Blogs from Armenia, Asia - page 15

Till, the German dude I met in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh went back to Yerevan with me and is staying with Mohammad as well our Csurfing host, we both decided to make a day rip to Vanadzor to see 2 UNESCO sites nearby. We took a minivan which took about 2 hours, arriving in Vanadzor we got swamped with taxi drivers offering their services for the excursion to the Unesco sites, we bargained hard until we found a good driver, no English but he knows where we are going. The drive there was beautiful, roads are winding and we saw a few old bridges made of steel, then we finally arrived in Sanahin, a very old monastery full of history, as most churches here it's made of solid rocks and the interior is simple and plain apart from ... read more

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

Ellie: Today was a bit of a non day, but turned out to be quite fun! We left Ubud earlier this morning, sorted out ONE set of flights, and then got dropped off....God knows where! We gave the taxi driver what we thought was the name of a street with some funky looking shops, but must have pronounced something wrong. So, we found the sea and got back by walking along the beach. We walked for miles and miles, the sand was doing that thing where it stretches out each time you make any progress, and we were slightly delirious by the time we reached our familiar patch. After that we did a little bit of a shop before going back to the beach for some late sunbathing and paddling. Right now we're sat in a ... read more

Well into Week 5, I'm finally getting around to writing about Week 4-- life on Project ArAGATS is growing hectic because we have less than a week left in the field, and so much left to do-- not to mention final trench reports to write, artifacts to catalog, C14, and dendrochronology samples and ceramics to pack so they can be shipped back stateside for analysis... but all is good-- for archaeological excavations (and academics in general...) this last minute cramming is nothing unusual. In any case, I'm getting ahead of myself, and details about Week 5 will have to wait until my next entry. After a wild week 4 in T27; with the final count at forty-four complete (though some fragmented) ceramics removed, two bronze arrowheads, two obsidian arrowheads, and over twenty grinding stones and mortars, ... read more

After a busy , but fantastic week, I'm squeezing in a few minutes to write this blog entry before dinner, data processing, email checking, and last, but certainly not least, bed. I'm also not holding up to my promise to write once a week -- but I hope to post twice this week to make up for it. (One final caveat: I didn't get around to posting this on Sunday (7/18) when I wrote it, and I'm finally posting it on Tuesday (7/20), that's why dates may seem a bit off.) After finishing the week up in the field, last Saturday (we work Monday through Saturday, and have Sunday off, which is reserved for field trips, and general mental well-being), we ventured off to visit three sites north west of Aparan and the Tsaghkahovit plain where ... read more