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...]
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...]