Blogs from West, Armenia, Asia
March 14th 2012
We originally planned to visit Armenia in the Easter break however when we heard a group of teachers were going to take advantage of the extended weekend due to woman’s day (which is a massive celebration is this part of the world) we thought why not. We will now have the chance to celebrate Easter Georgian style, which we are both looking forward to. We met up with the group (nine of us) who would be travelling to Yerevan via night train in Tbilisi on Wednesday. We had some time before the train left to meet the people we did not know and find out where in Georgia they have been teaching and living. It was quite interesting to hear everyone’s stories. Within the group there were people teaching in cities, towns and villages. All of ... read more
November 7th 2011
It had been a tough walk. In fact it had been one of the most difficult one-day walks of my life. It began inauspiciously when our 5am taxi ran out of fuel halfway up the extinct volcano. For some reason he tried to chug the ancient Lada – the only car to be seen in in Armenia – up the rest of the steep winding road using the fumes in the carburettor. Finally we drew to a standstill, although it was hard to tell as we had been progressing at less than walking speed anyway, as a potentially lift giving minibus crawled up the road behind us. We paid our driver anyway; out of sympathy because I had no idea how he would get back to civilization. However, I didn’t have that much sympathy as he ... read more
September 1st 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011 - Yerevan, Armenia After 17 days and 6,800 kms on dirt roads through the mountains, combined with our final night celebration party, I'm exhausted!!! I was up at 6am, took Shelly to the Airport, and went back to bed until 11am, then joined the remaining Team members in the lobby. As you probably know, this whole Challenge was to benefit the Armenia Mission - an NGO that helps refugees from the war, earthquake victems, and the poor and homeless. Attila (our Leader) organized a visit to a refugee school in North Yerevan. We jumped into our cars and convoyed to the school. We entered to school armed with toys, clothes, school supplies and checks. There were about 30 children aged 5 - 15. They were very quiet and didn't quit know what ... read more
July 23rd 2011
June 2011 Armenia doesn't get along with Azerbaijan to its right or Turkey to its left -borders closed. With Iran to the south, that leaves a US passport holder with Georgia to the north. Moscow–Yerevan, Armavia Airlines I felt like the only non-Armenian on a plane full of super-sized families. At the airport in Yerevan, as the ONLY person at the visa window, it was fact. Yerevan had lots of character. Kind of rough, but nice architecture characterized by reddish-brownish stone construction on most buildings. Nice parks, good restaurants, Cafesjian Center-Hanging Gardens very nice with great view. Found a great place to sit on the street and sip beer on a perfect evening. Watched Armenians walk by for a couple of hours. Yerevan Hotel Villa Delenda was very cool, an old residence, in an ally in ... read more
February 19th 2011
I was one of only fifteen passengers aboard the Armenian Airlines flight from Dubai to Yerevan. With over a hundred and twenty seats empty, we all had our pick of where to sit. I settled down thinking about to my second solo adventure. I’d be spending two nights in the Armenian capital before driving north to Tbilisi, Georgia, all alone except for my camera and guide book. Like my previous solo trip, my mood flickered between apprehension and excitement. Three hours after leaving the warmth of the Arabian Gulf we began our descent into a wintry Yerevan. From what I could see outside, the landscape looked desolate and cold, a grim reminder that February in the Caucasus was not for the faint hearted. Only the week previously the night-time temperatures of Yerevan had been a blood-freezing ... read more
October 15th 2010
Wir hatten viel von Armenien erwartet und unsere Erwartungen sind nicht enttäuscht worden. Auf den ersten Blick wirkt Jerewan recht russisch, doch bald stellt man fest, dass sich armenisch und russisch doch stark unterscheiden. In der Stadt wird viel gebaut, die schwierigsten Zeiten, in denen die Armenier isoliert und mit Kerzenlicht auskommen mussten, sind definitiv vorbei. Aber es könnte besser sein. Die Blockierte Situation mit der Türkei und Aserbaidschan ist stark beeinträchtigend für die Wirtschaft (alle Grenzposten geschlossen), Armenien könnte unserer Meinung nach ein oder das Handelszentrum auf dem Kaukasus sein. Seit in Georgien die Mafia nicht mehr am Ruder ist, kommen die Transporte aus Russland wieder bis auf Armenien. Der Handel mit dem strategisch wichtigsten direkten Handelspartner Iran blüht und ist unverzichtbar. Wir fühlten uns wohl in Jerewan, obwohl z... read more
September 20th 2010
Arrived 6am in Yerevan, the airport is busy with a few early arrivals along with us, I took the Air Baltic from Riga.The airport was surprisingly modern and for most, we have to queue to the visa counter, fill up forms then queue for the visa counter, almost halfway through when I realized I have to pay in local money so got out and looked for ATM, there was none in the area and so I have to change $10 which was the exact amount for a 21 day visa. Took almost an hour waiting in line, then at the immigration counter had a chat with a fellow American also from Boston, this dude works here for the American University, after immigration that was the last I saw of him as I gather my belongings and ... read more
August 21st 2010
Hi all, I wanted to post this before I left Armenia, but ended up being unable to, so, here are my last thoughts while in country-- written with less than 6 hours left. I never got around to posting it this past year, so I'm posting it now as a review of what went on in T27 last year, and as a primer for my next post about my time in Armenia so far. Apologies for the lack of pictures. More coming soon. I'm up early on my last day in Armenia for two reasons: to take a shower (check) and to write a brief blog entry before we dismantle the internet (which, with a bunch of 21st century archaeologists and scientists, is the last thing to get broken down, a truism I am thankful for). ... read more
