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As Maris wanted to practice teaching for 2 months in Estonia and spend some time with her family, I decided to travel alone during that time to areas that are somewhat off the beaten track and rejoin her in Estonia when her teaching practice was over.

Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan

Odv
2004-09-15 11:01:45

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was Armenia, the embassy told me I had to wait 3 days for a visa and that it would cost 76 USD. I could get a 3 day transit visa at the border for 30 USD. So I planned to go in and out of Armenia within 3 days.

Imagine my surprise however when the border guards offered me a tourist visa, valid for 21 days, for 30 USD, receipt and all. Very official in other words. Apparently the embassy needs our dollars as it is their only meaningful source of income.

This changed my plans. I stayed longer in Armenia and managed to visit some of the highlights, like: Geghard, Garni and Khor Virap. Yerevan also positively surprised me. The impression that I had gotten from the latest issue of National Geographic was that it was rather gray and desolate. Not so! Yerevan is the safest capital of the three republics and not at all as gray. It is also nice to walk around the town, where everything is within walking distance.

I was again fortunate to stay with a family, with Rafik and Gohar, both in their 70s. A welcoming and very attentive couple, that made me feel at home. As retirement pensions in Armenia are barely 20 USD per month, they have found a nice way to make some extra income and meet people from all over the world. Another visitor staying in their apartment was Rasool, a fellow Dutchman of Iraqi Kurdish origin.

I was surprised to find out that Russian is still widely understood in all three republics. Some basic knowledge of Russian helps, though my knowledge is very basic. I had attempted to learn some of the Georgian alphabet. After a few days I could read about half of the letters, which was practical to catch buses. But in Armenia I never got further than a few letters, as learning (part of) a second totally different alphabet within days of each other was too much.

One of the national dishes that I ate in Armenia is called "tolma". Interestingly I had eaten nearly the exact same dish, also called "tolma", ...