Post: #26

(08-27-2018 03:19 PM)DaveR Wrote:  

(08-27-2018 02:47 PM)Johnnyvee Wrote:  -Also, are you a 100 percent sure that an online business does not fall under the corporate tax umbrella? (15% tax if so.) If you do say affiliate marketing via Amazon etc. as an example.

Only foreign SOURCED income is exempt from income tax - dividends, royalties and interest, rent on foreign property, etc. I.e. passive income.

If the source of your income is work that you do in Georgia, you're liable to local taxes.

Affiliate marketing could be structured to avoid local taxation, but you'll need to set up an offshore and pay yourself a small wage for services to the company. Local wages are low, so it shouldn't be an issue.

Georgia doesn't have any anti-CFC legislation, so owning offshore companies isn't an issue.

Thx for the info. You seem to know a lot about this stuff, so I have a few questions if you don`t mind.

-Do you know if this is the same for the Ukraine? I got that impression. (0 tax of foreign sourced income.)

-Also, if you move to any of these countries, could you set up a business in another country than your home country? My Government (Norway) seem to hunt down anyone that want`s to "escape," so I want to avoid that if I can. Could you register a paper company in the Bahamas, or equivalent nation, in other words?

Post: #27

(08-27-2018 07:27 PM)Johnnyvee Wrote:  

(08-27-2018 03:19 PM)DaveR Wrote:  

(08-27-2018 02:47 PM)Johnnyvee Wrote:  -Also, are you a 100 percent sure that an online business does not fall under the corporate tax umbrella? (15% tax if so.) If you do say affiliate marketing via Amazon etc. as an example.

Only foreign SOURCED income is exempt from income tax - dividends, royalties and interest, rent on foreign property, etc. I.e. passive income.

If the source of your income is work that you do in Georgia, you're liable to local taxes.

Affiliate marketing could be structured to avoid local taxation, but you'll need to set up an offshore and pay yourself a small wage for services to the company. Local wages are low, so it shouldn't be an issue.

Georgia doesn't have any anti-CFC legislation, so owning offshore companies isn't an issue.

Thx for the info. You seem to know a lot about this stuff, so I have a few questions if you don`t mind.

-Do you know if this is the same for the Ukraine? I got that impression. (0 tax of foreign sourced income.)

-Also, if you move to any of these countries, could you set up a business in another country than your home country? My Government (Norway) seem to hunt down anyone that want`s to "escape," so I want to avoid that if I can. Could you register a paper company in the Bahamas, or equivalent nation, in other words?

They have worldwide taxation of residents, but it's very possible to optimise. Cypriot companies are popular with locals because the tax treaties between the Ukraine and Cyprus offer good rates on dividends and interest. You could accumulate your profits offshore tax-free and pay 5 or 10% on money brought into the Ukraine.

Post: #28

I felt Batumi is a great stopover to hit the beach and eat good, cheap food and 'game' Russian tourists. There is also a number of Russian startups that have staff in the city. Getting a Georgian girl will be tough.

For Georgian girls Tbilisi used to be great - but has been flooded by Turkish men and isn't worth dropping by anymore.

Post: #29

I think the selling points of Georgia might me over exaggerated.

1."You can stay for one year without a visa."

In the Balkans for example, you just leave every 90 days and come straight back in and no big deal.

2 "The ease of opening a bank account"

At SOME banks you just turn up and show your passport, but one bank, which I cannot remember the name of, asked for another document(can't remember what that was either!).

There are countries where opening a bank account is an easy process, for example i recently opened one in the Balkans in a matter of minutes.

3. "In Georgia there is 0% tax"

Well that's good if you intend on setting up a physical company there, but if you're are location independent then chances are you don't pay any tax anyway.

Post: #30

(08-28-2018 07:15 AM)Mumbojumbo Wrote:  I felt Batumi is a great stopover to hit the beach and eat good, cheap food and 'game' Russian tourists. There is also a number of Russian startups that have staff in the city. Getting a Georgian girl will be tough.

For Georgian girls Tbilisi used to be great - but has been flooded by Turkish men and isn't worth dropping by anymore.

Long term Russians aren't as common as you might think. Or else I haven't seen them on Tinder, nightlife and bars. In fact, my entire time here I do recognize some long term expats but one was a Kazakh family (Kazakhstan is a little pricey and moderate crime isn't it?).

Interesting I do see some long term Germans and Poles (such as the guy who runs Wadim's house and the guy who runs the Warsaw Bar near McDonalds. But both of these businesses are fairly new and maybe their owners will leave Georgia within 6 months - 2 years because of the bad economy in winter or maybe the female situation?).

Post: #31

(08-27-2018 07:27 PM)Johnnyvee Wrote:  My Government (Norway) seem to hunt down anyone that want`s to "escape," so I want to avoid that if I can. Could you register a paper company in the Bahamas, or equivalent nation, in other words?

This must be a hyperbole. It's just the United States and Albania that hunts people down for worldwide taxes. Also most countries in the world (except for 5?) don't have an expatriation tax either.


But most tax offices say being a travel bum isn't enough to change your tax residency. But in Georgia it's probably super easy to do 6 months of English teaching or running a tiny bar to satisfy your home's tax office that you're a real emigrant.

Post: #32

Bang report for Tbilisi. Keep in mind this was over a period of about five months... Georgia is no country for fast bangs.

All locals, all in Tbilisi, all by indirect game. Direct game didn't do anything for me in Georgia. I don't do Tinder, Instagram or any other social shit. I'm not into nightlife either, so I can't help anyone with that.

Every one of them dressed like the girl in the picture below:
   
So their bodies are like boxes of chocolates... you never what you're going to get.

Using the Roosh scale for ratings: http://www.rooshv.com/the-1-10-scale

1. Waitress, 22, 7/9 --> 6/9, spoke Russian, great tits, no hips/ass, no hymen-no diamond (not long-term material). Doesn't have a father, whatever that means, and she was filthy; she kept leaving some kind of oil all over the leather in my car.
She started out with nice wavy hair down to the small of her back, but decided to get a lesbian haircut, reducing her to a 6 at best. I had to stop her from turning over when banging because with that ass and hair she looked like a teenage boy from the back. The haircut looked something like this except dark:
   
Took four dates over a couple of weeks and she had been waiting on me at the restaurant 3-4 times before that.
I lost interest after her lesbian haircut and told her that she was a nice girl but that "the thrill is gone, baby".

Interlude:





2. Waitress, 19, 8/9, spoke Russian, skinny with big curly hair, great tits and nice shapely ass, virgin, parents separated. Could have been LTR material but it didn't work out, possibly my fault.
A lot of interaction at the restaurant over a couple of weeks, then a few dates in Tbilisi. Still no deal but she seemed keen. I deduced that her mother was cockblocking me, so took her on a trip into the mountains. During a bathroom break on the way up, I swapped her SIM for an old expired one and told her there was no reception because of the remoteness.
Really enjoyed banging her but got stuck with the next girl due to social circle (see below). I think she sensed that she wasn't getting all of my love juice and the thrill was gone from her side. On the other hand, it could have been her mother's disapproval of me banging her unmarried daughter. They're serious about virgin brides in Georgia and she seemed to be a man-hater due to her own marriage breakdown.


3. Friend’s girlfriend’s best friend (felt almost like incest), 24, 6/9, spoke Russian, great tits, big thicc ass (not really my thing), had a few small tattoos (a crown and some Hindu-looking crap). No hymen, definitely no diamond.
She said she was Armenian but seemed to not know anything about Armenian culture or history. I asked her what her native language was, to which she replied "it's considered to be Russian"... but her Russian was worse than mine. By the end I wasn't sure if I had captured the "mental handicap" flag or if she was simply a byproduct of Georgia's substandard education system (see the end of my first post in this thread).
It was a real drag having her so close to my social circle. Mutual friends were always near and dumping her would have been considered an insult to them. I was glad to get rid of her in the end.. Fortunately, she knew what her mouth was for and how to use it.


4. Teenager, 7/9, spoke English, banging body. Would probably make a good LTR but too young at the moment.
She was often loitering with her friends near the convenience stores on the way to my place. They liked to practice English on me and thought it was hilarious when I spat a bit of game at them in Georgian (I only know about 10 words, but it's enough).
It was raining one afternoon and she was there alone, so I offered her a lift home and redirected to my place to show her the view. Had some wine and added a shot of grappa to hers. I managed to get my hands on the juiciest set of tits ever, but I think her pussy was hairy that day... she seemed pleased to have my hands on the outside but wouldn't let me take her jeans off. I then sent her to the bathroom to dry off her wet spot, hoping that she would notice the packet of razors and put 2+2 together. Her mother called and she had to go home.
About a week later her parents went to their village, so I invited her over. When I went to pick her up, her fat friend bounced in. Brought them back, gave them some wine, then said I had an early start in the morning and would drive them home. I took my girl’s phone out of her bag while she was getting ready so that we’d have to come back for it. Then dumped fattie at her place, came back, put on my go-to banging jazz and more wine. She had mentioned a few times that she liked the bath (it was set below a window looking out)... I didn't have anything to put in it, so decided to use the last 1/4 bottle of of my cologne, half a bottle of shampoo and some leaf tea.
One of my all-time favoruite bangs. I'll probably go back to visit her some time.

Post: #33

(08-28-2018 11:00 AM)BaatumMania Wrote:  

(08-27-2018 07:27 PM)Johnnyvee Wrote:  My Government (Norway) seem to hunt down anyone that want`s to "escape," so I want to avoid that if I can. Could you register a paper company in the Bahamas, or equivalent nation, in other words?

This must be a hyperbole. It's just the United States and Albania that hunts people down for worldwide taxes. Also most countries in the world (except for 5?) don't have an expatriation tax either.


But most tax offices say being a travel bum isn't enough to change your tax residency. But in Georgia it's probably super easy to do 6 months of English teaching or running a tiny bar to satisfy your home's tax office that you're a real emigrant.

A few European countries have introduced such rules. The easiest way to give them the finger is to produce a Certificat of Tax Residency from another country with which your country has concluded a double-tax agreement. Norway has concluded such an agreement: https://mof.ge/en/4681

In the long term you should make sure you don't meet Norway's local domicile rules (sell any real estate, cancel driver licence, banking, etc.).

Post: #34

(08-28-2018 11:00 AM)BaatumMania Wrote:  

(08-27-2018 07:27 PM)Johnnyvee Wrote:  My Government (Norway) seem to hunt down anyone that want`s to "escape," so I want to avoid that if I can. Could you register a paper company in the Bahamas, or equivalent nation, in other words?

This must be a hyperbole. It's just the United States and Albania that hunts people down for worldwide taxes. Also most countries in the world (except for 5?) don't have an expatriation tax either.


But most tax offices say being a travel bum isn't enough to change your tax residency. But in Georgia it's probably super easy to do 6 months of English teaching or running a tiny bar to satisfy your home's tax office that you're a real emigrant.

The general rule in Norway is that you have to live in a foreign country for a full 3 years (max. 61 days allowed in Norway during the full tax year) in order to not pay Norwegian taxes. That`s if you`ve had residency in Norway for 10 years or more, otherwise you can expatriate and pay local taxes immediately. But the rules a very complicated I must admit. It`s also basically impossible to resign your citizenship, if you wish to do so.

The Norwegian Government is becoming increasingly Orwellian, it`s quite scary to observe. No real freedom of speech anymore, the police will visit and "have a talk" with you if you persistently criticise Feminism etc. (Even if you never threaten anyone.) Extreme taxes and regulations everywhere. Driving a car is soon reserved only for the wealthy/Government officials, due to insane toll fees and taxes. You can`t park anywhere anyway, unless you`re literally a millionaire.

I have given up on this place. Scandinavian men are just different genetically than the more southern European type of man. They want women to rule them. I`ve lived in Norway my whole life, but I have my genetic origin from France/Serbia. I just feel like an alien in these lands the way they have evolved.

Post: #35

(08-28-2018 02:33 PM)Johnnyvee Wrote:  

(08-28-2018 11:00 AM)BaatumMania Wrote:  

(08-27-2018 07:27 PM)Johnnyvee Wrote:  My Government (Norway) seem to hunt down anyone that want`s to "escape," so I want to avoid that if I can. Could you register a paper company in the Bahamas, or equivalent nation, in other words?

This must be a hyperbole. It's just the United States and Albania that hunts people down for worldwide taxes. Also most countries in the world (except for 5?) don't have an expatriation tax either.


But most tax offices say being a travel bum isn't enough to change your tax residency. But in Georgia it's probably super easy to do 6 months of English teaching or running a tiny bar to satisfy your home's tax office that you're a real emigrant.

The general rule in Norway is that you have to live in a foreign country for a full 3 years (max. 61 days allowed in Norway during the full tax year) in order to not pay Norwegian taxes. That`s if you`ve had residency in Norway for 10 years or more, otherwise you can expatriate and pay local taxes immediately. But the rules a very complicated I must admit. It`s also basically impossible to resign your citizenship, if you wish to do so.

The Norwegian Government is becoming increasingly Orwellian, it`s quite scary to observe. No real freedom of speech anymore, the police will visit and "have a talk" with you if you persistently criticise Feminism etc. (Even if you never threaten anyone.) Extreme taxes and regulations everywhere. Driving a car is soon reserved only for the wealthy/Government officials, due to insane toll fees and taxes. You can`t park anywhere anyway, unless you`re literally a millionaire.

I have given up on this place. Scandinavian men are just different genetically than the more southern European type of man. They want women to rule them. I`ve lived in Norway my whole life, but I have my genetic origin from France/Serbia. I just feel like an alien in these lands the way they have evolved.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expatriation_tax

Norway doesn't have an expatriation tax.


Just use $50,000 of savings and pick a place (I guess even Republic of Georgia), open some kind of bullshit business and then pound it out here for 3 years. Once Norway lets you officially emigrate then you can start selling stocks, cryptocurrencies or whatever wealth you got around around.

but ofc if you're a poor man then I guess you're stuck in that SJW Proletariat society where probably the Norwegian men mog you and the Norwegian women are probably doing frequent hookups with Chadullahs and you're probably contemplating a fast suicide by gun or a slow suicide by alcohol.

Post: #36

(08-28-2018 11:53 AM)DaveR Wrote:  

(08-28-2018 11:00 AM)BaatumMania Wrote:  

(08-27-2018 07:27 PM)Johnnyvee Wrote:  My Government (Norway) seem to hunt down anyone that want`s to "escape," so I want to avoid that if I can. Could you register a paper company in the Bahamas, or equivalent nation, in other words?

This must be a hyperbole. It's just the United States and Albania that hunts people down for worldwide taxes. Also most countries in the world (except for 5?) don't have an expatriation tax either.


But most tax offices say being a travel bum isn't enough to change your tax residency. But in Georgia it's probably super easy to do 6 months of English teaching or running a tiny bar to satisfy your home's tax office that you're a real emigrant.

A few European countries have introduced such rules. The easiest way to give them the finger is to produce a Certificat of Tax Residency from another country with which your country has concluded a double-tax agreement. Norway has concluded such an agreement: https://mof.ge/en/4681

In the long term you should make sure you don't meet Norway's local domicile rules (sell any real estate, cancel driver licence, banking, etc.).

Can I interpret this to mean that if you acquire a certificate of tax residency in Georgia, and you set up a business abroad, (while living and working from Georgia) and pay yourself a wage from that business, you will pay 0 taxes. In other words, you now are under the Georgian tax administration, and for your particular business the tax is zero. That`s how I understand it at least. (All of this provided you don`t overstay the meager 61 days you`re allowed in Norway during a full tax year.)

PS: I don`t know if you`re familiar with the 3 year rule in Norway, (you`re libel to pay Norwegian taxes during your first 3 years as a full time expat) or it that applies under these circumstances?

Post: #37

(08-28-2018 02:48 PM)BaatumMania Wrote:  

(08-28-2018 02:33 PM)Johnnyvee Wrote:  

(08-28-2018 11:00 AM)BaatumMania Wrote:  

(08-27-2018 07:27 PM)Johnnyvee Wrote:  My Government (Norway) seem to hunt down anyone that want`s to "escape," so I want to avoid that if I can. Could you register a paper company in the Bahamas, or equivalent nation, in other words?

This must be a hyperbole. It's just the United States and Albania that hunts people down for worldwide taxes. Also most countries in the world (except for 5?) don't have an expatriation tax either.


But most tax offices say being a travel bum isn't enough to change your tax residency. But in Georgia it's probably super easy to do 6 months of English teaching or running a tiny bar to satisfy your home's tax office that you're a real emigrant.

The general rule in Norway is that you have to live in a foreign country for a full 3 years (max. 61 days allowed in Norway during the full tax year) in order to not pay Norwegian taxes. That`s if you`ve had residency in Norway for 10 years or more, otherwise you can expatriate and pay local taxes immediately. But the rules a very complicated I must admit. It`s also basically impossible to resign your citizenship, if you wish to do so.

The Norwegian Government is becoming increasingly Orwellian, it`s quite scary to observe. No real freedom of speech anymore, the police will visit and "have a talk" with you if you persistently criticise Feminism etc. (Even if you never threaten anyone.) Extreme taxes and regulations everywhere. Driving a car is soon reserved only for the wealthy/Government officials, due to insane toll fees and taxes. You can`t park anywhere anyway, unless you`re literally a millionaire.

I have given up on this place. Scandinavian men are just different genetically than the more southern European type of man. They want women to rule them. I`ve lived in Norway my whole life, but I have my genetic origin from France/Serbia. I just feel like an alien in these lands the way they have evolved.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expatriation_tax

Norway doesn't have an expatriation tax.


Just use $50,000 of savings and pick a place (I guess even Republic of Georgia), open some kind of bullshit business and then pound it out here for 3 years. Once Norway lets you officially emigrate then you can start selling stocks, cryptocurrencies or whatever wealth you got around around.

but ofc if you're a poor man then I guess you're stuck in that SJW Proletariat society where probably the Norwegian men mog you and the Norwegian women are probably doing frequent hookups with Chadullahs and you're probably contemplating a fast suicide by gun or a slow suicide by alcohol.

I`m actually doing quite well with women here, since most Norwegian men are very beta these days. But the lack of freedom is starting to get to me. I can also see where it`s going. It`s heading towards full Marxist tyranny basically, so I want to get out when I still can.

Post: #38

Interesting report on Batumi.

I was in Tbilisi for 6 days back in June this year. I wrote my report here:
/thread-33688...ht=tbilisi

OP, did you spend any time there? I considered extending my trip to visit Batumi for a couple of days but other plans came up. Based on your report probably I wasn't missing much!

I can totally concur about online dating being worthless. Got flaked on by all 3 girls I was meant to meet (after 2 weeks of pipelining). Daygame was pleasant overall and in the end I got one make-out from 65 approaches and 1 date (2 if you include the instant date with that same girl). Girls seemed to like my look in general, getting way more IOIs than most places I've visited. But would I go back for the girls? hmmmm....

I can see the appeal of Georgia for the reasons you mentioned. Tax efficiency, cheap, good wine, lots of beautiful places to go to and see. Girls would have been that last tick I would have needed to consider doing a longer trip there, possibly even making it my base. But no.

If I went back I think I too would go with a girlfriend, like to chill at the beach in Batumi to relax or something on the cheap plus some nice trips to the caves maybe.

Post: #39

I was only in Tbilisi for a few weeks but I remember the metro stops were popular with young women (but they were in groups so not sure how approachable that is for most guys).

But Tbilisi still had Batumi's issues like a male dominated nightlife, areas with too many men, conservative women and so on. It doesn't really surprise me that you had to approach 60+ women just to get a date. With that effort on another continent you would have multiple ONSs or FWBs by now.


I guess it's been a month or so since I left Georgia and I miss aspects of it but I'm not missing the dating market. Missing the cheap shopping and the cheap beer (the Georgian brands are better than East Asian beers I think). and being able to eat a good steak / good carbonara for $15 USD and under.

It was miles easier for me to meet women in Ukraine and even easier where I am in Taiwan (I decided on Taiwan because they let foreigners stay forever with border runs). The one week in Taiwan I went on 5 dates so that's why I didn't bother checking RooshV or social media for awhile.

Post: #40

spent 3 months in Tbilisi and had a great time. Stayed in hostels the entire time which revealed the tsunami of russian/euro tourists there to hike in the forests near the russian border. It's on par with colorado nature-wise

There is also an influx of Chinese tourists, and I banged a few. pro tip: Take them to the hot springs in town. It's a private room with a tub. get naked and get in. I can't believe how well this worked and brought several chinese girls and a polish chick (not all at once!)

Tbilisi was too hot weather-wise but the Georgians are super nice overall. Celebrations get popping with ChaCha, the local moonshine. The grocery store had beer on tap, which was great. Tbilisi is ranked like #2 in the world for night clubs, right behind Berlin - massive hangars where shows take place - I didn't go but met several younger folk that go every night - ketamine is poplar due to weed being so illegal but people will smoke you out with the shit they grew on the roof. It is impossible to buy weed in Tbilisi but go to the countryside and farmers almost throw it at you.

Next time I will also go to Kazakstan / Moldova

Post: #41

I shall visit Batumi and Tbilisi soon. What is best to rent apartment? AirBnB or any chaper option?

Post: #42

I see that Kutaisi apparently has an airport with direct flights on Wizzair to most European major cities a few times a week. Has anyone gamed there?

Post: #43

(10-17-2018 04:47 AM)Endless Escapes Wrote:  I shall visit Batumi and Tbilisi soon. What is best to rent apartment? AirBnB or any chaper option?

Well this time of year it shouldn't matter. It's off-season in Georgia and people are scrambling to find anybody ~ one might even be able to get a whole apartment for $9 now.

Still a bit shocked that the so called Digital Nomads or Travel bums haven't conquered Georgia but I guess the lack of sex, lack of drugs and fun things to do is why Georgia probably won't be a huge destination for awhile (if ever).

Personally in my case I never would had gone if they didn't have that 0% foreign tax and the 360 day visa thing.

I know some people claim they love Georgia for its' outdoors but personally you can get a ton of that stuff in the Americas, Scandinavia, Balkans and the Alps.

Post: #44

(08-23-2018 02:37 PM)BaatumMania Wrote:  I primarily moved to Georgia for its' 360 day visa and 0% foreign income tax (I make money online).

I was also able to make a bank account within 20 minutes and they gave me a Debit Card with MasterCard as a payment processor. I have been able to use this card online to buy stuff on Expedia, AirBnb and Steam but I have no idea yet if it will work in foreign ATMs or not.

You would think with such a generous visa policy and 0% tax this place would be overran by westerners but I guess the few who came discovered the negatives of living in Georgia and then left. Although some people online claim to lived in Georgia for years I never met said people in person. So I guess these mysterious invisible long term expats must be hiding in their apartments 24/7 because I never met them at the most popular cafes and bars in Batumi.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batumi
I've primarily been living in Batumi the so called 'Las Vegas of Georgia'

I am happy about making a lot of tax free money. Cost of living is super cheap. I've been staying in $500/month studios on Airbnb. Just the other day I was able to buy 5 sodas, an ice cream sandwich and a MnMs for like $4 USD. If you eat out at restaurants then expect to pay $5 - $15 per trip.

Effectively this is one of the cheapest places in the world to live. The only country I know that is cheaper is probably 2nd tier Ukraine like Lviv or Laos in South East Asia. But the special thing about Georgia is they will let you stay for a whole year and then you can do a border run to reset your 360 days.

Allegedly if you try Facebook or Real Estate websites then you should be able to get an apartment down to $350 a month (but after paying utilities it will be $400 a month if I had to guess).

There's no such thing as $200 or $300 apartments in Batumi's old town. The only realistic way you could get a place that cheap is living in the outskirts and I don't recommend it. My understanding is Batumi is more pricey than Tbilisi because Batumi is a huge tourism center.


Where to live in Batumi
The Piazza, Argo Cable Car, Art Musuem or across the street from the Alphabet Tower. The rest of Batumi is like an urban sprawl and the quality of restaurants / stores is lower outside of the old town.

If you have zero interest in restaurants / bars and just want to cook everything and be a shut-in then I would recommend living close to the Batumi mall for its' supermarket and 24 hour Gym.

Restaurants to go

Most Georgian restaurants are consistent in quality. Just be forewarned that the food is often oily, fried and over-seasoned. I often had high blood pressure after eating Georgian unless I ate something healthier like Lobio (Red Beans with Cornbrread). So if you do live here long term then I recommend to avoid Georgian restaurants and eat at places serving other cuisine (Bacio serves Italian, Restaurant Ukraine, et cetera).

Restaurants to avoid in Batumi: Georgians have a weird love fetish with German culture so you will find a lot of 'German Restaurants' in Batumi. The most famous being HB and Munich. I found the quality of the food to be really low (tough gamey meat), not authentic (as someone who has been to Germany 4 times) and overpriced. A lot of the negative reviews for these places point out the food quality issue but for every 1 negative review there's like 5 positive reviews (which makes me wonder if these restaurants are hiring marketing companies to pad up fake reviews).


Gyms in Batumi
There's a gym in the old town called Orbi Fitness Center but the hours are really weird (like often not open until 10 AM) and they charge like $45 USD a month. Which means if you live in the Old Town then you have a limited window to go to the Gym. Or you're forced to go to the 24 hour Gym in the Batumi mall (but this would require you to walk, take a taxi or drive).

Internet speed

I often get 20 mbps at most places (even in the evenings). I am actually amazed at this speed because internet providers in the United States and Canada seem to throttle their speed a lot. Someone from Europe or East Asia might think the internet is slow for them though.


Not much to do in Batumi

There's only 1 movie theater and it's tiny and only plays movies in Russian (meaning a lot of Georgian people can't watch movies there either!). The beach is just hard rocks and primarily middle age women & kids. No topless sunbathers I am afraid but I kind of half-expected that.

The 'Batumi Shopping Mall' is like 2 kilometers from the old town and inside it's pretty disappointing.

There's almost no women in the alcoholic nightlife. You do sometimes see them in big groups at the Piazza but from the looks of it they're with their family or on some kind of package tour group. So I often found myself (a bit frustrated) having to stay at home and then play computer games or Netflix.


English friendliness

Every waiter / waitress I've had in a restaurant, cafe or coffee house was capable of taking an order in English and responding back in broken English. Same with shopkeepers. So English here seems to be better than infamous areas of Europe like Italy or France. But even though there's fairly high rates of English the local Georgians won't be interested in you.

Xenophobia

I found Georgian people don't like westerners. Some cafes and restaurants I have been to 30 times and the staff haven't once asked me what country I am from, smiled or even tried small talk. So they have very little interest in outsiders even when you come from a nationality that is super rare in Georgia.

Cliquey

Not sure if it's me but EVERYONE in Batumi seems to be part of a group (and these groups are often 5 or so people). They're either going out with family, co-workers or they're on a package tour. I never see anyone alone in public unless they're a taxi driver or a shop keeper waiting for a customer. This strong cliqueyness reminds me more of Asia than American or Western European cultures.


Too many men *** IMPORTANT TO READ ****

For some reason there's too many men in Batumi! If I do a headcount in public then I often count 6 men for every woman. Sometimes 12 men for every woman! You almost never see women at restaurants, cafes or bars unless they work there.

I suspect this is because of the Casinos and Oil Jobs in Batumi (Las Vegas in America has more men than women. As do oil towns). Locals and expats also claim the Adjaran-Georgian culture encourages women to stay home all day.

I've never been anywhere in the world that was a sausage festival 24/7 like Batumi is.

Prostitution

Because there's too many men in Batumi this also attracts a ton of prostitutes. There's about 30 or so 'Thai Massage Parlors' that are mini-Asian brothels and they have fixed prices. Usually $28 for a hour massage + $20 for a handjob or $40 for sex (meaning $70 for sex if P2P is your thing).

Just for Turkish men and Georgian men but allegedly there's sauna prostitution networks where the women are really cheap but there's no information in English or Russian on how to access this. This might just be an urban legend or maybe it was true 10 years ago but the police have since shut it down.

Practically every nightclub attracts freelancers who charge $200 USD/hour. Which is a crazy high price because monthly incomes in Georgia is like $150 a month! Also before the US Government shut down Craigslist a lot of American Prostitutes were charging $150 - $200 on there (but in America incomes are much higher. So why the Georgian prostitutes in nightclubs are charging so much? Georgian men and Russian men are too poor to afford $200/hour. It's mysterious. Sometimes you see 10 prostitutes waiting for a customer because too high of a price means no man wants or is able to buy).

Tinder

Batumi has been the most disappointing place for Tinder in my entire life so far. I almost never get any matches even though a westerner is considered high value in other continents (see xenophobia). I've had a few matches that were actually prostitutes trying to get me as a customer.

I don't understand why a Georgian woman wants a Georgian man (they are very short and poor) but I guess they have a strong slut shaming culture or it is the xenophobia.

Even though there's some Russians / Ukrainians coming to Batumi ~ on Tinder they don't seem as easy as back in their homelands. I think it's because women within 12 hours of coming here get sexually harassed or approached by a stereotypical Turk / Georgian with rapist day game: "SEX IN MY CAR NOW" and then their bitch shield remains high forever.

Oddly Turkish women on Tinder seem to love me (I was surprised about this because of the bad reputation of Turkish women) but I often lose interest because they look really ugly on their Tinder profile.

In all ~ I was only able to get 2 dates off Tinder over 6 months and both women were obsessed in A) wanting to know how much money I make and B) how soon I can marry them (these aren't exaggerations)



Verdict

I already decided I will leave Georgia. I guess I have to come back in 2020 or 2021 to pick up a new bank card but that would just be a maximum 2 week trip. I would rather pay higher taxes or commit tax evasion in an Asian country than to waste anymore time of my life here (especially with the women situation).

Wow is it truly that awful? How discouraging. I was planning in March to go there and open a bank account for the same purpose is as you have explained. Hat der the game makes me rather think twice and search for a better place. I don't want to have a bank account in a country that I don't like to visit

Post: #45

(08-28-2018 10:57 AM)BaatumMania Wrote:  

(08-28-2018 07:15 AM)Mumbojumbo Wrote:  I felt Batumi is a great stopover to hit the beach and eat good, cheap food and 'game' Russian tourists. There is also a number of Russian startups that have staff in the city. Getting a Georgian girl will be tough.

For Georgian girls Tbilisi used to be great - but has been flooded by Turkish men and isn't worth dropping by anymore.

Long term Russians aren't as common as you might think. Or else I haven't seen them on Tinder, nightlife and bars. In fact, my entire time here I do recognize some long term expats but one was a Kazakh family (Kazakhstan is a little pricey and moderate crime isn't it?).

Interesting I do see some long term Germans and Poles (such as the guy who runs Wadim's house and the guy who runs the Warsaw Bar near McDonalds. But both of these businesses are fairly new and maybe their owners will leave Georgia within 6 months - 2 years because of the bad economy in winter or maybe the female situation?).

Speaking of which this "Wadim" place is now permanently closed. Even though anytime I walked past they had tons of customers. So once again it kind of proves a theory I had that no westerner can be happy in Georgia. The guys were probably blue balled to death, and couldn't resort to homosexuality, and then left.

Post: #46

(12-31-2018 07:55 AM)timalemanha Wrote:  

(08-23-2018 02:37 PM)BaatumMania Wrote:  I primarily moved to Georgia for its' 360 day visa and 0% foreign income tax (I make money online).

I was also able to make a bank account within 20 minutes and they gave me a Debit Card with MasterCard as a payment processor. I have been able to use this card online to buy stuff on Expedia, AirBnb and Steam but I have no idea yet if it will work in foreign ATMs or not.

You would think with such a generous visa policy and 0% tax this place would be overran by westerners but I guess the few who came discovered the negatives of living in Georgia and then left. Although some people online claim to lived in Georgia for years I never met said people in person. So I guess these mysterious invisible long term expats must be hiding in their apartments 24/7 because I never met them at the most popular cafes and bars in Batumi.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batumi
I've primarily been living in Batumi the so called 'Las Vegas of Georgia'

I am happy about making a lot of tax free money. Cost of living is super cheap. I've been staying in $500/month studios on Airbnb. Just the other day I was able to buy 5 sodas, an ice cream sandwich and a MnMs for like $4 USD. If you eat out at restaurants then expect to pay $5 - $15 per trip.

Effectively this is one of the cheapest places in the world to live. The only country I know that is cheaper is probably 2nd tier Ukraine like Lviv or Laos in South East Asia. But the special thing about Georgia is they will let you stay for a whole year and then you can do a border run to reset your 360 days.

Allegedly if you try Facebook or Real Estate websites then you should be able to get an apartment down to $350 a month (but after paying utilities it will be $400 a month if I had to guess).

There's no such thing as $200 or $300 apartments in Batumi's old town. The only realistic way you could get a place that cheap is living in the outskirts and I don't recommend it. My understanding is Batumi is more pricey than Tbilisi because Batumi is a huge tourism center.


Where to live in Batumi
The Piazza, Argo Cable Car, Art Musuem or across the street from the Alphabet Tower. The rest of Batumi is like an urban sprawl and the quality of restaurants / stores is lower outside of the old town.

If you have zero interest in restaurants / bars and just want to cook everything and be a shut-in then I would recommend living close to the Batumi mall for its' supermarket and 24 hour Gym.

Restaurants to go

Most Georgian restaurants are consistent in quality. Just be forewarned that the food is often oily, fried and over-seasoned. I often had high blood pressure after eating Georgian unless I ate something healthier like Lobio (Red Beans with Cornbrread). So if you do live here long term then I recommend to avoid Georgian restaurants and eat at places serving other cuisine (Bacio serves Italian, Restaurant Ukraine, et cetera).

Restaurants to avoid in Batumi: Georgians have a weird love fetish with German culture so you will find a lot of 'German Restaurants' in Batumi. The most famous being HB and Munich. I found the quality of the food to be really low (tough gamey meat), not authentic (as someone who has been to Germany 4 times) and overpriced. A lot of the negative reviews for these places point out the food quality issue but for every 1 negative review there's like 5 positive reviews (which makes me wonder if these restaurants are hiring marketing companies to pad up fake reviews).


Gyms in Batumi
There's a gym in the old town called Orbi Fitness Center but the hours are really weird (like often not open until 10 AM) and they charge like $45 USD a month. Which means if you live in the Old Town then you have a limited window to go to the Gym. Or you're forced to go to the 24 hour Gym in the Batumi mall (but this would require you to walk, take a taxi or drive).

Internet speed

I often get 20 mbps at most places (even in the evenings). I am actually amazed at this speed because internet providers in the United States and Canada seem to throttle their speed a lot. Someone from Europe or East Asia might think the internet is slow for them though.


Not much to do in Batumi

There's only 1 movie theater and it's tiny and only plays movies in Russian (meaning a lot of Georgian people can't watch movies there either!). The beach is just hard rocks and primarily middle age women & kids. No topless sunbathers I am afraid but I kind of half-expected that.

The 'Batumi Shopping Mall' is like 2 kilometers from the old town and inside it's pretty disappointing.

There's almost no women in the alcoholic nightlife. You do sometimes see them in big groups at the Piazza but from the looks of it they're with their family or on some kind of package tour group. So I often found myself (a bit frustrated) having to stay at home and then play computer games or Netflix.


English friendliness

Every waiter / waitress I've had in a restaurant, cafe or coffee house was capable of taking an order in English and responding back in broken English. Same with shopkeepers. So English here seems to be better than infamous areas of Europe like Italy or France. But even though there's fairly high rates of English the local Georgians won't be interested in you.

Xenophobia

I found Georgian people don't like westerners. Some cafes and restaurants I have been to 30 times and the staff haven't once asked me what country I am from, smiled or even tried small talk. So they have very little interest in outsiders even when you come from a nationality that is super rare in Georgia.

Cliquey

Not sure if it's me but EVERYONE in Batumi seems to be part of a group (and these groups are often 5 or so people). They're either going out with family, co-workers or they're on a package tour. I never see anyone alone in public unless they're a taxi driver or a shop keeper waiting for a customer. This strong cliqueyness reminds me more of Asia than American or Western European cultures.


Too many men *** IMPORTANT TO READ ****

For some reason there's too many men in Batumi! If I do a headcount in public then I often count 6 men for every woman. Sometimes 12 men for every woman! You almost never see women at restaurants, cafes or bars unless they work there.

I suspect this is because of the Casinos and Oil Jobs in Batumi (Las Vegas in America has more men than women. As do oil towns). Locals and expats also claim the Adjaran-Georgian culture encourages women to stay home all day.

I've never been anywhere in the world that was a sausage festival 24/7 like Batumi is.

Prostitution

Because there's too many men in Batumi this also attracts a ton of prostitutes. There's about 30 or so 'Thai Massage Parlors' that are mini-Asian brothels and they have fixed prices. Usually $28 for a hour massage + $20 for a handjob or $40 for sex (meaning $70 for sex if P2P is your thing).

Just for Turkish men and Georgian men but allegedly there's sauna prostitution networks where the women are really cheap but there's no information in English or Russian on how to access this. This might just be an urban legend or maybe it was true 10 years ago but the police have since shut it down.

Practically every nightclub attracts freelancers who charge $200 USD/hour. Which is a crazy high price because monthly incomes in Georgia is like $150 a month! Also before the US Government shut down Craigslist a lot of American Prostitutes were charging $150 - $200 on there (but in America incomes are much higher. So why the Georgian prostitutes in nightclubs are charging so much? Georgian men and Russian men are too poor to afford $200/hour. It's mysterious. Sometimes you see 10 prostitutes waiting for a customer because too high of a price means no man wants or is able to buy).

Tinder

Batumi has been the most disappointing place for Tinder in my entire life so far. I almost never get any matches even though a westerner is considered high value in other continents (see xenophobia). I've had a few matches that were actually prostitutes trying to get me as a customer.

I don't understand why a Georgian woman wants a Georgian man (they are very short and poor) but I guess they have a strong slut shaming culture or it is the xenophobia.

Even though there's some Russians / Ukrainians coming to Batumi ~ on Tinder they don't seem as easy as back in their homelands. I think it's because women within 12 hours of coming here get sexually harassed or approached by a stereotypical Turk / Georgian with rapist day game: "SEX IN MY CAR NOW" and then their bitch shield remains high forever.

Oddly Turkish women on Tinder seem to love me (I was surprised about this because of the bad reputation of Turkish women) but I often lose interest because they look really ugly on their Tinder profile.

In all ~ I was only able to get 2 dates off Tinder over 6 months and both women were obsessed in A) wanting to know how much money I make and B) how soon I can marry them (these aren't exaggerations)



Verdict

I already decided I will leave Georgia. I guess I have to come back in 2020 or 2021 to pick up a new bank card but that would just be a maximum 2 week trip. I would rather pay higher taxes or commit tax evasion in an Asian country than to waste anymore time of my life here (especially with the women situation).

Wow is it truly that awful? How discouraging. I was planning in March to go there and open a bank account for the same purpose is as you have explained. Hat der the game makes me rather think twice and search for a better place. I don't want to have a bank account in a country that I don't like to visit

Well to put into terms most Rooshvers can understand: "worse than Toronto".


Actually the funny thing is people group Georgia with Turkey but I bet if I had gone to Turkey it would had been easier to meet a westerner and/or a liberal woman there (and there definitely would had been more women on Tinder and possibly bars too).

Thing is Taiwan and Philippines also offer 0% foreign income tax so looking back in retrospect my time in Georgia was a big waste of time. I should had just opened up an account, swing through the Balkans / Eastern Europe once again and then flown to Taiwan in June to get the tax residency process started.

Post: #47

(01-04-2019 08:42 PM)BaatumMania Wrote:  I found Georgian people don't like westerners. Some cafes and restaurants I have been to 30 times and the staff haven't once asked me what country I am from, smiled or even tried small talk. So they have very little interest in outsiders even when you come from a nationality that is super rare in Georgia.

Maybe much depends on how you are, hahaha! To me, they regularly ask about my country, how I feel, what I do in Georgia etc.

Yes, people here don't like westerners, in general, I agree. Nonetheless, it mostly depends on the individual. I am having great times here. And getting girls couldn't be more easy

Post: #48

OP claims the dating market in Georgia is "worse than Toronto" and then compare that to another RVF member who claims it's a pussy buffet. The difference in opinion is interesting.

Post: #49

Yes, indeed interesting. Maybe it depends on the person?

For me, I found my currenct girl friend (which is from Tbilisi) on my very first visit to Georgia on the very first day. Lucky punch? I don't know....

When I am alone I often flirt with girls in all possible situations and I get almost always positive responses. Be it on the street, in the supermarket or in the bus...

Hence, I kindly disagree that Georgia is a difficult country to get girl contacts.

Post: #50

(01-22-2019 06:47 PM)Endless Escapes Wrote:  When I am alone I often flirt with girls in all possible situations and I get almost always positive responses. Be it on the street, in the supermarket or in the bus...

I've seen this first hand. Yes he does.