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...]
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...]
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...]