In the countryside of Armenia, Nokia brick phones rule. So do iconic 4x4 Lada Nivas. You might be wondering how those old Soviet rust buckets are still running? That's because they were producing them up until 2011. Those things are said to be unstoppable. Well, except maybe by EU emission … [Read more...]
Safe
As of today, I'm no longer in Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR). Good thing too, because it looks like things there just took a turn for the worse. A sharp escalation in fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh has left 15 soldiers dead and prompted … [Read more...]
Boulevard of Broken Camera Dreams
I actually moved on from Yerevan already, but didn't want to post too much about my new location. Things are a little sensitive here, so I'm holding out with public updates until I'm out of the region. Unfortunately though, my plans seem to have suffered a bit of a setback: I dropped my camera (a … [Read more...]
My Experience with Airbnb in Georgia and Armenia
In spite of hours spent researching, preparing, and sending inquiries, I was unable to secure a single place to stay in Georgia via Couchsurfing. Not in Tbilisi, not in Gori, not anywhere else. It was somewhat disappointing, especially after 'surfing' a lot on my Africa trip and hosting more than 50 … [Read more...]
Clubbing with Iranians in Yerevan
The first surprise discovery I made in Yerevan is that it's some kind of Tijuana for Iranians. For them, it's a reachable paradise of personal liberties, booze, dancing and prostitutes. Most of the other people who stayed at my Airbnb host were in fact Iranian. From what I could tell though, their … [Read more...]