Should I Have Taken More Pictures?

I went to go see the Avett Brothers at Hayden Homes Amphitheater in Bend, Oregon last night. It has been a couple of years since I have seen a show, and it was great to see live music again. I was a little spoiled growing up in Denver. I had the opportunity to see many shows up at Red Rocks Amphitheater and it was back at a time when concert tickets were more affordable. Now, I have a hard time justifying spending that much money on a show, but I am glad that I did to see the Avett Brothers. They were a lot of fun; they are great musicians; and I love the way they harmonize.

But after the show, I realized that I had only taken one picture during the whole show, and that was because I got a text from my sister right before the show started, and I wanted to show her where I was at the time. At first, I thought it was a little uncharacteristic of me. Every time I go to a new place, I take tons of photos, and I have to scroll through them to share the best one with you. But this time I only took one.

It was not like I did not see other people taking people who were taking pictures during the show. Hayden Homes Amphitheater is a great location with a pretty setting, especially when the sun starts to set. There were people posing as a group with the stage in the background. There were people trying to take good pictures of the Avett Brothers during their set even though I think they might have been too far away to get a good picture. There was even one guy in front of me that recorded the Avett Brothers singing all of “I and Love and You”. But I took one picture.

It wasn’t until after the show, and I thought about the guy recording a whole song that I contemplated why I didn’t take so many pictures. If I had taken pictures, would it have changed the way I enjoyed to show. Would I have been so busy trying to get a great picture, or record the music just right, that I would not have enjoyed the concert during their performance? Am I better off just storing this moment as a memory instead of collecting the memory on my phone?

I think that me just enjoying the show was the better option. By not worrying about taking pictures, I was able to really immerse myself in the experience, and get the most out of the concert. Yes, that guy who recorded that whole song is probably at home right now watching it again and is proud that at any time he could bring up that memory, but I don’t think he was able to really feel the impact of the song in the moment because he was too busy making sure he recorded the song just right. I will always be able to go back to that song any time I hear it again, and I will relive the feeling of the moment when that happens. I think that feeling is more important than the recording, and it is probably the reason that I did not even consider taking more pictures at the show.

Phones are great and have the changed the way we live, but they might not always be the thing we should go to when living an experience. I am glad that I put my phone down and enjoyed the Avett Brothers, and I hope that the next time you find yourself in a similar experience, you do the same thing.

Why Georgia?

The first thing that Americans think of when you tell them that you are going to visit Georgia is Atlanta. I don’t blame them for thinking this way. Before I spent a lot of my time traveling around the world, it would be the first place that I would think about as well. But there is an older Georgia out there with a greater history, and is worth traveling more than the one that people automatically think of.

This part of the world has been inhabited since before prehistoric times. It has some of the oldest recorded culture of anywhere in the world, and the thing they are most famous for is their wine. They have been producing this drink for over 8,000 years, and they have not changed the process of how they do this either. Instead of letting the wine sit in oak barrels for a couple of years, Georgians make their wine in big clay vessels that they bury into the ground to let the grapes they have crushed to ferment there. It creates a completely unique wine that you cannot find anywhere else in the world.

But is not just the wine that should bring you to this small country on the Black Sea. They have also not shied away from the craft beer revolution that the world is experiencing right now. There are many tasty beers that can be found all over the country that compliment the amazing food that you can find there as well. There is no other food in the world that I have found that is like Georgian food. They have unique salads inspired from the Greek islands, rich meat dishes with amazing sauces that would rival anything created in France, a bread and cheese dish that is cooked with an egg that might be one of the most amazing things I’ve ever had, and khinkali, a type of meat dumpling that has a very specific way of eating it. If you don’t come out here for the wine or beer, the food is another great draw to this charming country.

There are also all of the puppies. Georgia is a dog-loving country. They take very good care of their dogs, and it does not matter where you roam in the country, you will find them hanging out, and enjoying the country as much as the tourists and citizens. The government does a great job of taking care of the dogs as well. They bring them in and tag them and then return them to their neighborhood so they can live a happy and content life with the people they share the neighborhood with.

It is hard to travel around the country, and not notice the Soviet influence when this place used to belong to the Soviet Union. There are some buildings that were designed for practical purposes and not for an aesthetic design. They are interesting to see, but are also easily avoidable as they reside in the more modern parts of the bigger cities. These cities still have enough of the old character and charm that you can avoid the modern parts altogether if you wish.

But it is the statues, and the strange monuments along the way that really highlight the Soviet occupation and how much of an influence that is on Georgia. There are leftover monuments to that era all over the place, and it is interesting to see how they were used to bring Georgia into harmony with the Soviet world view. Though these are still around the current feeling towards Russia and its move to take back those lands that it lost during the fall of their communistic ideals is completely different.

There is no love for Russia among the common people in Georgia. They are not happy with the way Putin has tried to annex Ukraine with the on-going war. They do not appreciate the way how Russia has planted people sympathetic to its goals into the Georgian government. They hate the way that Russia has control of over twenty percent of the country. They fear that they will be next after Putin has completed his campaign over Ukraine. It is interesting to see the anti-Russian graffiti all over Tbilisi, or the signs walking into establishments clearly explaining their viewpoints and your expected compliance to those viewpoints.

Despite this sentiment expressed often within the country, it does not end up being the focus of the people who live there all the time. Most of the Georgian I was lucky enough to meet and interact with were friendly, proud of their nation, and willing to tell me more about it. For the most part, the younger generation was fluent in English, and communication was never a serious problem with them. It was a little different story with the older generation who grew up under the rule of the Soviet Union, but this has to be expected. Even with this language barrier, we were still able to communicate well enough to understand one another.

Georgia is definitely ready to be a worldwide tourist destination. The people are friendly. The infrastructure is in place. The food and wine are amazing. Their is a deep and rich history that is fun to explore. Most of the tourists that I encountered either came from Eastern Europe, or India, so there are a lot of people that do not seem to know about this little jewel on the Black Sea. It was a fun place to explore and I want to come back and explore more of it.

It is a quirky place that is unique in its place on the tourist circuit, but at the same time, it is an easy choice. From certain places in the world, it is not an easy trip to get to, but it is worth the voyage to make it there. The beauty and charm of this small country is one of the best travel experiences I have ever had, and part of the reason for that might be because I have made it out here before the rest of the world finds out about it. But with more people going out there, and more posts like this, it will only be a short matter of time before it is discovered. I would recommend making the voyage out there before that changes because it could be your little treasured experience as well.

Until next time, keep on going out and seeking those adventures.

The Chronicles of Georgia

Sometimes when I am traveling, I spend so much time seeing what a town has to offer that I miss one of the bigger, more exciting features just outside of the city. Tbilisi has just one of these structures, the Chronicles of Georgia. Out on Keeni Hill just north of the city stands this massive structure of Stonehenge like pillars. It is hard to miss when you start traveling out that way, and it just begs to be visited.

The structure looks like it comes from a time before, but in reality, it is a relatively newer monument. Construction of the Chronicles started in 1985, and it was never completed, but enough of it was put up that it still is fascinating to come and look at. After climbing up the stairs to the structure, you are instantly immersed into the culture of Georgia as the pillars depict different aspects of it as well as some the country’s more famous participants.

A closer look reveals that there are actually two different stories being told. The base of each pillar has up to four different reliefs depicting important stories from the Bible; whereas, the upper portion of the pillars has stories from the history of Georgia. The Bible stories were pretty easy for me to figure out because I am familiar with them, but the Georgian stories came with no context, and there was no information up there that helped to bring their stories to life. I have searched all over the place to see if I could find something that would give me more insight into the kings and queens I was looking at, but I still can’t find anything.

Despite this shortcoming, it is still an impressive spot to visit, especially if you are moving on to other parts of the country, such as the wine region or the mountains. It is a quick stop that you could easily spend thirty minutes to an hour at, and feel like you have really enjoyed it. Though you might not know the stories, the detail of the carving is still fun to explore, and talk about. The views up there are also spectacular, and there is an old church that is worth the time to explore as well.

From a distance, it may look like it is off the beaten path, but in reality, it is only a little detour from a regularly scheduled tour. It is so fascinating that it should eventually become a part of that regularly scheduled tour, so you might want to make it a part of yours if you come to Georgia.

The Next Big Thing – Tbilisi, Georgia

When I was young, it was Reykjavik.

When I turned old enough to travel on my own, it became Prague.

I have heard talk of Ljubljana, but that still has not happened yet.

I am probably not the first to say this, but I think the next big hot spot might be Tbilisi, Georgia.

You might be asking yourself, what makes a hot spot for a travel destination? It is a combination of things, and I do believe that Tbilisi has brought all of these elements together, at the right time, to be that destination spot.

First, it needs to have an interesting history and culture that would make people want to go there. Tbilisi has this. It sits on the edge of the Caucasus Mountain range, and most recently has had close ties with Russia, and the Soviet Union. They have since broken off to forge their own identity by looking back into its history to a time when they ruled a large part of the region just off the Black Sea. They are taking all elements of this history to make an enticing place to visit in this historic city.

Next, the place needs to have a good infrastructure to make it easy to travel around in while also offering inviting places to go and visit. Tbilisi has built this infrastructure to a point where they are now ready to welcome guests. They have great roads, and if you download the Bolt app on your phone, getting around town is inexpensive and relatively fast. Avoid taking a taxi because they are not always honest, especially at the airport. There is also busses, and a subway system that supplements the app and is a great way to great way to get the bigger locations around town. Despite these conveniences, there are also numerous parks that make walking around town a delight as well. It surprised me how much green there was in the city, and finding a nice spot to sit and enjoy the day was easy to do when I found the perfect place in one of these parks.

Tbilisi also has its own distinct character and history which makes it a great place to visit. There are many historic churches that have their own distinct style and feel, and date back to much further than some of the more visited ones in Europe. There are also walking mall stretches that offer Georgian architecture with their beautiful patios that just invite people to sit on them. There is a old wall that is fun to find pieces of a clock that looks old and falling apart but is actually relatively new and houses a marionette theatre that is a must see if you make it out here.

There are also many examples of modern art as well. If you go across the Aragvi River to the newer part of town, there are many examples of graffiti and murals, some of which are not very good; whereas, others are really amazing. It is a place that still has some work to do, but it is being gentrified right now, and is also the place where all of the great restaurants are. And let’s talk about Georgian food. It is amazingly good, and might be one of the best kept secrets out there. It is very meat heavy, but they do have some of the best salads I have ever eaten, and they do enough creative stuff with vegetables to keep you interested for a long time. Their most famous dish is khinkali, a dumpling filled with a meatball and great sauce. There is a specific way that you eat them, but just ask a waitress and they will tell you how. The best part about their food and drink is that it is very affordable right now. This is the reason a lot of the previous mentioned places became the hot place for a bit. Younger tourists could afford all of the cool things that the place offered while also enjoying the nightlife that can be found because of these prices. It won’t always be this way as more people find out about Tbilisi, so now is the time to go.

Add in a couple of iconic landmarks and you have the perfect recipe for the next hot spot in Europe. I have been told about Georgia by a couple of my friends on numerous occasions, and we had tried to make it there a couple of times, but something always came up that delayed our trip. I am glad though that I made it out here before the word about it got out. I hope that you take the opportunity to check it out as well before it becomes overrun with tourists. I highly recommend putting it on your list as soon as you possibly can.

Gergeti Trinity Church – Kazbegi, Georgia

The scenery might distract you, and it is easy to do because everywhere you look in the small mountain town of Kazbegi, Georgia is stunning. It sits next to the Terek River in the Caucasus Mountains about seven kilometers from the border of Russia, and it is easily one of the biggest draws for tourists in this country. Many of them will splurge a little extra money to spend a night or two at the Rooms Hotel, a converged day spa that has a great view over the valley. From there, if you look closely to the left of the tallest peak, on a smaller mountain in front of it, there sits on top of the peak a monastery, the Gergeti Trinity Church.

During the summer months, this monastery is one of the biggest attractions in the region. It is filled with visitors all the time, and offers many amazing views just like the hotel across the valley. There are two ways to get there. The way that most people take is the road on the side of the mountain that takes people to a parking lot just a short walk to the monastery. It is the easier choice, but the road is not always maintained and after a good rainstorm, it can be covered in run off. It is also on a series of switchbacks that take you up the mountain, and some Georgian drivers take the corners rather fast, but if you take your time, and slowly navigate through the debris, it is not that hard to get to.

The other way is to hike up the hill. The trailhead for the path is on the opposite side of the mountain from the parking lot, on the side facing the town. The road up to the trailhead is also difficult. It is really rugged and covered with many potholes, but the traffic on it is a lot less, and people generally take it slower. When heading to the mountain, you will cross a bridge over a river, and you would take your first left after it that will wind its way through a small part of town, and deposit you at a small cafe. Signs indicate that parking here is 5 Lori, but there was no one there, and no place to put the payment, so we got away without playing. The parking lot is also kind of small, so I would recommend getting there early to find a place. The path follows a stream on the left-hand side and goes by the ruins of an old tower on the right-hand side. It has many offshoots, but all of them tend to lead to the same place, Gergeti Trinity Church.

The path offers more amazing views then just driving up, and it is the one that I would recommend taking. It is not a hike for everybody though. There are many difficult and rocky parts to the path, so good hiking shoes are required, and I would also bring hiking poles to help you through some of the more treacherous moments. It does not require ropes, and most skilled hikers should not have a difficult time with it, but just know that it is not always a stroll. There are two basic paths on it, and I would aim for the upper path as the lower path just follows the stream. It looks easy to begin with, but once you get to the end, the path veers sharply up. It took me only an hour to complete the trek, and this was after a day of heavy rain, so there was a little more runoff than usual.

Either way, this is a must see if you are in Kazbegi. There will be tourists up there no matter when you head up, but if you take the trail earlier in the morning, you can have it to yourself and feel like the Caucasus Mountains are all your own. There is also the added pleasure of seeing horses grazing in the pasture, and having some of the most amazing views that the world has to offer. The monastery is really cool as well, holding some great iconic paintings that have recently been done and some that are frescos from centuries past that are worth seeing.

The best part is that you get the rest of the day to enjoy the views. Each day in Kazbegi offers something new with nature as the clouds come and go in this isolated valley. It creates some very dramatic moments that are worth sitting on a deck and watch unfold.

Until next time, get out there and continue to explore the world.

Sighnaghi, Georgia


Many people who visit Georgia spend most of their time in Tbilisi. Though there is a lot to see in the biggest city in the country, the real heart of Georgia lies in its wine region. It is not very far from Tbilisi, and there are tour companies that will take people on day trips for wine tastings and checking out the many monasteries, it is not the best way to get the most out of the region.


Sighnaghi is one of the towns that the tour companies will go to, but why spend the day on a bus and rush in and out of places, when you could just stay there and enjoy what the area has to offer at a more leisurely pace. First of all, Sighnaghi is a cute little town with a bunch of wineries in it. Some of them are big operations; whereas, a couple of them are just a family that has been making their wine in clay pots for generations. You can easily have a great bottle of wine at some of the local establishments, and the owner will be so proud of their wine that they will give you a tour of their operation.


This happened to me. We had gone to Traveler’s Inn for dinner on our first night there. When we were looking for a glass of wine, we chose from the family wine list thinking that it would give us a half liter. The price indicated that it should not have been for much more. We ended up with a bottle instead, and our waiter was so excited that we went with the family option that he motioned for me to go in the back room so I could see how it was being made.


Another advantage to staying in the town as opposed to doing a day trip is that you can get an earlier start to touring the other wineries in the region. We were able to hire a driver for the day from the home stay that we were staying at. He did not speak English very well, but he knew many of the people at the places we stopped at. It helped to give us a more personal experience at each of the wineries that we visited. It also got us out earlier than the tour groups that were coming from Tbilisi. 


Winery Khareba is one of the more popular wineries in the region because its operation was built into the hillside in 1966 during the Soviet era. It is a long tunnel seven kilometers long, and the place is as much of a draw as the award winning wine is. When we were there, it was only us and another couple from South Africa. Our tour guide was very knowledgable and we got to know him a little bit because he did not have to keep track of a larger group. We were also the only ones in the long tunnel even though it could easily accommodate more people. When we were leaving, two large tour buses showed up from Tbilisi which packed the place, and changed the whole environment. If we were not able to sneak in there earlier than these crowds, it would have been a completely different experience.


It is not possible to escape the crowds that come to this region. We ran into them in Sighnaghi itself, and when we made it out to the monasteries. They were some of the biggest crowds I have seen since coming out to Georgia, but being able to avoid them during some of the sights made staying here worth the experience. Also, while they were getting on a bus to head back to Tbilisi, I was able to stay and enjoy the area while they were gone. It made for a better experience out here, and it is the way that I would recommend to come out here.

A Day Trip to Armenia

I had been in Tbilisi for two day before I took the option to get out of town to voyage to another country. Actually that is not fair. So far, I have really enjoyed Tbilisi and what it has to offer, and I will write another post about that later. We had just booked a tour from Tbilisi with Gamarjoba Georgia Tours that took us over the border into Armenia so we could enjoy the beautiful mountains that are found there and visit a couple of their oldest monasteries that are built on to the peaks there. It was a great way to spend a day, and it took me to some of the most dramatic sights I have ever seen in my life.

The tour we went on took us to basically two different, famous monasteries in the Lori region mountains just across the border from Georgia. They have a close relationship to each other as they were built around the same time from competing builders. The first one we went to was called the Haghpat Monastery. This one was built second and from a builder that was angry with the head builder at the other monastery. He decided that he could do better, so he quit and went to this spot to built his own complex. The original builder came down from his sight and saw what was being built and was impressed with it, and decided to call it based upon the huge walls that fortified the complex, by calling it ‘huge wall’ which translates into Haghpat in Armenian.

The story does not stop there though. The same builder pointed to the original complex and proudly pointed out that his was older than the other one which translates to Sanahin in Armenian. The names stuck, and ever since then, they have competed for being the monastery that people should go to worship the lord.

The silly rivalry produced to monasteries that are recognized by UNESCO today. Both are amazing sights to go see, and it is also nice to have someone drive you to each place in a nice comfy van where you can sit by and watch the hills roll by. This is the time to go as well. The monasteries are not on the typical tourist path right now, and they are not very crowded when you get there. At the start of the tourist season, we had these places almost to ourselves, sometimes with only the people that came with us on the small tour.

There were other places that we went on the tour that were just as interesting, but it was really the competing monasteries that was the highlight of the tour. It was a long day, and it took a little while to cross over the border, but it wasn’t too difficult, and the tour company, Gamarjoba made sure that we left early enough in the morning to avoid any crowds that might gather at the cross over point. it also included a home cooked lunch with garden fresh vegetables that could easily be one of the best meals I have had in this region.

Overall, Armenia is a hidden gem that will only take a matter of time before the world finds out about it. I am glad that I made it out here before the crowds did, and I hope that you can do the same because it is definitely worth the trip.

The Freedom Flight

The world needs to beware. Teachers everywhere are putting away their red pens and lesson plans, and are making their way to the far reaches of the globe. It is summer time, and there will be a need for these people to unwind. For all teachers, the release at the end of the year is a time where they can let out that breath they have been holding on to. The kids have been on edge because they know the end is near, and the older they get, the more stressful it becomes for them. But after that final bell rings, and everybody floods out of the building for the summer months, there is a collective sigh. It is over, and we can recharge our batteries, and find a way back to that sanity we all crave.

For international school teachers, there is another layer to this. Most of them live thousands of miles from their family and friends. They do build many relationships with the people that they work with, but it is those other relationships that they wish to return to. Their new found home, wherever that may be, becomes a burden at the end of the school year, and they wish to escape to different environments.

This is where the freedom flight comes in.

Many international teachers wait a couple of days before they board that flight to their adventure for the summer. It gives them a couple of days to unwind. But there is another group of teachers who will throw a bunch of clothes in a bag, and rush to the airport a couple of hours after they have clocked out for the last time. Even before the clock strikes midnight, they are on a flight to a different part of the world. This is known as the freedom flight. It is an escape from the daily grind to try to grab as much of summer as they can. It can induce a different kind of stress than what is presented during the school year. They feel like they are leaving something important behind, and they are not quite sure if they will make it to that plane in the first place. But the rewards are worth the effort.

I woke up in the afternoon on the day after my last day in school in a completely different country with a completely different ecosystem. I had left behind the hot, dusty streets of Amman, and was in the cooler, tree lined boulevards of Tbilisi. Responsibility had been placed on hold, and I could now focus on different important things in life such as enjoying a great meal, and having my first adult beverage of the summer season. It only took a night of flying and a distance of about 900 miles to have a change of perspective and attitude.

It is a great way to start the summer, and I am already feeling the stress of the school year wash away as I prepare for a couple of months of rest and relaxation. I hope you join me on my adventures as I travel around the world, and if not, I hope it is because you are out there enjoying your own freedom flight.

That One Stop on the Way Back to the Hotel

I know we are off the beaten path,
But we make sure the busses come here,
For we are the forgotten who do not hath
In the sacred place the world holds so dear.
Our hope is to tap into your pity,
So you might part with a single dinar
That will help with the growth of our city
From the weight of recent history’s scar.
You get to walk away with a trinket
That will remind you of your vacation,
And with payment there is food I will get
That will cure my family’s starvation.
Do not look at my excessive stomach;
My living is finding the one to take.

Responsibility on Hold

Life is busy on top of the mountain
As we take care of work and family.
I can not take in the sights I have seen
Because my duties do not make me free.
But I will travel down that windy road
That will remove me from my place up high,
Then I can discard this burdensome load
That me to this rocky top, it does tie.
I will make my way down below the sea
Where the sun peeks out underneath the clouds.
There I’ll find a different way to be
That releases me from the hectic crowds.
It’s a day of restful relaxation
When we take the Labor Day vacation.