{"id":664,"date":"2019-01-23T07:16:21","date_gmt":"2019-01-23T07:16:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/v5.tbilisicore.online\/?p=664"},"modified":"2019-01-23T07:19:35","modified_gmt":"2019-01-23T07:19:35","slug":"10-things-i-wish-i-knew-before-traveling-to-the-republic-of-georgia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/tbilisicore.online\/?p=664","title":{"rendered":"10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Traveling to the Republic of Georgia"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Benjamin Kemper www.thedailybeast.com<\/h4>\n

Make the most of your trip to one of the world\u2019s up-and-coming destinations with these tips from a seasoned Georgiaphile.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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No matter how many times I visit the Republic of Georgia, there are some things I\u2019ll never get used to\u2014woolly traffic jams<\/a>, milky\u00a0tripe stew<\/a>, and hair-of-the-dog\u00a0chacha<\/a>\u00a0shots, to name a few. Every country has its quirks, and when planning a trip to Georgia, knowing what to expect is the first step in ensuring a relaxed, wrinkle-free vacation. Whether you find yourself sunbathing on the Black Sea coast or trekking some uncharted corner of the Caucasus, be sure to keep these pointers\u2014gleaned from six trips of learning the hard way\u2014in your back pocket.<\/p>\n

Georgian food isn\u2019t just khachapuri<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite what Instagram may lead you to believe, adjaruli khachapuri\u2014the canoe-shaped cheese bread crowned with a sunny egg and a knob of butter\u2014isn\u2019t the crown jewel of Georgian cuisine but rather fast food, Caucasian style. More memorable are dishes like Tushetian khinkali, fist-sized dumplings bursting with juicy, caraway-scented lamb; satsivi, braised turkey cloaked in a rich, garlicky walnut sauce; and ajapsandali, a spicy vegetable medley enlivened by handfuls of cilantro, parsley, and dill.<\/p>\n

To sate your brain as well as your stomach, sign up for an all-day food tour with\u00a0Culinary Backstreets Tbilisi<\/a>. While noshing on homemade pickles in a locals-only recess of the Dezerter Bazaar or sipping from unlabeled bottles in a subterranean wine bar, your guide, Paul Rimple, will demystify Georgia\u2019s enigmatic cuisine\u2014and give you a brief history lesson while he\u2019s at it.<\/p>\n

In Tbilisi, excellent hotels abound<\/strong><\/p>\n

A decade ago, most sophisticated travelers turned their nose up at Tbilisi for its lack of fine hotels; these days, there are almost too many to choose from. Alternative types and solo travelers will fit right in at\u00a0Fabrika<\/a>, a graffitied art hostel housed in a Soviet-era sewing factory.\u00a0Rooms Tbilisi<\/a>, with its Brooklyn-cool aesthetic, is the go-to among the international yuppy set, while\u00a0Stamba<\/a>\u2014the city\u2019s most luxurious hotel, opened to much fanfare earlier this year\u2014is turning heads with its glass-bottomed rooftop swimming pool, freestanding brass bathtubs, and in-room McIntosh sound systems.<\/p>\n

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Not all wines are amber<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chances are, if you spot a Georgian wine on a menu outside Georgia, it\u2019s going to be of the\u00a0trendy<\/a>\u00a0amber variety. But in Georgia, these grippy, distinctive wines\u2014fermented in kvevri (underground clay vats) according to a millennia-old tradition\u2014account for less than five percent of production and don\u2019t appear on most standard wine lists. Seek out rare ambers at\u00a0Vino Underground<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0g.Vino<\/a>, wine bars in Tbilisi that buy directly from independent growers.<\/p>\n

Go when it\u2019s warm<\/strong><\/p>\n

If hitting the slopes is your jam, then by all means, visit Georgia in the winter\u2014lift tickets cost a fraction of what they do in the Alps, and the scenery is just as stunning. But otherwise, plan your vacation between June and September, when roads to far-flung villages like Ushguli, one of the highest continually inhabited settlements in Europe, and Omalo, in the heart of Tusheti National Park, are guaranteed to be open. Summer is also the best time to post up in a seaside resort like Batumi or Gonio.<\/p>\n

It pays to hire a guide<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unless you\u2019re an intrepid driver accustomed to white-knuckle switchbacks, save the money you\u2019d spend on a rental and invest in a guide instead. Companies like\u00a0Inter Georgia Travel<\/a>\u00a0charge around $120 (per day, flat rate) for a chauffeur who also doubles as a translator and tour guide\u2014priceless services in small towns where hardly anybody speaks English.<\/p>\n

Tbilisi might be the next Berlin<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever fantasized about clubbing in Berlin in its rakish, gritty heyday, listen close: Tbilisi might be the closest you\u2019re going to get. From dusk till dawn, up-and-coming DJs blast everything from techno to house to disco in nightclubs like\u00a0Mtkvarze<\/a>, which boasts a coveted Void Acoustics sound system, and\u00a0Bassiani<\/a>\u00a0(the \u201cBerghain of Tbilisi,\u201d according to clubbers), an anything-goes techno temple that occupies an abandoned swimming pool.<\/p>\n

Marshrutki are the cheapest way to get from A to B<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re on a budget, marshrutki, or minibuses, are your best bet for intercity transportation. You\u2019ll pay a paltry $1 (2.50 GEL) per 50 kilometers, but prepare for a bumpy ride: Marshrutki are invariably old, beat-up vans with threadbare seats and creaky transmissions. Avoid getting swindled by negotiating the price with the driver up front, and be prepared to stand on shorter routes.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell<\/strong><\/p>\n

Discrimination against LGBT people may be illegal in Georgia, but homosexuality is still frowned upon in most circles because of the Georgian Orthodox Church\u2019s hardline anti-gay stance. Far-right homophobic groups, backed by the Church, regularly intimidate and silence LGBT activists; this year, they succeeded in\u00a0canceling a gay rights rally<\/a>. For these reasons, it\u2019s unwise, and potentially dangerous, for same-sex couples to show affection in public. Thankfully a handful of nightlife venues in Tbilisi\u2014such as Success, Divan, and Cafe Gallery\u2014are gay-friendly.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s cheap\u2014like, Southeast Asia cheap<\/strong><\/p>\n

Food, accommodations, beer\u2014you name it: Everything is probably cheaper in Georgia than wherever you call home. A light, simple meal clocks in around $4, and a night in a basic hotel will run you about $25 (breakfast included). Be ready to haggle in the bazaars and markets, though: vendors usually have separate, inflated prices for tourists.<\/p>\n

Source: https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/10-things-i-wish-i-knew-before-traveling-to-the-republic-of-georgia?ref=scroll<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Benjamin Kemper www.thedailybeast.com Make the most of your trip to one of the world\u2019s up-and-coming destinations with these tips from a seasoned Georgiaphile.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":669,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/tbilisicore.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/tbilisicore.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/tbilisicore.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tbilisicore.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tbilisicore.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=664"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/tbilisicore.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":670,"href":"http:\/\/tbilisicore.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664\/revisions\/670"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tbilisicore.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/669"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/tbilisicore.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tbilisicore.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tbilisicore.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}