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Post by bale-droed on Aug 24, 2016 21:56:49 GMT
Any tips,qurstions or comments about this trip please only put in this thread.
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Post by bale-droed on Aug 24, 2016 22:02:48 GMT
Documentary about Georgia and two areas with a seperate language that are seeking Independence www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ykJaN0Q9PI Thought this also would be of interest to at least some posters |
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Post by rhys92 on Sept 4, 2016 22:22:36 GMT
i just found a apartment in central tblisi for 8 pounds per day to stay there on air bnb it is ideal for loads of people as well because it has 12 beds in different rooms probably
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Post by manulike on Sept 5, 2016 12:24:39 GMT
i just found a apartment in central tblisi for 8 pounds per day to stay there on air bnb it is ideal for loads of people as well because it has 12 beds in different rooms probably I will happily stay at the Rhys Hostel ;-) Probably stay around town for a week or so. Plan on doing Moldova-Turkey-Georgia-Armenia over 5 weeks in Sep/Oct ;-) |
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Post by majorraglan on Sept 6, 2016 21:51:47 GMT
Anybody been to Georgia before? My mate and I quite fancy this game ( if truth be told I fancy going to them all but that's not going to happen!) but there's a complication, our wives and kids who all attend our games want in on the trip as well. The question is is Georgia a safe place to take the families to watch the game?
Any assistance gratefully received.
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Post by manulike on Sept 6, 2016 23:08:10 GMT
Although it has been almost 20 years since I was last in Georgia, I'd say that it is wonderfully safe.
In comparison to the two major airports that you are more than likely going to stop-over (Kiev or Istanbul) I'd say Tbilisi is far safer.
Personally, I'd suggest doing it as a week or a ten day holiday.
Although the daytime temperature in early October can still be around 20c - it is not quite sunbathing temperature at the Black Sea - but being a North Wallian, I assume it will be grand for you ;-)
In terms of warmth of hospitality and friendliness - Georgia is second to none. They will constantly invite you in to their humble homes and insist on throwing full-on feasts in your honour. If you mention any interest in Uncle Stalin, they will also show you their spectacular personal shrine that every Georgian home seems to have!
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Post by manulike on Sept 10, 2016 17:41:47 GMT
There are not many ways of passenger ferry travel any more, but if you are going to Chisinau and/or Georgia, there is still a twice weekly ferry going across the Black Sea. I am not entirely sure if the Odessa to Istanbul ferry allows passenger only. The ferry from Odessa to Poti and Batumi in Georgia - takes 48 hours and costs 100 euros in a 4-berth cabin. The fee includes 3 meals a day. Odessa and Batumi are both gorgeous - well worth getting there in late September and making a holiday of it, by flying UK to Kiev return and then tagging this journey on. A UIA flight back from Tbilisi to Kiev is only 60 euro. There are cheaper ways of getting from Chisinau to Georgia ... but I am pretty sure this will be my way ;-) www.ukrferry.com/eng/schedules/ilyichevsk-poti-batumi |
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Post by rhys92 on Sept 20, 2016 11:43:10 GMT
there are loads of apps on google play to install for free like city guides and transport maps and everything and some of them work offline as well for all the cities we will be visiting in the world cup qualifiers
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Post by manulike on Sept 20, 2016 22:44:57 GMT
there are loads of apps on google play to install for free like city guides and transport maps and everything and some of them work offline as well for all the cities we will be visiting in the world cup qualifiers Sometimes I wish I didn't stick to my Blackberry ... but old habits die hard. I guess its Lonely Planet books for me ;-) |
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Post by ontheroadagain on Sept 20, 2016 22:57:58 GMT
there are loads of apps on google play to install for free like city guides and transport maps and everything and some of them work offline as well for all the cities we will be visiting in the world cup qualifiers Sometimes I wish I didn't stick to my Blackberry ... but old habits die hard. I guess its Lonely Planet books for me ;-) You must have a shelf full of these by now. Same here. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2016 14:50:24 GMT
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Post by manulike on Sept 22, 2016 17:20:14 GMT
If you are planning to spend some time in the area - I highly recommend a visit to Armenia. Yerevan feels very Parisian with its leafy parks and cafes. There is a daily night-train No 371 departing Tbilisi at 22:15 and arrives Yerevan at 07:25am. An open air dormitory (3-tier) bed costs £4 A bed in a coupe carriage (4-beded) is £6.50 And a bed in a SV Luxe 2-single bed carriage is ... £13 Be sure to be awake around 6am, as sunrise over Mt Ararat is stunning! www.tacentral.com/getting_in_train.asp?story_no=2 |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2016 21:10:33 GMT
If you are planning to spend some time in the area - I highly recommend a visit to Armenia. Yerevan feels very Parisian with its leafy parks and cafes. There is a daily night-train No 371 departing Tbilisi at 22:15 and arrives Yerevan at 07:25am. An open air dormitory (3-tier) bed costs £4 A bed in a coupe carriage (4-beded) is £6.50 And a bed in a SV Luxe 2-single bed carriage is ... £13 Be sure to be awake around 6am, as sunrise over Mt Ararat is stunning! www.tacentral.com/getting_in_train.asp?story_no=2 Interesting prices- would you say it was possible to backpack round that part of the world on a budget? My friends have all done the Thailand/Malaysia thing but it has never appealed to me, the former Soviet states is more my areaccount of interest and so I am now wondering if I can travel around that area for about 3 weeks around the time of the Moldova and Georgia games...but I wouldn't have much money to throw at it so do you reckon it could be done on a tight budget? |
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Post by manulike on Sept 22, 2016 21:28:37 GMT
Absolutely. This is backpacking heaven and there is so much more history here than in Asia!
I am doing a full five weeks of it this time around.
Chisinau, Bucharest and Sofia - about ten days in total.
Fly to Kutusia in Georgia.
Then spend a good ten days in each of Georgia and Armenia.
Compares favorably to the prices we found in Ukraine.
I'd say reckon on an average of £5-6 for backpackers dorm bed, or £10 for double room in cheap guesthouse.
About £4-5 a day for two gorgeous restaurant meals.
About 30p for a 640ml bottle of larger.
About £3 for bottle of gorgeous wine in a cafe (or £1 from kiosk)...
£20 a day is good living. £12 to £15 a day if you are really keeping it cheap.
CHEAP FLIGHTS:
Wizz from Sofia to Kutusia, above is £20
UIA does TBILISI-Kiev-AMSTERDAM for ONLY £75 for return leg
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2016 21:36:36 GMT
Absolutely. This is backpacking heaven and there is so much more history here than in Asia! I am doing a full five weeks of it this time around. Chisinau, Bucharest and Sofia - about ten days in total. Fly to Kutusia in Georgia. Then spend a good ten days in each of Georgia and Armenia. Compares favorably to the prices we found in Ukraine. I'd say reckon on an average of £6 for backpackers dorm bed, or £10 for double room in cheap guesthouse. About £6 a day for two gorgeous restaurant meals. About 30p for a 640ml bottle of larger. About £3 for bottle of gorgeous wine in a cafe (or £1 from kiosk)... £20 a day is good living. £12 to £15 a day if you are really keeping it cheap. £20 a day?! Strewth! I've been labouring under the mis-apprehension that that part of the world had a reasonable economy to the extent that it would cost thousands to do a few weeks of travelling. Looks like I could have a decent time of it off the back of £1000. Cheers for the info, might hit you up in the coming months for help planning the best route  |
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Post by manulike on Sept 22, 2016 21:43:30 GMT
With pleasure.
I have been to 84 countries and must admit that Georgia and Armenia are in my top five!
Be sure to brush up on your Russian language skills - for Moldova, Armenia and Georgia.
Anyone over the age of 30 should speak it fluently. Most others will speak it much better than their English, anyway...
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2016 22:21:58 GMT
With pleasure. I have been to 84 countries and must admit that Georgia and Armenia are in my top five! Be sure to brush up on your Russian language skills - for Moldova, Armenia and Georgia. Anyone over the age of 30 should speak it fluently. Most others will speak it much better than their English, anyway... I started learning Russian using the pimsleur series as my company a year ago started offering sabbaticals or the option to work remotely in strange time zones to offer out of UK office hour support to our clients so I was toying with the idea of moving to Russia for 6 months in 2018 covering the time of the world cup. So I know some bits and pieces already but damn is it hard to get to grips with! Have you managed to get a decent grasp of Russian? If so how did you learn? Glad to hear that Georgia ranks so highly with you- 84 countries shows you should know a thing or two about a decent trip! |
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Post by manulike on Sept 22, 2016 22:59:39 GMT
Unfortunately, my Russian has been described like that of a 3 year-old ...
I probably have a basic vocabulary of 600-700 words which I try to string together in a meaningful way.
Fortunately, the people of the former USSR, and especially the Caucasus are wonderfully friendly, welcoming and patient...
In total, I must have spent about 7 months of backpacking in the area in the 90s and another 2 months in Siberia and Mongolia in 2007. Traveling alone in 3rd class (pals-cartniy) open dormitory carriage trains is my way of improving my language skills. 90% of the time you are also guaranteed to be hosted in your destination as well :=)
BTW, Russia itself, and especially the major cities, can be horribly expensive - especially if you dont read and speak basic Russian.
Still, in 2007 I managed to do it on about £15 a day. If you don't speak it, I'd say Russia can cost an average of £25-£40 a day
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2016 13:34:13 GMT
Unfortunately, my Russian has been described like that of a 3 year-old ... I probably have a basic vocabulary of 600-700 words which I try to string together in a meaningful way. Fortunately, the people of the former USSR, and especially the Caucasus are wonderfully friendly, welcoming and patient... In total, I must have spent about 7 months of backpacking in the area in the 90s and another 2 months in Siberia and Mongolia in 2007. Traveling alone in 3rd class (pals-cartniy) open dormitory carriage trains is my way of improving my language skills. 90% of the time you are also guaranteed to be hosted in your destination as well :=) BTW, Russia itself, and especially the major cities, can be horribly expensive - especially if you dont read and speak basic Russian. Still, in 2007 I managed to do it on about £15 a day. If you don't speak it, I'd say Russia can cost an average of £25-£40 a day Cheers for the info, I would probably avoid Russia and stick to Moldova Romania Ukraine and then down towards Georgia and Armenia next year. I went to Moscow for the 2003 play off and really liked it there, apart from a run-in with the Police where I had to bribe my out of custody! Still wouldn't put me off going back though although I am really hoping to have the perfect excuse to go back if we qualify in 2018. For my money Russian women are also the hottest of any territory I have been to so if I needed any extra excuse..... I notice you say that the people in the Caucasus region are very welcoming - did you find the same sort of welcome/openness in the Russian cities and Siberia? |
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Post by manulike on Sept 23, 2016 21:53:21 GMT
Unfortunately, my Russian has been described like that of a 3 year-old ... I probably have a basic vocabulary of 600-700 words which I try to string together in a meaningful way. Fortunately, the people of the former USSR, and especially the Caucasus are wonderfully friendly, welcoming and patient... In total, I must have spent about 7 months of backpacking in the area in the 90s and another 2 months in Siberia and Mongolia in 2007. Traveling alone in 3rd class (pals-cartniy) open dormitory carriage trains is my way of improving my language skills. 90% of the time you are also guaranteed to be hosted in your destination as well :=) BTW, Russia itself, and especially the major cities, can be horribly expensive - especially if you dont read and speak basic Russian. Still, in 2007 I managed to do it on about £15 a day. If you don't speak it, I'd say Russia can cost an average of £25-£40 a day Cheers for the info, I would probably avoid Russia and stick to Moldova Romania Ukraine and then down towards Georgia and Armenia next year. I went to Moscow for the 2003 play off and really liked it there, apart from a run-in with the Police where I had to bribe my out of custody! Still wouldn't put me off going back though although I am really hoping to have the perfect excuse to go back if we qualify in 2018. For my money Russian women are also the hottest of any territory I have been to so if I needed any extra excuse..... I notice you say that the people in the Caucasus region are very welcoming - did you find the same sort of welcome/openness in the Russian cities and Siberia? From about 4 months through russia, I'd say they are a very different breed to the Southern Caucasus. They are very cold and stand-offish at first and they may even appear miserable ... But every single Russian that I have met in trains/buses and hitch-hiking ... or even just in restaurants / cafes ... "cracked" after a few minutes of talk and instantly became warm and welcoming. The word Ian Rush and Mark Hughes seem to always help ... I assume its now HRK ;-) |
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Post by georgeberrysheadband on Sept 24, 2016 6:03:15 GMT
Manulike - You are our very own Simon Calder. Always interested in your posts, very informative. Keep up the good work
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Post by manulike on Sept 30, 2016 0:16:12 GMT
A bit early, I know, but she is on my mind, and this is a totally gorgeous live version ;-)
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Post by bringbackelmo on Sept 30, 2016 10:41:14 GMT
Anybody been to Georgia before? My mate and I quite fancy this game ( if truth be told I fancy going to them all but that's not going to happen!) but there's a complication, our wives and kids who all attend our games want in on the trip as well. The question is is Georgia a safe place to take the families to watch the game? Any assistance gratefully received. Went to Georgia a couple of years ago - perfectly safe at the moment. If you're staying in Tbilisi you'll be fine, its a wonderful city. Highly recommend it. |
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Post by oscardelta on Oct 4, 2016 6:46:41 GMT
Another option for flying if do not fancy Kiev or Istanbul is going via Warsaw.
LOT have a direct flight leaving late at night and returns early morning.
Unfortunately LOT still operates on the basis of a return ticket so a return is not much dearer than a single rather than being able to book each leg separately.
Wizzair also fly from Katowice to Kutaisi so a Luton - Katowice - Kutaisi is possible but its a Late Wed 11pm flight and early Sunday return.
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Post by popularside on Oct 4, 2016 11:49:55 GMT
The only danger in Tbilisi is from their drivers. They drive like lunatics. Otherwise it is fine.
If you do all 5 Welsh away trips the most dangerous city you will visit is Dublin. I say that as an Irish fan living in Dublin. Dublin is as safe as Cardiff.
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Post by manulike on Oct 5, 2016 8:17:33 GMT
Wizz Air are doing a 20% DISCOUNT across all flights, everywhere, for anyone today only - 5 October... This also include reduction on their £12 standard fee for cabin bag (RyanAir size). Not very convenient date being in Vienna and all...
Bristol to Sofia and then Sofia Kutaisi is excellent value, especially if you want this only one-way.
Furthermore, the flight dept/arrivals are fantastic times, compared to KLM/UIA or Baltic Air etc.
Well worth you having a look,
Remember that it's just 30 euro to get club membership with priority boarding and standard 20% discount. Not sure if that is accumulative today...
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Post by eppingblue on Oct 18, 2016 15:44:05 GMT
Just booked the flights for 4 of us for this. Out from Gatwick at 11.55 on the 4th via Istanbul arriving 22.45. Returning at 17.25 on the 7th again via Istanbul arriving Heathrow at 22.30. Turkish airlines slightly over £ 300.
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Post by manulike on Oct 18, 2016 19:55:49 GMT
If you can go out on the Monday and return on the Saturday (our final ROI game is on Monday 9 Oct) then KLM has DIRECT FLIGHTS using Georgian airlines from Cardiff (or London Heathrow) to Tbilisi for only £221 return and arrival times are a great 5pm.
Sadly, departure times both sides are a very early 6am - but the total trip duration including the Amsterdam stop-over is only 8 hours going out and 7 hours coming back - which is much better than most other options!
You will need to wait another two weeks until the October dates go live on KLM!
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Post by mx47 on Oct 27, 2016 5:59:32 GMT
Just booked the flights for 4 of us for this. Out from Gatwick at 11.55 on the 4th via Istanbul arriving 22.45. Returning at 17.25 on the 7th again via Istanbul arriving Heathrow at 22.30. Turkish airlines slightly over £ 300. I'm booked on those flights, traveling alone, see you at the gate |
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Post by oscardelta on Oct 27, 2016 11:09:06 GMT
Anybody been to Georgia before? My mate and I quite fancy this game ( if truth be told I fancy going to them all but that's not going to happen!) but there's a complication, our wives and kids who all attend our games want in on the trip as well. The question is is Georgia a safe place to take the families to watch the game? Any assistance gratefully received. Went to Georgia a couple of years ago - perfectly safe at the moment. If you're staying in Tbilisi you'll be fine, its a wonderful city. Highly recommend it. On flight into Moldova sat next to a Moldovan who has worked in Russia /Ukraine and Europe for a very large Pharma company. When I said going to Georgia in 2017 he indicated that should be a good trip, a safe trip. He said they had a US born President and English was widely promoted as a second language. Of course President was corrupt did a runner and is now a hated Govenor in Ukraine, assisted in getting job by "friends in US and Ukraine" as has no Ukrainian heritage and also prevents him from being extradited. |
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