No Vacations in Turkey - Newsworthy?

I read in the news that the Armenian Prime Minister has told important members of government not to vacation in Turkey - which is becoming a very popular destination for Armenians due to the low cost... this request seems sensible enough, considering the lack of diplomatic relations/open border, but is it something that really needs to be reported? Is this not something that Turks will jump on and try to focus on when the real issue is indeed the lack of an open border and relations? Now I am the first one to say that stuff which makes Armenia "look bad" in the west SHOULD be reported on, people need to know and it is the first step to making things better - but only if it is a bad thing that ought to be fixed. In this case, and others in the past, it is better just to pass along to the next story. This is not news that people need to know.

Earthquake!

YIKES!

It's 2.15am and we just had an earthquake! Sorry guys, I'm not used to this. We don't really have these in Toronto.

Georgia

So here is my assessment of the trip I was on, let the commenting begin!

Tblisi

The good: Very nice pre-Soviet architecture which would be at home in Krakow or Budapest, with some Caucasian touches, plus a river and nice hills. Great (and cheap) sulphur bathes right next to the Armenian church.

The bad: HUMID! CRIME! Yes, the humidity was brutal, and you had a hard time staying dry. And after all the crime stories I'd heard, I get there to find a young Japanese guy staying at the same place as me had been attacked by two big guys bashing him with stones to rob him. Also must say (though I might be biased) there was not a lot of love at all for the Armenians there. Whenever I introduced myself, I was automatically American, not Armenian, just like the Armenians in Georgia were being convinced they are Georgian, not Armenian. This might not be something other tourists would pick up on, but as an Armenian I was paying close attention, talking to many Georgians and Georgian-Armenians and that was my take.

Other than that it was just in general interesting to observe the differences/similiarities. They really have one main drag, with no other street seeming to come close to it. The had McDonalds and a decent English bookstore. They were renovating many old building incredibly well, and even giving some Soviet buildings a face lift. Lots of construction and infrastructural work. Cops were in general better, though at the border I did see some suspect behavior.

Batumi

Again, some nice architecture in this small city, a lot of renovation and infrastructure work, and unbelievable humidity. It was rainy most of the time (it is subtropical after all), but it was still easy to walk around a lot, see some sites close-by, and meet some of the local Armenians. Many of the Armenians have lost their language skills, but their church was recently renovated and reopened, hopefully breathing new life into the community. There was a huge botanical garden nearby, where I bought some young hardy kiwi plants that will survive in Armenia. These will compliment the ones I've grown from seed. I gave a couple away in Lori Marz, and if anyone knows someone in Armenia/Karabakh who has a nice garden and would enjoy such a plant, let me know.

My New Yerevan Tourism Theory

So having now seen a fair number of Eastern European cities, from Tblisi to Zagreb to Krakow, and talking to many travellers, this is my decision on how to market Yerevan... as having fantastic SOVIET ARCHITECTURE! Yes, I know some people will say it's crazy, but that's what we have, and that's what is unique and cool for a tourist. We can never come close to the old architecture of any of these cities, but they can never match our city's Soviet heritage, much of which is extremely nice. From Republic Square and Opera, to Sasuntsi Davit train station and the Hamalir Complex, we have loads of cool Soviet buildings, and we need to revel in it. We need to preserve it, highlight it, advertise it, and show people what "good Soviet" can mean. I heard a few people say that they couldn't see much difference between Zagreb, Krakow or the others, and though that might be a slight exaggeration, it is true that the architecture in the entire region - including Tblisi - is quite similiar. What we have is something different, and not only that but Soviet, both of which are things that travellers love. We can build a small neighborhood of "old Yerevan" if we like sometime. We can market the regional architecture of Dilijan, Lori, Goris, Meghri, Shushi, Hadrut and other areas as well, but we should not feel ashamed of the Soviet, we should not automatically condemn it, but rather we should study it and revel in it!

Raffi...

I made it to Tiflis (Tblisi) finally, after all these years! So many thoughts to share, but I won't spend my time here typing them up. Just wanted to share that I finally made it to Raffi's (Hagop Melik Hagopian's) grave today... something I've wanted to do for a very long time. The photo shows the brand new Georgian Cathedral in the background (not Armenian).

Rain... construction...

Yesterday the skies opened up for 10 or 15 minutes, and a massive amount of rain poured down... it was so refreshing. Apparently all of Europe has been experiencing a massive heat wave, and Yerevan was no exception. After finally giving up on staying under an umbrella outdoors, I headed indoors for a bit, and when I ventured out again a half an hour later, the parched city had absorbed every drop of the water - there weren't even puddles. So finally, during the nightly breeze yesterday, there wasn't loads of dust in the air. With all of the construction, plus the lack of watering the parks and "green" strips along the streets, normally the evening breeze kicks up a fair amount of dust.

So speaking of the big construction projects, it is really crazy to see it all continuing without abating. There are just so many individual projects, plus the Northern Avenue which has made some serious progress, and now they have started what is being called the "Main Avenue", along all of Arami Street (or alley). Almost all of the smaller buildings have already been torn down, and the rest appear to have precious little time left. This project will extend a main street along a big park which will be extended in length, but shrink in width, and then lead to what I can only imagine will be the last huge project in the center - Kond. Kond will also be torn down for massive, highrise redevelopment. I can't think of any other spots in the center that are available for this sort of thing, but it would be interesting to see the city plans.

So as far as my thoughts go on all the construction, while it is a pain to live through, and I wish the buildings which for the most part are bland, but not unattractive, were more beautiful, overall it is a good thing. It will help to keep real estate more affordable in the center (yes yes, I know it's all expensive, but it is still serving to satiate a massive amount of demand which otherwise would have been channeled into existing buildings, thus causing continued price rocketing, which instead has stabilized). It is creating a lot of jobs. It will help keep traffic down as more people live more compactly. It will allow for at least some buildings and areas where the entire building is under one management, so the hallways, water, roof, etc can all be properly maintained and kept clean. I only hope that these projects are being build to proper seismic code, and will stand up in the next earthquake. I have no specific reason to believe not, except that the whole time I have been here I have met many more people who like to think of often shoddy workmanship as "good enough" and prefer to save a dollar on cement (at the price of safety), than people who worry about structural soundness, integrity, etc. I often see people bashing big holes into structurally supporting walls and foundations in Yerevan in order to change a floorplan, and see neither officials nor the people living in the building seem to pay much attention...

So next for me is a trip to Georgia - so I will report my observations about that for sure!

I took this picture over a couple of years ago, but I hadn't bothered posting it here.

I know Onnik K was looking for proof that the biggest restaurant chain in the world actually does exist in Armenia (specifically Gyumri), and here it is. (By the way, supposedly the "real" one should be here in Yerevan very soon.)

Memory like an elephant...

I swung by a factory today, which I had gone to once before about 3 years ago... the following conversation took place:

woman there: "Oh, you decided to come back and buy?".
me: "Um, when did I come in?"
woman: "A long time ago"
me: "How long?"
woman: "Over a year"
me: "Like 3 years?"
woman: "Yes, that seems right"

I must say, I was pretty impressed... true, I don't think loads of foreigners have been there, but it was quite a while back. Anyway, things seemed to be going pretty well there, which was good to see.

Otherwise, the heat continues, as does my air conditioner. Lots and lots of tourists, which is good to see. Many people staying for a month or two, which is even better.

In the news, there seems to be a pretty solid backbone to a Karabakh settlement... of course being close, and actually having one are two vastly things (as we know from experience), but it is still allowing me to start imagining the consequences. Imagine being able to drive to Lake Van for the day, or better yet to camp out over the weekend. Imagine being able to drive through to Nakhichevan in 45 minutes, and to Meghri via Nakhichevan in a couple of hours of flat road. It's hard to imagine it all... but it will definitely transform the region. I know the vast majority Armenians are ready to put this all behind them, and have good relations with Azerbaijan, I wonder if they are ready as well, or not?

Oh, one other tidbit, there was a movie about a minority in Romania during the film festival, and not to minimize the hardships they had, but these people had literally turned complaining into an art, a song, a competition. I thought Armenians were the biggest complainers I had come across, but we are not even in the same weight class when it comes to these folks...

Yerevan these days seems like a reborn city. There is a lot of life on the streets. For those of us here in the winter, the long summer days and lively evenings, balmy air, and warm breeze offer a contrast.

The film festival this year seems to be gaining momentum. I've been able to catch a few films. The retrospective on the father and son Kiarostami of Iran has been a treat. I, too, saw 'Yes' and thought that it was a well done, albeit lengthy, film. The political undercurrent of the film was exciting, and didn't mind too much tht Simon Abkarian's character was playin a Lebanese Muslim, although admittedly, I didn't even catch where that was specificed, because there were references to Armenian music and dance. The music from the film was outstanding, and I must say that the musical arranger/director did an awesome job. The closing sequence had Buena Vista Social Club set against a light duduk mix. Just beautiful!

Mobile phones--regardless of which carrier it is--are nightmarish these days. The funny part, no one seems to want to do anything about it. On top of it in certain parts of town, there was no land line or internet access either. The main line into the central part of the city had been damaged.

Just unreal, when you think that in certain parts of the world, people take their laptop and sit in the middle of a public park and go online on a wireless network...

Life, nontheless, is good in Yerevan!

What's with all the Armenian actors playing Muslim Arab roles? Although Arsine's acting in "Sabah" was really good, I just think she could have been involved in a better film, connected with Armenians and Armenian culture (am I being too Armenian?) But I feel as if Armenians have become slaves for portraying other cultures/races and their problems in foreign societies. Both Simon Abkarian's "Yes" and Arsine's "Sabah" dealt with Muslim Arabs falling in love with Anglo-Saxon Christians. (Actually, I'm not sure if the guy in "Sabah" was a Christian or just some plain ol' atheist Canadian dude.)

As usual, annoying live Armenian voiceover translations. In one part the Canadian guy Arsine's part falls in love with says, "I went nuts at the Arabic store", and the woman translating his part said, "I ate walnuts." HUH?

After the film I went to a new hotel that has been built just above Yerevan center, at the top of Cascade, called Golden Palace. WOW! Nice place. Little clash of styles inside, but definitely felt like I wasn't in Yerevan. The Italian Al Dente restaurant had good food and great service, and the prices were very reasonable, especially compared to all the other Italian restaurants in Yerevan (ie. Rossini, Cucina, Al Leoni, etc.) They also have a cigar lounge and a couple of other cafes, inside and outside. Definitely worth checking out. The prices of their rooms start from 72,000 drams. (I'm so proud of Armenia ... just last week a law was passed stating all businesses are required to quote prices only in Armenian currency.) By the way, 72,000 drams is equal to about $165 US. PRICEY! I think the presidential suite goes for about $1,500.

The after affects of a society that was imprisoned from the outside world for almost a century has become so obvious lately. "Chtesutiun" is becoming more and more visible. In a country that, apparently, has half its people living in poverty ... it's rare to find anyone who does not own a cellular phone in Yerevan at this time.

A new cell phone company entered the market, and apparently 70,000 new clients subscribed within the first few days. Priorities here are cell phones, nice cars, the girls with their chic clothes, the guys with their shoes (which they respect and adore all day long) ... and yet, walk into any local's home and they are eating potatoes, and well, hmmm, not much else. Diet and hygiene (though this second one has improved quite a bit over the years) come second for most.

Back to mobile phones ... for anyone who's aware of how much Armentel's mobile connections sucked before, just imagine, it's WORSE NOW! Ever since the new mobile phone company VIVA Cell entered the market, you can barely make calls with an Armentel connection.

To top it all off, a couple of days ago when I picked up the phone to call my sister to wish her a happy birthday, my home phone line wasn't working. It was down for 2 whole days. What kind of luck does this sucky Armentel company have? I think it's time to ditch them.

Yesterday I saw the film "Yes", which is competing in the Feature Films category in this year's festival. Just one thing that really turned me off was the Armenian music that was being used for Simon Abkarian's Muslim Arab role. Wrong connection. One other comment, it's very unprofessional to have movies with annoying live Armenian voice-overs translating. The least that can be done is have the original English subtitles running in the meantime. How are all those non-Armenians watching these movies supposed to understand? The poor Japanese man sitting in front of me was completely confused throughout the entire film.

Will be seeing Arsine Khanjian in Sabah in a few hours. Should be an interesting movie, I hope.

Golden Apricot

Last night I went to the opening of the Golden Apricot. They played the Armenian movie Mariam, which is not going to make it onto my list of favorites. The coolest part was the Sasuntsi Davit Statue opener (where MGM had lions roars), so that's not saying much. Seeing a bunch of places in Yerevan on the big screen was fun too, even when they're only outside. Outdoors there was live music and a pretty festive atmosphere, and the lighting on fire of that same metal horse I logged about a couple of months back.

Atom...

Today was a bit cooler, and by cooler I mean I don't think we broke 90 degrees, but can't be sure. In any case it was definitely very nice out this evening. I had heard Atom Egoyan and Arsinee Khanjian were coming for the Apricot Film Festival, and indeed I saw them both this evening at different places. I was tempted to ask if I could get a picture for Armeniapedia.org, but spared him (I already have her pic from the Genocide Conference).

I was discussing rugs with some interesting people today, and later trees with a young Swiss expert that loves it here and hopes to stay for a significant while in hopes of making a difference. It's always great to spend time with people like that.

VENDING Machines!

Yes, they have vending machines in Armenia. I purchased my first 7up can for 300 dram from a machine located on Sayat Nova (near Opera). Three years ago when I came to Armenia I asked myself (and probably a thousand others) how long it would take for the concept to come. WELL IT'S FINALLY HERE! Okay, I'm excited.

Some updates. Armen and I have officially been married for one year now. We went to Monte Cristo by the gorge at midnight to eat watermelon. Note to all, don't go to Montel Cristo if you only want watermelon - apparently it's only served after one orders a meal. And if you decide not to order a meal (say because it's past midnight) then they run out of watermelon.

The apartment - it seems like it's finally getting close to that moment. Though it was supposed to be ready in June it won't be ready till September. However, it finally looks like an apartment. Maybe I'll get my act together and post a picture one of these days... or maybe not.

Work is quite busy - will be traveling to Tbilisi for a week and then am going to the US for a month. It will be a nice break from the summer heat. And I'm excited to play tennis on some hard courts. Armen's work is moving along much better than we expected. His site is up and running (www.bzdesign.am). His new commercial is also now airing on three channels. It features a pair of white hands on a complete black background. The hands pantomime the creation of a table and it ends with "the art of making furniture, B&Z". I must say it's not a commercial you'd expect to see here. On the topic of commercials, the new one for Viva Cell (the new cell phone carrier) is also quite well made. They've finally entered the market and now armentel phones no longer work. Great!

"Bucket Day"

Eh, it's good to be back... The red-eye flight back to Armenia was packed - almost half of it with a huge group of older ethnic immigrants to Britain who were Christian tourists. I was the only one who by some miracle got my own row of seats, but since it was only a 4.5 hour flight and included a meal, I only got maybe an hour of sleep anyway.

Back in Yerevan Sunday morning I finally made it out of the house in the afternoon, and it was scorching hot. As I walked to meet my friends for lunch, I noticed puddles everywhere, and wondered how I could not have noticed rain... but was still too tired to think about it. As I got next door to the restaurant, the explanation for the puddles came when a huge bottle of water was poured onto me... in an instant I realized it was Vartivar (bucket day - when people, mostly kids spend the day pouring buckets of water onto anyone who can't outrun them or plead their way out of it)... I ducked in to the restaurant to see some of the battle had made it inside, but it was still relatively safe. After eating we headed to Rep. Square which we assumed would be the hot spot, and were surprised that nothing was going on... so we got someone ourselves and were immediately approached by a policeman who said Republic Square was off limits - and he hoped this didn't upset us. It didn't (though it amused me that there was such a "safe" zone and I have to wonder why). From there we literally battled our way to the Opera then Cascades, everyone getting repeatedly drenched along the way... and doing some drenching back... it was quite a day, and as usual, the sidewalks were quite quiet as most people decided to stay out of the war zone.

Last night was a big event at the Cascades which the Armenian Assembly put on for the 4th of July, and today is Constitution Day in Armenia, so it's a holiday.