While writing this blog, it took a life of its own as it evolved from my experience yesterday in a dust storm to thinking of how Hollywood portrays what being in a dust storm is like. Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol and Ethan Hunt’s chase of a villain out of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai…
Mesaieed – Sealine Beach – Dune Bashing
Dune bashing happens south – near the border of Saudi Arabia, just past Mesaieed, along Sealine Beach. This was Michael and I’s first time 4-wheeling in our X-Terra! To prepare – Michael reduced the tire’s pressure to 10psi to allow for more area on them to prevent getting stuck. Our SUV ready – we were…
Mesaieed – Camel Rides Before Dune Bashing
To dune bash – you drive south – almost to the border of Saudi Arabia. This area is very popular with locals and expat residents, offering an exciting afternoon of driving your SUV over steep sand dunes! The starting point is the end of Sealine Beach Road. Here is where we prepared to drive the…
Tbilisi, Georgia – My Private Tour Guide – Dachi
I wasn’t expecting to have a constant companion on my solo vacation to Tbilisi, Georgia. I knew that my travel agent had booked me tours each day, except my arrival day on January 1st. I had that day on my own because everything was closed. I anticipated my upcoming tours to be on a packed…
Tbilisi, Georgia – Afternoon Fun Part II – With Some Added Morning Moments and Last Bits of Sharing on My Final Day in Georgia….
Dachi took me to an outdoor flea market as a final place to buy the one last black papakha hat I needed to purchase! This was filled with lots of relics and antiques from the Soviet Union! So much cool stuff to see! By this time, I was so exhausted, I could hardly take it…
Tbilisi, Georgia – Final Afternoon Fun – Part I
While at the Narikala Fortress, Dachi bought me a crown of fresh flowers from this woman! We started walking down from the Narikala Fortress to see the waterfall at a steep wall of Sololaki Hill. On our way down the hill we see this Azerbaijan church: Lots of traditional Georgian homes made of brick, wood, small…
Tbilisi, Georgia – Narikala Fortress
This fortress was built in the 4th century and has been expanded and reoccupied over the centuries. Parts have been destroyed by either fire or earthquake. Walking along the wall this wall leads you left, to the pathway that takes you to the bottom entrance of the fortress. Below this right side of the wall…
Tbilisi, Georgia – Sololaki Hill – Kartlis Deda – Mother Georgia
This twenty meter aluminum statue, situated next to the Narikala Fortress on Sololaki Hill, is known as Mother Georgia: Dachi told me that the statue was built by Russia/Soviet Union and that he thinks she looks like a strong, hard-working Russian woman. What is Georgian about her, he said, is that she represents the Georgian…
Tbilisi, Georgia – Narikala Fortress – View of Old Town Tbilisi
This day I learned that, simple put, the view of Tbilisi from the fortress is referred to as Old Town Tbilisi. Dachi and I rode a cable car up to the fortress. When you exit the cable car, you don’t enter the fortress – you enter an area just to the right of it. Here…
Tbilisi, Georgia – Sulpher Baths
The story goes that the 6th century King of Iberia, Vakhtang Gorgasali was hunting with his falcon in the ancient Abanotubani district. He set his falcon out to catch a bird. The falcon and its prey fell to the ground…… King Gorgasali went looking for his beloved falcon, and found it and the prey it…
