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AdventureLagodekhi

On top of the World – Black Rock Lake (I)

July 24, 2017 — by Mama fish — 2

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On top of the World – Black Rock Lake, Lagodekhi National Park

Adversity is the one defining word I am able to describe my experience on this 3-day trek.  The trail is hard, steep, and at times offering an extraordinary feeling of being on top of the world.

Location – The short version.

Lagodekhi National Park is located on the southern slopes of the Caucasus mountains, boarding Azerbaijan and Dagestan, at the north-eastern edge of the Kakheti region.  The park offers a huge area of nearly 25,000 hectares of protected sub-tropical forest filled with indigenous flowers, fauna, and a handful of wild animals.  There are 4 trails offered for those who are interested in exploring the park: Grouse Waterfall (9km), Ninoskhevi Waterfall (8km), 11th-century Machi Castle (3km from main road), and the Black Rock Lake Circuit (48km).

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Eating well – The “Local” Latte Snack bar

September 11, 2015 — by Mama fish — 0

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The “Local” Latte Snack bar

I love all these over priced chewy, nutty, fruit-filled snack bars, who doesn’t?  Especially when anything like this is not available, but should/could be.   This is where our adventure began to seek out the SOLO “nuts and dried fruit lady” in the Dezerter Bazaar (aka: fruit and veg market) in Tbilisi, Georgia.

After two metro trains and over 300 kiosk-like stalls selling everything from the moon and back… there she was, the one-stop-shop raw nut and dried fruit lady selling all the basic natural ingredients I would need to make these sweet snack bars from heaven.  I have to admit; I was surprised by the variety she offered.  I even had the opportunity to try dried fruits that I had never tried before.  Like, raspberries or 4 different varieties of plums for example.  Most of the ingredients where locally grown and dried locally, however some were imported from Iran (dates), Kazakhstan (peanuts), and neighboring Turkey (apricots).  Twenty minutes later, I was all stocked up with several half kilos of different nuts and fruits.  Prices ranged from 4 GEL (peanuts, plums, sunflower seeds) to 35 GEL (cashews, almonds, raspberries).

ArmeniaFamilyGeorgiaTbilisiTravel Tips

Tbilisi Yerevan Train

March 19, 2015 — by Big Fish — 0

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Georgia to Armenia by Train

After being in Georgia for more than a month, we decided to visit Armenia for two weeks.

We arrived in Yerevan by the famous Tbilisi Yerevan train . Here is the process cross borders between Georgia and Armenia.

Train Tickets

We bought the tickets 2 days in advance. The day we were in the Central Train Station, we had the opportunity to take the train the next day, but we had to pay first class. First class offers 2 sharing a cabin and second class 4 sharing a cabin. Since we were 4, we decided to wait two more days. The girl at the ticket office spoke English sufficiently to inform us with the necessary information we needed. You can pay with cash or by credit card . You will need to present your passports to verify the train tickets are yours with correct names and ages stated on each of the tickets. You can also book your tickets online, up to 15 days in advance. However, the website is not very friendly or easy to navigate. We were traveling in high season (July) and were told it would not be easy to get tickets within the same week we wanted to travel. Though the train was very full, if you are flexible by one day or two, you should have no problem getting a cabin on the train.

GeorgiaNational Parks

Lagodekhi National Park – Georgia

March 19, 2015 — by Big Fish — 4

Discover Lagodekhi Nature reserve

Lagodekhi Nature reserve, also called Lagodekhi National Park, is located in the famous district of Kaheti, Georgia.

This Nature reserve is located on the southern slopes of the Caucasus and bordered with Azerbaijan and Dagestan (Rusia). If you are carrying a cellphone from Azrbaijan, you can even receive signal while you are hiking here.

Lagodekhi Nature reserve was the first nature protected area in Georgia. This occured while Georgia was still under the Russian Empire.

In this Nature Reserve, you can find waterfalls, glacial lakes, and sulphur springs. As well as the best representation of caucaus mountains and green forest Georgia has to offer.

GeorgiaTbilisi

Arriving in Tbilisi (P I)

March 7, 2015 — by Big Fish — 1

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Start planning your family holiday in Tbilisi - Georgia

Welcome to the city where old georgian history meets a film-like scene.   The city is lined with beautiful streets, charming cafes and something beyond words which will truly capture your heart.   The Georgian tourist board got it right when the dubbed their city with this tagling: ” Tbsilisi Loves You”.

By Car:

By any of the roads which connect with Georgia (country) to Turkey/ Armenia/ and Azerbaijan. Keep in mind, Turkey does not have direct road connections with Armenia. And Armenia does not have road connections with Azerbaijan. Road conditions are good and expect to find vendors of fruit on the sides of the road for purchase.

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