my trip to armenia (1995-1996)
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The Trip

© 1996, Raffi Kojian

A summary of my experiences to Armenia... I left on June 28 '95 and returned Feb 13 '96.

Flight from LAX, one way ~$900 from Sidon Travel. Left at about 10pm. They ask you to get there 4 hours early, but that is too early I thought. The flight went straight to Paris. I don't remember how long a flight this is but it was about 11 hours I will guess. Seeing what time it was in Paris, I figured I had 8 hours or so before I had to board my next flight. I followed a herd of Armenians onto a bus and to a different terminal, not knowing where I was going, just assuming I was going to the same place as them. After arriving at the right gate I decided to look around all the shops and write a letter to some Parisian friends from my Land and Culture Organization experience in Armenia the previous summer. About two hours had passed when I got bored and returned to the gate to discover that boarding had begun. I had forgotten that part of the 11 hour time change from California to Armenia happened in between. Upon entering the plane I could not believe my eyes. It looked nice inside and did not smell like a toilet in the back section like it had the previous summer. I had read that all the planes had been refurbished and it was well worth it. The ~6 hour (once again, I forget) flight to Armenia was uneventful and we arrived at one or two am on July 1 with all the time changes and all, it was two calendar days later and felt like it too.

Zvartnots Int'l Airport. I like this airport. It is a very nice circular design that somewhat resembles the collapsed Zvartnots Cathedral. When Armenia is up and running this should suit its needs quite well. I went through immigration rather quickly this time since I somehow got there before most of the crowd and went to wait for my luggage. (Immigration consists of one or two Russians stamping your visa on your passport and doing some other stuff under a counter.) While waiting a guy asked me if I needed a ride and I said probably. He had an airport badge and there were a number of these guys guarding one or two carts that they would let you use for a fee. I waited forever for my luggage and by now the line for customs was long. A while later we found out that some of the first things to come through had been put on the floor on the far side of the room. I got my luggage and started off for customs. Lots of pushing and shoving later, we got to the front and the guy looked at my paperwork, asked a couple of questions (anything valuable etc... always list these things so you can get them out). I was off with my driver.

Not knowing the prices of many things, and not having discussed the price of the cab was not wise. When I asked what I owed him he said "whatever you like" this is a very popular answer there in this sort of negotiation. I think foreigners who don't know the prices there get it most. I was fresh from America where stories of mafia and warnings aplenty had made me cautious about everything (I had even asked a guy about my drivers Airport Identification's validity) I had no idea what I owed him and knew that people made very little here, so deciding to be generous and not wanting to get robbed I offered $20. He started talking about friendship and other garbage so I gave him another $10 and thought that I had better find out local prices quick, and always before agreeing to a service. (My return trip to the airport cost $7.50)

I was met by a local Armenian who I was going to work with. She showed my apartment to me. Seeing the building I was going to live in was one of the lowest points in my trip. It looked like a slum, and like slapped together concrete slabs. In case of an earthquake I felt sure I would die. Once we got inside my place I was in much better spirits. It was a very nice, spacious apartment, with an incredible view of Ararat which I saw that moment for the first time. I found out my apartment had hot showers when there was electricity. This was because of a great system they had rigged up with a large water reservoir above the tub with a heating coil in it. If you had electricity you could turn on the coil and in 20 minutes you could take a nice hot shower. Truly a luxury there. A few others I knew had a small machine that actually heated the running water as it passed through the pipe! It was amazing. The downside? It was a 3 kilowatt machine from my understanding. (That is a lot right?)

After dropping off my stuff we went to meet an AmerigaHay I knew from before who had been living there about 2 years. Gohar, the AmerigaHay showed me around Yerevan my first few days. It was a great city to walk around in and discover. I immediately started to find out the truth of the matter about many things. I already knew there were still many trees in Yerevan. They were not all cut down in the winters. Now I found out by seeing and talking that most of the trees were just pruned heavily... it was the trees planted on the hillsides of Yerevan that were emptied... some hillsides completely. Forests were also being reduced. All of the public benches and such were burned as well, but luckily the trees of Yerevan survive for the most part.

Well, it seems the somewhat chronological order of my writing has to end as I write about various things and experiences.

Throughout summer and into fall there is a great variety of fresh fruits and vegetables out there. You usually buy them on the sidewalk on tables set up for this purpose. Certain streets are completely lined with all sorts of these goods with prices often marked. The apricots and grapes were good, yes. ;-) If you have never eaten a white peach, you should not miss it. Most fruits and vegetables cost from 50 to 150 Dram a kilo... which is 12 to almost 40 cents. You can assume that all prices are negotiable, certainly nobody is insulted when you ask why it is so expensive and they don't mind extended haggling if they are not busy. Beef is expensive and probably not so good. Pork is fresh and reasonable. Chicken is usually imported frozen and is between 1 and 2 thousand dram. Let me just say here that dram was almost always close to 400 to the dollar, both were accepted interchangeably and never was there a problem converting either way. In the winter there is much less variety, with potatoes gaining even greater importance and canned tomatoes, pickles etc being consumed. Also tangerines are imported from Georgia at this time.

Transactions are rounded off to the nearest 10 dram or so, even they do not find it worth making change beyond this level.

Most of the goods are imported from Iran, Turkey and Russia. Other stuff makes it from everywhere including peanut brittle from Plains, Georgia for 150 dram for a 200 gram bag I think. It would seem that cigarettes are not taxed because they were ridiculously cheap and popular. Alcohol is the same. If you do not smoke you are often told "jishd es anum" you are doing the right thing, then they proceed to smoke. But there are a number of non-smokers and nobody seems to bother them. Drinking is another story. If you do not want to drink, they do not say "jishd es anum" they ask you what is wrong with you. No excuse is usually good enough. Not liking it is not an accepted answer, any kind of sickness or discomfort is especially bad as they claim it will cure you. It is often really bad stuff they are drinking too.

There are a number of actual stores too. They often have the same stuff sold on the street at the same prices. There is an American Armenian Jirayr who opened a somewhat western style "corner" grocery store. It has a good selection and very high prices. There are a number of these super expensive places. They are meant for Armenia's newly rich. The westerners are too few in number to support much in this way.

How many Americans (of any descent) live there? I would guess about a thousand. Dropping in the winter a bit. There are also a good number of people from all over including a Korean couple, an Ethiopian, and many others in the UN, Red Cross, and some other Non-Governmental Organizations. There are a number of embassies including Russian, American, British, German, French, Chinese, Iranian, Georgian and Greek. The Chinese are said to be opening a Chinese restaurant.

Trash collection is done by building. You chip in to pay for the guy who comes around and shovels it into his truck and hauls it off. It is usually left next to a building or at the bottom of a trash chute or on the sidewalk. Cats, dogs and rats flourish in it. There are many stray dogs who live their entire lives without human care. As puppies they are kicked around and for that reason are always fearful of humans and never aggressive. They will not bite you or even approach you usually.

Vernisage is the artists/tourists market. Each weekend, artists show their wares between Republic Square and Vartan Mamigonians Statue. There are Khatchars of tuff, wood, and obsidian, there are paintings, ceramics, sculptures, books, rugs, all sorts of remnants of the Soviet Union including watches, flags, pins, military hats and medals, etc. You can find practically anything you want there and if they do not have it you can ask for it and someone will get it for you. Some prices (mostly after haggling a fair amount and price shopping) automatic soviet KGB watches (wind themselves with wrist motions 200m waterproof) $25, normal soviet watches about $5 less. The cheapest military hats that recruits wear, they are the kind of hats Russians wear in the winter) $2.50, for a nice lambs wool one $15. (Some people pay $25 for these to show how different people can get different prices.) Obsidian Khatchkars (really nice) $1.50 to $5. Nice coat of arms carved into stone $10 (about 3 or 4 inches square), the cheapest Nardi with nice inlays of Ararat and a church $15, other really incredible ones were $50 to $100. Be prepared to walk away for a good price. Tell them it looks really nice, but you really don't need it, or it costs WAY too much, but if you really like it buy it soon if it is one of a kind, it may be gone an hour later, and even though they will make another for you, it may be rushed, it may not come out the same etc. They will make practically anything for you. If you are going there and want ANYTHING carved out of wood, stone, etc or anything like that and are short on time, go to Vernisage on the first possible day, look around at all the artists stuff and order it custom made from the guy you like most. They are very honest. You do not need to worry about them lying to you. I dealt a lot with these guys and they are there every week, they may try to overcharge you buy if they say they will have something for you at a certain time they basically will.

Safety is basically not a problem in Armenia. You can walk the streets at any hour with any amount of cash or anything and know that you are safe. I never heard of anybody being robbed ever. This was one of the greatest feelings in the world. The police are usually very nice if they know you are foreign. Never give them cash (This is usually an issue only for drivers). This being said, if you park your car somewhere overnight, do not be surprised at all if your gasoline has been siphoned out or your battery taken. These two crimes seemed to be extremely prevalent, but just about the only problem IO heard of. Most people buy very little gas at one time and take their batteries inside with them to prevent theft.

Electricity and water are distributed randomly it seems. Schools, hospitals and the government always get power. Very few others get gov't power 24 hours a day. Many people near the schools etc steal electricity from them. You can usually find someone knowledgeable about these things to set you up with a levi (illegal electricity line) for between $5-20 a month. Water may come 24 hours (very rare, especially the higher you are in a building) to once every two weeks. It probably averaged 4 hours a day in my experiences. Legal electricity usually cam 2-4 hours during the day and some more in the middle of the night.

Gas cost $5 for 20 liters, often more. It was not uncommon for other stuff to be mixed in there with it.

Lule Kebab cost $1.25, while pork kebab was $2.50 a skewer. These could be bought on Khorovadz street. A street lined with one BBQ after another. It is actually hard to find BBQ anywhere else in the city. Grilled chicken (whole) is available more widely at about $5.

Rent for a house depended on many things. Proximity to city center, proximity to subway, usual water supply, usual electricity supply, number of rooms, the closer to ground floor the better (since elevators are generally either broken or powerless) and whether you can get a good levi (the government has been cracking down on this). Living rooms are counted as bedrooms of course, balconies have often been closed off and turned into rooms. Rents are between $50 to 400 in the city center. Houses for sale are priced on the same variables and cost $6,000 to $15,000 usually.

The subway costs 30 drams now (used to be 20 until new years), taxis cost about 200 dram/km, always negotiable, the longer the trip, the more so. Always negotiate before getting in. Bread is about 150 drams for French bread, 30 dram for lavash.

Sorry I am spending so much time on costs, but most things you wonder about have a price tag. OK I will talk about the city in general a bit. The center of Yerevan is very distinctively set apart from the rest by a steep hill, the Hrazdan river, and a a couple of landmarks. You can walk across the diameter of this center in 30 minutes which means an ordinary walk should take no more than 10-15 minutes. You basically do not need a car. A subway, cab, taxi, minibus, or bus can take you just about anywhere and hitching is not hard either further out in the countryside. There are many parks which are often just dust and weeds now with some trees, but they are often pleasant anyways. The buildings are usually just boxes. Most are ugly. The only redeeming thing is all the pink tuff which unifies and is pleasant. But extensive reconstruction is necessary for an architecturally beautiful city, and probably for safety too. The street pattern is simple and very livable, which is a big plus, however if cars increase with wealth there will be traffic nightmares one day. The streets are certainly not in great condition, but they are in pretty good shape, the lines were even being repainted at one point and the traffic lights were being allotted more electricity it seemed. The sidewalks are in worse conditions.

When I arrived there were a handful of cafes, by the time I left I had seen so many go up it was truly amazing. Once an idea catches on there is no stopping it. There is progress all the time, you can see it when you live there, but it is painstakingly slow.

I may add more later, especially about some of the tourist attractions and outer regions it is sometimes hard to find out about. Also about the people themselves, business etc. All questions will be gladly answered.

n_w$$h

Trip to Armenia part 2.

Tourist destinations...

Well there are certainly more than I had imagined and I have never seen any book do them justice, either text wise which leaves most things out, or picture wise.

Let me start with Yerevan, since that is probably where you will stay. First of all there is Republic square. If a piece of land could ever represent the heart of a nation, this is it. It is a very large oval, surrounded by Hotel Armenia 1, a post office, a big fountain where at night in the spring summer and fall you can see lights and (bad) music shows, the Armenian Assembly of America, Mellat Bank (Iranian), Midland Bank (British) with Armenia's first two ATM machines (I do not know if they are operational now, but I saw them installed) A cafe by the history and Art museum which was well worth the visit. It is not large, but is packed with some very good stuff. I have read reports on groong that is was closed to be sold, truly sad. They will never get what it is worth and will not have a place for these great exhibits it would seem, the stand where Lenin's statue was is here too, behind it is the park of 2,750 fountains to commemorate Yerevan's age. Nearby is the Metro, located in a park where vernisage is located. At the end of this park is Vartan Mamigonians statue on horseback which is very nice. Yervant Kochar made it.

Perhaps I should stop to talk about hotels for a minute. Yerevan has plenty. Hotel Armenia 1 and the Bass are very expensive. Hotel bass opened a couple of months ago by the US AID office. It is the first private hotel in Armenia. It is supposed to be nice. Both will run ~$100 I think. Then there is the Erebuni, Ani, Dvin, Hrazdan and others. The last two may be nicer and pricier, I am guessing average prices run ~$20.

The Sergei Parajanov Museum is a must see. It is pretty new and contains a vast collection of his surrealistic art. He used more materials than you could imagine and they are very imaginative. There are supposed to be screenings for his films, but you must find out the times.

The Saryan Museum is great for any fan of his. I loved it. Make sure you visit the artists studio which is hidden behind a painting. The woman should show it to you. If the door is locked knock every 5 minutes loudly, the woman is probably taking others on a tour. I though the place was shut down I tried so many times, but you just have to wait until she finishes her tour. The paintings are deteriorating due to a poor environment.

Go to the corner of Abovian and Sayat Nova and proceed up Abovian away from Republic Square. Turn left into the first alley and a few feet down it you will see a beautiful "little" church on your left. If the gate is not open go around to the front of the building and head into the backyard where it is located. Great carvings and a very nice surprise tucked away behind the buildings.

The Opera house is nice. Step inside. The symphony or opera tickets cost a mere 5 drams for cheap seats if I remember correctly.

Places I did visit in Yerevan and were OK. Visit on an extended stay. -Victory park -Botanic Gardens (Boring, but a beautiful empty greenhouse and lots of potential)

Places I should have visited in Yerevan but didn't. -Matenadaran -Khachadurian Museum -Kochar Museum -Genocide monument (gulp) -Carpet factory -Cognac factory -Erebuni Fortress -Sardarapat (not in Yerevan)

Places I didn't visit in Yerevan and really don't regret it. -Tumanians house/museum -Zoo

A trip to Armenia requires a visit to Echmiadzin. It is a nice church, the entrance is beautiful, and some people like the inside, I do not. The inside only includes a small part of the structure you see from outside. It is tiny if you ask me, especially considering its function as the Vatican for Armenians. There is a underground fire pit that you may be able to see, it is from before Christianity when fire was worshipped in Armenia. I have not seen it, but hear it is worth seeing even though it is not impressive or beautiful. You must ask a priest/monk to show it to you as it is locked. Now, the true beauty of Echmiadzin lies in the Alex Manougian Museum. The structure is OK, but the contents are incredible. This also seems closed to the public except by special appointment or request. It contains relics and gifts which are fascinating. The grounds are very nice to spend an afternoon in. There are some very nice khatchkars brought in from around Armenia, trees, flowers, lawns etc. (Lawns are a rarity in this part of the world.)

On the road you should stop at Surp Hripsime and Surp Gayane. They are worth a look. Also stop at the ruins of Zvartnots Cathedral, it was once a truly glorious structure and it should be rebuilt with earthquake safe methods. The museum there shows what it used to look like.

Geghard and Garni are another day trip, very worthwhile. Garni resembles the Parthenon. It was built in the first century as a Pagan temple. It was rebuilt from 1966-76 by Italians. Geghard, built into the hillside was constructed in the 12-13th centuries. The church/monastary complex is very nice in all aspects, but you must climb up a hillside to enter a chamber carved right out of the mountain. It has some of the best acoustics I have ever encountered. You simply must sing in this room. When a single monk started singing for us it sounded like a large choir was singing in the chamber. In the corner of this room there is a little hole in the rock. Look into it and you will see the inside of the lower church chamber.

Khor Virab is the church you always see pictured in front of Mount Ararat on its own little hill. I have only seen it from the high way and it is a very nice sight. It was where St Gregory the illuminator was kept in a hole until he was removed to cure the king and thus convert Armenia into the first Christian nation. Take a flashlight I know of people who have fallen into the hole.

If you are visiting in June to September, it is probably unbearably hot in the Ararat valley which I have been describing so far. Take a trip to Lake Sevan. The water is all a turquoise blue I never expected and will never forget. I have seen it on a few occasions and it is always a gorgeous blue. The monastery on the peninsula (previously an island, but no longer due to a much lower water level) and is worth a stop. There are a couple of green khachkars carved out of a local rock. Nice beaches. South of the Churches (there are two near each other) you can rent some paddle boats. There are nice sand beaches, worry not. Do pack a lunch though, no hot dog stands were open yet.

Further north there is Dilijan, a forested area very close to Azerbaijan and Georgia. It is refreshing to see green forests after being in Yerevan and the Ararat valley a while. The town is more picturesque than most due to the forests, and the traditional architecture as well. The monastery of Haghartsin is located in a breathtaking setting. It is in between two steep forested mountains. Forests everywhere you look except for this ancient monastery complex with tall Armenian roofs. If it is locked there is a caretaker below who can open it (Anything can be opened by asking around, and having patience). Picnicing at the church (have the caretaker join you) or anywhere in this area. There are some ruins 5 or 10 minutes back up the road from the monastery by foot.

Haghpat, also in Northern Armenia is another stunning monastery complex (along with Haghartsin, Geghard and Datev that I saw.) The buildings are in excellent condition, there is a huge bell tower you can climb to the top, huge churches - some part underground, storage chambers, huge and intricate khachkars, and just plain great stonework, all with a wonderful view.

Tsaghgadzor is Armenia's ski resort. If you are there in the winter you can ski for 25 cents a lift plus $5 ski rental. It is nice in the fall and other seasons too, but you need to locate the operator and pay 10 to 20 bucks for your whole group to go up. So go in a group so it will be cheaper per person. It is not a very difficult hike though if you just want to wander around the forest. At the foot of the mountain is another nice monastery complex, Kecharis. Definitely you will want to stop and take pictures. There is a very nice hotel here which was the writers home. ~$5 I think.

There are many other monasteries etc worth visiting in villages and churches across Armenia, but I have not been able to visit them all. You often see an ancient church roof towering above a small village. Stop by and check it out. Sanahin Monastery, Goshavank, Karmravor, Amberd, Datev, etc.

Datev, in southern Armenia has a nice village church and a great monastery I saw from about 1/2 a mile away. It is large and poised on the edge of a great canyon. It is green in this area (I seem fixated on the subject but as I said, the Ararat valley is very dry and brown) and at the bottom of the canyon is a land bridge under which you can see a river go underground then reappear. This place is called Sadanayin Gamurch or Devils Bridge. You will also find on this same spot where the river goes underground a natural hot water pool you can relax in as well as a spring coming out of the mountain with naturally carbonated water. There are springs all over the country and the water is very refreshing, but it will give the unaccustomed diarrhea in all probability. Take plenty of Imodium, or drink plastic bottled Jermuk and have chlorination tablets.

On the way to Datev, you will pass Yeghegnadzor, a nice town in a great setting, and maybe Goris, a town I really liked for some reason. It was in its own little valley, with clear water running through the gutters like streams. But anyhow, nearby is a valley called Khntsoresk I think. Anyhow, it is full of caves the are partially man made and partly natural. So many it wil amaze you. There are ruins of a village, a cemetery and an old church or two as well. It is all in a gorge. This was a really fun day we spent. Someone who knows his way around may be helpful. A few days camping should prove worthwhile.

Speaking of Jermuk, this is a place you should spend a day or two. I was only able to spend one night there in the winter when I was dying for a hot bath, so I went down to Jermuk. It was such a relief. The setting once again is beautiful and forested. There is a waterfall, river, nice bridge etc. But the real reason to go is the natural hot water baths. For this I recommend staying at the ARARAT Sanatorium. The hotel and the other sanatoriums did not compare from my experience and stories I hear. At the Ararat Sanatorium, you can stay for $4.50 a night which includes food, room, hot water baths and massage, basically everything except toilet paper. For some reason they did not have toilet paper. Take TP with you to all the places you stay. This place also had this great greenhouse with tropical plants and a nice cafe in the greenhouse. The surprises never cease.

Meghri is a region I heard stories about from other Americans and very much wanted to visit, but never did. It borders Iran and is subtropical. Another interesting thing about it is the way the Armenian side is completely covered with vegetation and the Iranian side is completely bare of all growth. This alone made me want to see it.

I also never made it out to Artsakh (Karabakh) another regret of mine. Oh well. Next time.

I had mentioned that desirable houses cost about 8 to 15 thousand US$ or so. I also mentioned what variables are important. It IS permissible for foreigners to own a condo there (ie any unit INSIDE a building). But not land. If you want to own land, you can buy an Armenian passport from your local Armenian embassy/consulate and get all rights an Armenian citizen has except voting and military service. Cost? $1,200 (BTW, this is not the same as Armenian citizenship. Armenia does not allow dual citizenship yet)

Before any larger purchase, consult a few knowledgeable local Armenian friends. Heck, take them with you to vernisage. This is one of the best ways to prevent paying the special ardasahmantsi (from beyond the border) price.

n_w$$h

© 1996, Raffi Kojian - No reproduction without permission.

This is a brief note I wrote when I returned from Armenia for the first time, in 1994. By the time I wrote about my 95/96 trip, there had been many changes.

As some of you know, I spent August in Armenia with the Land and Culture Organization (LCO). I enjoyed it quite a bit, it was definitely one of the best things I have ever done and I highly recommend the experience to all of age (approximately 16 years old to 29ish), and a trip to Armenia to all who have never been.

Hell in the sky:
The plane ride (Or Armenian Airlines Part I)
This was a scary smelly trip in a plane leftover from the USSR. The smell of urine was in the areas near the bathrooms since the doors did not stay shut and there was no flush, only a hole. The plane shook a LOT during takeoff, the food was "yucky", a number of people in our group did not get their luggage for weeks, (one fellow never got his), and Armenian customs took hours.

The good news: (Or part II of Armenian Airlines) We experienced virtually none of these programs on the return flight!

Yerevan: This is a very pleasant city, I enjoyed walking its streets every chance I got. We stayed at the Hotel Ani which had power a lot more often than the city at large and rarely had running water. There are many trees all over, no trees are chopped down in the city. The cutting is fortunately done in the forests. The wood is used for heat and fuel. Things get going around 8am and die down around 8pm since there is no power and therefore no streetlights. Transactions are almost always in the Armenian currency, dram.

As groong recipients know, the rate varied between 320 and 380 dram to the dollar last month. Prices are cheap for westerners for many things. Gas is 50 cents a liter, and there is a decent number of cars on the road at all times, and they manage well considering the traffic signals are never on.

Coke is 50 cents. A potato bureg is more than 10 to the dollar (more than 20 to the dollar in Kirovakan). Snickers are about 50 cents. These things can be found for less. Most are from The United Arab Emirates. There are also a large number of Turkish products all over. All the beer is Turkish, a lot of the soda and candy and crackers, it is hard to avoid buying the stuff by accident. The fruits and vegetables are great quality and for example cucumbers were 70 dram a kilo or about 20 cents for 2.2 pounds. Bread is about 10 or 15 dram if I remember correctly. Postcards are 3 to a PENNY, while stamps to mail to America are about 5 cents. (Unfortunately the percentage of postcards that actually reach America is reportedly low, I hope to be able to report on this later with some accuracy ;-) Wine is about 33 cents a bottle at the cheapest and Vodka seemed to average a dollar?

If you are going: TAKE IMODIUM!!! Everybody got diarrhea, it is hard to avoid. I had runny c@c@ all month. The water is delicious, and always freezing, this is great when you drink, a nightmare when you shower.

Gogaran:
The village we were staying in to reconstruct a 4th century church was near Spitak. Most of the cities have been renamed, but the new names are not widely used currently. The village (thank goodness) had running water all the time. But power only on some nights for a few hours. However it was actually easy to live without power. The villagers all had their own land.

I was in the earthquake reconstruction zone and every building in the town was destroyed in '88. The cemetery was a sad sad place with all the children's graves as well as the others. The saddest thing is that I doubt the new buildings are much sturdier (and there has been a LOT of rebuilding)

I was glad to see the art of carving khatchkars is far from dead, a number of large, new, beautiful ones can be found all over Armenia. The stone cutters for the church were similarly able to turn a rock into a PERFECT rectangle by hand. It was a sight to see.

The land:

I have never seen a book, or any set of pictures do this country justice.

The entire Lake Sevan was turquoise blue. ALL of it! It was incredible. A lot of the land was arid, the area near Dilijan was a rainforest as far as the eyes could see, and then there were green hills as well. There were beautiful churches and monasteries all over in many stages of disrepair and often non-use. I saw three that were awesome, Echmiadzin was not one of them. When I saw Echmiadzin late in the month, they were digging the grave for Vasgen I. This was moving and one of the guys from our group helped dig the hole right in front of Echmiadzin's entrance. The outside of the church is very nice indeed, but entering it was a big let down. Only part of the whole building is used for the church room, so you enter a much smaller space than you expect. The walls are boring plaster that has a high gloss paint that is chipping. I think that it can use a lot of work...

And of course... The People:

They seem to all have some means of support. Most are quite nice and helpful. Many Hayastantsis stared at me and the others all the time, and I mean stared. Many asked for a photo to be taken of them, and some complete strangers would ask for this or that, gum, medicine, a sweater, whatever, not offers to buy mind you, they just wanted you to give them stuff. This really bugged me, with the possible exception of requests for medicine. Nobody NEEDS gum, and those who asked for sweaters, sunglasses, etc did not appear to be in need either, therefore I found it rude. Another bit of culture shock was that NO Hayastantsis wear shorts... No matter what the temperature is. There is a Benneton store there which is quite cheap, there were 4 colors of shirt with made in Armenia labels.

You'll see an occasional NICE western car as well as a fair number of embassies and other western organizations. A fair amount of English signs, not much Russian in comparison if you ask me.

I never saw a "rally of 50,000 people" or heard of one, but who knows?

Well that is all I can think to say right now, but if anybody has a question or if I remember more.... I will read Davids summary now, I didn't want to read it until I wrote my own summary.

Feel free to ask ANY questions...
n_w$$h
(Raffi Kojian)

PS, I hope to meet some LA computer [users] at the AESA conference.
PPS, King Sparky Banian, please e-mail me your address so I can mail you the set of Armenian currency.

This page added 12 May, 1996