http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Armenia/West/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , Armenia , West en-us Thu, 07 Jan 2010 06:48:37 +0000 Thu, 07 Jan 2010 06:48:37 +0000 Hi guysAs you can see we got carried away heading East.........I also have a correction to make on the last blog I was spelling Bizaar wrong so I stand corrected I realised as I looged out.Since my last update we carried on in Turkey. We did a section of the black sea coast and it was amazing The western half the eastern half was shit. Mountains private bays little villages and forest http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Armenia/West/Yerevan/blog-442859.html I finally found a computer that would allow me to actually see the pictures before posting. I am sorry if you got this message twice. Today I had a problem in that the language was in Georgian. It took me awhile to figure out what to do.Everette http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Armenia/West/Yerevan/blog-441407.html Hi EverybodyWow We are having a great adventure. If the rest of the trip goes sour Armenia and Georgia will make it worth while. We left Tibilisi Georgia yesterday by marshrutka a privately owned minibus. This is the way that people in many countries of the world travel. We used them in Central America and found that they are the main form of transportation in this part of Eastern Europe http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Armenia/West/Yerevan/blog-441016.html We took a shared taxi with from Tbilisi all the way to Armeniarsquos capital Yerevan. The route took us along nicely paved roads to the border where crossing took about an hour and then continued on the other side on notsonicely paved roads After a year in Azerbaijan it felt a little like tasting forbidden fruit as we queued for our visas which incidentally are now available on the borde http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Armenia/West/Yerevan/blog-426877.html Public transport The MarshrutkaI'd been working on Russian I had a few dozen words maybe but no grammar because I'd been doing it myself from a book and a CD in the car. But my tutor in Aberdeen Anya gave me a couple of hundred more words plus some basic grammar so I should now be able to hold survivallevel conversations about buying tickets asking directions and ordering food. But th http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Armenia/West/Yerevan/blog-384637.html Facts and opinionsCascade is a huge monument on the hill in Yerevan. Construction started in 70s and never ended. Few years ago they decided to extend it but progress seem to rather slow you can see cranes at the picture. Museum on top of Cascade is expected to open in 2010. But nobody knows how financial crisis will influence the schedule. White stairwell with fountains is supposed to reminesc http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Armenia/West/Yerevan/blog-379416.html Un petit pays chrtien au milieu des montagnes du CaucaseAprs un petit voyage en bus de 25h travers le dsert du nordouest de l'Iran prouvant cause de la chaleur et un peu stressant pour des questions de visa nous sommes arrivs dans cette tonnante capitale Erevan.Cette ville est un vritable oasis o l'on trouve des fontaines o se dsaltrer tous les coins de rue dbordante de ve http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Armenia/West/Yerevan/blog-306328.html Tomorrow I fly Katie will join me on Saturday morning. My first week is supposed to be vacation time to visit with friends. I have told Gohar Palyan the Armenia Coordinator that I would be willing to work during that time if there is work top be done. We shall see. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Armenia/West/Yerevan/blog-304765.html Sam HereToday we visited the pagan temple First Century A.D. at Garni and then traveled further up a valley to the Geghard Monastery. You can see pictures of both and if you like read more about their long history on the web. The Geghard Monastery is particulalry inspirational carved out of rock and set in a beatiful setting similar to the Red Rock area of Arizona.At the Geghard Monastery we http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Armenia/West/Yerevan/blog-304057.html Salut tous Avec la bonne nouvelle de notre nouveau dpart pour des terres inconnues nous avons le grand plaisir de vous accueillir cette anne sur la toute dernire nouveaut inch Allah le blog des voyageurs Vous pourrez dsormais nous suivre en temps rel ou 2 semaines et vous perdr... euh voyager quasiment en direct avec nous ... moyennant tout de mme 2 ou 3 pays de retard il fa http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Armenia/West/Yerevan/blog-303930.html Just some general comments and pictures about how village houses are built around Yerevan Armenia.The basic ingredients for foundation walls and floors are concrete and tufa a calcium carbonate deposit. Fortunately for Armenia tufa is common cheap and comes in many colors giving their towns and villages a much greater range in color and variety than other soviet style buildings in other p http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Armenia/West/Yerevan/blog-303650.html Yesterday Izzy's birthday was quite the celebration. Gohar the Fuller Center volunteer coordinator took Izzy's birthday very seriously. She made sure that he had a cake complete with firecrackertulip that lit the candles and played happy birthday as well as champagne and watermelon. We were told that we would have cake upon arriving at the site around 10 am so that the cake would not mel http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Armenia/West/Yerevan/blog-303648.html Hi All Gayle here posting for the first time.Today was yet another extraordinary day full of adventure and amazement.We began by going to Levon's chambers of wonders in a nearby village outside of Yerevan. Levon has spent the last 23 years digging what was supposed to be a root cellar beneath his house but has turned into an inspired response to visions sent to him in his dreams. He now spe http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Armenia/West/Yerevan/blog-303639.html Sam Yet AgainI think the kids are having too much fun at night to blog....so it goes. Leo paid my Internet fees yesterday and I told him that in return I would mention him today...done.Today was the last day of work on the site. We finished the front stairs and then spent the rest of the time until lunch passing buckets of pumice up to the attic. The Fuller team was glad that we stopped using http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Armenia/West/Yerevan/blog-303232.html Hi Allstarted this yesterday...finishing todaySam again. 100F today at the work site. Everyone seems to be aclimatized though. Both Wren Anna and Stuart work out in the sun much of the day. Stuart shovels cement about 70 of the time and Wren has taken turns too. Anna does bucket line without complaint. Pretty standard day for us. All the cement floors in the house are now complete ex http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Armenia/West/Yerevan/blog-302724.html TShirt SlogansOutragous when I move my bodyFor you splendid smileWe have super grassMy heart lives in the dastIndustrialDubFolkAcidThis bag is not a toyMenu itemsvhiski jinromLong Icelend Ice Tea http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Armenia/West/Yerevan/blog-302359.html Sam here...Today was an off day but I should say something about the previous night first. After the ballet the kids hooked up with some Armenian kids they met at the work site and went out on the town. The traveled up the city mountainside to a sports area where the local youthizens had organized an outdoor dance party. I will let the kids expand on this but they had a Russian DJ who played R http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Armenia/West/Yerevan/blog-302342.html Note pictures were added to the previous day's entriesToday was another work day. We traveled to the site and continued working on mixing and pouring concrete and made a lot of progress on the remaining rooms. However in the early afternoon the electricity went out and we learned that tragically the families' 15year old neighbor and clos friend who was the twin of one of the previous day's he http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Armenia/West/Yerevan/blog-301929.html Hi All. Sam here. Wren and Stuart have been doing most of the blogging but thought I would throw my biscuit in too. Last night a number of us suffered from St. Gregories' revenge which took a lot out of us get it and so were a little lethargic in the morning. Today was more bucket lines for mixing and passing concrete and we finished the floor of their main room. We had a group of about 1 http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Armenia/West/Yerevan/blog-301477.html Today was a travel day. We began the day at the Armenian Genocide Memorial just outside of Yerevan. Genocide was committed on Armenians by the Turks starting around 1915. All Armenian men were recruited to be in the Turkish army and were made to dig their own graves and then shot to death. Armenian women and children were forced to go on long journeys through the desert and died of thirst and hung http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Armenia/West/Yerevan/blog-301011.html