Hotel City Tbilisi

... outside and indeed yes; the van was sitting in a 6 inch stream of water. For fear of being swept away Dave jumped into the front and heated Molly up. On the first attempt the van travelled about 20 feet up the steep, stony slope before losing grip and sliding back down towards the river. Next two attempts, same thing. On the fourth attempt Dave decided to keep it in first gear and give it hell. We thundered up to the top of the slope. <br><br><br>

I visited Gori today. Every picture on the news has shown destroyed buildings and streets pockmarked by bombs. In reality, if I hadn't heard about the war in the news and on the streets, I wouldn't have known anything had happened there. People were out and about, bazaars were open, things seemed normal from an outsider's perspective. The only sign anything had happened was the new villages being rebuilt south of Gori that had originally ...

... panorama of flat plateau below and Lesser Caucasus somewhere in the mist on the horizon. There is a pole-lined path leading under the caves, but one has to climb to see the actual caves. And it's really worth it - the caves are carved into dwellings and some of them include really superb frescoes, still having rather vivid colors. The whole place is just for me and the Slovak guy who leaves later anyway. Indiana Jones feeling guaranteed. On the way back I explore the Lavra, a ...

... ran just north of the city. We are accompanied by a brown dog with an exposure complex, who is encouraged by the Poms suffering dog deprivation. The cave area is extensive, with a decorated theatre cave with imitation wood log ceilings. There is a 10th century church on top of the hill, with an interesting structure, and strong iron-clad doors. Lots of noisy teenagers on a Sunday outing. From the top of the complex, can see ...

... T-shirt again. For real, it was hard to believe - since I have never seen anything I left behind anywhere around the globe. Actually, nothing was so important to me. As a matter of fact - you never take things with sentimental value for you outside you house, surely not away from your country. "We must be back at Irina's at 11:00." I told Michal when we arrived to the market, around 9:30. I was looking for coins and nice old artefacts from the Soviet period, as a ...

... back to Michal in our room, and we prepared ourselves to go out. We arrived a little earlier to Beit Habad, but the Rabbi came on time to take me with him to the synagogue. After a short prayer, we went to his house to dine Shabbat dinner. The dinner was nice and delicious, and let us feel like we are, for a few hours, at home. We sang some Shabbat songs and talked about common issues and about Israel, (most of the guests were Israelies) and we stayed there until late in the evening.

... horns they drink wine out of ... Tblisi is a charming town, if not a little ramshackle with a weird mix of ottoman and russian influence. I will get some pics uploaded tomorrow. next stop Gori-- home of the joe stalin hometown museum. I think he was homecoming king... Kevin -ps-- my 2008 travel resolution is no duty free stores and only packing carry on luggage.

... Teletorni juurde sõitsime taksoga, mis oli ca 15 min mäest üles. Auto seisis mingi ime abil koos. Maksime selle eest 5lari (35EEK), mis tundus häbiväärselt väike summa, samas kummitas meid kohaliku eestlase manitsus, et me liiga palju ei maksaks, muidu rikume turu ära :) Mäe otsas oli lõbustuspark, kus paar tiba moodsamat atraktsiooni leidus. Vaade linnale oli vägev! Õhtul sai nauditud taas kohalikku tsatsat.

... cleaner to wash up) · Your intellect and work method .... · Those black and white photos recently mounted (in their trendy frames!) · Your independent mind · Your JOB · Your deep love for Africa and your humorous written captions of your escapades · Your brain Your beautiful, eloquent and captivating way with words Once again, thank you all for the beautiful picture you paint of me. I LOVE BEING ME!!!

... I innocently told a couple of seemingly curious locals that I was from US and that I will finish using the computer at 11:45pm. One of them even asked to borrow my cellphone - that should have been a red flag! The staff must have heard their plot to mug me at 11:45pm (the locals believe that all Americans are super rich), and decided to protect me, and at the same time not alienating their customers. It was a close call. From now on, I am going to tell strangers that I'm from Malaysia.