Blogs from Armenia, Asia - page 22

The rest our journey was more precarious and I gazed at the broken guard rails strategically placed beside the worst curves. Some good they did. The snow fell furiously, Axel Rose screamed “Welcome to the Jungle!” which was remarkably appropriate for the chaotic traffic we kept engaging, and I watched the world drift on. The mountains are intoxicating in this region, not that we needed any more intoxication, and you really feel close to the earth. It is comforting. We made the final turns off the mountain and descended into the basin that cradles Yerevan. It was Genocide Day in Armenia, and no one was at work and seemingly everyone at the Genocide Memorial Police were directing traffic with profound futility, and, my knees screaming from 7 hours in the back seat, I just wanted ... read more

It's Genocide Memorial Day. You know, remembering the 1.5 million (exact amount disputed) Ottoman Armenians killed during their deportation in WWI. 92 years later, and there's still a pretty big turnout; an unending throng of people bearing flowers or wreaths to the Memorial to be placed around the eternal flame as dramatic music is played on loudspeakers and the whole thing is broadcasted live on TV. It's April 24 and if you think that means it's warm and sunny you're very much mistaken. It's snowing heavily, giving the whole thing an even more dramatic and eerie atmosphere. Not the best time or place to be a Turk. Especially not when I'm seconds away from being interviewed for Armenian TV as the Turk at the Memorial. I'm trying hard to compose myself and think of the words ... read more

My husband and me, we traveled to Nepal last autumn. We trusted an internet recommendation and chose Sherpa Paseng Dendi trekking company while still at home in Luxembourg. We were so pleasantly surprised upon arrival in Kathmandu as Dendi Pasang had succesfully organised everything starting from airport pickup, city tour, friendship dinner, hotel arrangement, plane tickets to Lukla etc. Our trekking guides for the 2 week trekking tour into Khumbu Everest region were Furwa Lama and Karma Gyalzen and we could not have wished better companions for that! Apart from ensuring smooth functioning (incl. carefully chosen lodges and menus) of the planned trekking, these guys really cared about our wellbeing (in all respects) during the trip. Being very much interested in the non-apparent aspects of their culture and religion we greatly appreciated that these young men ... read more

Each morning I pull myself out of bed, shuffle into the kitchen, and light a burner. I can usually do this without opening my eyes. This morning the match burned down to my fingers before I realized something was wrong. No gas. I'm good at thinking under stress. It must be from my days working as an orderly in the ER. Even in my half conscious state my mind quickly mapped out plan B: Art Bridge. Every Third World capitol has an Art Bridge. In Colombo it was Deli France, in Harare it was Italian Bakery. This is the cafe where the ex-pats hang out, the little European oasis that serves decent cappuccino and maybe croissants. I normally avoid Art Bridge, but I was desperate for a caffeine fix. The local coffee, essentially Turkish coffee, is ... read more

Dilapidated minivans called marshrutkas are the preferred mode of travel in the Caucuses. They are cheap and fast and will take you across town, across the country, even across international borders. The downside is that they can get crowded. To make matters worse, Armenians have a strange fear of drafts, believing that a single gust virtually guarantees pneumonia. As a result, all of the windows are closed tight in a marshrutka, which makes it like a rolling sauna. This morning I took a marshrutka an hour out of town to Echmiadzin, the "Vatican" of the Armenian Apostolic Faith. Founded in 303 CE by Gregory the Illuminator, the Church celebrated its 1700-year birthday a few years ago, making it older than the Coptic churches, the Orthodox churches, and certainly older than Roman Catholicism. The theological differences between ... read more