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Anyone ever been here (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan)? Does it live up to the hype?
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>>2855341
Any word on the land border opening up?
I really want to go during my Georgia trip this summer, but because the only way in and out is flying, it just seems like too much of a hassle. They said the land border was supposed to open in 2026, but I've yet to see any news on the matter.
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>>2855429
Never done it, so this is all theoretical. My guess is:
>bus to AZ border
>walk/taxi border
>bus to Tbilisi
some efags seem to have done it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpXT8xs8kPw
From video desc:
>Azerbaijan side Balakan and Georgia Lagodekhi town.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEae6t2nvHs
>Georgia border taking a bus from Sheki (bigger town than Balakan) to Lagodheki.
Seems to be the main border people are doing.
Taxis are usually dirt cheap in this part of the world.
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>>2855435
>Has anyone taken the ferry from Alat --> Aktau?
Seen the bald and bankrupt video? Consensus seems to be that it's working but unreliable with no scheduled times, meaning your travel plans can be thrown 2-4 days out of sync if you're unlucky. It's a huge bottleneck in kino travel plans like traversing the silk road, imo.
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>>2855439
I have watched it yeah but I wanted some other anon's experiences. I have no travel time limit nor financial limit (for this period of travel) so I can take a few extra days if needed to wait for the ferry, I wanted to spend a few weeks in Kazakhstan afterwards but I am unsure how easy it is to get transportation from where the boat lands in Aktau. I like long travel adventures, I have taken a 2 day ferry on-foot before in the Faroe Islands
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Does anyone speak English in Georgia? Will ppl assume im Russian?
t. western yuropoor
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>>2855671
Most young people speak English, just like any European country. A lot of the older generation knows Russian, but of all the former Soviet republics, Georgians probably hate Russians the most, so it's probably best not to open with Russian, not with the young people at least.
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Planning a trip to Georgia, Armenia, and Turkey this summer. About 17 days in total.
Never been to this region before. Fluent in Russian and English. Flying out from US east coast.
Any recommendations? Anyone from these areas or planning to be? Also, looking for a travel partner. I'm a single 34 year old man, half Armenian.
Budgeting about $5-7k for the entire trip.
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>>2860401
What months?
I'm planning a trip to Georgia + Armenia in late May
>Budgeting about $5-7k for the entire trip
Even with a 2 way flight from US, that sounds like a lot. I wanna go for about 10 days and was thinking 3K max would do fine
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>>2863072
Honestly I was being generous and accounting for worst case scenario so I could I have a good cushion.
My mindset for most trips to Europe is that it's about 1K for the flight tickets from where I'm from, then about 1K for 10 days of accommodation, then about 1K for all the miscellaneous stuff like food, museums, transport, partying, maybe a souvenir, etc. Yes you can obviously make it much cheaper, but overall this is the mindset I have for ensuring a cushion just in case. Realistically I'll spend much less, especially as a solo traveler in hostels.
But then I realized just how cheap the Caucasus really are, at least in terms of accommodation, so I think under 2K overall is pretty doable
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Does anyone know if staying at Fabrika hostel in Tbilisi is worth it? Seems to be all the hype and rage with a good location for meeting people, but uuugggghh I don't want to share a shower area, and I heard it's mostly nomads who are to busy working to socialize
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Welp, so much for Georgia and Armenia being safe from the conflict
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>>2869017
Flying into Tbillisi (cooking class, wineries), Batumi (not sure what to do yet), Kazbegi for some hiking (snow depending, not sure how much there will be). That is all I have so far, I think I have 9 days or so. Any suggestions?
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>>2872616
I spent my time between Tbillisi and Batumi, just did day trips and hired vehicles to see stuff. Honestly it didn't seem like there were many tourists there I think the season still has not changed yet. I tried to go north to see the famous church but an avalanche blocked the road for 3 days.
I met a chick in a cooking class and one thing led to another, the nightlife seemed insane desu super busy. I didn't actually go out as I am solo travelling and try to only drink in social situations but on the weekends the town was so busy it honestly looked like a great time and I wish I had a friend there to experience it with. I also went to Mtirala National park and it was beautiful there wasn't much snow there either as the altitude wasn't so high.
>>2872621
It didn't seem too bad, there was a little bit of construction (I am observant of these things as I work a construction related profession) things definitely needed upgrades though such as sidewalks etc, my general feeling was that the construction was the same as most other european places (every monument or great church I have ever seen ALWAYS has scaffold up lol) Yeah honestly the train ride from Tbillisi to Batumi is kino just watching the Caucasus mountains the whole ride.
Will reply to this post with some pics from the trip
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>>2872749
Tbillisi-->Batumi train ride
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>>2872758
Makhuntseti waterfall
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>>2872759
Didn't mean for that to go sideways, this photo is somewhere in Tbillisi
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>>2872760
Somewhere on the way to Gergeti Trinity Church before the avalanche blocked me
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>>2872762
A random church on the way to Gergeti Trinity Church before the avalanche blocked me. There are heaps of hairy stray mountain dogs everywhere in Georgia, it is kind of nice because everyone is kind to them (including the locals) and they aren't mangey. This guy was definitely the ruler of these parts
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>>2872763
A random beach in Batumi, I will upload more photos if requested
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>>2872765
We spent the night together, we got some vino and went back to hers (it was a week night) she was foreign. The women of Georgia are so good looking but it would be difficult without speaking the language IMO
cows in Mtivala National Park
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I have been five times now for archaeological work but also just for fun. Georgia is a lovely country
>>2872616
Different anon. I met women each trip, since online dating apps are great. Women can see you as someone to hook up with that won't have repercussions socially
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>>2872916
You asked for "any" reason not to go. russia chimping out is the main issue with Georgia.
The chances that you encounter any problems if you go as a tourist for a week in 2026 are quite low, especially considering how tied up russia currently is in Ukraine.
When you look at a longer timeline in Georgia however, especially considering putin's empirical ambitions, Georgia becomes less attractive. It could turn into a Belarus type situation where it's essentially a puppet state and then everything goes out the window (literally).
>pic related, my neighbor's driveway in Tbilisi 2024
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>>2872921
Fair enough, i just am trying to weed out any reasons not to go. Anytime I look up "Should I go to [Place]" The answer online is usually Yes. I have not met many people who went to Georgia but one of them she told me it was her favorite place she's visited
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>>2872923
Many people love it. It's an interesting place, but it has issues (besides the russian threat). I work remotely and am always looking for a second home. I stayed in the nicer area of Tbilisi in two "good" airbnbs and lost power at least once in both of them over the course of 3 months. Only for a few hours, but that's enough to bug me. I also hated the grocery stores. I found myself having to buy groceries at a convenience store, a fruit and vegetable store, and a meat store because supermarkets were almost non-existent and the ones that did exist were not consistent or reliable (at least when I did my shopping). I'm sure it was a good bargain in the 2010s, but that's not the case anymore. There was an influx of russians after 2022 (from my understanding) that drove up prices and now it's more expensive than many (or maybe most) parts of SE Asia. It's definitely not an expensive destination by any means, but it's also not a great deal, at least imo. Armenia might be better, but I've heard Yerevan is getting shittied up as well
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>>2855435
Hipsters/ppl in bars in Tbilisi will speak English. Don't count on it otherwise.
In Georgia they have minivans converted into buses. These go between large cities every hour or even more frequently. You might need something for car sickness if you ride on them.
I really recommend Kazbegi, Shatili and the Svaneti capital. Bring sausages to make friends with dogs.
Tbilisi is also good.
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>>2873070
By what measure are they shitholes? You must be the Parisfaggot who pans every other destination in the world as an obscure shithole.
>>2873171
Like China the Russians desire a sphere of influence extending beyond their land borders. But at least they don't expect their sphere of influence to extend over the entire planet like the USA does.
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>>2873332
>the Russians desire a sphere of influence extending beyond their land borders
They had their chance and it failed catastrophically. Even post-USSR, their attempts have been nothing short of a disaster, with China taking the lead now.
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