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...]
Yerevan
I arrived in Yerevan. Figuring that this will probably the most comfortable and amenity-filled place for me for a long time to come, I'm happy to linger a few more days than strictly necessary. It's a city with plenty coffee shops, parks, decent supermarkets and a boxing school with old pictures … [Read more...]
The Pankisi Gorge in Pictures
A picture says more than a thousand words. Still, I figured an extra one for each wouldn't hurt. … [Read more...]
Soundtrack of Georgia
While staying with a Chechen family in Pankisi, my tour guide put her mp3 player to work. I wish I could have asked the locals what they thought of my half Indonesian, half German guide blasting out the national anthem of the Chechen Republic Ichkeria. Unfortunately, that opportunity didn't arise. … [Read more...]