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.

The Bedouin Lament

We have always known how to tame this land
Though few can handle its brutality.
We share its beauty with a gracious hand,
But understand of its fragility.
On our camels, We’ll guide you through its sand
To marvel at its protruding mountains,
And at night, what you witness is so grand,
The canvas of sky, the light of star stains.
There are those who would like to see us banned
For they have found value with where we live.
For our old lifestyle, we must take a stand,
And we can save what they want us to give.
History tells us that we will not win,
Marking the passing of the Bedouin.

The Ride Home at Night

As the sun tilts over the sandy dunes
Making its final exit for the night,
I listen to how the blowing wind croons
It lamentation of the fading light.
Two camels carry a family home,
Guided by their Bedouin caretaker.
The sunlight silhouettes the way they roam,
Giving the dying light to their maker.
It’s a simple picture of black and white
Only seen in the world on a corner,
And though we can connect with their respite,
We like to claim that they are foreigners.
Can we not find ourselves in this landscape,
Thinking it too Oriental to escape?

Petra, Round Two – The Jordan Loop

Petra is the reason that people come out to Jordan in the first place. It is easily the biggest draw of the country, and during the months of April and May, when the weather is not too warm, tourists can be seen packing the paths of the narrow canyon that leads to the great sights that can be seen along the way. Except lately, the tourists are not making their way to Jordan, and the places that used to be packed are now empty.

Though Jordan resides in the Middle East and is situated in a place surrounded by conflict, it is not greatly affected by these conflicts. In fact, it is getting a little bit of a bad rap at the moment because of its location. Many people do not wish to travel out to this location and see the impressive sights. This is bad for the tourism industry in Jordan, but it is a great time to come out here as a tourist. Locations like Petra are almost empty, and it makes you feel like you have the place to yourself.

Petra is not only a must-do location if you make your way out to if you are in Jordan, it is also a place that should be placed on everybody’s bucket list. There is not another place like Petra in the world. It is a city carved into the cliffs and wadis found in the mountains outside of Wadi Musa. The first time that I visited this sight, I took a guide book with me to help me discover the mysteries of the place. It was a fine way of doing it, but I did not feel like I got everything I could out of the experience. This is why the second time we went with a guide to tell us a little bit more about the place.

No matter what time you visit Jordan, with or without crowds, I highly recommend going with the guide option. Some of the locations that did not impress me much the first time around came to life when it was explained to me by someone who had more knowledge about it rather than your typical guide book. I could start to distinguish between a tomb, and home, and what purpose some of the rooms held in some of these buildings. It helped me gain an even greater appreciation for Petra than I had in the past.

Many might associate Petra with the Indiana Jones franchise, and it is part of the reason that many know about this location today, but there is a lot more to it than a movie set that was used for a few minutes in a movies from the 90s. It is a great location to visit, and with the crowds at an all time low, now is the time to take advantage of what this place has to offer. I have been twice, and enjoyed it both time, but I know there is a lot more to it than I have seen. I will be back again to see what else it has to show me. I hope to see you there.

The Crusaders’ Castle

We will take the defensive position
By building our fortress on the cliff face.
From up here, we’ll see any invasion
Long before they can get close to this place.
It will give us time to boil our grease,
And get each soldier to notch an arrow
That they can aim through the castle wall’s crease.
Our goal is to land the decisive blow
In this holy war we’re destined to win.
It has been foretold within the pages
Of our sacred text, to kill each pagan
Who won’t surrender to this fight’s wages.
It is the way the divinity planned,
Defending out spot on their stolen land.

Wadi Rum – A Photographer’s Paradise

Wadi Rum has always been one of the greatest draws for people coming out the Jordan. It has also held a special place in the movie industry. If a script calls for a distant sandy planet, or an Arabic landscape, this is the perfect place to come. Movies such as the recent version of Aladdin, and The Martian have both been filmed here. The recent blockbusters of both Dune movies have also been filmed here, and it is for these reasons that Wadi Rum is becoming even more of a draw for those looking for a unique travel experience.

Wadi Rum is easily the most unique desert landscape that I have ever visited. Its red dunes situate themselves among the towering craggy rocks that protrude from the sand. Every turn that is taken out in the area is met with a new visual treat. This presents the reason that Hollywood is so enamored with the place, but it also makes the perfect place for photographers as well. Every corner offers another photo opportunity, and it does not take much effort to take those pictures that tell amazing stories as well.

It is not just the landscape that offers those perfect pictures either. Wadi Rum is operated by the Bedouins who have navigated its stark landscape for centuries. Though you can find some hints of modern conveniences, the Bedouins still live by the traditional methods when they make their way out in the desert. It is almost impossible to get a signal on a cell phone out here, so travelers have to leave those things behind and live off of what the land offers. This contributes for moments of huddling around a campfire at night, or traveling from place to place on camel.

There are camps out in the desert that can be booked. They usually have the traditional tents that the Bedouins have lived in, made out of goat hair. Even though most of them lend themselves to a roughing it lifestyle, there are a few that come with patios, and private bathrooms. Recent years have also seen the emergence of the bubble tent. It is basically a yurt made out of a see-through wall, offering the residents the perfect night view of the starry skies while they sleep. I have heard mixed reviews about these places from the people who have stayed in them, and I can’t say either way due to the fact that I have not stayed in one. These are not the only places where people stay either. They go the complete other direction as well, taking their gear out to a secluded spot to set up camp where they can leave all of society behind. The whole place offers many different ways to experience the environment while still feeling like you are out on your own away from the crowds.

Wadi Rum is a must go to place for those taking the Jordan Loop. If you do come, make sure that you bring you camera because you will always be wanting to take it out to snap another quick picture. The moments will come fast, and you will never know when the next perfect shot will come from. It makes every trip out to the place not only familiar, but unique at the same time. It is easily my favorite place in Jordan, and I hope you can come out to Wadi Rum and enjoy it as well.