Georgia through the eyes of freelancers: how to live, work and travel in this country

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Elena and Alexey are freelancers and travel enthusiasts. For three months, from May to July, they lived in Tbilisi, working and enjoying every day in this sunny country. Elena will talk about the pros and cons of her Georgian trip in this article.

#Why Georgia

A month before leaving, they changed the country every week, sat in blogs, discussed and argued. However, the possibility of staying for Russians for 90 days without a visa, the presence of mountains and the sea, delicious cuisine, local vegetables, fruits and herbs, a relatively inexpensive flight and rave reviews about Georgia from our friends helped to make the final decision.

Three pleasant discoveries awaited us in Tbilisi, which we chose as our place of residence. In the first two days, we found our ideal workspace outside the home, realized the daily routine with an early rise and long walks, made friends with a lot of interesting people.

# Space to work

The key space for our work in the city is the Tbilisi media center union. The media library is a modern two-story information center where you can read, work, communicate, engage in any kind of intellectual activity in an informal atmosphere.

Having bought a six months media library subscription for 7.5 GEL (1 GEL - about 20 rubles), we got smart Wi-Fi, a bright and comfortable workplace overlooking the park, access to the library (magazines and books in English, German, Russian and Georgian). Pleasant bonuses - coolers with clean water, good air conditioning, silence, room design, the ability to change (chairs, ottomans, a hammock outside, round and square tables), take walking breaks in the park, drink coffee and read books on the terrace.

In May-July, there were enough free places. In the center, we met freelancers from Tbilisi, with whom we closely communicated (in Russian) until our departure.

Address: Tbilisi, Vake district, st. Chavchavadze, 76, tel.: +995 577 255 515. From 11:00 to 20:00 every day, except Monday.

#Climate

Georgia is a sunny country with a dry climate. The most comfortable period for work and life on this trip lasted from May to early July, until the thermometer exceeded +30 ° C. After that, I missed the morning and evening coolness, in which I did most of the work and went in for sports. On hot days, I often took a cold shower, wiped the floors, got up early, did cooling breaths, drank coffee, but if the blood pressure dropped, then all these actions did not save the situation. Unlike me, my husband, who also lived in Perm all his life and was used to humidity and cold, calmly endured the heat and could work and relax in July without stress.

Next time I would go to Georgia to work remotely from April to early July or from mid-September to mid-November. From July and especially in August (+40 ° C and above) Tbilisi residents themselves try to spend less time in the city, leaving for mountainous areas or the sea. The heat gradually subsides by mid-September.

#Sport and healthy lifestyle

In addition to getting up early, in Georgia we made long walks. The area with forest paths around Turtle Lake and Lisi Lake, as well as a beautiful botanical park with a waterfall and rare trees (entrance - 1 GEL) is ideal for running and walking in Tbilisi.

There are enough gyms and fitness clubs (both expensive and affordable) in Tbilisi, there are several swimming pools, a water park, but with yoga clubs everything is not easy. Yoga is not very popular here due to the authority and pressure of the church. Even five years ago, many were extremely negative about this practice. It was a surprise to me. Of the clubs, according to the atmosphere, level of teaching and attention to the student, I can recommend Yoga House (Georgy Berdzenishvili, chairman of the Yoga Federation in Georgia) and Cave Yoga (Olga Ramor). The average cost of one visit is 10-15 GEL per hour.

# Language and communication

Georgians are friendly and sociable people who appreciate, love guests and know how to really take care of them. If we received an invitation, then this automatically meant that we were expecting 100% attention and a delicious treat with full payment from the inviter. Perhaps, walking along the central streets in the first days, you will not feel such openness, but as soon as you make acquaintances, live longer or drive away from Tbilisi, you will inevitably encounter a warm and sincere attitude. Complete strangers rescued us by taking us to our home for free in a downpour or paying for the funicular.

We also did not expect to be able to speak Russian so often in Georgia. The older generation remembers the language, watches Russian channels, and has a positive attitude towards guests from Russia. Young people (our friends) knew English well, but they always tried to communicate with us also in Russian. Most of them knew the language thanks to their grandmothers.

In everyday life, we also did not experience much discomfort, since signs in the subway, signs on houses, tourist information, menus in the cafe are duplicated in English, and sometimes in Russian. Our interaction was facilitated also due to the fact that in the very first days we learned three magic words: "gamarjoba" - hello, "nahwamdis" - goodbye, "didi madloba" - thank you very much. In the Georgian language there is no such thing as stress, words are pronounced exactly (for simplicity, you can always put on the first syllable).

#Adaptation

In the first month, unlike my husband, who quickly joined the new environment, it was not easy for me. The first cause of discomfort is the road. Cars hum and beep a lot, it was difficult to cross the street even at traffic lights, many sidewalks are packed with cars, and there is no passage.

Another nuance is a lot of attention to non-locals, especially women. It is as if you are being undressed with your eyes, and all the time. Many things in the wardrobe, common for the summer period at home, had to be abandoned in Georgia.

And the last moment that annoys many visitors is the large number of beggars (Georgians and Gypsies). Gypsies are extremely intrusive and can simply hang on their feet.

# The cost of living

Average monthly budget - 42,100 rubles.

• Accommodation - 17,500 rubles. (in a good area, a cozy three-room apartment).
• Meals - 8,000 rubles. (we ate most of the meals outside the home).
• Personal expenses (training, online courses, etc.) - 8 600 rubles.
• Transport, travel, entertainment, restaurants (every weekend) - 8,000 rubles.

In general, for the entire trip for three months with accommodation, meals, travel around the country, round-trip flights, with all unplanned expenses and other things, we got 150,000 rubles.

We flew to Georgia on Aeroflot: Perm - Moscow - Yerevan. Yerevan - Tbilisi - by evening train. We were there at 8 o'clock in the morning. We returned home along the same route. It was the most convenient for us in terms of connections and price. Train tickets were bought in advance on websites and railways, after registering in advance.

# Rental of property

We did not experience any problems with finding an apartment, there were always options from which we chose. If the term is short, then in Tbilisi and other tourist places there are many options for inexpensive hostels.

As in the rest of the world, there is a policy in Georgia that rent an apartment for a month is more expensive than for three, six months or a year. Prices for visitors - no matter where they come from - are always higher. In Georgia, the optimal price and quality (without old furniture, renovated, with a new kitchen, Europeanized design) is not easy to find, but possible. Most of these offers are on Airbnb, which has become our main option for finding accommodation. There was experience of interaction with a realtor, but his proposals were focused either on long-term rent or on a daily one. We didn't know where we would be in a month.

Our Airbnb strategy was as follows. We decided on the place, went to the site, looked at the offer map and, not paying attention to the price, wrote to the owners our deadline and how much we could pay in cash to them right away. As a rule, two or three out of ten of us gave consent during the day.

- a one-room apartment 10 minutes from the metro, booked from Perm - cost $ 550 per month.

The second option - a three-room apartment in the embassy district of Vake, near the park - has already cost $ 500.

# Household nuances

• There is no centralized hot water - only boilers that heat up differently for everyone, and it is important to check this right away.
• Georgians drink tap water, but we bought bottled water.
• They can periodically turn off water and electricity, but, as a rule, not for long.
• Elevators in houses built in the 90s may be subject to a charge. Iron coin of 2 or 5 tetri.
• Indoor air conditioning is mandatory in July and August.
• The districts of Tbilisi: Vera, Vake, the historical center are more comfortable for living, especially the area near Mount Mtatsminda: cleaner air, cooler, opportunity for jogging along mountain paths.

Chavchavadze at 6 am

Mziuri park in the morning

Victory Park

Kazbek

In Kazbegi

Near the waterfall Gveleti mountains

# Nutrition

The specificity of Georgia is that everything is fresh and local, this applies both to vegetables and fruits, as well as to meat and dairy products. In winter, the fruit and vegetable paradise ends, the greenery becomes less, the cost increases. In this regard, the ideal time to visit is autumn. Vegetable stalls usually have a large selection of spices, sauces (tkemali, etc.), local sunflower oil, vinegar, and less often dried fruits. If you buy regularly in one place, then, as a rule, they give you a discount more often, they can forgive a small debt.

In Georgia, you can eat outside the home. Delicious and homemade food in a pleasant atmosphere in Assorti (a network of cafes with a pastry shop and Wi-Fi), without drinks and pastries, cost us from 10 GEL for two.

Food prices (1 GEL - 20 rubles):

• cheese - from 5 GEL to 12-13 GEL per kilogram;
• homemade cottage cheese - 5 GEL per kilogram;
• beef - 18 GEL per kilogram;
• shoti, traditional bread - from 70 tetra - 1 lari;
• khachapuri imeruli, in the form of a cake with cheese inside - from 1 to 3 lari;
• milk - from 3, 50 GEL per liter;
• hercules - 4 GEL;
• buckwheat - 3 GEL;
• rice - 3 GEL;
• pasta - from 2 GEL;
• tea (local) - 6 GEL;
• coffee beans, 100 g - from 2 (market) to 10 GEL (store).

In May, we ate strawberries for 6 GEL and then for 3, 90 GEL, young potatoes for 4 GEL, fresh cabbage for 2 GEL, Iranian cherry tomatoes for 6 GEL, eggplants for 3 GEL, greens (green and burgundy basil, tarragon, cilantro, parsley, dill) about 0, 80 tetri per bunch.

In July, blueberries - 8 GEL, raspberries - 6–8 GEL, black currants - 6 GEL, peaches - 6 GEL, in the second half of the month we ate melons and watermelons. A decrease in prices in July affected all vegetables.

These prices are given in Tbilisi, in other cities, and even more so outside the cities, prices will be even lower.

# Mobile communications and Internet

Communication is inexpensive. For two weeks, no more than 5 lari came out. We used Beeline, 3G. There were no problems. The connection to the mobile Internet came out at 7.5 GEL. But all our friends in Tbilisi were advised by the local Magti. Cellular offices in Tbilisi are not at every step, so this issue should be taken care of right away, take your passport with you.

# Urban transport

Buses in Tbilisi run on schedule. At the bus stops there are time boards, Georgian and English versions. To find out the bus number, route and the nearest arrival at our stop, we used Google Maps. We bought a card for travel in buses and metro for 2 GEL in the metro, replenished it at the electronic ticket offices near the bus stops. If you do not lose the receipt, you can then return this card and get your 2 GEL back. A trip to the metro and by bus with a card costs 0.5 GEL. When entering the bus, you must bring the card to the machine, which will write off the amount; you can also use a bank card for payment. On buses, tickets are constantly checked, but they do it very delicately and explain if you are confused or do not understand something. A bus ticket is valid for 1.5 hours.

If we had to go somewhere far or urgently around the city, then we used the services of a cheap gas taxi, tel.: 0322477070.

We talked with the dispatchers in Russian. Outside the city, we preferred to use the trains and cars of friends, since I refused to take minibuses. I was very scared.

# Advantages and disadvantages

Georgia is comfortable in the visa issue, does not require a long flight, with low prices for local products, tasty and familiar food, with many options for outdoor activities and recovery after mental work, it is safe, you can communicate in Russian.

Ideally, in my opinion, Georgia is suitable for traveling with a backpack, hitchhiking, for leisurely enjoying life.

Of the minuses, I would point out rather expensive direct flights from Moscow, a small selection of beautiful and modern cities for comfortable remote work and life (Tbilisi, Batumi), expensive rental housing, the situation on the roads.

At the same time, we want to return to Georgia again and, like many, are fascinated by its beauty, hospitality and color.