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...]
Vardavar
I had just packed up my laptop for a planned tour of coffee shops, when my Airbnb host casually pointed out that it would be 'watering day'. Uhm. What's 'watering day'? Turns out, Armenia has a holiday called 'Vardavar'. There's a story to it that dates back to pagan times and involves some old … [Read more...]