I’m back with another things not to do blog, this time for the beautiful country Georgia which is located in Eurasia, many still debate over which continent Georgia is actually located in, Georgians describing their country as the balcony of Europe and certainly in terms of culture look and feel Georgia is more European, so I’m sure there will be some comments below about this topic, now that’s been said I’m going to share with you 10 things you should not to do in Georgia.
– Do not get Georgia mixed up with Russia.
First up do not get Georgia mixed up with Russia and do not get Georgians mixed up with Russians, Georgia was a part of the former Soviet Union which split up in 1991, those times were difficult for the people there. Georgia is a separate country and the people are proud of their country just remember every nation wants their own identity.
– Do not miss out on the mountains.
Do not miss out on the mountains whether you visit Svaneti or Rachat, you should include at least one visit to the mountains in your trip. Georgia has some amazingly picturesque scenery, you don’t have to be an advanced hiker so don’t worry about that, there will be trails for all levels for everyone. just talking about those mountains is giving me a craving for them.
– Do not take your eyes off the roads when driving in Georgia.
Do not take your eyes off the roads when driving in Georgia. Georgia has some crazy roads even the locals will tell you this, you will spot cars overtaking on a bend and just generally overtaking wherever they want in rural areas, it’s quite common to see pigs cows or chickens wandering in the road just be aware of what’s going.
– Do not forget to carry cash with you everywhere.
Do not forget to carry cash with you everywhere, cash is king not everywhere except card payments in some of the bigger cities you can still pay with your card in restaurants but most places will not accept card payments not restaurants guest houses hotels bars even bus stations, I remember one time in Batumi I turned up five minutes before the bus was about to depart and looked to pay for the ticket with my card and then the lady the receptionist told me that I couldn’t pay with my card and so therefore I had to go and find a cash point the nearest cash point was 15 minutes away from me walking distance and so therefore I missed the bus and had to wait 24 hours to get that bus just because I didn’t have cash on me, another thing to add to that is when you go to rural areas cash points will be fewer and further between so just have cash on you it makes life a lot easier.
– Do not eat Khinkali with knife and fork.
Do not eat Khinkali with a knife and a fork I made this mistake the first time I ate it, Khinkali is simply dumplings and it comes with different fillings inside you can either have meat which is pork or you can either have mushrooms or potatoes or cheese and the pork one comes with a broth so when you eat it with a knife and fork which is what you shouldn’t do the broth goes all over the plate, the way to eat it the proper way the Georgian way is with your hands, you pick it up you bite into it drink the broth and then you demolish the rest, so delicious.
– Do not be surprised at the service charge.
Do not be surprised at the service charge when you get your bill at any restaurant in Georgia, in Georgia paying a service charge of at least 10 percent is obligatory at any restaurant and if you eat somewhere more upscale you might have to pay 12 or 15 or even 18 percent, you can also tip on top if you wish but that is up to you.
– Do not expect the buses to leave on time.
Do not expect the buses to leave on time, so in Georgia usually the bus won’t leave until it’s full up so it’s quite possible the bus that you’re on that you expect to leave at 9 o’clock in the morning won’t leave until around 10 because there’s not enough people on the bus for them to leave, that’s the way it works over there so just bear this in mind so that you can adjust your day whether you want to allocate yourself more time for the day and get up earlier just in case this happens or take another option like rent out a car or even a collective taxi to get to your next destination.
– Do not trust taxi drivers if they say your bus has broken down.
Do not trust the taxi driver if they tell you that the bus you want is broken down, I’m sure this happens in many different countries but it actually happened to me in Georgia, a taxi driver approached me asked where I was going I told him my destination name and then he said to me that the bus was broken down but I was right outside the bus station anyway so I still went inside to check and I realized he was lying just to get a fair out of me.
– Do not forget to visit Vardzia
Do not forget to visit the Vardzia cave complex constructed in the 12th century, the caves became visible after an earthquake in 1283 which destroyed two thirds of the city is a UNESCO world heritage listed site, it has 13 levels and contains over 600 rooms and monasteries inside, it’s absolutely fascinating the whole location is incredible and you should not miss this out when you visit Georgia.
– Do not wear revealing clothes when entering a monastery
And finally do not wear revealing clothes when entering a monastery in Georgia you will see lots of stunning orthodox monasteries in Georgia and so the likeliness is that you will want to visit one, there is a dress code which you must respect, for the men you must not wear anything above the kneecaps or anything that shows off your shoulders and if you are wearing a hat or cap you must take it off before entering and for the women you must also not wear anything above the kneecaps any miniskirts or anything that shows off shoulders and you must wear a headscarf.
those are the 10 Things Not to Do in Georgia, I really do recommend that you visit Georgia when we all can of course when these difficult times pass, it is a fantastic country. if you have anything that you can add to this any things that you should not do in Georgia then feel free to pop it in the comments section below.