Up in the mountains, 10 miles or so from the Russian border is one of the most beautiful mountains, and most famous mountain churches in Georgia. The next few entries chronicle in pictures the trip we made up there last Saturday. Click on any of the pictures for a larger view to see more detail. If you want a little more explanation about the history of what you are seeing, check out these Wikipedia entries.
The Mountain Itself
The Famous Novelist
The Cool Town Below the Mountain
The Church up on Top
Sunday, September 27, 2009
The Road to Kazbegi (2) Some Beautiful Scenery on the Way
Spectacular views down from above
Hills in the distance
Mineral flows along the roadside
Amazing mountains peeking through the clouds
Could you ever get used to living here?
Churches on the hill in the distance
Another kind of temple on the hill
The Road to Kazbegi (4) Time for a Quick Lunch
We found a little Cafe for a snack
Here they serve Turkish coffee in Mickey Mouse cups
But they stock other beverages, too
Or, fresh meat if you are hungry
The Road to Kazbegi (5) Shopping Along the Way
Stuff in the general store
Yummy fruit things
In case you forgot your colorful socks
Where are the shopping tourists?
The Road to Kazbegi (6) The Cool Town at the Base of the Mountain
The road into town
Drive up snack stops
Waiting for the bus
The hotel in town
Cold to go out there in the winter
Just a little house on a side street
The market
The Road to Kazbegi (7) We Hired a Niva to Ride to the Top
A clean and sturdy little car
A quick stop at the gas station first
Then he drove us up to the church
Spectacular views up here
Friday, September 25, 2009
Not My Car Any More (Part #2)
How complicated could it be to register the car? Foolish question! We started out by asking the school to help us get it done. After all, they carry the registrations for most of the teachers' vehicles. The business manager seemed willing, and assigned a staff member to accompany me to Rustavi, where the motor vehicle offices are located. Rustavi is a 30 minute drive south from Tbilisi, and the facility there is nice and modern, and in the middle of nowhere. And that is exactly where we got... nowhere.
The facility at Rustavi
In the middle of nowhere
We had gone with a single page document from the school, all in Georgian, but I assumed it said something about my car being put into the schools' name for purposes of the registration and license. We arrived in Rustavi and drove into one of the inspection bays titled, "Inspection of Vehicles Not Cleared by Customs." Here there was a group of guys apparently just hanging around. One of them chatted with the school staff member and told him that the school letter was not enough. We needed some kind of notarized document. You would have thought that we would have been better prepared, but no. Strike one.
The inspection bays
Back to the school, and now begins the headaches. The school business manager, over the next several days, apparently called around to all the notaries she could locate, and none of them were willing to prepare the paperwork we wanted. What was up with that? It was as if we were being stonewalled, or something. Was I getting the real story, or was something else going on? Apparently, as a foreigner without a Georgian identity card, I was not going to be allowed to register the car at all. Eventually, the school gave up! Not that they said it in so many words. They just stopped trying. What to do?
At Rustavi again we go into the main registration building, and up to the counter. This office is extremely modern looking and spacious, with long curving counters, lots of computer terminals, and staffed exclusively by cute Georgian girls all dressed in gray polo shirts that say, "Police." He begins to question one of them and, at last, we make progress. We actually learn the exact name of the document we need. Essentially, I have to find a Georgian person that I trust enough to deed my car to, and then to register it in their name. My first choice is one of our relatives, but they are in Borjomi and I am running out of time on my temporary registration. Anyway, now that we have some direction, we are off again to town to find a notary.
The police girls at work
Back at Levan's notary we get some good advice. It turns out that they do not do the document we need. In fact, they say there is only one notary who is authorized to prepare these papers. So maybe the school wasn't lying to me at all. It is a bit strange that only one notary is capable, or maybe that is "connected." After all, this is not really such an unusual request. It is the same paperwork that would be done if a foreign husband, for example, wanted to register his car in his Georgian wife's name. This does happen. How do you get to be the one, the only one, to prepare this paperwork?
Off we go again, this time to the north of town to track down the one notary. With some directions, and a little help from the GPS, we find the office. Of course there are about 25 people in there already, gathered around the one's desk, and in the outer chambers talking to her staff. Levan isn't slowed up a bit. He walks by them all, right up to the one's desk, and starts talking to her. "Go get a notarized translation of his passport and the title document," she says. Aha! At least we now have a real direction, and off we go to find a translator. Do you get the idea that nothing is simple here? The closest translator is a short drive, and there we finish the day off by leaving copies of the required items. We'll be back, we promise.
Off we go again, this time to the north of town to track down the one notary. With some directions, and a little help from the GPS, we find the office. Of course there are about 25 people in there already, gathered around the one's desk, and in the outer chambers talking to her staff. Levan isn't slowed up a bit. He walks by them all, right up to the one's desk, and starts talking to her. "Go get a notarized translation of his passport and the title document," she says. Aha! At least we now have a real direction, and off we go to find a translator. Do you get the idea that nothing is simple here? The closest translator is a short drive, and there we finish the day off by leaving copies of the required items. We'll be back, we promise.
The One
Two days later Levan and I return with Mako, our daughter's sister-in-law. She has come in from Borjomi and is willing to be presented with a car in her name, even though she does not have a driver's license. This whole day is rather frustrating, but we do get the translations of my passport, and the car's title. We have them notarized, not by the one, but by an ordinary notary. Back we go to the one's office... but she is out for the day. Great.
Back again another day, Mako and I finally have our audience with the one. A notarized transfer of this ownership is completed in triplicate, one for me, one for Mako, and one for the police girls at Rustavi. Hooray!
Back to Rustavi, get the car inspected, pay the inspection fees and customs duties ($813) and... Oops, the network is down. Sit and wait.... wait.... wait... Yes, the network is back up. New license plates. And finally, the car is legal.
Mako with her new car!!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
The Story of the Car (Part #1)
I've been holding off writing the story of shipping our car to Georgia, but now that it is done, I'll review the process here for all of you who have been asking. Oh, boy!!
It started when we realized before we left the States that we would have to arrange some kind of personal transportation once we got to Georgia. Julie's work is just far enough outside of town that public transport options were not going to be satisfactory. The school she works for assists the teachers in buying and licensing their vehicles, so we could have gone that route. But, no... we decided, with a little advice from daughter and son-in-law, that shipping one of our cars from the States was the way to go.
We chose to ship our 2002 Mazda Protege. It is a very plain, no frills model, but was in pretty good shape, fully paid for, and unlikely to sell for very much if we were to try to unload it before we left. After looking around a bit on our own for shipping companies, we were steered by a friend of our (Georgian) son-in-law to a company in New Jersey that does this as their main occupation. They consolidate the car shipments, three to a container, and send them every week from NJ to Poti, the Georgian port on the Black Sea. Since the cars are in containers, you also are allowed to load personal property in the vehicle, so we figured that we could get a lot of our stuff to Georgia this way, instead of paying $200 per suitcase for excess baggage on the airline.
It was clear we were hooked up with the right company when we first called them to inquire and the guy that answered the phone didn't speak English (only Russian or Georgian). He did find an English speaking lady in the warehouse who came to the phone and was very helpful. We decided to give them a try.
It started when we realized before we left the States that we would have to arrange some kind of personal transportation once we got to Georgia. Julie's work is just far enough outside of town that public transport options were not going to be satisfactory. The school she works for assists the teachers in buying and licensing their vehicles, so we could have gone that route. But, no... we decided, with a little advice from daughter and son-in-law, that shipping one of our cars from the States was the way to go.
We chose to ship our 2002 Mazda Protege. It is a very plain, no frills model, but was in pretty good shape, fully paid for, and unlikely to sell for very much if we were to try to unload it before we left. After looking around a bit on our own for shipping companies, we were steered by a friend of our (Georgian) son-in-law to a company in New Jersey that does this as their main occupation. They consolidate the car shipments, three to a container, and send them every week from NJ to Poti, the Georgian port on the Black Sea. Since the cars are in containers, you also are allowed to load personal property in the vehicle, so we figured that we could get a lot of our stuff to Georgia this way, instead of paying $200 per suitcase for excess baggage on the airline.
It was clear we were hooked up with the right company when we first called them to inquire and the guy that answered the phone didn't speak English (only Russian or Georgian). He did find an English speaking lady in the warehouse who came to the phone and was very helpful. We decided to give them a try.
We filled the trunk, back seat, and front passenger space completely with the miscellaneous crap we couldn't bear to part with, or which we thought might be useful later on. At this point we were neither mindful of keeping a proper inventory of the items packed in the car, nor worried that we might have to pay all over again for our personal property when the Georgian customs officers got a look at what we were sending. Ok, we should have known better, but you will see that it all worked out in the end.
Our car full of stuff... ready to go!
Dropping the car in Avenel, New Jersey on July 11th, we paid $890 and began to track our car's progress on the web site. It sailed on July 16, arrived in Antwerp on July 29th and the container was unloaded there to be sent on to Istanbul on a different vessel. It was unloaded again in Turkey on August 11th, the same day we arrived in Tbilisi. It got to Poti on the 22nd, and was finally unloaded and the container opened on the 27th of August.
Follow the progress of your container.
A few days before the final opening of the container, I was contacted by the Tbilisi office of the shipping company and told when the car would be available. We had been advised in the States that we should be present when the container was opened, but this would have entailed finding a Georgian speaker to help us, transportation to Poti (260 km west of Tbilisi), and the associated costs for time, food, gas, etc. That seemed an overwhelming challenge at the time, so I chickened out and went with plan "B" which was presented to me by the director of the shipping company here. He had a friend who would go get the car and deliver it to me at my apartment for only 270 GEL, or about $160. Sounded like a good deal, and so... easy.
I paid a 75 GEL ($45) port fee and the 270 GEL requested for the delivery service, and crossed my fingers. It was then that I briefed the shipping company director and his friend about the used personal property that filled every available nook and cranny of the car. They looked a bit shocked, and somewhat unsure about what was going to happen at customs in the port. The car would be no problem they assured me, but worst case would be if they had to unpack, inventory, and pay duty on our stuff. I knew that the process would be nearly impossible, if only because once they unpacked everything it would be unlikely that they could get it back into the car again. I was worried, but had no choice except to wait for word from Poti.
The call came the next day. The car was released, but the customs clearance was not completed. Choice number one: engage an expediter who would prepare the inventory and clear our goods through customs, duty amount unknown. This was the proper procedure. Choice number two: a little bit hazy on the details, but something about a "back door" and "no receipt" if I would OK an amount of 520 GEL or $310, maybe, just maybe, something else could be done. What do you think I chose?
The next day the car arrived at my apartment, as promised, with the contents all untouched and complete. I quietly passed over the cash, and everyone went home happy. The car shipping cost was very reasonable, and the shipper performed fully to my satisfaction. In addition, for the supplemental payment equal to only one and one half excess baggage suitcases, we got a car full of goodies to stock our new apartment.
As it turned out, this was the easy part. The challenge began when we tried to get the car licensed and the import duties paid for the vehicle itself. The temporary landing permit and the transit plates needed to be converted to a proper registration. That story will make up part two of this narrative.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Get Sick a Lot!
Some things are really cheap here. Medical care is such a bargain that we should spend a lot of time sick. I'll try to explain without making you scream, "Too Much Information!"
Shortly after arriving, one of us experienced that traveler's complaint that kept us at home and near the bathroom. Fortunately there are pharmacies everywhere in Tbilisi. I think there are three within about 100 yards of our apartment. Many of them stay open 24 hours a day. At night they pull down a grate, or lock the door, but there is an opening or window through which you can discuss your medical situation with the pharmacist and buy your drugs while you are standing on the sidewalk. And the pharmacist can sell you pretty much whatever you need.
The challenge, for us, is that the medicines are often not familiar. The product packaging and literature is generally in Russian or German, but not always in English.
Fortunately/unfortunately Google knows everything. Fortunately - because you can find out what the ingredients are in whatever the pharmacist sold you, and how to take it. Unfortunately - because you find out more than you really wanted to know.
In the example I started above, the recommended antibiotic cost us $3.00 for a five-day course and it cleared up the symptoms very quickly. Google also taught us about which countries had banned this drug combination, or limited its use due to the "toxic side effects." Yes, I know, if you read the product insert literature for many drugs you get in the States, you would not want to take them either. But how about this recommendation: "Stay out of direct sunlight, especially between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., if possible. Wear protective clothing, including a hat and sunglasses."
Then, there was the second major health crisis. One of us suddenly developed a medical issue that was potentially scary. It turned out to be not as serious as we at first worried it might be. But, we knew that we did not want to stand on the street and discuss this issue in sign language through a window with a non-English speaker. But a referral from a friend here got us a phone number and a name of an actual doctor. So we called him. What followed is the reason for my thesis in the title of this posting. See if this could ever happen in the States.
We were able to call the doctor directly, on his personal cell phone, and get an appointment to see him in less than 24 hours. Google, again, taught us that he is a professor and head of his department at Tbilisi State Medical University. He is also the president of the Georgian Association for his medical specialty. In addition, he is a Fellow of the (British) Royal College of his discipline. It seems as if we were tracked right in with the top guy in the country in his field.
We met him in his office at a very large (80 in-patient beds, laboratories, and out-patient clinic) private hospital. The facility looked clean, modern, and not busy at all. The courtyard inside the fence on the street was full of people hanging around, but the guards at the door were keeping them out. All we had to do was speak the doctor's name, however, and we were whisked inside where a receptionist said "Follow!" and walked us down to the waiting room.
The doctor himself greeted us there... 12 minutes before our actual appointment time. Discussion, exam, recommendations and handwritten note from the doctor in English and Georgian so that we could get two medications at our local pharmacy followed. We just paid the reception clerk on our way out, and were back in the car within about 45 minutes. Oh, yes, the total cost of this service, paid in cash was 35 GEL (Georgian Lari), the equivalent of just under $21. The medications were another $10 or so.
It will probably cost more than the total above to have the hospital receipt for the consultation translated into English so that we can claim reimbursement from our health insurance. I don't think I'll bother.
Shortly after arriving, one of us experienced that traveler's complaint that kept us at home and near the bathroom. Fortunately there are pharmacies everywhere in Tbilisi. I think there are three within about 100 yards of our apartment. Many of them stay open 24 hours a day. At night they pull down a grate, or lock the door, but there is an opening or window through which you can discuss your medical situation with the pharmacist and buy your drugs while you are standing on the sidewalk. And the pharmacist can sell you pretty much whatever you need.
A couple of our neighborhood drugstores
The challenge, for us, is that the medicines are often not familiar. The product packaging and literature is generally in Russian or German, but not always in English.
Typically unhelpful packaging
Fortunately/unfortunately Google knows everything. Fortunately - because you can find out what the ingredients are in whatever the pharmacist sold you, and how to take it. Unfortunately - because you find out more than you really wanted to know.
In the example I started above, the recommended antibiotic cost us $3.00 for a five-day course and it cleared up the symptoms very quickly. Google also taught us about which countries had banned this drug combination, or limited its use due to the "toxic side effects." Yes, I know, if you read the product insert literature for many drugs you get in the States, you would not want to take them either. But how about this recommendation: "Stay out of direct sunlight, especially between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., if possible. Wear protective clothing, including a hat and sunglasses."
Then, there was the second major health crisis. One of us suddenly developed a medical issue that was potentially scary. It turned out to be not as serious as we at first worried it might be. But, we knew that we did not want to stand on the street and discuss this issue in sign language through a window with a non-English speaker. But a referral from a friend here got us a phone number and a name of an actual doctor. So we called him. What followed is the reason for my thesis in the title of this posting. See if this could ever happen in the States.
We were able to call the doctor directly, on his personal cell phone, and get an appointment to see him in less than 24 hours. Google, again, taught us that he is a professor and head of his department at Tbilisi State Medical University. He is also the president of the Georgian Association for his medical specialty. In addition, he is a Fellow of the (British) Royal College of his discipline. It seems as if we were tracked right in with the top guy in the country in his field.
We met him in his office at a very large (80 in-patient beds, laboratories, and out-patient clinic) private hospital. The facility looked clean, modern, and not busy at all. The courtyard inside the fence on the street was full of people hanging around, but the guards at the door were keeping them out. All we had to do was speak the doctor's name, however, and we were whisked inside where a receptionist said "Follow!" and walked us down to the waiting room.
The doctor himself greeted us there... 12 minutes before our actual appointment time. Discussion, exam, recommendations and handwritten note from the doctor in English and Georgian so that we could get two medications at our local pharmacy followed. We just paid the reception clerk on our way out, and were back in the car within about 45 minutes. Oh, yes, the total cost of this service, paid in cash was 35 GEL (Georgian Lari), the equivalent of just under $21. The medications were another $10 or so.
It will probably cost more than the total above to have the hospital receipt for the consultation translated into English so that we can claim reimbursement from our health insurance. I don't think I'll bother.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Here we are now in Tbilisi!
So, we made it! We're in a two bedroom apartment in a relatively desirable and convenient neighborhood of Tbilisi. The apartment is growing on us the longer we are here. That is, I no longer notice the random electrical wiring sticking out of the walls, and just expect that the water will be off from sometime after midnight until six in the morning, every night.
The wiring in the shower... out of range of the spray?
Oh, speaking of electrical wiring, does anybody know why the standard placement of electrical outlets and light switches seems to be just below waist height, instead of placing the switch up where your hand naturally falls, and the outlet down on the baseboard so you don't have wires draped down the walls?
But, overall, we are in a nice place. This building was designed with central heating, and we have new radiators on the wall of each room. It is too bad that something happened to that plan and that none of them are actually connected.
Notice the floor pipe that is not attached.
We do have a security guard in the building lobby. He is quite chatty at times. Unfortunately, he speaks to us in Russian. We are foreigners, after all, and obviously stupid ones because we never understand him. And, we have two elevators. I just have to remember if it is the one on the right, or the one on the left, that regularly gets stuck and won't open when it gets to the ground floor.
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