Batumi: interesting place, it is located in Ajara region of Georgia and it is next to the black sea, it is right next to Turkey, I mean like 20min drive to Turkey. Very nice beaches, pretty warm water, but real rocky. Went on end of September, off season!!. Repeat don't go on off season, go in the summer, you will reap the benefits of Ukrainian and RUssian tourists at from what I hear, but it is a lot more expensive in the summer.
They are a national park called mtirala for hiking and various gardens near by. The natural scenery is quite nice.
I also went to Sarpi next to the Turkish border for hill-climbing, but there is nothing really there do, unless u want to game girls crossing the border.
Language: You should know Georgian or Russian, or else most people are hard to communicate with. Batumi is special that there are way more young people speaking RUssian and English than pretty much anywhere else, due influx of Slavic and other tourists. Their English are usually mediocre or none, however, you can find some people who can speak English.
Getting in: No visa for Americans and EU citizens, probably also for Aussie and Kiwi passports.
Income: You can live really well if you make like 1000usd/month in any second tier city or even Tbilisi, but Batumi during tourist season you might need like 1600-2000usd/month.
Currency: they use lari, 100 tetri=one lari, bring USD or Euro or GBP, other currencies you might get ripped off. 1usd=1.65lari, 1euro=2.12lari, 1GBP=2.6lari are around the typical exchange rate in banks or exchange places.
Even 300usd/month you can get by and travel sometimes.
My Russian is conversational and my Georgian can get me by.
Georgian is very hard to learn and the script is pain in the ass to learn. Words are very long and every words has foreign sounds or consonant clusters making it hard to pronounce. Verbs are super complicated and irregular,more difficult than any European languages you will ever learn. It is not really related to any other languages.
Basic words you should know in Georgian/Russian:
1.gamarjoba/priviet-hello, ts'q'ali/voda-water( http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...qali.ogg),
2.madlobt/спасибо(like spasiba)-thank you,
k'argad-bye/good or Russian пока( more like paka) and good- spelt like khorosho, but pronounced like kharasho,
lamazi/krasivaya-pretty,
me var/ ya -I am,
ragkvia/kak tebia зовут(more like zavut though spelt zovut)-what is your name?,
sad t'ualet'ia/ gdie tualet?-where is the toilet?,
Rogora khar/kak dela-how are you?,
lap'arak'ob inglisuridad/ty govorish' po angliskij?-do you speak english?
ludi/pivo-beer,
midikhar chemi sakhlshi/poid'em k mnie- come to my house/place
http://learn101.org/georgian_vocabulary.php
Cost: very cheap by western standards, but I am making Georgian money, so it is expensive. A kebab cost 4lari/3usd/2EU. A beer costs 5lari/3usd/2.5Eu in a decent club, or 2.5lar/1.5usd in a convenience store. Wine can vary largely in the club, a glass is around 10 lari. A decent restaurant will cost 10-20lari at least. I went to a bakery in old-town, got one Georgian hamburger for 1lari/.6usd, super cheap.
food: It is not bad. A lot of bread, potatoes, vegetable, some meat. Know khach'ap'uri-(georgian cheese bread), khink'ali(juicy meat dumplings), that is what they ask you when u ask them about food or Georgian culture. Mtsvadi(barbecue), khinkali, and khachapuri ajaruli, and that Badrijani Nigvzit(eggplant with walnut sauce) are things are you should try.
Streets: I went there it was kind of empty lack girls. There was one hot 25yr old blond Mediterranean looking girl(she was single, which is a possible sign she is either psycho or westernized since she is not married at her age)in the info desk, got her number after asking directions and sightseeing for a while. Called her next day, she gave a bullshit excuse her friends in hospital.
accommodation: Went to a hostel called Globus, it cost 25lar for tourists, it is in the center. A lot of English teaching volunteer including me there . There is a guest house called 24, 15 lari/day get your own room with two beds, but it is really far way from the center by walk(like 1hr).
I hear housing price can be high as 600-900usd/month and 80-100lari/50-70usd a day in the summer.
Georgian people are very hospitable,sometimes people in the village, isolated places or smaller towns will invite you to dinner if start talking to them in Georgian.
Transportation: 1lari to Sarpi, most walked in the city. it is probably .6-.8lari or 60-80 tetri for the marshutka, 40-50tetri for the bus I believe.
Taxi I did not take, I suspect it is like Tbilisi price, 3-4km is like 4-6lari.
Alcohol: there is Georgian wine/ghvino, ch'acha'-georgian Vodka, ludi/beer.
They are usually pretty cheap by western standards, a shot of chacha is like two normal shots and cost around 3-5lari(Tbilisi price).
It is cheap to get drunk here.
GIrls: Georgian girls are great looking before marriage, after marriage it can vary. In the village, majority of girls are fat and some have beards. City girls are usually better looking and take better care of themselves.
Girls are mostly brunettes, some blondes. Majority have brown and hazel eyes, some with green and blue eyes. They look Mediterranean mixed with Turkish and Slavic.
You get much better qualities in the city than in the village. I saw lots of nice talents while passing through Gori(birthplace of Stalin). Tbilisi, was okay, did not venture very far out old-town. They supposed to very conservative, most people will they will are not get lose their virginity until marriage or you have to marry them if you take it, but the cities is less conservative. Most girls are married before 23, in the village girls get married early as 14-15. She probably a slut/undesirable if she is not married by 25. Older Georgian women seems to be very good housewives.
BEWARE of brothers or male friends will question or cockblock if you approach a girl. I hear even male strangers will stop u if approach a girl.
Possible pickup line: maybe start off with gamarjoba and rogora khar, followed by asking directions..... lap'arak'ob inglisuridad-do you speak english?
Most people will be surpised if you can speak Georgian.
I believe you are better received if you are European looking than Asian or black looking, cuz they are often think you are from China if you are Asian or from Africa you are black. They are often surprised if you tell you are from the US or Australia.
However they seem friendly if you ask about directions or Georgia in Georgian, at least average looking girls. Some hotter girls just seem to ignore me or don't how to respond when I say hello.
Men: They are expected to sexually experience, from I hear they hit on Russian and foreign girls whole a lot with either direct game or helping and inviting them to their house.
BEach: Lame no-one there, except couples and old turkish guys, occasionally some 25yr girls.
CLubs: most closed or closing early in off-season.
Sublime: suppose to be a good club, but it is off season. The flashing rave lights drove me nuts. Very few girls, most older women and professional looking men. Waited too long to approach of a group of 25-30yr girls, they said no. Started to talking to inconspicuous guys next by, they told me they were bodyguards, I guess they needed BG to protect themselves from horny Georgian guys.
Discorium: came in around 3am, debated if I want to pay 10lari to get in considering someone told me girls entering the club had a whore vibe. Hah, he was right. Lot of Ukrainian and Russian whores, supposedly this club is notoriously for prostitution. BTW, almost no one speaks English. , I kept questioning her, she told she wanted 300 dollars, so I moved on. First with a girl from Tbilisi, she was very forward and I did not know how to talk to her, she wanted something and she asked me what I wanted, I felt she was a whore. Talked to Moscow girl, she was maybe a 6, 26yr, real powdered-up, she told me straight in the face she was a prostituteThere was some hot girls, but they were taken and or I felt they were too far way and uncomfortable to approach. The quality varied from 5-8, saw one hot girl paying the security before leaving the bar with some guys, from there on I felt every girl probably was a whore in the club. Went up talked to 5.5 girl, she asked for a beer, eventually I went to get a beer, I was pushy and said some shit to another girl with another guy blocking my way, I got kicked out. I guess saying a girl is пришел на хуй, сучка(fuck off, little bitch), followed by suchara/real bitch and angry posture was a bad idea.
THere is also one club in the Sheraton, didn't go though.
Overall, the trip was not bad. Come like may-june, beginning of september, otherwise it is too hot or nobody is there.
They are a national park called mtirala for hiking and various gardens near by. The natural scenery is quite nice.
I also went to Sarpi next to the Turkish border for hill-climbing, but there is nothing really there do, unless u want to game girls crossing the border.
Language: You should know Georgian or Russian, or else most people are hard to communicate with. Batumi is special that there are way more young people speaking RUssian and English than pretty much anywhere else, due influx of Slavic and other tourists. Their English are usually mediocre or none, however, you can find some people who can speak English.
Getting in: No visa for Americans and EU citizens, probably also for Aussie and Kiwi passports.
Income: You can live really well if you make like 1000usd/month in any second tier city or even Tbilisi, but Batumi during tourist season you might need like 1600-2000usd/month.
Currency: they use lari, 100 tetri=one lari, bring USD or Euro or GBP, other currencies you might get ripped off. 1usd=1.65lari, 1euro=2.12lari, 1GBP=2.6lari are around the typical exchange rate in banks or exchange places.
Even 300usd/month you can get by and travel sometimes.
My Russian is conversational and my Georgian can get me by.
Georgian is very hard to learn and the script is pain in the ass to learn. Words are very long and every words has foreign sounds or consonant clusters making it hard to pronounce. Verbs are super complicated and irregular,more difficult than any European languages you will ever learn. It is not really related to any other languages.
Basic words you should know in Georgian/Russian:
1.gamarjoba/priviet-hello, ts'q'ali/voda-water( http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...qali.ogg),
2.madlobt/спасибо(like spasiba)-thank you,
k'argad-bye/good or Russian пока( more like paka) and good- spelt like khorosho, but pronounced like kharasho,
lamazi/krasivaya-pretty,
me var/ ya -I am,
ragkvia/kak tebia зовут(more like zavut though spelt zovut)-what is your name?,
sad t'ualet'ia/ gdie tualet?-where is the toilet?,
Rogora khar/kak dela-how are you?,
lap'arak'ob inglisuridad/ty govorish' po angliskij?-do you speak english?
ludi/pivo-beer,
midikhar chemi sakhlshi/poid'em k mnie- come to my house/place
http://learn101.org/georgian_vocabulary.php
Cost: very cheap by western standards, but I am making Georgian money, so it is expensive. A kebab cost 4lari/3usd/2EU. A beer costs 5lari/3usd/2.5Eu in a decent club, or 2.5lar/1.5usd in a convenience store. Wine can vary largely in the club, a glass is around 10 lari. A decent restaurant will cost 10-20lari at least. I went to a bakery in old-town, got one Georgian hamburger for 1lari/.6usd, super cheap.
food: It is not bad. A lot of bread, potatoes, vegetable, some meat. Know khach'ap'uri-(georgian cheese bread), khink'ali(juicy meat dumplings), that is what they ask you when u ask them about food or Georgian culture. Mtsvadi(barbecue), khinkali, and khachapuri ajaruli, and that Badrijani Nigvzit(eggplant with walnut sauce) are things are you should try.
Streets: I went there it was kind of empty lack girls. There was one hot 25yr old blond Mediterranean looking girl(she was single, which is a possible sign she is either psycho or westernized since she is not married at her age)in the info desk, got her number after asking directions and sightseeing for a while. Called her next day, she gave a bullshit excuse her friends in hospital.
accommodation: Went to a hostel called Globus, it cost 25lar for tourists, it is in the center. A lot of English teaching volunteer including me there . There is a guest house called 24, 15 lari/day get your own room with two beds, but it is really far way from the center by walk(like 1hr).
I hear housing price can be high as 600-900usd/month and 80-100lari/50-70usd a day in the summer.
Georgian people are very hospitable,sometimes people in the village, isolated places or smaller towns will invite you to dinner if start talking to them in Georgian.
Transportation: 1lari to Sarpi, most walked in the city. it is probably .6-.8lari or 60-80 tetri for the marshutka, 40-50tetri for the bus I believe.
Taxi I did not take, I suspect it is like Tbilisi price, 3-4km is like 4-6lari.
Alcohol: there is Georgian wine/ghvino, ch'acha'-georgian Vodka, ludi/beer.
They are usually pretty cheap by western standards, a shot of chacha is like two normal shots and cost around 3-5lari(Tbilisi price).
It is cheap to get drunk here.
GIrls: Georgian girls are great looking before marriage, after marriage it can vary. In the village, majority of girls are fat and some have beards. City girls are usually better looking and take better care of themselves.
Girls are mostly brunettes, some blondes. Majority have brown and hazel eyes, some with green and blue eyes. They look Mediterranean mixed with Turkish and Slavic.
You get much better qualities in the city than in the village. I saw lots of nice talents while passing through Gori(birthplace of Stalin). Tbilisi, was okay, did not venture very far out old-town. They supposed to very conservative, most people will they will are not get lose their virginity until marriage or you have to marry them if you take it, but the cities is less conservative. Most girls are married before 23, in the village girls get married early as 14-15. She probably a slut/undesirable if she is not married by 25. Older Georgian women seems to be very good housewives.
BEWARE of brothers or male friends will question or cockblock if you approach a girl. I hear even male strangers will stop u if approach a girl.
Possible pickup line: maybe start off with gamarjoba and rogora khar, followed by asking directions..... lap'arak'ob inglisuridad-do you speak english?
Most people will be surpised if you can speak Georgian.
I believe you are better received if you are European looking than Asian or black looking, cuz they are often think you are from China if you are Asian or from Africa you are black. They are often surprised if you tell you are from the US or Australia.
However they seem friendly if you ask about directions or Georgia in Georgian, at least average looking girls. Some hotter girls just seem to ignore me or don't how to respond when I say hello.
Men: They are expected to sexually experience, from I hear they hit on Russian and foreign girls whole a lot with either direct game or helping and inviting them to their house.
BEach: Lame no-one there, except couples and old turkish guys, occasionally some 25yr girls.
CLubs: most closed or closing early in off-season.
Sublime: suppose to be a good club, but it is off season. The flashing rave lights drove me nuts. Very few girls, most older women and professional looking men. Waited too long to approach of a group of 25-30yr girls, they said no. Started to talking to inconspicuous guys next by, they told me they were bodyguards, I guess they needed BG to protect themselves from horny Georgian guys.
Discorium: came in around 3am, debated if I want to pay 10lari to get in considering someone told me girls entering the club had a whore vibe. Hah, he was right. Lot of Ukrainian and Russian whores, supposedly this club is notoriously for prostitution. BTW, almost no one speaks English. , I kept questioning her, she told she wanted 300 dollars, so I moved on. First with a girl from Tbilisi, she was very forward and I did not know how to talk to her, she wanted something and she asked me what I wanted, I felt she was a whore. Talked to Moscow girl, she was maybe a 6, 26yr, real powdered-up, she told me straight in the face she was a prostituteThere was some hot girls, but they were taken and or I felt they were too far way and uncomfortable to approach. The quality varied from 5-8, saw one hot girl paying the security before leaving the bar with some guys, from there on I felt every girl probably was a whore in the club. Went up talked to 5.5 girl, she asked for a beer, eventually I went to get a beer, I was pushy and said some shit to another girl with another guy blocking my way, I got kicked out. I guess saying a girl is пришел на хуй, сучка(fuck off, little bitch), followed by suchara/real bitch and angry posture was a bad idea.
THere is also one club in the Sheraton, didn't go though.
Overall, the trip was not bad. Come like may-june, beginning of september, otherwise it is too hot or nobody is there.