FlyDubai to Georgia - Khareba and Sighnaghi

In just a few days, I went from knowing nothing about Georgia to seeing and appreciating much of its charm, thanks to FlyDubai and Voyager Travel Agency. After our much needed rest at the magical Lopota Lake Resort, we took off on our discovery journey in the country. 

The roads between towns are enveloped with green mountains, fields, and historical sites that unfortunately we didn't get much time to explore. Our first stop on the road was in the famous grape growing region of Kakheti, particularly Khareba, where we got to take part in making a traditional Georgian sweet called "Churchkela" and baking traditional Georgian bread (which you can see me make and eat in the trip video lol)

After our excursion in Khareba, we headed to another region in Kakheti, to one of Georgia's smallest towns, Sighnaghi, known as the "City of Love". As we pulled closer to it and saw the view from a distance, we knew it is going to be something special!

The town is beautifully secluded on top of a hill, and surrounded by fort walls from the 18th century. So if you want to have a peaceful vacation where you can pretend that you're in the old days of Europe, you do not want to miss Sighnaghi!

Due to our tight schedule, we spent only a few hours in the town, so we figured that the best way to see as much as possible of it is to take a tour on a motorbike with sidecar, which you'll find in the town center, along with ATVs and bikes for rent. If you're planning your own itinerary, I'd suggest staying about 2 days in the town, and just enjoy walking around town, and having delicious authentic Georgian food, surrounded by beautiful nature. 

To see more of Khareba and Sighnaghi, check out my Facebook album and feel free to share what you like. 

As the day ended, we headed to Tbilisi, where we stayed for 3 nights and got to see a great mixture of old and modern Georgia... Which you should not miss in my upcoming post! So subscribe to my blog, share my post if you like it, and leave me comments with any questions you might have.

FlyDubai to Georgia - Lopota Lake Resort

FlyDubai has recently launchednits Business Class and Lounge, as well as some new exciting travel destinations, including Georgia, which I was invited to experience and I gladly did. I had just been back a day from my thrilling, but exhausting, trip to Sri Lanka and I was definitely in need of some pampering and relaxation!

Before this trip, I had not really heard much about Georgia and I didn't know what to expect, but a true traveler is never reluctant to head into a new destination and a new adventure! In just 4 days, I learnt quite a lot about Georgian history and heritage, and got to see some of its beauty; you can see it in the video above, then read on to know more.

I started my trip on June 21st, from Dammam to Dubai for a connecting flight to Tbilisi (Georgia), on FlyDubai's newly launched Business Class. I was welcome with a drink, a complimentary snack meal, and the best part was getting the fast-track invitation that lets business class passengers speed their way through the airport by presenting the card at the immigration desk, on arrival at Dubai International's Terminal 2... Which is another reason I love FlyDubai, as their flights land in Terminal 2 that's smaller and less crowded than the other two terminals.

flydubai business class

My connecting flight had an 8 hours layover at Dubai International Airport; if you have the option, then you can take that time to leave the airport and chill in Dubai for a few hours till it's time for departure to Tbilisi. I stayed at the airport in FlyDubai's Business Lounge, and I tell you, time flies by when you're sitting comfortably, with all the complimentary food you want, your laptop with one of your favorite shows, and free fast WIFI... What more would one need, right?!

The flight from Dubai to Tbilisi is around 3 hours and 20 minutes, taking off at 2 am and arriving at 5:20 am. Here's some important info: Tbilisi Airport has some currency exchange desks but they don't exchange Saudi Riyals, so make sure you exchange your money before getting to Georgia, preferably to USD, so you don't have to draw money from the ATM to get local currency, like I did, as the exchange/withdrawal rate is high through the ATM.

By the time I arrived to Tbilisi, I had been awake since I woke up at 7 am the day before, and our first destination in Georgia was about 2 hours away from airport... Basically, by the time I got to our destination, I hadn't slept for over 24 hours, so I was falling asleep while standing... But that all didn't matter as soon as I got to see where we are staying: Lopota Lake Resort

lopota lake resort, georgia.

The resort is located around a serene lake surrounded by beautiful green mountains, known as Lopota Valley. It is a really a magical place, where you can just forget all of life's troubles, and forget that anywhere else exists. The resort has different types of hotels, the oldest and most popular is the one on the left bank... which looks exquisite in winter as it does in summer!

What makes the stay at this resort perfect is that it has so many activities that can keep you easily busy, yet relaxed, for as long as you like. At the resort, you can enjoy playing tennis or mini golf, swimming in the pools, fishing or boat-pedaling in the lake, cycling, and horse-riding and have a good time at their other facilities like the jacuzzi, entertainment room, and restaurant. You can even do some forest/mountain trekking.

Maha -Founder of Crystal Magazine, and other guest on this trip- and I had quite a nice time at the resort, boat-pedaling together, and having our own photoshoot in the middle of lake (See example below :P) but we both agreed that this was the kind of romantic getaway for couples, or even couples with kids who can get busy with the different fun activities while their parents relax.

We stayed only one night at the resort, and resting at such a quiet and gorgeous place was much needed and appreciated before we started our journey to explore other parts... Be sure to subscribe to my blog to not miss the upcoming posts about Georgia!

Around Sri Lanka in 2 Weeks - Part III

Yes, Sri Lanka is so awesome and there's much to see in it that it has taken me 3 posts to cover my trip! Keep in mind that I didn't even get to see all that the island has to offer.

After making my way  down the west coast, then up the east coast, I made my way to the central area of Sri Lanka, and it was a totally different experience.

Trekking in Ritigala and Udawatta Kele Forests, and the Royal Botanical Gardens

Sri Lanka is all jungle with patches of small towns, so wherever you are, you would stumble upon some forest... The ones I made sure to explore are Ritigala Forest Monastery near Habarane and Udawatta Kele Forest Sanctuary in Kandy. What makes Ritigala special, apart from being enveloped by beautiful greenery, is that it used to be the home of monks...

Yes, they built a monastery from rocks in the middle of a forest! How cool is that?! That would be something I'd love to experience, granted that I don't have to sleep on a bed made of rock lol

What makes Udawatta Kele Forest Sanctuary special is that you can follow different tracks within the forest on your own, to see different plants and animals, and even get an overview of Kandy city. Other than the forest being breathtakingly beautiful, we got to enjoy a close encounter with a family of monkeys! Sure you may get to do that in most places in Sri Lanka, but it was quite different interacting with them in their natural habitat. 

Apart from Udawatta Kele forest, Kandy makes a good visit if you want to see a different side of Sri Lanka. It is more developed than most of Sri Lankan towns, but with more greenery and beautiful scenery than a city like Colombo, which is probably why I found most Arab tourists there! 

Another reason to visit Kandy is to check out the Royal Botanical Gardens... It is not an exotic trek as the forest, but it is still a nice excursion to see different trees, plants, and some gigantic bats! You can find photos of both forests and the garden in my Facebook album.

Finding good affordable accommodation in Kandy was a bit tricky, as most hotels in the center are pricey, and most affordable options are up in the hills away from the center, but a good option that combined affordability, cleanliness and location is Sevana Guest House.

Climbing Sigiriya Rock Fortress and Adam's Peak

These were the most exhausting part of my trip... I think I hated myself at some points during the climb because of the situation I put myself into haha. Even after all this time, I still wonder if the climb was really worth it for me, not that you wouldn't enjoy the challenge, or the view from the top, but you would definitely not enjoy the muscle cramps in the days after haha

If you're not accustomed to a lazy lifestyle like I am, then you should definitely make it to either or both mountains. Sigiriya Rock Fortress has an entrance fee of $30 (Yes, they make you pay for you own suffering), and takes around 2 to 3 hours of going up and down, with some breaks, and pushing among crowds.

We made our way to Adam's Peak from Nuwara Eliya at around 11pm, and got there around 2pm, and started our climb, which took us 4 hours up in the dark, to catch the sunrise from the top, and 4 hours down. It was the most difficult thing I had to do in my life so far! My legs just stopped working half way through, the weather got very cold, and I got very hungry... That's a combination of things you don't want me to experience near you haha

All that for this view down below... It was nice, mostly because that was the first sunrise I see in a very long time, but I just prefer sunsets that don't require a mountain climb, thank you :P You can see photos of that sunrise and other amazing scenery from these adventures in my Facebook album.

Yet even after that long exhausting trip, we made our way to Kithulgala for some white water rafting, and with barely any rest, we jumped into that! It was definitely refreshing and exciting enough to make us forget about the soreness of Adam's Peak climb! I also climbed up Dambulla Rajamaha Viharaya for the cave temple, but it is 800 steps only so compared to Sigiriya and Adam's Peak, it is not worth mentioning... Though it still sucked that I had to climb all the way up there and I couldn't get into the temple because of my head cover, which is disrespectful in Buddhist temple

Nuwara Eliya and The Tea Plantations

Ever since I said I am planning a trip to Sri Lanka, people started asking me to get them tea, which Nuwara Eliya is most famous for. Nuwara Eliyah is in the hill country in the central area of Sri Lanka and is known as Little England for its Victorian architecture, and tea plantations... making it the most unusual and delightful part of my trip! 

The nature in Nuwara Eliya and its surrounding areas is breathtaking, enveloped in green hills and waterfalls everywhere, and what made it even more special, is the cold weather! It was so cold that we had to buy winter jackets from the town center, and they're quite cheap so I'd suggest you do the same instead of having to pack and carry jackets needlessly throughout the rest of your trip.

I read much about Nuwara Eliya before my trip to Sri Lanka, so I knew what to expect. What was totally surprising though is when we headed on an unplanned trip to Ambewela, a small town in the same district, that is justly known as "Little New Zealand" for its green fields, and cow farms! I really felt like I had teleported to another country all of sudden! You can see what I mean when you check out photos of my Nuwara Eliya excursions in my Facebook album here.

Nuwara Eliya was the last stop in my itinerary before I headed back to Negombo for my flight on June 19th. 

Even after 2 weeks on the island, going from town to town, I was still getting surprised and delighted at every step.  And as I conclude my posts about the trip here, reminiscing about the whole journey, I am getting overwhelmed with emotions and lovely memories of the places I went, the beauty I saw, the people I met, and the friends I made there <3

If after all this, you still have any doubts and questions about what makes Sri Lanka a must to visit, then leave me a comment below and I'll convince you, even if I have to take you there myself! 

Around Sri Lanka in 2 Weeks - Part II

So I started telling you about the awesome time I had in 2 weeks in Sri Lanka, and I am guessing it would take me a few more posts to tell you about all I've seen and done in such a short time! But, I'll try to make it as brief as possible, and hope that it intrigues you enough to visit the country and see for yourself!

Continuing my journey, after the beautiful beach town of Mirissa, I began to experience more of the culture and wild life of Sri Lanka...

Yala and Minneriya National Parks

During my research about the island's wild life, I got lots of recommendations for Yala National Park as the biggest national park in Sri Lanka, with the widest variation of animals and birds... Most special of which is the elusive leopard; we could only catch a glimpse of it from afar, but we got to see many elephants instead.

In Yala, expect  to see buffaloes, bores, gazelles (or bambis as they call them), crocodiles, birds like peacocks, storks, etc. and a few elephants... But if you really want to see herds of elephant families, then Minneriya National Park  is where you should go because that's mostly what you'd see there. You can see photos of both parks in my Facebook album.

Spending about 3 to 4 hours, up to half a day, in either of the parks should be more than enough to get your fill of wild life. For Yala, starting at dawn is recommended to catch animals going for early swimming in the lakes. For Minneriya, the afternoon is recommended to see the elephant families strolling around and eating.

For either parks, you'll need to hire a driver/guide with a vehicle, so it's best to do this with a group in order to split the cost. If you're hiring the driver personally, then make sure you yourself buy the entrance tickets to the parks as the drivers tend to inflate the prices to squeeze more money out of you.

Yala National Park is in the southern province, so for accommodation, you can stay in one of the towns nearby. I was staying in Kataragame, which had nothing special much, but friends of mine were staying in River Inn Face, where I met them to go to Yala National Park together. It's quite a nice and clean place by a river, and with very nice staff.    

Arugam Bay

After 4 days in Sri Lanka, spending a night in each location, and around 5 hours trip of changing buses from Kataragame to Pottuvil, I finally got to Arugam Bay where I spent 2 nights, just to relax and lazy off by one of the world's most famous surfing spots!

The beach is quite a popular tourist destination, especially for surfers, but also for those who want to enjoy one of Sri Lanka's largest gorgeous beaches on the East coast, while the West coast is off season. Still, the beach town wasn't quite what I expected... I was expecting a well-developed city with a very busy beach, but again, it was just another small town with a few tourists here and there along the beach... Check it out in my Facebook album.

The beach town is 20 minutes away from Pottuvil, the main town where the bus station is, a Muslim-populated town, with the most beautiful sunset scene I witnessed in Sri Lanka. 

There are many options for accommodations by the beach; I personally stayed at Funky De Bar, that had good food, and nice beach beds to lay down outside. Another great option for accommodation and food, if you want something really special, is Ranga's Beach Hut.

Passikudah Bay

Passikudah Bay was the last beach town I got to enjoy, after around 3 hours by buses and a tuktuk from Arugam Bay, and it was quite different than all the other beaches. The sea was quite calm and shallow, and the beach was engulfed with luxury hotels only.

I spent a peaceful time there, swimming, snorkeling, and chilling on a commercial yacht that can be rented per night. There aren't any affordable options for accommodation or dining by the bay, but a 5 minutes walk away, there are a few good ones. I don't even recall the name of the place where I stayed, in the photo below, but it had awesome room cabins with open outdoor showers! I saw a squirrel running across the wall as I was taking a shower; such a thrill haha

Enjoy more of Passiqudah's beauty in my Facebook album here.

Up till this point in my trip, it has been nothing but "smooth sailing" in coastal towns... Then it was time for the other part of my trip, where I took a bus from Passiqudah and headed to Habarane to start my journey in the cultural triangle of Sri Lanka, which you can read about in Part III here.

Have you been to Sri Lanka or planning a trip there? What caught your attention most? Let me know in the comments below, and don't forget to share!