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...]
Hiking in Pankisi and Staying with the Chechen Kist People
The room is dark except for a fire in the oven and a single, shaky petroleum lamp that lends the air its smell. I sit on the makeshift bed, watching the burly grandmother of the house cook Turkish coffee above a wood-fired oven while the rest of the family is huddled up across the room. We just … [Read more...]
Meet My Positively Insane Tour Guide for Pankisi: Khedi Devi Asmadiredja
When I planned my trip to Georgia, I asked around on Couchsurfing.org for an off-the-beaten track experience, I received a recommendation to get in touch with Devi. After a few e-mails (I lost track after #30), we agreed on an itinerary that would have us visit the Chechen Kist people in the Pankisi … [Read more...]
On red hair, beards, and bamboo hats
I remembered seeing a 'worldwide red hair distribution map' and knew there was a little hot spot somewhere in Russia, Central Asia or the Caucasus, but wasn't sure if Georgia was part of it (Spoiler: It isn't). I also noticed that Orthodox priests tend to sport quite the impressive beards, so surely … [Read more...]