Frankly, I got a little board of the Bangkok even though the food selection is good. The issue is I’ve seen pretty much everything over the past 30 years so I was thinking about moving onto Koh Chang but it was raining and I didn’t like the idea of going there and renting a motorcycle, riding in the rain. So I decided to move up my trip to Japan a couple weeks and I arrived at Narita. I then just zipped right over to my hotel, I dropped my bag and went for sushi at my neighborhood sushi restaurant
They really cleaned up the local shrine by trimming the trees Having some good food and drink with good friends who used to be my neighborsThe next day I went for some YAKINIKU, which is the Japanese version of Korean food, grilled meat and some other things. You could see the marbling in the beef, which makes it very tender and rich in flavor. Since it is so rich, you don’t really want to eat too much.This sign is almost very true I went out drinking with an old grad school friend and we had a great time. You can see I was so busy yak, yak, yak I forgot to take the photo at the beginning of the meal at the Izakaya (drinkery)The local inexpensive Korean barbecue place, US$13 for as much as you can eat between 1 and 10 PMa lot of people still think Japan is expensive which is an image they got from reality back in the 1980s. Actually now it’s very inexpensive. The Korean barbecue cheapest lunch is less than six US dollars and you can re-order rice at no extra cost at this Izakaya you can drink as much as you want for two hours for less than six US dollarsWith old friends, one is visiting from New ZealandWith Cornell graduates and one member of our alumni group I took a friend to try MONJA, an old Edo (Shitamachi) food which you never had before at a very expensive tourist restaurant. The food was fine, but the description indicated a certain price and it wound up being triple. But we didn’t have time to go look for one of the old shops that don’t cater to touristsin Shinjuku this is one of my favorite Izakaya called SANPEI (三平). this one is downstairs and it’s closer to the train station than the other one. Almost everybody working there is from Myanmar and I know the people who used to work there pretty well.Guess who likes to show off their gangster look at their own bar , K Bar , in Shinjuku Goldengai. I don’t want to mention her age since that would not be polite, but I have known her for 26 years You see the signs from time to time. The one up above is educating mostly people from China and Southeast Asia but it used to be, back in the 1970s, Japanese would also sit on the western style toilet this way because that’s how they knew how to use a publictoilet. Number two is for people from countries that have sewage pipes that are too narrow to carry toilet paper down the line. Japan doesn’t have those narrow pipes so you can throw the toilet paper directly into the toilet.When you think you have seen almost every kind of fast food imitation and idea you can come across something like this. A taco hamburger with avocado. I have had quite a few hamburgers in Japan over the last 50 years and it is definitely one of the last things I ever want to eat again. I don’t know what the hamburger patty is made from but it is definitely a level below McDonald’s, which many people think is the absolute lowest level.a seven US dollar noodle lunch at the local oily and spicy noodle shop. It’s actually very tasty a very popular Japanese style Chinese food restaurant has extremely reasonable prices as you can see below. A little over five US dollars is very reasonable for that lunch, very fillingHere is the second version and the newest one of Hummer There is a new series of holidays strung together, I kind of takeoff on Golden week and it is called Silver week. During this week, my local town had a festival so it was very crowded You can see still some people dress in more traditional clothing, but the tennis shoes kind of don’t fit the styleYou can see how crowded this main street is After that I again forgot to take the photo before eating. It was very tasty at my local neighborhood sushi bar.Near my former home is a very good quality deep fried pork restaurant (TONKATSU)This is their lunch menu. My lunch was eight US dollarsHere is the TO KATSU at the chain restaurant, which is less expensive than my neighborhood restaurant. The price is belowJust less than US six dollarsThe local tricycle shop has Batman’s tricycle This is a traditional way to serve sake with the overflow box under the glass. This is kind of nice and modern with a plexiglass boxYou can also get deep fried chicken in lunch set for US $6.60This is one of my favorite SHOCHU, alcohol made from barley. Traditionally, this kind of alcohol is distilled from potatoes, but it could be from rice or something else
For me Bangkok is kind of like a backyard. I have probably spent about a year and a half in the number of days staying here and wandering around not only as a tourist but also for business so it’s a very familiar place. The reason I decided to spend about a week here was for food. There are different varieties of food. I like to try out, especially the IISAN (NORTHEASTERN) and Chinese food in the old Chinatown area. This time I found a couple new interesting places. Near the Chulalongkon university area. There are quite a few restaurants that serve the student population so are very inexpensive and the food is so far very good. That’s where some former student students took me for IISAN food. in the Chinatown area. There was a restaurant I went to several times which was pretty good, but the restaurant has become fairly dirty and a number of rats running around. But then again that’s the very old area with old buildings and there is a lot of grease and maybe not well managed leftovers which provide good nourishment for the rats. But being an old part of the city it’s an animal you just kind of hope isn’t caught. He could very well wind up on somebody’s dinner plate somewhere.
This is an old cute phrase used in Thailand, Thai English, mostly on T-shirts years ago. This sign was in one of the large shopping malls in the Siloam areaActually, once I landed, I wanted to have something really simple so I went to a nearby shopping center and found a Korean restaurant which surprisingly had really excellent kimchi, Real Korean style. anyway I ordered just that and some rice. The waitress was very kind for some unknown reason, maybe because I was using very polite Thai language, and she brought me extra kimchi for free. But I couldn’t eat it all so she put it in a little box for me to take back to the hotel. This was the Korean restaurant. As you can see, it has a very catchy marketing phrase.Walking through the university restaurant area I took a photo for a friend of the MOO GROP ( deep fried pork), his favorite, and the lady posed for me.OK it’s very early in this post, but I’m taking a little break by showing you a dog certificate which is required in one area of Spain, Valencia, to take the pet dogs on the local transport. Evidently it is not easy to take pets around Spain on public transport. They are not as welcome as they are in France.This was our meal there at the IISAN restaurant comprising a lot of pork but done in a way which is very delicious along with the sticky rice which is really a Lao food. But this area called IISAN is made up of Lao people, not Thai. And many of the people there still speak a variation of Lao which is slightly different than Thai. This is what the area looks likeSome local artwork The name of a local shopping building I just like the architectural and lighting style on this building. It kind of reminds me of the French Quarter in New OrleansWhen you visit Thailand, you will find the very interesting and often cute uses of the English language in shops and businesses. This was a very nice coffee shop where I stopped a couple times. I really like the sign. It’s cute. This roast duck was tasty but not the best I’ve had. I would rank it seven out of 10, definitely not Michelin star quality. But they promote they are a Michelin star restaurant but if you check it out, it’s for their restaurant in Hong Kong not this one. Anyway I love Hong Kong style food so this place is acceptable.ScreenshotAnd guess who showed up near the hotel I prefer this Lao beer to Thai beerThis I guess is another break. This stain remover I found in Japan is in a very tiny bottle, which is good for traveling. You just dab it on the spot, they give you a number of dabbing pads to soak up the stain which you can use or not use and then you put it in the wash. It works extremely well. And, it’s small and good for packing. I think this is the mustard leaf they’re using here and this pickling is just a little bit sweet for me, but I like the mustard leaf, especially if it’s the sour pickling sauceAt the Chinese restaurant, the eggrolls were pretty good. This is a huge contrast to traveling in the UK and the isles Next to The UK. look at the varieties of sauces. This is the kind of place I like to eat. Brown sauce is not sufficient for much of anything. And in fact, I had forgotten what it tasted like so I used it once over four months and never used it again, bringing my own sauces with me which I bought in the store.OK, well in the MBK complex they had this restaurant sign which is cute.And this is a very imaginative twist of a phrase which I hope you can get I think this all started out about 60 years ago, but it has a vault into a kind of popular drink. It seems. I don’t drink it because it has way too much sugarI went to visit friends in Prachuap kirikan and this is their dog TANGMOO (watermelon) who slept outside my door every night and greeted me in the morning. She was my good buddyThey can Bangkok you can see this fellow doing some welding without proper protection. Where there are no inspectors around, in Small projects and local fixes you will see this kind of safety. Walking around the supermarket. This pet food is doing what? Is it suggesting this dog is a carnivore? Nowadays spicy chicken seems to be a big popular Korean offering outside of Korea. 50 years ago I never saw anything like this and probably was not even available in Korea or Japan in Korean restaurants. But it’s now a big thing so I stopped in and for a very reasonable price I ordered some chicken, hoping it would be a small but reasonable portion. It turned out to be a huge portion and the sauce was a little bit too sweet for me. I should’ve ordered something more spicy. You see the kimchi on the side, which is something I used to eat every day in Japan to keep my stomach in good shape After the chicken I tried Swensens ain’t got this, which was very deliciousThis was the bike model I had in Koh Chang during the Covid lockdown. But I had Red instead of this colorat the ATM I got some brand new ฿100 Notes with the image of the current King when he was very young
Prachuap is a cute little city with a few good restaurants and nice hills and beaches to view. The beaches are not really the cleanest in Thailand so swimming should be done in another area of Thailand but the town is fun for a few days and not overcrowded and developed like Hua Hin which has really been over populated and cementified. So try Enjoying Prachuap Thailand. I have friends who live here, having worked in the Scuba Diving business in Phuket for 8 years long ago. That’s why I come back to Prachuap.
The mangrove forest was destroyed so there is this receding beach on a nice north-point overlook.Sunan is contemplating the universe.They got their Pakistan wall covering up in the bungalow.A girl taking a video of the hundreds of crabs running around on the former mangrove forestThe house. In Thailand, because it rains so much, it’s a good idea to have your house elevated. Look at the nice garden Sunan created from nothing.Tangmoo (watermelon) wants a tummy rubAlain preparing the new electric motorcycle. It works well except for a few overly cheapened items.Coffee at a nice coffee shop that will last a few months or a year and close due to lack of customers. That’s a typical business deficit in Thailand, good ideas in the wrong place and for a much too small population.The sign is very cute, i like it.When your ordered item is prepared this beeper will let you know. Going around to various restaurants in Thailand this trip I found these devices had exactly the same wording on the back….interesting. I didn’t expect Yamazaki (famous Japanese bread company) to be here in Thailand, much less in Hua Hin, but here it is. The company used to make only Japanese style bread, soft and squishy, but now makes very good quality French style products. I was pleasantly surprised.
Waghor Aquarium
Funny looking fishEel fish?They were trying to communicate with me.Hiding cuttlefishStonefish. Do not touch, you will suffer horribly and may not make it to your next meal.I didn’t figure out what this stringy blob was. Do you know what it is?This was the most popular attraction in the whole aquarium. Colorful TangsThe place was overrun with students. We had to avoid them rushing past us here and there.A visitor to the house every morning. This young bird is quite beautiful.I was surprised the moon looks so much like Earth.,Renaming this planet alsoAnyone want to take part in renaming the moon? For now it has no name.From a beautiful birdTangmoo, my new darling buddy.
I thought quite a few times about going to Kazakhstan but until two years ago I knew nothing about it except for a taxi driver someplace in the US when I was visiting. He won the green card lottery and his next step was to start an interesting business, very typical of new immigrants. My second encounter was with three Kazak girls in Turkey who needed a ride to the local town since the bus was not showing up. I had space in the car I rented so I took them to the town and we talked a little bit about Kazakhstan. they were very nice people and I thought it might be interesting to visit. But the deciding factor was the two wars going on, one in Ukraine and one in Iran. I was thinking to avoid both of those I would fly in between and that meant going through Georgia and then onto Kazakhstan which I did. A pleasant surprise was the people. They are just extremely friendly, helpful and joy to be around. If you ever get the chance to go in that direction I highly recommend visiting if it’s just to enjoy the people. Next time I will spend in the countryside sometime to enjoy what many people have explained is extreme beauty. Almaty Kazakhstan has a few is interesting things including the main park with the cathedral a museum which I did not visit at the local shopping areas. in one full day you can pretty much see everything of interest. It’s easy to get around using taxis and the buses or Metro. But don’t expect the timetables to show up in Google Maps. If you get stuck somewhere or with something the people are very helpful and things will work out just fine.
one thing I want to mention, with everything I did interacting with other people I always felt that people were being honorable and straightforward. I never felt people were trying to take advantage of the dumb tourist. on the contrary. The whole atmosphere was one of welcome and friendly.
Ascension CathedralThis mild tea with millet is supposed to be the famous national drink but that’s only information from one person. The entrance to the metro station it was only about 24 cents for a ride so enjoy using this very well maintained system. You can use your credit card on your phone as well to get inThis area reminded me of the public housing (KODAN) IN HARAJUKU, TokyoIt’s just an interesting building Would you buy an energy drink named “dizzy”? I think this is a Lao franchiseBauyrzhan Momyshuly MonumentAscension Cathedral Very Christian orthodox two dimensional artworkI wonder what the difference is between other Christian stores.Isn’t this a Japanese game? The classic Coke bottle is very much in VogueSushi and pizza. I never thought I would see that combination in one restaurant. And the name? It means “wrap wrap”I heard from various people that many Koreans moved to this country for various reasons and so I thought I would try some Korean food here. It was very good. Along the walkway you will see a botanical decorations like this I’m not quite sure why I’m including this photo. It just shows my typical morning breakfast diet of vegetables. Breakfast buffet was included and the hotel charge Abay Kunanbaiuly MonumentKazakhstan HotelNavat Restaurant This restaurant is highly rated, it’s got a very interesting atmosphere and the food is very nice. This specific menu item is touted here as the thing to eat This is a puffed up dough which is very nice and not as filling as pieces of bread. This comes with The meal. This is the whole meal put together. The meat is Lamb on top of noodles. Republic Palace I suspect this is an old Russian car but I couldn’t be sure Cable car lift to the hilltop The reason I took this photo is the symbol for the currency is also the Japanese symbol for the post office
When doing a Tbilisi Introduction I think it’s helpful to mention that This Georgian city is very close to Armenia and Azerbaijan. It is the capital of Georgia so it’s an important city but the main areas are fairly compact and easy to get around. There is public transport but everyone recommends using a Bolt hired Car Since it’s easy and very inexpensive. The city is facing same population pressures of most cities in the world since young people are moving away from the countryside to more opportunities in the metropolitan areas. It’s a good walking city, not expensive and the food is delicious. If you visit make sure to try all the different kinds of Georgian food you can. The variety is very interesting.
From the top of the hill you can see the main old city area Water by any other name still taste as sweet. Here you will notice the writing system is not related to any other and the language is unique. Even here Thai people Set up restaurantsThe old town large square I thought I was getting just a piece of dough with some cheese and other stuff on top but it came out as this huge pizza size, soft dough and tasty bread with cheese and a green addition While I was eating my breakfast three groups of cars had parked here in the main plaza in old town and each time the police came by and chased them outThe old church with the famous statue on the river The Kura River runs right through townPlaces up the hill to walk aroundA cute little coffee and snack stand Getting on the cable car to go up the hill Looking down from the top The cable card station going down One of the more interesting buildings On the other side of the hill you see a lot of greenery The mother of George statue at the top of the hill She is wearing traditional Georgian clothingRussia invaded and occupied 20% of George after the fall of the USSR. This has created a lot of animosityA small river down the mountain Many of the public benches are decorated like this Looking down on the river You can see where the cable car goes up the hill At one stop on a tour the small shop sells products made from fruit which can be kept for a long time outside the refrigerator and Was food for travelers and soldiersJust walking around the city. You have to be ready to go up and down hills hereThis is a hot spring where you can enjoy some sulfur spa relaxation. There are quite a few earthquakes in Georgia so on your Tours you will be filled in on what building buildings have replaced those which crumbled
As you probably well know Joseph Stalin was a Georgian not Russian. He joined the socialist revolution in Georgia, became the high ranking leader and then supported the Russian revolution, met with Lenin And eventually became the number two in the Russian revolutionary movement. I took a tour to Gori where Stalin was born and raised. There you have a very nice USSR era museum in his honor. I recommend you visit Stalin’s Home Town. I found it fascinating and I think you will too.
A nice statue outside which is pretty much Life-sizeSome of the little trinkets sold out frontHis private train CCCP is the Russian for USSRThe ticket Is meeting room rebuilt for p.m.The slide rule he used His pipes Cigars he never smoked His cigarettes Stalin‘s Marshalls capArtwork depicting a city using tobacco leaves A model of his homeA Chinese book on StalinIn 2008 Russia invaded and occupied 20% of Georgia claiming they were assisting the Russians living there. Georgians have a very angry attitude about this occupation.Right near the museum I was a little surprised to see US junk food These dogs were just playing around. The yellow tag on the Brown dog’s ear indicates he was vaccinatedInside Stalin’s train A private compartment a double compartment His bathroom His office on the trainThe meeting room Another view of the train The very watchful eye of the lady who checks your tickets to get on and view the train Near the museum I found a combination restaurant with a very strange combination, Sushi and hamburgersThe museum from another side
This it’s kind of a fun town to walk around but you need to go on about a 15 minute walk from the station to get to the interesting part of town and that way you will be Enjoying Piecenza.
The Italians as well as the French very much enjoy Japanese art and design.
go round to the different churches in town
Piecenza Cathedral This is some of the ancient decoration on the original church from Roman Time The underground part of the church You can see different architecture at work here Palazzo Vescovileof course when you want to go buy some salami, prepared meats or cheese there are a few good shops to visit in townPiazza DuomoOK, now I know Another word for crab. Look closely at the blue one on the left So typical of Europe, a Japanese restaurant run by ChineseI love this car, it’s perfect for the city I used to collect matchbox cars when I was a kid and they really interest me so when I see cars in a window I always stop to look even if it is a car dealership. This used to be a paid parking place with some kind of apparatus to block the car until they pay but some people obviously didn’t want to pay Just an idea of what was available in this restaurant at very reasonable prices, not the prices you find in Roma or FirenzeIt was very tasty pizza But that is really three meals for mePalazzo GoticoPiazza dei CavalliI love the wraparound balcony Chiesa San DalmazioSome of the old art is still visible
if you really wanna see Crete you have to enjoy Driving through Crete In a rental car. Public transport is not going to get you around the island and it’s pretty easy driving with one exception. Some of the roads are very narrow and many of the roads in the villages and towns are the width for one car but it’s 2 way traffic. Most people are driving very slowly so it’s not a difficult place to drive. Just take your time and enjoy everything.
I didn’t know super Mario was living in the town of Heraklion Close to the airport. You will see all sorts of wilderness and rockiness since this is a very dry part of the world but you can also enjoy the agricultural fields a lot planted with olives and grapes.This was the breakfast which was very delicious You see how Rocky and dry it is These pepperoncini in vinegar are one of my favorites I didn’t translate it but I suspect it’s a memorial for the people who died in a war Myxorrouma has a very interesting river CanyonLooking out my hotel window in PlakiasAnother nice breakfast Long and winding Road up the mountain side near KamposSome mountain goats Ice cream after the meal Eggplant in a tomato sauce with some feta cheese and herbs Some deer in a fenced in area Calamari on the Oceanside Mother of God Odigitria Gonia Monastery is one of the interesting stops you should make near KolymvariThe monastery founding document I just like to show the trees and the mountain top Some political graffiti This tree shows you which way the wind blows Going to see a beach way down in a canyon there were many cars parked on the side of the road and all of them were very careful to block the tires in case the brake failsA memorial to someone You can pull up Google Translate Here is a mining operation near the Gorge BeachA small church near Seitan Limania BeachA nice bottle of wine with a little snack provided by the hotel Looking out my window near Platanos Just a very simple lunch, chicken wrap nicely presented A nice little café near the harbor at Heraklion The salmon toast was very nice In Heraklion This is about the most interesting thing I saw, a fountain where the tourist groups seemed gatherSome interesting motif On the side of the Presidio on the wharfA very simple vegetable salad. Very delicious I’m cheating here. Actually this is down a small street in Spata Near a place I stayed one night after landing in Athens airport
Most Of you know at least something about Istanbul. I just want to add some of my experiences. These are my Notes on Istanbul. I have a preference for where I stay and it’s near Taksim Square. Buses from either of the airports leave very close nearby every 30 minutes and there are quite a few hotels in the area which you’re not that expensive and which are well equipped. And you also have a good bus hub as well as the metro right nearby. The one thing you need to watch in this area it’s really geared towards the incoming and outgoing tourist which means most of the people who come to these shops in this area will never show up again. And that creates a very touristy attitude which is not typical of much of anything outside of Istanbul. Here I will give you some examples.
There is a restaurant called Big mama’s. The food was very good. I ordered what’s on the plate and without asking they brought bread.Then they brought something very tasty made of lamb and offered it to me saying, “it’s free”. Even though I didn’t need more food I accepted it. I also enjoyed it. Next they brought some tea saying, “it’s free“. You should note here that every restaurant in Turkey except for Istanbul brings tea after the Meal as a service, no charge. The total of what I ordered was 800. The bill was 1000. So obviously either the “it’s free“ was not really the case or as some people on Google maps reviews have indicated they like to charge a “service fee“ which in two months in Turkey I have never come across. But this is the tourist treatment. I didn’t complain about the bill. The food was delicious and the service was very good and the people were very nice so I didn’t mind the extra 200. But this is just one case of the tourist situation here in this small area. Almost every restaurant seems to have some little tourist thing going.
as you’re walking down the streets here you are constantly being requested to eat in the restaurant or come into the store so it can be a little bit irritating. Since it happens in almost every Second store, going to the metro station you may pass 20 of these people asking you to come in. I just smile politely and keep walking. One thing I should add, out of all of the restaurants I’ve been to in this little area near my hotel which I explained is near the bus station, all of the food was very good and of good quality except for one restaurant which I will never go back to again. So even if you’re facing the tourist tricks here I think the food will still be pretty good.
The fellow outside this restaurant said he would give me a beer for 250 instead of the usual 400. There was only one table full and he said he wanted more customers to sit down so that it would look busy and more people would come in. I felt like I wanted a beer so I came in and I ordered the soup as well. The bread came without a request. Then I was reading a comment on Google Maps about the same situation here and a bill arriving with a much higher price than promised. The person was very irate. So I decided to take care of the situation by asking the fellow who called me in to remind me again of the price for the beer. He said, “no problem, I told everybody here to give you that price”. But when the bill came it was 400 for the beer which I expected knowing this is a tourist area. So I called the fellow over, showed him the bill. He explained to the fellow the situation and they changed the bill to the appropriate amount. So just watch out for this and resolve the situation in a quiet and friendly way.
There is an area of Istanbul I really like. The Uyghur and Mixed Race Chinese people from that area (a colony of Communist China) live in this area and have a variety of very interesting restaurants which are for the local people so you don’t get the frustrations of the tourist atmosphere. The food is really excellent in all the restaurants I visited and it’s very interesting food. It’s much different than Turkish food and you can get the Uyghur Style food or the Chinese types of food in this area. I opted for the Uyghur Style food since it’s new to me. The prices are very reasonable and as I mentioned before it’s all very delicious.
This is at the Köklem Uyghur restaurant. I don’t know if they provide chopsticks but I didn’t request them because I always take my own. This was a eggplant and vegetable dish with very different flavors from the Chinese style.
From my hotel near Taksim Square I walk about five minutes to the bus stop and get on a bus that takes me directly to this restaurant in about 20 minutes.
As you can see I ate pretty much everything except for one and a half grains of rice.I guess this was a secret bus going back to the airport.
Overall Istanbul is a great place to visit. You just have to slink past all of the people who are trying to pull you into their shops especially the ones trying to sell carpets. They are unrelenting. But just know that the rest of the country isn’t really like Istanbul. It’s much more relaxed, you don’t get the tourist treatment except for a few of the big tourist attraction areas, and the people are really Gracious , kind, honest and friendly. It’s a fantastic country to visit and spend time in. If you’re used to driving a car in Thailand then you can definitely drive a car here in Turkey And Car Rental prices are Reasonable.
Down Below I will make some comments about the Georgia wine tasting itself but first I want to explain that Tbilisi Was my first stop in Georgia and I decided to stay here and do some tours to the surrounding areas to get an idea about the country, the culture, the food and so forth. You may like to rent a car and go around but kind of like in Thailand the rules are a strong suggestion so you have to be very careful. What I found interesting is they had a few cars with the steering wheel on the right side instead of the left side so I guess those were imports. The city is pretty well organized but public transport is mostly by taxi or the Bolt app. Things here are not that expensive and you can see the desire to join the EU and decrease the influence from Russia which occupies 20% of the country so you can imagine the animosity. There are a lot of people begging and many people trying to find different ways to get money from you so just try not to fall for those on the street requests.
This was one of the worst I saw but quite a few cars without front and back bumpersGetting a Turkish coffee before the tour which was a full day Strings of grapes and other fruits mixed with flour and a center with a nut and put on strings. I bought one with grapes and it was very tasty. I highly recommend trying some when you’re here. We were told soldiers would take these with them and they would last up to two years without any preservative methods.The old way of making bread without yeast so that it can stay longer than yeasted bread. There are two special tricks to the bread you see here. The fuel to make the bread is wood from the grape plant after they pruned the vines. The second trick is the lining of the oven is red brick which breathes. These things help create a unique consistency and taste. Everybody loves a kitten. There were many tourists Here petting the kitten and the little boy waited until he got his chance to come in pet the cat.Monastery of Saint Nino at Bodbe. The story is Nino came here in 326 after after a vision of Mary to spread Christianity in Georgia 600 years before the Tzar Of Russia decided to adopt the Greek branch of Christianity because he could become the head of the church. Here you see the Bell towerNot much is left of the original monastery but we were told that inside this building the crypt we saw was the burial coffin of Saint Nino. There are many beautiful frescoes inside dating back 200 years. Photos were not allowed.A new church is being built on the site Part of the garden This is extremely well organized and a nice place to walk around Then we went to the town of Sighnaghi. This is the statue of a famous philosopher who died at the age of 35 with a statue that makes him look much older and wiserNear the statue is the list of names of those who died in World War II. This town is the center hub of protection for a number of surrounding Villages. We were told out of 6000 residence in the area 4000 died in World War IILooking down into the valley which has almost no rain throughout the year you can see where they have some ponds Fort water storage. It’s a very active agricultural area groin many different kinds of things. In the foreground you can see the flag of GeorgiaThis is interesting to see a Mexican restaurant here. If I was alone I doubt I would eat here. I have had enough European style Mexican food for the rest of my life. This is the old fort and there were walls all the way around with Lookout towersEverywhere you see people selling things. You also see the red Tiled roofs which are fairly new since the year 2000. This was a very poor town and the roofs were made of everything that would protect the house. But now people are able to afford a nicer roof because of tourismOne of the gates to the fortOn the right you will see a bell tower for the church which is built on top of one of the Lookout towers You see the villages below and on the left side you can see the extent of the wall which goes all around the area to protect the village on top A lot of the wall is falling down but we have a walkway to take us along part of it Parkway down the hill is a glamping hotelPanorama view On the corners of the wall you can see one of the 23 Lookout TowersNow we go to the winery for a very late lunch add wine tasting. Georgia wine historyEvidently UNESCO recognizes Georgia As the first wine producing area. Archaeologists Found remnant of winemaking In clay pots going back 8000 years.This is just one of many vineyards. The first red wine had an extremely strong alcohol smell which I didn’t like. The “semi sweet“ rosé and reds were actually very sweet. The one wine I appreciated most was the most expensive, having a flavor similar to a Cabernet Sauvignon with a nice semi full body. But I bought the rosé foreign after dinner aperitif. In the photo you can see one of our Russian companions on the tourThe customers are encouraged to write something on all of the walls This had a fairly nice taste though very sweet. I was not really impressed with these wines but they seem to be very popular in the former Soviet Union countries.
