I made two pleasant trips in Armenia, starting from my "base" in Eriwan, at my friend Albert's home (in Armenia old german names like Eduard, Arthur, Rosa, Erik are very common), who I got to know on my first visit to Armenia three years ago. Other travellers might call it "horror trips", at least the first one, but after what I've experienced so far I take it easy.
First I came to Gumry, the second largest city of Armenia. I arrived at evening, walked around and then joined a group to taste the local beer. Unfortunately one of them lured me to a dark site (I always had only good experiences with the Armenians so I trusted him) in order to rob me. Somehow he left me approx. 10 euros. It was already around 3 p.m. and I decided to spend the night at the "dark site". On the next morning I went to the next police station. There was nobody who spoke english, but in russian I was able to explain what had happened to me and that I knew that one of the group is working in a bank. We rushed to the bank and even found that guy, but he denied that he knows the robber. After that they sent me to two other police departments, where I had to tell the whole story again another 5 times. I spent the 4th night in 4 different countries in a police station and was finally released at around 1 p.m. at the next day. I lost a lot of time, (usually I would not care, but I already booked the flight to Aleppo for tomorrow), but at least I could improve my russian.
My next destination was Alaverdi, in the very north of the country, near the georgian border. The city is located in a steep gorge with very green surroundings, the soviet skyscrapers are probably less attractive,they are even to find in small villages, but somehow I like them.I arrived there at evening. On the next morning I visited Sanahin,one of the many monasteries around and came back to the city to receive the money my father sent me by western union. I already went through the whole process (3 counters) but then they refused to give me the money, because I didn't have the original passport with me. With only 2 euros in my pocket, I decided to pay the private room I shared with two tourists from Eriwan by selling my mobile phone (a second-hand I bought in Oman). In the late afternoon on the way to another monastery I met people who felt more sorry for me and invited me for a meal (due to lack of money I didn't eat except some peanuts) and supersweet berrywine. I tried to refuse but they also forced me to accept some 2 euros from them (I think a new vocabulary has to be coined to describe this action).
I finally also visited also the Odzun monastery (not very special) and then began to search for a mountain lake around Tumanian, which Albert recommended me to visit. On the way there it became dark and when a thunderstorm started I was lucky to find a unused pipe next to the road where I could spend the night. On the next day at noon I reached the small lake, surrounded by forest. Only one young fisherman was there, he was the first person I've ever met in Armenia who didn't speak russian, but he amused me with a very strange cover version of "sex bomb" (the voice sounded like rammstein) from his mobile phone.
Then I went back to Eriwan by hitch-hiking and marschrutka. If Albert wouldn't borrow me some money I really wouldn't know what to do, as I receive my passport not untill tomorrow from the Syrian embassy. But so I could start on the next day for another trip from the Noravank monastery. It was a lonely but very beautiful trek, where I didn't meet any people untill I reached a farm of peach and apple trees next to the Arpa river today morning. I took a bath there and then had only a few meters to the highway back to Eriwan.
Montag, 25. August 2008
Dienstag, 19. August 2008
Kurdestan, Azerbaijan (iranian part), Armenia
My last week in Iran was not much exciting, neither in a positive nor a negative way. I just drove from one "tourist place" to the next one. In Kurdistan these were mainly caves, more and less interesting ones. In one of them I could find a lift for my santoor from Esfahan direct to Vienna by car, what are the odds! The most beautiful cave was in Sahoulan , a grotto that was only accessible by boat, with very interesting rock formations.
Also in Kurdestan I stayed at the Zaribar lake, a Steppensee - I don't know how to translate it into english, it's a lake sorrounded by a belt of reed, with muddy water that has a natural smell not everybody likes, but reminded me of the lake on which I grew up, the Neusiedler See 50 km south of Vienna.
All in all I did not get enough in touch with the Kurds, to notice a specific caracter or customs or something like that, except that some like to watch south korean soap operas translated into kurdish.
The last big city I visited was Tabriz, the capital of the iranian part of Azerbaijan. It did not really enthuse me. I was not sure where to continue from there, I still wanted to go to the Caucasus to practice some russian and after it turned out that the azeri visa would take one week and cost 60 euro I decided to go to Armenia, that I already visited 3 years ago. I'd be also interested to visit Georgia but somehow the russian army was faster than me, and it seems like they want to stay longer than I hoped they would do.
On the way to Armenia , between Tabriz and Ahar I saw the most breathtaking landscape in Iran: soft shaped hills like I already saw them in Kyrgyztan, but not in purple and orange colours, wow! Maybe one day I will resolve my camera-trauma and return there to shoot some awesome photos. But somehow it's quite agreeable to travel and to know that nothing valueable can be lost anymore.
The border valley between Iran and Azerbaijan and Armenia was also nice to drive through. The border crossing itself took me some six hours. The iranian police, unlike I expected, was never suspicious during the month I stayed here, but then on the armenian border post there were two counters: one for visa application and passport control and the other one also for passport control, but: the wall decorated with a russian flag! obviously the young FSB - official did not like the numerous visas of arabic countries in my passport, and I had to give a long interview. But some time after I answered all his worrying questions ("are you al qaida?"), I could finally pass. On the international airport in Erivan there was not such a counter.
As the situation in Georgia is still unclear and there are no border crossings with Azerbaijan (Karabakh-conflict) and Turkey (no bilateral relations because of the genocide that the Turks still deny) I have no other (save) option than to leave Armenia by air. So I quickly (2 days for some 400km are very fast for me) went to Erivan to check a flight ticket, only with a detour to the "devils bridge", a cave formed by the Vorotan river, awesome place, I stayed there overnight.
To Turkey I've found only direct flights to Istanbul so I decided to pay a ticket to Aleppo, just on the border with Turkey, next Tuesday.
`
Also in Kurdestan I stayed at the Zaribar lake, a Steppensee - I don't know how to translate it into english, it's a lake sorrounded by a belt of reed, with muddy water that has a natural smell not everybody likes, but reminded me of the lake on which I grew up, the Neusiedler See 50 km south of Vienna.
All in all I did not get enough in touch with the Kurds, to notice a specific caracter or customs or something like that, except that some like to watch south korean soap operas translated into kurdish.
The last big city I visited was Tabriz, the capital of the iranian part of Azerbaijan. It did not really enthuse me. I was not sure where to continue from there, I still wanted to go to the Caucasus to practice some russian and after it turned out that the azeri visa would take one week and cost 60 euro I decided to go to Armenia, that I already visited 3 years ago. I'd be also interested to visit Georgia but somehow the russian army was faster than me, and it seems like they want to stay longer than I hoped they would do.
On the way to Armenia , between Tabriz and Ahar I saw the most breathtaking landscape in Iran: soft shaped hills like I already saw them in Kyrgyztan, but not in purple and orange colours, wow! Maybe one day I will resolve my camera-trauma and return there to shoot some awesome photos. But somehow it's quite agreeable to travel and to know that nothing valueable can be lost anymore.
The border valley between Iran and Azerbaijan and Armenia was also nice to drive through. The border crossing itself took me some six hours. The iranian police, unlike I expected, was never suspicious during the month I stayed here, but then on the armenian border post there were two counters: one for visa application and passport control and the other one also for passport control, but: the wall decorated with a russian flag! obviously the young FSB - official did not like the numerous visas of arabic countries in my passport, and I had to give a long interview. But some time after I answered all his worrying questions ("are you al qaida?"), I could finally pass. On the international airport in Erivan there was not such a counter.
As the situation in Georgia is still unclear and there are no border crossings with Azerbaijan (Karabakh-conflict) and Turkey (no bilateral relations because of the genocide that the Turks still deny) I have no other (save) option than to leave Armenia by air. So I quickly (2 days for some 400km are very fast for me) went to Erivan to check a flight ticket, only with a detour to the "devils bridge", a cave formed by the Vorotan river, awesome place, I stayed there overnight.
To Turkey I've found only direct flights to Istanbul so I decided to pay a ticket to Aleppo, just on the border with Turkey, next Tuesday.
`
Mittwoch, 6. August 2008
SHIRAZ, ESFAHAN AND ZAGROS MOUNTAINS
I visited Shiraz for one day and then the famous temple of Persepolis, which I both didn't find much interesting, but as it was on the way to Esfahan, I "had" to go there. More interesting for me were the iranian phenomenon of picnicing, the "national sport". The parks in the cities are full, at day and at night, they also bring their tents and barbacue. Many don't even try to find a calm place and sit down at the roadside. Usually they come with their family, not to meet other people.
Passing by some more beautiful picnic-spots at the waterfalls of "lost paradise" and Margoon, I came to Yasuj and finally to Esfahan.
In Esfahan I stayed for one week, there were too many things to do. First I met a Austro-Persian friend who brought me my trekking boots from Austria (so far I always walked with sandals). Then I searched for "santoor", a string instrument, and after I bought one, I looked for a save transport for it. My oud got damaged , when I sent it home by post from Sanaa and my viennese friend was "full". Somehow I got to know somebody who will take it to Kiew in September, so I might make a small detour when I return home from Turkey. Next I had to extend my visa,which also lasted more than one day. And of course I "had" to see the amazing mosques, maybe the most beautiful ones in the world. Also the armenian churches are very interesting, they perfectly unite armenian and persian architecture.
There are a lot of parks, very large ones, and their total absence in the countries which I visited before, made them seem much more beautiful. There's also no risk to step into a dog's excrements, like in Vienna.
Then it was time to explore the Zagros mountain range. It's the homeland of the Bakhtiari nomads. They stay here in the summer, then, to escape the snow, they make a 10 - 15 day's trek to Khuzestan, where it's too hot now. They were very friendly and not suspicious at all, when I met them on my way, though most of them have never seen a foreigner before. It's very hard to pass by their black tents made of the wool of their own goats, and to decline their order to enter. There are many cold rivers, but much more refreshing during a hard walk on the slippery paths is their home-made "dour", the iranian energy drink made of yoghurt. They also offered me to smoke opium many times, but I declined, as it hardly would contribute to my energy. In Iran it's very common to smoke it in front of his wife and children or guests like me.
Communication was a bit hard. Within 8 days I met one arabic speaker and no english speaker, so there was no other option than to improve my farsi. The Bakhtiari themselves speak pashto, which I wasn't able to distinguish from farsi.
Villages and roads are very rare in the mountains. The houses are made of stones and a wooden roof covered with mud or leaves. They are built very close to each other and the slopes are very steep, so the roofs of one row of houses are at the same time the way of the row above.
The Bakhtiaris never either asked me for money nor did their children throw stones on me (happened sometimes in Yemen and Ethiopia), but unfortunetly there are many thieves among them. In two attemps I could hinder them from taking my GPS and mobile phone, but in the third attemp, when I was asleep in the aftermath of a wedding (the third day) they were successfull: For the third time within 17 months my camera was stolen, including 2 credit cards. So I think there'll be no more pictures to see untill i come home.
I visited Shiraz for one day and then the famous temple of Persepolis, which I both didn't find much interesting, but as it was on the way to Esfahan, I "had" to go there. More interesting for me were the iranian phenomenon of picnicing, the "national sport". The parks in the cities are full, at day and at night, they also bring their tents and barbacue. Many don't even try to find a calm place and sit down at the roadside. Usually they come with their family, not to meet other people.
Passing by some more beautiful picnic-spots at the waterfalls of "lost paradise" and Margoon, I came to Yasuj and finally to Esfahan.
In Esfahan I stayed for one week, there were too many things to do. First I met a Austro-Persian friend who brought me my trekking boots from Austria (so far I always walked with sandals). Then I searched for "santoor", a string instrument, and after I bought one, I looked for a save transport for it. My oud got damaged , when I sent it home by post from Sanaa and my viennese friend was "full". Somehow I got to know somebody who will take it to Kiew in September, so I might make a small detour when I return home from Turkey. Next I had to extend my visa,which also lasted more than one day. And of course I "had" to see the amazing mosques, maybe the most beautiful ones in the world. Also the armenian churches are very interesting, they perfectly unite armenian and persian architecture.
There are a lot of parks, very large ones, and their total absence in the countries which I visited before, made them seem much more beautiful. There's also no risk to step into a dog's excrements, like in Vienna.
Then it was time to explore the Zagros mountain range. It's the homeland of the Bakhtiari nomads. They stay here in the summer, then, to escape the snow, they make a 10 - 15 day's trek to Khuzestan, where it's too hot now. They were very friendly and not suspicious at all, when I met them on my way, though most of them have never seen a foreigner before. It's very hard to pass by their black tents made of the wool of their own goats, and to decline their order to enter. There are many cold rivers, but much more refreshing during a hard walk on the slippery paths is their home-made "dour", the iranian energy drink made of yoghurt. They also offered me to smoke opium many times, but I declined, as it hardly would contribute to my energy. In Iran it's very common to smoke it in front of his wife and children or guests like me.
Communication was a bit hard. Within 8 days I met one arabic speaker and no english speaker, so there was no other option than to improve my farsi. The Bakhtiari themselves speak pashto, which I wasn't able to distinguish from farsi.
Villages and roads are very rare in the mountains. The houses are made of stones and a wooden roof covered with mud or leaves. They are built very close to each other and the slopes are very steep, so the roofs of one row of houses are at the same time the way of the row above.
The Bakhtiaris never either asked me for money nor did their children throw stones on me (happened sometimes in Yemen and Ethiopia), but unfortunetly there are many thieves among them. In two attemps I could hinder them from taking my GPS and mobile phone, but in the third attemp, when I was asleep in the aftermath of a wedding (the third day) they were successfull: For the third time within 17 months my camera was stolen, including 2 credit cards. So I think there'll be no more pictures to see untill i come home.
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