bharathh Posted March 4 Posted March 4 47 minutes ago, MechEng said: I visited mostly the eastern side - Sighnaki, Kazbegi and Tbilisi, was there for 5 days approx. How's the western region - Batumi and Kutaisi? Did I miss out something? If people were nicer, I would have considered exploring Georgia again followed by Armenia. However, now I feel that if I want good experiences at a modest budget, I am better off exploring less touristy areas of Thailand instead of going to Georgia again. Kutaisi was the best IMO. The Martivili Canyon was awesome and the highlight for me on the trip. Batumi was not worth it. Has Miami vibes but too expensive. They have casinos which are a rip off because they are so expensive. Not too many tables and the minimum betting was $25. The beach side is beautiful though (stone beaches - not sand). The promenade was nice - but not worth going to a different country for. Borjomi - which has a national park, was the worst place of the lot followed closely by Kazbegi. Borjomi was said to have a national park with trekking etc. on their website. However, they basically have a small park with an Appu ghar like place within. Wasted 2 days there (we drove from Tblisi to Batumi). You need permits to enter the national park for the treks.
MechEng Posted March 6 Posted March 6 On 3/4/2025 at 9:47 PM, bharathh said: Kutaisi was the best IMO. The Martivili Canyon was awesome and the highlight for me on the trip. Batumi was not worth it. Has Miami vibes but too expensive. They have casinos which are a rip off because they are so expensive. Not too many tables and the minimum betting was $25. The beach side is beautiful though (stone beaches - not sand). The promenade was nice - but not worth going to a different country for. Borjomi - which has a national park, was the worst place of the lot followed closely by Kazbegi. Borjomi was said to have a national park with trekking etc. on their website. However, they basically have a small park with an Appu ghar like place within. Wasted 2 days there (we drove from Tblisi to Batumi). You need permits to enter the national park for the treks. Majority of Georgia seems to be just cathedrals and mountains. Tbilisi was nice but did not match the hype it gets. Not sure what the craze about Georgia is, especially among Americans.
EnterTheVoid Posted June 8 Posted June 8 (edited) I have never seen anything like this before. Picture size had to be compressed. Still, the kaleidoscope of colours is just incredible. Edited June 8 by EnterTheVoid Mariyam and diga 2
diga Posted June 8 Posted June 8 21 minutes ago, EnterTheVoid said: I have never seen anything like this before. Picture size had to be compressed. Still, the kaleidoscope of colours is just incredible. Corals?
EnterTheVoid Posted June 8 Posted June 8 Yup. Great Barrier reef. Largest living thing on the planet. 2, 300 odd kilometres long and visible from space.
Lone Wolf Posted June 25 Posted June 25 Man I tried very hard to go this year via lipulekh route... Extremely limited numbers this year only 250 allowed. Maybe would try next year. Nathu la route involves far lesser trekking & more costly+ less adventurous like he is doing.
coffee_rules Posted June 25 Posted June 25 (edited) 4 hours ago, Lone Wolf said: Man I tried very hard to go this year via lipulekh route... Extremely limited numbers this year only 250 allowed. Maybe would try next year. Nathu la route involves far lesser trekking & more costly+ less adventurous like he is doing. SO is making the trip this weekend. It is a 15 day trip, flying to Kathmandu, on a bus to Tibet and to the last place near Kailash. Then a 7 day hike. Parikrama of Manasarovar via bus, but the parikrama of Kailash is the tough part, hiking in high altitude. They are made accustomed to such hikes with low oxy levels. I will go next year. Had to go separately as one of the has to hold the fort in case something untoward happens. Edited June 25 by coffee_rules
Lone Wolf Posted June 25 Posted June 25 (edited) 31 minutes ago, coffee_rules said: SO is making the trip this weekend. It is a 15 day trip, flying to Kathmandu, on a bus to Tibet and to the last place near Kailash. Then a 7 day hike. Parikrama of Manasarovar via bus, but the parikrama of Kailash is the tough part, hiking in high altitude. They are made accustomed to such hikes with low oxy levels. I will go next year. Had to go separately as one of the has to hold the fort in case something untoward happens. My cousin went before covid via Lipulekh... told there is serious trek up until Taklakot and then another one along the Lake Marg. The newer longer motorable route bypasses the lake if you want .. but no fun in that. Nathu ka route is newer one. Had no clue about Nepal route though. Will also check that one out next time.. Never understood draw of lots process.. will apply earlier perhaps next time. Edited June 25 by Lone Wolf
EnterTheVoid Posted June 26 Posted June 26 18 hours ago, coffee_rules said: SO is making the trip this weekend. It is a 15 day trip, flying to Kathmandu, on a bus to Tibet and to the last place near Kailash. Then a 7 day hike. Parikrama of Manasarovar via bus, but the parikrama of Kailash is the tough part, hiking in high altitude. They are made accustomed to such hikes with low oxy levels. I will go next year. Had to go separately as one of the has to hold the fort in case something untoward happens. Dolma Pass is the toughest part of the trek. coffee_rules 1
coffee_rules Posted June 28 Posted June 28 On 6/26/2025 at 3:53 AM, EnterTheVoid said: Dolma Pass is the toughest part of the trek. Have you gone through? How much tough
EnterTheVoid Posted June 29 Posted June 29 6 hours ago, coffee_rules said: Have you gone through? How much tough I personally haven't. It's a tough mountain pass at 15, 000 feet or 5K metres odd above sea level. Same sort of elevation as Everest Base Camp.
coffee_rules Posted July 8 Posted July 8 On 6/28/2025 at 9:54 PM, EnterTheVoid said: I personally haven't. It's a tough mountain pass at 15, 000 feet or 5K metres odd above sea level. Same sort of elevation as Everest Base Camp. Two days her group crossed the same bridge into China. Now they are stuck in Mt Kailas area considering to either take a helicopter or small plane back to Khatmandu . Both are dangerously high risk in mountainous region. Just trying to find out the best option. Hopefully the tour operators get help from Chinese govt authorities as 1000s of tourists are stuck in Tibet now.
EnterTheVoid Posted July 8 Posted July 8 12 minutes ago, coffee_rules said: Two days her group crossed the same bridge into China. Now they are stuck in Mt Kailas area considering to either take a helicopter or small plane back to Khatmandu . Both are dangerously high risk in mountainous region. Just trying to find out the best option. Hopefully the tour operators get help from Chinese govt authorities as 1000s of tourists are stuck in Tibet now. Where exactly are they? Have they reached Lake Manasarovar?
coffee_rules Posted July 8 Posted July 8 12 minutes ago, EnterTheVoid said: Where exactly are they? Have they reached Lake Manasarovar? Yes, after Manasarovar , they are in a placed called Darchen from where they are planning to trek around Kailas (Darpauk, Dolma Pass etc) in t the next two days. https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/monsoon-floods-sweep-18-people-main-bridge-linking-123558045 It is a royal mess. he destruction of the bridge has halted all trade from China to Nepal through this route. The longer alternative is for goods to be shipped from China to India and then brought overland to Nepal. Monsoon rains that begin in June and end in September often cause severe flooding in Nepal, disrupting infrastructure and endangering lives. EnterTheVoid 1
EnterTheVoid Posted July 8 Posted July 8 13 minutes ago, coffee_rules said: Yes, after Manasarovar , they are in a placed called Darchen from where they are planning to trek around Kailas (Darpauk, Dolma Pass etc) in t the next two days. https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/monsoon-floods-sweep-18-people-main-bridge-linking-123558045 It is a royal mess. he destruction of the bridge has halted all trade from China to Nepal through this route. The longer alternative is for goods to be shipped from China to India and then brought overland to Nepal. Monsoon rains that begin in June and end in September often cause severe flooding in Nepal, disrupting infrastructure and endangering lives. After Darchen comes the Parikrama - Charan Sparsh Yatra and Dolma Pass. I'd advise them to manage their hydration to deal with the altitude sickness. The toughest parts of the trek are coming up. The ride back to Kathmandu, I am sure the tour company will sort out the logistics. coffee_rules 1
coffee_rules Posted July 8 Posted July 8 4 hours ago, EnterTheVoid said: After Darchen comes the Parikrama - Charan Sparsh Yatra and Dolma Pass. I'd advise them to manage their hydration to deal with the altitude sickness. The toughest parts of the trek are coming up. The ride back to Kathmandu, I am sure the tour company will sort out the logistics. Frankly, completing the Parikrama is the least thing in their minds. Jaan hain to Bhagwaan hain. EnterTheVoid 1
EnterTheVoid Posted July 9 Posted July 9 9 hours ago, coffee_rules said: Frankly, completing the Parikrama is the least thing in their minds. Jaan hain to Bhagwaan hain. True. Seeing Kailash in person and taking a dip in Manosarovar, that's more than 90% of the population will ever get a chance to do. Altitude sickness is a definite worry, need to get down quickly. Hanging around at those altitudes when you are not properly acclimatised will lead to a cascade of problems. coffee_rules 1
coffee_rules Posted July 9 Posted July 9 6 hours ago, EnterTheVoid said: True. Seeing Kailash in person and taking a dip in Manosarovar, that's more than 90% of the population will ever get a chance to do. Altitude sickness is a definite worry, need to get down quickly. Hanging around at those altitudes when you are not properly acclimatised will lead to a cascade of problems. View from Darpauk . Kailas’s is on a he right corner diga and EnterTheVoid 2
Recommended Posts