Georgian cars:a few fun facts

I have been wanting to finish up this interesting page about autos in Georgia.  Since most of us LIVE in our cars in the US, this was really interesting to me.

First, for awhile 30% of the total export revenue in Georgia was from refurbished cars. So even in our small city of Khashuri where I spent our training,  most of the cars here are VERY NICE.  I mean nice mid sized Mercedes, Nissans, Fiats, and my neighbor has an AlphaRomeo. It isn't that way in Koda or Tbilisi, but Khashuri must have special auto skills.

Secondly, they have gas tanks of course but some don't use them.  Many cars run on propane gas! Yep, so when we go to the gas station, everyone has to get out of their car, and the attendant opens the trunk and puts the propane in a big cylindrical tank in the trunk.  And FYI, here is the difference in gas mileage.

(So you geeks will want to check my calculations (and you know who you are) but here is what I figured:
103 km = 7 GEL.  15 km = 1 GEL 1 GEL = $.57 . 1km = .6 miles  So they get 16 miles/dollar. So I don't know what gas is in the US, but this it pretty good, eh?


My host "brother" bought a little Golf.  It looked in good shape.  But oh my, what they did to it when they brought it home. They said they were going to clean it and fix it up.  Well first came the blackened window. Then they 'cleaned it.  Here it is before they stripped it completely, (is that what they do in the Bronx) cleaned the entire floor, and put everything back in.  They even re-sewed the fabric on the seats after they cleaned it. It was amazing to watch.

And here is the final product, with proud Dad, Gocha, with son,  Tornike with his 'new' car.

Khevsureti, Georgia

I hope to catch you up on my recent activities.  It has been a fun and busy time, which is great.  One highlight was a 2 day camping trip to Khevsureti.  This is a four wheel drive trip up to some old ruins and beautiful views. I should mention the 4 wheel drive was a 16 passenger marshutka Mercedes van. We passed over Datvisjvar Pass at 2677 meters ( 8800 ft) and started toward the northern Khevsureti region.  Shatili is a mountain town  built of cliff hanging towers from the 7-13th century. We had some great meandering among the ruins. It was restored in 2000 and is a UNESCO site.

Mutso was another meandering destination,  with over 40 medieval fortified towers.  Beautiful. And finally, we stopped at the Anatori Crypts. During the Black Death the entire village died.  People would take themselves to the crypts and lie down to await their fate so they wouldn't infect their families.  The crypts are on the side of the mountain, overlooking the river.

To me though, as many of you know, the real beauty came from the mountains.  Since they were lower than our Colorado mountains, they reminded me more of the Swiss Alps - green blankets with higher snow capped peaks behind them.  They also looked more like northern Italian Alps. We didn't have time really hike the mountains... but then I do have 2 years...

The David Letterman top 10 differences between Georgia and the US

Hi folks,  all is well here, just busy but I promise to blog more soon.  But these are just a collection of odd facts or funny differences between Georgia and the US that I have been collecting. Enjoy!

Number 10:  PEDS are in!
Number 9:  Hair conditioner made with garlic
Number 8: Balsamic vinegar advertised to put on ice cream
Number 7:  (and I love this) Tarragon flavored toothpaste
Number 6:  Someone on the bus with a ringtone of  "Have yourself a merry little Christmas" when it's 112 degrees out
Number 5:  the English on t-shirts worn by older women... if they only knew what they said! Holy Cow!

Number 4:  Great dress styles! But expensive and not many discount stores

Number 3. These yellow pipes are gas pipes and they go throughout each neighborhood by the front gates. Can't you just see your 16 year old with driver's permit trying not to hit them backing out of the driveway?

Number 2. The cemeteries are beautiful. They capture a photo of the deceased on the headstone. I think it is a loving testament. and like NC, they have cemeteries anywhere and everywhere. 

and the #1 difference... at least this month is...

The Georgian lawn mower. Isn't this smart! Compact, easy to use!  Might even get some males into vacuum cleaning!

That's it for today.  I promise to send more updates soon.