LOVE MY JOB.
(If you have forgotten us) - Nigol and I are in hospitality business; have B & B, place tourists in our and other hotels, do tour guiding, provide other services related to the job, and enjoy life.
According to Nina Hovnanian we had 20% more tourists visiting Armenia in 2002, and it's not even year end. Last year Armenia got 126 thousand tourists.
Room booking is part of our job. It's hard work. Here's an example.
We got a letter from a Torontonian. He's coming to Armenia with his wife and son. Wants to book with us but does not clarify room numbers. I know him from Toronto, and also know that among other things he loves fishing. I write him back asking, on behalf of Ishkhan and Garmrakhayd, whether this was going to be a business or pleasure trip. And add that the mundane matter of booking rooms could be completed upon his arrival. He answers back, "The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources was extremely pleased to hear that I am leaving the province for a couple of weeks. For them, it meant that the fish massacre in Ontario will hold during that period.
Ishkhan and Garmrakhayd, being Armenian fish will be protected. Please assure them that I will not come close to any body of water in Armenia.
Furthermore, I am bringing sperm with me and if they have the eggs, we can start a new species, and may call "Arca" (Armenian / Canadian) (Takavor-better than Ishkhan)
I have been in Armenia not too long ago (1967)
Back to serious stuff-Regarding the room(s)
When we got married 32 years ago (I was 2 years old), our bedroom was so small that we could fit only one narrow single bed horizontally. Vertically it could take a double bed, but who wants to sleep standing up. So after 9 months, when T. was born,still couldn't afford a bigger room. Therefore, to enlarge the room, I removed the wall papers�."
I also do tourguiding I provide them with historic facts and dates, myths, and inevitably we'll start group discussions. Always, always, always, someone will say 'do you think it's right to spend 12 million on a church when there's so much �. Unemployment and poverty'; or, 'if only we had built fortresses instead of churches'. I always warn the tourists about the pickpockets especially in Vernisaj and Ecmiadzin, it's one of the parts of my duty that I take very seriously.
99.99 percent of the drivers are self assigned tour guides. The average driver is very sociable, doesn't drink on the job and has excellent driving skills. The tourist realizes the extend of his skills on the roads of Dilijan and Datev and appreciates it. When it comes to providing facts and historic info he's very creative. Once we were passing by the statue of 'Guy' (Guyi artzan) and someone inquired about it, the driver said it's Vartan Mamigonian. Or, whenever someone asks me the name of a tree in the middle of nowhere, I turn to driver for help.
I wanted to tell you about my meeting with the police, but I won't.
(If you have forgotten us) - Nigol and I are in hospitality business; have B & B, place tourists in our and other hotels, do tour guiding, provide other services related to the job, and enjoy life.
According to Nina Hovnanian we had 20% more tourists visiting Armenia in 2002, and it's not even year end. Last year Armenia got 126 thousand tourists.
Room booking is part of our job. It's hard work. Here's an example.
We got a letter from a Torontonian. He's coming to Armenia with his wife and son. Wants to book with us but does not clarify room numbers. I know him from Toronto, and also know that among other things he loves fishing. I write him back asking, on behalf of Ishkhan and Garmrakhayd, whether this was going to be a business or pleasure trip. And add that the mundane matter of booking rooms could be completed upon his arrival. He answers back, "The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources was extremely pleased to hear that I am leaving the province for a couple of weeks. For them, it meant that the fish massacre in Ontario will hold during that period.
Ishkhan and Garmrakhayd, being Armenian fish will be protected. Please assure them that I will not come close to any body of water in Armenia.
Furthermore, I am bringing sperm with me and if they have the eggs, we can start a new species, and may call "Arca" (Armenian / Canadian) (Takavor-better than Ishkhan)
I have been in Armenia not too long ago (1967)
Back to serious stuff-Regarding the room(s)
When we got married 32 years ago (I was 2 years old), our bedroom was so small that we could fit only one narrow single bed horizontally. Vertically it could take a double bed, but who wants to sleep standing up. So after 9 months, when T. was born,still couldn't afford a bigger room. Therefore, to enlarge the room, I removed the wall papers�."
I also do tourguiding I provide them with historic facts and dates, myths, and inevitably we'll start group discussions. Always, always, always, someone will say 'do you think it's right to spend 12 million on a church when there's so much �. Unemployment and poverty'; or, 'if only we had built fortresses instead of churches'. I always warn the tourists about the pickpockets especially in Vernisaj and Ecmiadzin, it's one of the parts of my duty that I take very seriously.
99.99 percent of the drivers are self assigned tour guides. The average driver is very sociable, doesn't drink on the job and has excellent driving skills. The tourist realizes the extend of his skills on the roads of Dilijan and Datev and appreciates it. When it comes to providing facts and historic info he's very creative. Once we were passing by the statue of 'Guy' (Guyi artzan) and someone inquired about it, the driver said it's Vartan Mamigonian. Or, whenever someone asks me the name of a tree in the middle of nowhere, I turn to driver for help.
I wanted to tell you about my meeting with the police, but I won't.
posted by Nigol at 10:22 PM
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