a few people I met at the hostel, and rode the cable car a couple times. The hill that the ‘mother of Georgia’ statue sits on is a nice place from which to view the city; especially around sunset.

On Monday, I took the metro to explore a different part of the city. I could have walked, but the metro is so cheap. A ride out and a return trip for $0.20? Hell yes.

Accommodation

This gets very simple when you stay in the same spot for a while. I’ve watched a few waves of people stay in, and leave the hostel. If you’re on your own and you want to meet people, hostels are definitely the way to go.

Food

This was particularly cheap this week, because I spent most of the time cooking groceries. You can only have so much khinkali and kachapouri (the main local dishes) before you’re like “screw it, I’ll just get some cheap food to shove in my face”.

Other

Overpriced travel insurance: $8.64 per day.

So there was this concert on Friday that I was going to go see, and meet a few friends at. The only problem is that it’s been pretty hot the last week so I didn’t go during the day. I thought about going in the evening, but I was pretty tired by then and didn’t feel like staying up until 8 to head back ‘home’. So I basically bought a ticket I didn’t use: $12.98. It’s somewhat annoying, but I’m definitely happy with my decision to chill at the hostel. Because being tired and cranky is just not worth saving $13.

On Monday, I did laundry: $1.22. I know, it’s not very exciting.

On Wednesday, I payed for a mobile phone network unlock key: $18.90. Because the carrier I had in Greece thought it was a good idea to lock their shit down. I managed to get away with using a different SIM in Turkey because the carrier has a deal with the one I had in Greece to use their network. When I tried putting a Georgian SIM in though…that wasn’t happening. So, lesson learned: always check when putting strange SIMs in your phone that they don’t lock your shit down. It’s a huge pain in the ass to try and get it unlocked later. (Especially if you’ve left the country from which you got said SIM).

Summary

So, it’s been a super cheap (boring) week. I can’t argue with averaging less then $30 a day though. If this keeps up, I’ll be making money rather than breaking even.

Until next week…

Location: Tbilisi [Republic of Georgia]

Week 21….

Transportation

I stayed in the same place all week so the only ‘travel’ cost was taking the cable car on Tuesday. Since we’re on the topic of cable cars…transportation is cheap here. The cable car is 5x the cost of a metro ride if that’s any indication.

Accommodation

I stayed at the same hostel all week. The slight price discrepancy is from currency fluctuation. As I’m sure you can tell, accommodation is also cheap.

Food

This was strangely consistent this week. On Saturday, I bought a bunch of groceries in addition to going out which is why the price is noticeably higher than the other days. Most days usually involve going out once a day, and filling the other meals with groceries.

Other

Way too expansive travel insurance: $8.64 per day.

And…wow, I don’t have anything for other expenses this week. I’m so boring….

Summary

All right, so…a boring week makes for a super low expense report (and a really short Financial Friday post). Hopefully, this gives you a general idea of what it costs to settle into Tbilisi. Until next week….

Locations: Tbilisi, Stepantsminda [Republic of Georgia]

Week 20 on the road. Here we go….

Transportation

I was mostly in თბილისი (Tbilisi) this week so the only transportation cost was the cable car on Thursday. A couple friends wanted to go to the top of the hill overlooking the city, and we decided to take the fast way up. Overlooking the city at night is pretty cool.

Accommodation

I started at the first Tbilisi hostel (Friday). It was really cool, and I didn’t want to leave but…. One of the owners’ relatives had a conversation with me once that left the impression he wanted me to go out and explore shit during the day (as in not stay at the hostel). That made me feel a little uncomfortable so I did what every good traveler does in that situation: find another hostel.

I booked the second Tbilisi hostel was from Saturday to Monday. The new one is awesome! I liked it so much, I extended through the end of this week’s expense report. The major difference in price is a combination of not having Hostelworld take out a portion, and the receptionist liking me. This is why you should be a good guest: cheaper accommodation.

Food

My food budget varied greatly. The ‘expensive’ days were when I went out with people from the hostel to sit-down places twice a day. The cheaper days are when I had street food for a meal or two. I haven’t been alone enough to go looking for groceries…although street food is actually cheaper than most of the things I could whip up from a grocery store so….

Other

Overpriced travel insurance: $8.64 per day.

On Friday, I had my teeth cleaned: $16.33. I also bought some anti-bacterial mouth wash the dentist ‘prescribed’ me: $7.14. To hear more about my dental experience, check out the blog post. Quick summary: it was awesome!

On Saturday and Thursday, I went to the Tbilisi botanical gardens: $0.82 each time. I went with two different groups of friends, and the price low enough that I don’t mind going multiple times. It’s not as good as the gardens in ქუთაისი (Kutaisi), but they’re still pretty good.

On Monday, I took a tour to სტეფანწმინდა (Stepantsminda): $28.34. It’s called the ‘Kazbegi’ tour since it involves passing Mt. Kazbek, but it actually follows a valley from close to Tbilisi to the town of Stepantsminda. The scenery was amazing, and I got some pretty sweet shots. I should write a post about that….

On Wednesday, I went to the Georgian National Museum: $2.88. The permanent displays cover the history of Georgia beginning around the time Christianity came to the region (4th century AD) through the Soviet occupation years. Being a history nerd, I thought the Soviet years was the best exhibit, but I’m sure other history buffs would disagree with me. It was definitely worth the entrance fee.

Summary

Not the cheapest week ever, but it wasn’t bad; especially considering it includes a trip to the dentist. I really like Georgia. I think I’ll stay for a while. Until next week….

Locations: Batumi, Kutaisi, Tbilisi [Republic of Georgia]

Week 19 of travel is over. This weeks has been all about Georgia (not the US state).

Transportation

On Monday, I took a train from ბათუმი (Batumi) to ქუთაისი (Kutaisi). The 3.5 hour ride cost me $0.81! I was very surprised at how little this was.

On Wednesday, I took another train from Kutaisi to თბილისი (Tbilisi): $3.25. Then I took the metro to a stop that was closer to the hostel: $0.20. Again, I find myself impressed with how affordable travel is here.

Accommodation

Friday to Sunday was the hostel in Batumi. There weren’t any currency fluctuations of note so I’m going to attribute the price difference to booking at the front desk instead of through Hostelworld. Those websites take a cut which can end up being significant in some cases.

Monday and Tuesday were at a hostel in Kutaisi. Not being a resort city makes a large difference in price.

Wednesday and Thursday were at a hostel in Tbilisi. I haven’t payed yet, but I’m anticipating it to be less than $10 a day. I’ll find out soon enough.

Food

So any day over $5 is when I ate at a ‘fancy’ (sit-down) restaurant rather than going to a grocery store or getting ‘street food’. By the way, the food here is fantastic. There were a couple times when I just pointed to something in the entree section of the menu having no idea what it was, and I was never disappointed with what showed up. I’m sure all the people with dietary restrictions are horrified right about now….

Other

Ridiculously overpriced travel insurance: $8.64 per day.

On Sunday, I bought 3 e-books at $10.69 a piece. That’s what I get for ordering popular books….

On Thursday, I bought a ‘travel toothbrush kit’: $7.52. It came with a fold-able tooth brush, mini tooth paste tube, a small roll of dental floss, and a couple rubber picks. All I really wanted was the tooth brush, but I guess I can use the rest…eventually….

Summary

So yeah, Georgia is very affordable; especially if you’re not in the resort city of Batumi.

Until next week….