If I had $1,000 | Pinmapple Contest

Pinmapple's 1,000 Milesone

For the past 3 years, Pinmapple and the Haveyoubeenhere community has been an avenue for many to share their travel destinations and delight us all with their fascinating stories, tips, and of course a glimpse of what would otherwise be a place unknown to us. Hive account@pinmapple recently celebrated their 1,000 Travel Digests milestone, and with that I give a hearty congratulations and thanks to the team for the job well done and for also sharing some of my posts on your curation.

I did not intend to make a last-minute entry to the If I Had $1,000 Contest. I had my destination in mind since the contest launch but things happen and yeah, here I am typing away my post at crunch time. 🤷‍♀

_{Photo by stux in Pixabay edited via Canva}

Away From The Desert Heat

I'd say I wanted to go home to the Philippines and visit beautiful travel destinations like Batanes (check out cool info and fantastic photographs at Hive account@ybanezkim26's If I had $1000 contest entry) and Sagada up north, or Palawan down south. However, realistically speaking the amount would not be enough to even fund our airfare (we're 5!) so... I'd forego the Philippines this time.

Based in the UAE, we have not really traveled to another country as a family apart from the PH vacation every 2 years. There are many things to consider like the budget. Airfare alone would wipe it off. My kids were also small and I felt that if we were to travel, I'd like them to be big enough to remember the experience. My youngest is already turning 5 in a few days and considering a "$1,000 boost" 🤞, I guess we can start plotting an out-of-the-country destination.

Can We See Some Snow?

A couple of years back, Mamu, the one who babysat my kids, went to Georgia. When they came back from the trip, she showed my children some photographs of them enjoying the snow.

Since then, the kids have been mentioning about going on a trip to Georgia.

_{Photo by Pezibear at Pixabay}

Traveling to Georgia

_{📍Pinmapple: [//]:# (!pinmapple 41.689864 lat 44.691112 long d3scr)}

_{Photo by Hive account@tim_front from Unsplash}

Georgia is located at the intersection of Europe and Asia, and is 3 hours away from Dubai on a plane. It has been a favorite destination of Filipinos here in the UAE given that there are really attractive travel packages, and visa can be obtained upon arrival. I have friends who have traveled here already and really envy them with all the stories they tell about the place.

Given that we live in a desert country, most prefer to go between January and February when snowfall is very likely. My, with all the sun we're getting all year round, a day or two of snow experience would be glorious!

Imagine walking along the snow-covered cobbled streets of Tbilisi, while getting mesmerized by the surrounding architecture.

There aren't much newly-pinned posts about Georgia at pinmapple, but this one from Hive account@haedae could still be a good reference in terms of places to visit while in Georgia. Otherwise, I found this travel guide online which would contain more up to date information.

Apart from landscapes and architecture, one which I am so keen to try is Georgian cuisine. My friends say that the food here is very affordable compared to the UAE and that they are really good too. Of course, this is without saying that wine-tasting would be on the list!

_{Photo by Svetlbel at Pixabay}

Destination #2: Armenia

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Again, based on suggestions by friends, to maximize the holidays, we could also consider Armenia. A friend recommended a DUBAI-GEORGIA-ARMENIA-DUBAI itinerary, which sounds reasonable.

Armenia is in the south of Georgia, and it would be nice to explore and experience its rich culture, try their local cuisine, and of course, see with my very own eyes, Mount Ararat. Mount Ararat is a natural landmark in the capital City of Yerevan, and is also mentioned in the Bible as where Noah's ark stopped after the great flood.

_{Photo by Artak Petrosyan | Unsplash}

Hive account@koenau shared some interesting information about Armenia, pinned at pinmapple. Likewise, I reckon this guide I found in the interwebz would also be helpful.