Ready for part two

Ready for part two

Ready for part two

 

After being sick for four days, not eating at all, and having to go to the garage with Alexine we are finally ready for part two of the Silk Road Advanture. A good start is half the beginning, but so is a bad start, innit?

 

The abandoned textile factory

While I park the van, Yuri is on the phone with a guy called Karen. His father owns a textile factory in the village we are and we would like to visit it. You might think, why would you want to visit a textile factory? Well, this factory opened in 1976 (the year Alexine got built) and closed after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Ever since it has been abandoned. And as most, we love untouched things. So we made a deal with Karen and not long after we met his father Hayk in Yeghegnadzor. 

The factory has never been opened again after closing. It didn’t have anything to do with the quality of clothes they were producing here but mostly with the wars (like Nagorno-Karabach) following the fall of the Soviet. Money was used to buy weapons not clothes. In the factory things have been left as if no years have passed since then, except for the dust and spider threads. Pictures of naked women adorn the insides of closets, books about Lenin are filling otherwise empty bookshelves and the hammer and sickle is drawn on one of the machines. The ground floor is filled with machines that once produced very cute children’s clothes, while the first floor is less packed. Here women clothes, like gloves, were made. They also produced protective clothing for a possible nuclear war in this factory. Thirty plus years ago they prepared for a nuclear war, we might need those clothes in the near future. 

After a small tour by Hayk we had coffee and ponchik (delicious Armenian deep-fried piece of dough shaped into a flattened sphere and filled with confiture or other sweet filling) and talked about his children and grandchildren, talking different languages and good music (he plays Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, Rolling Stones on piano!). We had a wonderful time together and recommend everyone to do this “tour”.

Soviet Armenia

In late 1920, local communists came to power following an invasion of Armenia by the Soviet Red Army, and in 1922, Armenia became part of the Trans-Caucasian Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1936, it became the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic. Russia to this day stays an important ally to Armenia.

From Yeghegnadzor we drive about half an hour to Vernashen, not because it is so far away but because the road is in a bad shape.

Holes in the road made us zigzagging to the next village but Alexine doesn’t seem to mind, she’s found her power back, and so did I.

Let’s hike, cause when life gives you mountains you put on your boots and hike.

Hiking to Spitakavor church

I am here at a super cute church after walking for 1.5 hours and climbing quite a few meters. The view from here is magnificent, although the mountains hide behind a somewhat hazy weather, it is no less beautiful. The little church behind me is lucky with its view. Perhaps the reason that the monks once built it here. The birds are chirping and the bees are buzzing, unfortunately the sun has just disappeared behind the mountain and so I am shrouded in shadow. But it does not matter because after about 8 km of walking, of which the majority was quite steep up, it is nice to relax here.

And how lucky I am that I can go to places like this. That I have the ability and the heart to embark on an adventure like this.

After days of not moving it is so nice to walk again. Pumping my heart rate up, feeling the pain in my legs and shortness of breath from the exertion. It is wonderful to exhaust my body again, to be active and to switch off my thoughts. What a wealth this is. And it went very well, even after four days of not eating anything, almost not knowing where to look from dehydration and having slept for hours. I went like a mountain goat so quick, and felt almost as light as a feather. Once again my condition did not let me down.

At the end of the route we were invited to a farmer for some coffee. There was also food and of course a much too strong alcoholic drink. My throat was immediately on fire. It looked like the farmer himself already drank a few of them. The calves and bulls looked at us curiously while we ate the delicious cheese with bread and honey. A welcome feast after that big climb. It was a pleasant stop, but we decided to continue anyway, because we still have to reach the church.

And so we got there. Super cute, very small, old, with very nice details, like most Armenian churches. The view is the cherry on top of the cake. Although the mountains are somewhat poorly visible, the contours leave room for imagination.

It’s half past seven and we still have to go back. So after Yuri has recovered from hitting his head (nothing new) we start our way back. It is said that it takes us along a river and waterfalls. We still have 1.5 hours before dark. A race against the clock? Or a beautiful relaxing walk back? This time we are prepared: we did bring lights for the way back, we didn’t bring enough water for the way up. But we are getting there, slowly slowly 😉

The way back

From the church we decided to head another way back. One through the valley and gorge. We made the right choice. The route took us alongside the small river and it was so incredibly beautiful! All was green with little trees filled with white blossom, the rippling water, birds singing. No humans, just nature, views and a setting sun. As it was all downhill we went quite fast and even though the hiking route should be about 6 hours we did it a lot quicker. Though we took our time taking photos, video’s and enjoy the scenery.

Normally my knees would tell me to slow down but again, I felt as light as a feather. I guess the foodpoisening did me some good 😉 We walked through the gorge like we never stopped exploring, like we didn’t spend the last six months in the Netherlands. There is one difference, we do appreciate everything a lot more now. The fact that we can do this, that we can explore areas like this, that we are able to live like this. Even if it’s just for six months.

And so, we inhale the fresh air, take a deep breath and realise no one can take this away from us. Like mountain goats we jumped up and down the river stream, hiked past the deep gorge, over stones back to Alexine. Where we celebrate our first long (15km) hike with a beer and some snacks. Ready for more!

Check the slider below for some impressions of the hike.

Love, Milene & Yuri

 

Information

Where

Yeghegnadzor & Vernashen

The abandoned factory is in Yeghegnadzor and the hike to Spitakavor starts in Vernashen.

When

Not in winter

The factory you can actually visit in any time but best on a sunny day for the light. The hike is best from spring to fall. 

Who

Karen & Hayk

To visit the factory contact Karen (send message for contactdetails) he is the son of Hayk and speaks English. Hayk only speaks Armenian, Russing and a bit of German. 

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Peshawar, buddha and ditching the police

Peshawar, buddha and ditching the police

I’m sitting in the forest with a view on the mountains while in the distance I hear drums. For the first time in a very long time Yuri put on his sweater and I wear my hair loose without feeling too hot.

The Pakistani escort service

The Pakistani escort service

You would think by now we would have gotten rid of the Pakistani escort service. Well … read about it here.

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A not so smooth reunification

A not so smooth reunification

A not so smooth reunification

 

For a couple of days we’ve been reunited with each other and Alexine but things don’t go as planned, neither do they go so smoothly. 

 

Foodpoisoning

While I sit here after five days of struggling with food poisoning (thanks to Royal Jordanian Airways), Yuri is cutting some lovely old cheese. Cheese that I can’t eat, but the smell.. It’s probably one of the best scents in the world; the smell of good ol’ cheese. But, like I wrote; food poisoning. Not a great way to start the second leg of our Silk Road trip with but, at least it can’t get any worse than this.

We have been sleeping in Alexine for a couple of nights already and it feels like we never left her. She thought a bit different about it though. Alright, it wasn’t all bad, even only looking at her made her almost start the engine right away. But afterwards we had to climb a steep, very steep hill and that she didn’t think was a great idea. But with some pushes, really, she made it up to the top and on to the campsite of Camping 3Gs.

Things never go as planned

Marco Polo had to diverse from his route many times due to disruptions or otherwise obstacles on the road, we have the same. We were actually planning on going to Iran this week but something came in between. Not only my food poisoning but also something else. Our dear friends Kevo and Tamara, who we met last time we were in Armenia, are getting married at the end of this month and invited us to celebrate with them. Well, how we can say no to that?

So, Iran has to wait! Again.. but this time by our own choosing.

And, me not feeling very well, I’m alright with postponing travels a little bit. Hopefully I feel better soon and we can continue exploring the rest of Armenia.

We do however have a great time being back. Camping 3Gs, especially Sandra – the owner, is a gem and we’ve been glad to start our journey here. The last couple of days mainly consisted of sleeping, working (a bit), eating (Yuri) and doing absolutely nothing. Yesterday we were invited to a birthday bash, which was quite nice. Yuri got to drink with the local men who weren’t as easily beaten in the drinking game. We didn’t get to see who would first fall under the spell of alcohol and be called drunk as I really needed to get back to my bed. Unfortunately I couldn’t eat as much as I wanted to but tried some bits and pieces. Which of course I regretted later on, but let’s not zoom into that! 

For now, that’s about it. We are planning on exploring different parts of Armenia soon. We’re quite curious to see in what state Alexine is. Is she as in a state like mine? Or ready for a new adventure like Yuri is? We will see and keep you up to date of course. 

Love, Milene & Yuri

 

Check our latest blogs

Peshawar, buddha and ditching the police

Peshawar, buddha and ditching the police

I’m sitting in the forest with a view on the mountains while in the distance I hear drums. For the first time in a very long time Yuri put on his sweater and I wear my hair loose without feeling too hot.

The Pakistani escort service

The Pakistani escort service

You would think by now we would have gotten rid of the Pakistani escort service. Well … read about it here.

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A changed Babylon

A changed Babylon

Changed Babylon

I’m sitting in the sun while the dry and empty landscape flashes by. Arabic music fills the car and I’m recollecting images from a past I haven’t lived through. Caravans of camels, merchants going back and forth, history was written, and stories made. The road I’m taking has always been a crowded trade route. A route on which merchants as much as silk, spices and knowledge travelled. And at the end of the trade route was Baghdad, the magnificent capital of the world. The city where tastes, cultures and languages got together and merged into one big melting pot.

Baghdad

The biggest and most important city of the ancient world now lays in ruins. The aftermath of several wars and disputes is visible on every street corner. Bullet holes in buildings tell stories of a sad past. Baghdad has deteriorated and attracts not merchants, nor dwellers, but dark tourism and war journalists. The people show a light in the ever-darkening city. They welcome foreigners as if Baghdad is still the metropole of Mesopotamia. But, I leave Baghdad behind me. From one metropole to another.

Baghdad
Church in Baghdad

Babylonia

Babylonia was a state in ancient Mesopotamia and is still one of the most famous cities of antiquity.

The city of Babylon – Babil in Arabic -, whose ruins are located in present-day Iraq, was founded more than 4,000 years ago as a small port town on the Euphrates River. It grew into one of the largest cities of the ancient world under the rule of Hammurabi. The Amorite king Hammurabi founded the short-lived Old Babylonian Empire in the 18th century BC. He built Babylon into a major city and declared himself its king.

Inside the new walls of Babylon

A visit to ancient Babylon

Babylon has long been on my mind. I guess since the tales of 1001 nights entered my bedroom and filled my dreams. When I was young I was sure I would one day meet Sinbad, I would eat an apple in the Garden of Eden and write tales of Babylon as did Alexine Tinne about Cairo. I would walk through the alleys of the ancient city and greeting every merchant like Belle in Beauty & the Beast, jump from building to building like Aladdin and maybe even find myself a flying carpet. Fairytales of course, but they made for great dreams when I was young. I’m all about making dreams come true but some dreams better stay just that instead of turning the into failing reality. Anyway, there I was. Standing in front of the gate of Babylon. It’s not really the gate of Babylon because the official and real gate is still in Berlin, protected from invasions. Although, Europe isn’t really safe from invasions as well. When Baghdad became a lesser city than it was and the Mongols moved up to the East they went as far as France so… And we all know that history is quite good at repeating itself.

The map of Mesopotamia

But still, I’m here, walking through the fake gates of Babylon into the ancient city. As the city is destroyed almost till the last rock there is not much to see of what was. Sadam Hussein did rebuilt part of it, and while he did that he added stones in every rebuilt wall with his name on it. Not idle at all, don’t you think? Saddam Hussein also built a palace overlooking the ancient Babylon. Not sure what he wanted us to think about that but one can let his/her mind go wild. It is the best spot to overlook the city and it’s easy to believe he thought of himself as the most powerful man of, well, Babylon?

He wasn’t really. Let’s get back to some of the history of Babylon, shall we?

Saddam Hussein written on the new walls of Babylon

The ancient capital of Mesopotamia

Babylon is one of the most famous cities of antiquity. It was the capital of southern Mesopotamia (Babylonia) from the early 2nd millennium to the early 1st millennium BCE and capital of the Neo-Babylonian (Chaldean) empire in the 7th and 6th centuries BCE, when it was at the height of its splendour. Read more on Brittanica.

Not Saddam Hussein but Nebuchadnezzar I was the most famous Babylonian king of the 2nddynasty of the Isin. Our turtle is named after this Babylonian king.

There is so much to tell about the history in this area I could write a book about it. Luckily for you, and time saving for me, there are many books about this. Like this one: Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization or The Silk Roads: A New History of the World – recommended!

Anyway, for a couple of hours I walked through the ancient streets of the newly made Babylon. The walls didn’t tell the stories I was searching for. Instead it told me the ideology of Saddam Hussein. Graffiti filled the empty spaces on the walls, weeds were growing everywhere and rubbish was left to roam the empty streets of the museum. Not much was left of the Babylon I dreamt of as a little girl. Exploring now isn’t what it used to be, it doesn’t mean it is less of an exploring though.

I always felt there was nothing left to be explored now the likes of Marco Polo and Magellan had mapped the whole earth. However, as Kate Harris so well described “in some of the remotest places on earth, she realized that an explorer, in any day and age, is the kind of person who refueses to live between the lines. Forget charting maps, naming peaks: what she yearned for was the feeling of soaring completely out of bounds. The farther she traveled, the closer she came to a world as wild as she felt within.” – Lands of Lost Borders – a journey on the Silk Road.

And she was right. Even though I felt further away from 1001 nights I had ever been I did feel closer to the dreams I wanted to realize as a little girl. It wasn’t what I expected but it was what I needed to see. The world changes, it did back then when leader after leader took possession of the city and it does now when Saddam Hussein carved his name in the walls of the new Babylon.

The new walls of Babylon

From Babylon to the Garden of Eden

Babylon was just a quick stop on the way. The impressive stories have left the place and so did humanity. The road took us South East, while the Marsh landscape stretched out as far as the eye could see. Some palm trees and a little mosque reminded us we were still on earth while a sand storm hit the Iraqi planes.

After three hours and a big lunch we arrived in the dark at Al-Chibayish. A long time ago this must have been the middle of the Gardens of Eden. Endless green, water from which you could drink and enough fruits and veggies to pick for everyone. Now, it’s a dry and bare city with dirty waterways. But, as everywhere in Iraq the people are kind and welcome us into their home.

I’m here with a journalist on assignment for National Geographic. In a next blog I’ll continue about my trip to the Garden of Eden, also; Mesopotamian Marshes.

Information on Babylon

Where

Babylon, Iraq

The town of Babylon was located along the Euphrates River in present-day Iraq, about 80 km south of Baghdad.

When

Spring & Autumn

It’s a bit cold and windy in January but you might not want to be here in summer. March – May and September – November is nice. 

Who

Anyone

Anyone can travel to Babylon. It’s quite easy from Baghdad with a taxi. Entrance costs 15 Iraqi dinar. 

Check our latest blogs

Peshawar, buddha and ditching the police

Peshawar, buddha and ditching the police

I’m sitting in the forest with a view on the mountains while in the distance I hear drums. For the first time in a very long time Yuri put on his sweater and I wear my hair loose without feeling too hot.

The Pakistani escort service

The Pakistani escort service

You would think by now we would have gotten rid of the Pakistani escort service. Well … read about it here.

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The good, the bad and the desert

The good, the bad and the desert

To the desert we go! 

After visiting Petra it was time to visit one of the most beautiful areas of Jordan: Wadi Rum! It’s also called ‘Valley of the Moon’. We first drive for a long while through more and more empty landscape until we arrive in Rum village. We have to register ourselves before we can actually start the tour. The tour you ask? Well, we are normally not really fan of tours but in Wadi Rum there is no other option if you want to explore the desert. Still, we have a car and driver of our own, so it’s alright. In the back of the 4×4 we sit with a little roof above our heads and really feel like tourists. Which we of course are but we rather not call ourselves that 😉

In the desert one comes across camels, sand and these kind of jeeps. It looks a bit silly but it’s really fun. The wind rushes through our hair (Yuri’s beard hair that be) which makes us feel not too hot and the shadow thanks to the silly roof keeps us from burning alive. 

Alright, enough about our vehicle. More about the trip. Our driver is Suleyman, a Bedouin local from around. He’s born in the desert he says and wears a beautiful white djellaba. That makes for beautiful photos! But he also has his iPhone ready, so a Bedouin with a touch of technology. Totally understandable. He drives, we watch and take photos. Good deal! 

Our first stop is at a spring which isn’t visible from where we stand. Thus, the original inhabitants of this region wrote on a rock, not sure exactly what but it must be something like “dear fellow traveller, you are in luck because here, near that tree on the left side behind this rock is a little spring where you can wash yourself, have a drink and take care of your animals. Take good care of the place. Leave nothing but footprints.” Ok, maybe the last part wasn’t truly written there but should’ve been, because even in the desert we see lots of plastic bottles which makes our hearts cry.

The next stop is a viewpoint. Nothing interesting but a nice view and when walking down we run down on a sand dune which is a lot of fun. Also quite hot under the feet. When we arrive at the bottom of the dune, we have a tea, of course. As soon as our tea is finished we’re going to our next spot. A canyon with more writings on the walls. We see animal drawings, men and feet (maybe we were right after all ‘leave nothing but footprints’) and some letters which probably meant something like “Lawrence of Arabia was here 1916”. 

We continued the tour to watch a tiny arch, which apparently some tourists find interesting. Not us though. What we do find interesting is the incredible landscape. The red and yellow sand, the equally coloured rocky mountains and here and there a camel. Oh and not to forget the many camps scattered around. Truly! So many tourist camps here. Once this was the place for the Bedouin people who roamed the sandy hills of the desert. They are called ‘desert dwellers’ for a reason. Now there are only 15 families left who live like this, the rest of the area is occupied by travellers. About 30 camps can be found in this little part of the desert. It’s hard to really feel lost and alone when you see luxury round shaped tents. Also, at every stop we find many jeeps with tourists. When the tourists explore the attraction, the guides/drivers are chilling and drinking tea in a tent. 

The tea drinking hasn’t changed. Bedouin people do not drink much else, except for camel milk. Which we didn’t try, this time. We did drink a lot of tea though. 

Anyway, lunch we spend with a Bedouin family. Well, that was the plan but with all nomads they come and go whenever they want. So the father of the family wasn’t there. The women of the camp will not show themselves when there are men around not belonging to their family. So Yuri had to stay with the kids and Suleyman, while I had small talk with the women. The mother and daughter, both very beautiful, were drinking tea with me. Luckily for me the daughter spoke some English. She told me she learns it in school. I was happily surprised that she goes to school. She loves it actually and wants to become a doctor. And when she’s a doctor she wants to move to Aqaba. Her favourite city! And she’s been to all over Jordan. So why she couldn’t show herself here is a mystery to me but let’s say it’s a tradition that hopefully will change one day.

We do respect traditions, cultures and religions but one where men can do whatever they want (marry up to 4 women, be around tourists, go wherever and whenever they want to go) and women have to stay in a closed part of the camp where men can’t see them (even when they cover their hair) is something else to me. Especially because they have mobile phones, they do go to cities if they need a doctor and they do study. Let’s just hope it will change with this new generation. Cause this young lady (17 years old) was so bright, so smart, so beautiful and kind. It’s a sin to keep her stuck in the desert forever.

After lunch and tea we continued our trip to more tourist attractions. We visit more arches, a mushroom rock, some beautiful canyons and had a lot of fun with Suleyman. We wanted to see and photograph some camels so Suleyman cuddled one and even gave one a kiss. He’s the best guide, though also very traditional in some aspects. He thinks women should cover themselves fully, that women shouldn’t be as free as I am and that it’s alright to kill Jews because Israel kills Palestinians. Different worlds of course (also a bit more nuances than in this post). He even has a photo of Sadam Hussein in his car. But that’s maybe for a later story. Or not?

Ok in short. In Jordan you’ll find many cars with a bumper sticker of Sadam Hussein. The person we know as a leader of Iraq and in the same time dictator, murderer, torturer. So we asked some people why they support Sadam Hussein. Some do because he fought against Israel, helping his Muslim brothers and sisters of Palestina. Then there is the reason that immigrants and Iraqis were treated the same way. And also because Jordanian students were able to study cheap in Iraq which was good for the students and the country. Some know that Sadam did bad things but they focus on the good. “I know he did bad things, but 95% of what he did was good”. Others probably know but don’t want to know, they point fingers at Western leaders doing bad; Bush, Trump, Obama. They are right about the later though.

We finally end the day at the sunset spot. With other, but not too many, tourists we sit on a rock watching the sun set behind the incredible scenery of Wadi Rum. Totally understandable that they filmed Star Wars, the Martian and Dunes here. Also, Lawrence of Arabia lived here! Fun fact 😁

After the sunset we went to our camp, had some nice talks with the other drivers and owner of the company, delicious diner, campfire, almost full moon and silence! Beautiful.

The Bedouin

At 6 o’clock in the morning, while everyone was still asleep, we woke up to visit the Bedouin family of which we didn’t get to meet the father. You can imagine we were a bit disappointed, thus we went back. The sun was rising while we sat across the man of the family drinking tea and something they call Bedouin coffee. Which is more like a strong tea. We got to photograph him and ask some questions. The light was amazing, the family so kind, the tea and dates delicious. We were so happy that we went back to this place. 

After one hour and a half we returned to the camp where breakfast was served. The other people just woke up while we felt like we’ve already passed half a day.

Anyway, we had breakfast, woke Suleyman and left the desert behind. A pity because we could spend more time here but we’ll leave it for a next time.

Time for a dive!

In one hour we drove to Aqaba, the Red Sea. The road wasn’t that great, neither was the Red Sea. Well, yeah it’s a sea, has some nice beaches and beautiful coral but the surroundings were horrible. Anyway, we came here so Yuri could dive. Diving is not for me so I enjoyed my time in the airco of the apartment editing some photos. Yuri on the other hand went for two dives. One near some old military vehicles; a helicopter, car and tank! He also saw many fish like his favourite the puffer fish. But also clown fish and a snake eel. The military vehicles were placed here btw.

In the evening we went to a restaurant in Aqaba city. A recommendation by the dive instructor and wow was it good! Traditional food with a modern twist. Yum! No photos of course cause we eat faster than our camera’s click.

The way back

A week flies by. We are already on our way back to the airport and with that to Armenia. But on the way back we scheduled some stops. The first one is Dana. A nice old village where several hikes through the gorges are offered. We heard they are nice but didn’t have the time to hike ourselves, also it’s very very hot!

The next day we would drive the famous Kings Highway. Everyone told us it’s a beautiful road and a must drive when in Jordan. You can read our disappointment. The road wasn’t that great at all and there was garbage everywhere. Truly! It was hard to watch the beauty of the scenery through the garbage that lies everywhere. Insane and quite sad. Also, the road itself isn’t interesting. It’s just a road going through a very dry area, not much to see so we won’t recommend it.

The last night we stay in Madaba, known for its mosaic. We had our PCR test done here and ate at a very nice restaurant. The meze was quite good, not as good as in Lebanon or Turkey but the Jordan food so far was a tiny bit of a disappointment, so this was a welcoming end to our trip. 

We were tested negative (hurray!) and headed out to check the mosaic in the St George church. The mosaic is the first known map of the Middle East and especially detailed about Jerusalem. It’s on the ground and quite big, pretty could to see. It dates back to the 6th century!  

After the visit we drove a very nice road from Madaba to the Dead Sea. Half way we visited a hot spring with a cool waterfall. However, it being almost 40 degrees outside we found it way too hot to chill in the even hotter water. We then continued to have lunch at the Dead Sea for one last time and afterwards headed to the airport.

That was it. Our trip to Jordan came to an end. We enjoyed it, had a lot of fun but were also disappointed. Disappointed about the amount of trash we saw everywhere, of the roads that weren’t as beautiful as people told us and the amount of tourists and tourist focused shops and prices. Petra is one big open air souvenir market, in the desert the Bedouin sell soap made in Pakistan and visiting a gorge costs 25 Euros per person. 

But let’s focus on the good. Petra was amazing, Wadi Rum spectacular and the people very kind and friendly. 

Love, Milene & Yuri

Holiday in Jordan

Holiday in Jordan

Time flies when you’re having fun. It really does. One week in Lebanon was over within what felt like a second. The flight to Jordan (1.5 hour) felt longer than the whole week in Lebanon and we guess that’s a good sign. 

Arrival in Jordan

Up to now crossing borders went rather easy. In the van it’s quite relaxed as we just sit in the van wait until it’s our turn. But flying somewhere is always a bit of a hassle. Well, Jordan is something else.

We immediately feel we are in a totally different country. Men in djellaba’s standing in line, people shouting, chaos, women in burqa cutting the line. So, there are several lines to enter Jordan. The first one being the PCR test line. We have paid for it before arrival so we just have to wait until there is someone available. It goes rather smoothly, also the test itself. Maybe our noses getting used to it, maybe it’s the kind woman.

Then there is the second line. To enter Jordan we need a visa, but we have paid for it already via the Jordan pass. This pass includes our visa and some tourist attractions like Petra and Jerash. It takes quite long to get through and again is very chaotic. Some women are given special treatment as they cut the line, some men say something about it and the custom man doesn’t like it so tells the group of men to get at the back of the line. They of course get more angry and while it involves a lot of raising voices in the end they do what the man with power tells them to.

It’s our turn and after five minutes we get to the third line; customs. As always we think we choose the shortest line but we don’t and we end up waiting and waiting. Many men in front of us seem to come from another country; Saudi, Yemen, Dubai maybe? They look like migrants, coming here to work and to be honest they are treated as such. Actually they are treated as brainless sheep. A rather big man tells them where to go and what to do and shouts at them when they do it wrong. It makes us feel sad for those men, but they seem not to care too much and just do what the man shouts towards them.

However, it takes very long for the customs to check all their papers. Finally, after two hours (this took longer than the whole flight) we are outside, finding our way to the rental cars. We get a not very interesting nor colourful Kia but it has four wheels so it will get us where we want to go.

We head to our first hotel not far from the airport. It’s midnight already and we can use some sleep. The next day our adventure really start.

Jerash

We skip Amman, just another big city, and drive north to Jerash. It’s famous for being an important and well preserved archeological site and even though we’ve seen so many already we are quite curious. One of the highlights is the old souk way from one entrance of the city to the temple in the middle. Alongside the road many columns can be found and behind it the old souk. It’s beautiful! One can imagine the many people that once walked here, buying stuff in the souk, talking with each other. It must have been crowded and noisy. A bit further up is a beautiful amfitheater – truly amazing. And there is a nice hippodrome (an ancient Greek stadium for horse racing and chariot racing) and some temples. The temples have been destroyed, only a few columns are still standing. We’ve seen better ones.

We walked here for hours, but at some point it gets too hot so we decide to move on. To the Dead Sea! 

The Dead Sea

Here we arrived at the end of the day. Which was good because we got to see the sunset while floating on top of the salty water. The Dead Sea is about 10 times more salty than the ocean and it’s bordering Israel. That’s also the reason that it’s not allowed to swim after sunset. Apparently the government is afraid of illegal border crossings at night. Anyway we got to drift a bit, see the sunset and enjoy the magic of the Dead Sea. It’s quite nice to just float on the sea and relax. A wonderful experience. Just don’t get any of the water in your mouth or eyes, it hurts. We found out the hard way…

Flat tire and strange border

We were planning a nice route along the Dead Sea to the South, stopping at worthy places and end up in Petra today. Instead we got a flat tire not far from our hotel. Immediately a group of Jordanians stopped and helped us fixing the tire. We had to go to our rental company to change the tire and found one not too far away. 25km’s, so we were hopeful. Until we got nearby and the road looked a bit shabby. At the end we ended up at a check point where the police didn’t let us through. Of course they didn’t know any English and we know no Arabic. We had to go back and circle around them. Which we did. Only to find ourselves in a strange abandoned area, which looked like a modern Wild West. Most shops were empty and left behind to rot. Windows were broken, company names only half visible and bored border patrol flicking their cigarettes. 

Of course the location of our rental company was abandoned just like all the others. As there was no one who spoke English, we decided to get to the airport.

Little and big Petra

We changed the tire at the airport and moved quickly towards little Petra. The road we took wasn’t very interesting it was quick though. It’s called the desert road and that’s just what it is. A highway through the desert with villages scattered around it. Some sand twisters followed us and bumps in the road made us test our breaks every now and then. 

At some point Google took us off the highway and into more desert area. Suddenly we found ourselves in an incredible landscape and soon we arrived at Little Petra. Little Petra isn’t very touristy because there is not much to see, except for one amazing temple cut in the rocks. We were alone except for the Bedouin living here trying to sell some souvenirs.

We enjoyed our short time here, until we headed towards Wadi Mousa. This is the village on top of the ancient Petra, it’s quite touristy but still has something left of the local culture. Like; no alcohol! Well, there is a cave bar where you can find alcohol so not surprisingly we went there to have a Petra beer and food. Now with 50% discount due to Covid-19: nice!

Petra by night

In the evening we went to check out Petra by Night. A bit too touristy for us. With many tourists we walked in line through the siq (a rock canal that leads to the city) to the treasury. Even though we were walking in line people were trying to rush towards the front of the line, which of course annoyed the hell out of us.

At the treasury it looked spectacular, beautiful. With all the candles and the Bedouin music, very magical. However, people (tourists and locals alike) talking through the Bedouin fluit concert makes it impossible to really enjoy the scenery and the magic of the area. Petra by night costs about Eur.20,- per person and is definitely not worth it.

Petra

At 6 o’clock we walked through the gates of of Petra with only a few other tourists. Such a relief compared to Petra by Night. At the treasury we were all alone. Except for some locals who offered their guiding services. After taking some photos we walked through the park, cause Petra is a lot more than just the treasury. There are many tombes, cave homes, an amfitheater, temple, church with beautiful mosaic and an amazing monastery.

Between all the historical sites you’ll find many souvenir shops and local people offering tea. For free, or happy hour, but of course it’s kind to give something. It feels a bit like a big open air market and again this commercialised souvenir market does something to the magic of the site. We are wondering what the previous inhabitants think when they see their capital being used like this. Of course we will never know but it’s fun to think about.

To go from the treasury to the monastery is a long walk and the end is quite challenging due to the many many stairs we have to climb. But it is so worth it. The monastery is as beautiful as the treasury but bigger. Afterwards we walk through the site, pass many tombes of which some are unfinished. We hike up the mountain to visit the sacrifice, a place where they used to sacrifice cows and goats to offer to the gods. The blood would flow down a small canal and people would drink it together. From this place we got a view over the ancient capital city Petra. Amazing! 

From here we walked down to a viewpoint on the treasury. Very touristy and Instagrammable. Many of the girls visiting here wear the prettiest colourful dresses to get the nicest Instagram shot. Not really our scene so we didn’t stay for too long. To get to this spot, we actually needed a guide cause the way is a bit tricky and apparently it’s not allowed to walk here without one. However, not surprisingly, we walked down without a guide and as you are reading this blog we survived! Didn’t even get a fine

Petra was beautiful! We walked 23km’s, have seen a lot of the site but not all and enjoyed our time here. We had tea and bought a scarf to support the locals and had nice talks with some guides. The downside of this world wonder is that it’s very touristy, a bit too much. So many people selling stuff made in China or Pakistan, so many people trying to get your buy their stuff or wanting to guide you. It’s too much to be honest and at a UNESCO sight we expected a lot less. A lot less garbage as well. Everywhere is plastic, also at Petra, which is really a shame.

It’s beautiful though, recommended to visit early. For us this part of our Jordan trip was over, more adventures to come.

Love, Milene & Yuri

A week in Lebanon

A week in Lebanon

So much happened in one week that we don’t know what to write. A summery wouldn’t do this week justice but an in dept journal would stop you from reading. So, we’ll try to share our week with you as a combination of photos and text.

Let’s start at the beginning, but not the very beginning cause who cares about a flight right? Ok except for the pilots and all who work in and around a plane and airport. But for us it’s the most boring and less loved thing about travelling. So we skip that.

We only knew about Beirut from the crisis it has experienced in the past. A civil war dividing not only the city and its people but also the religions which before lived peacefully together. Then there was the Beirut blast last year, destroying many buildings and killing many people in downtown Beirut. And the people that survived are now suffering from guilt and other psychological traumas. We know about the poverty in the city, Hezbollah being very present and the good food. Cause we always believe there is more good than bad.

So we make our way through the somewhat chaotic streets of Beirut in search of food, what else!? And food we find. We honestly don’t get why they don’t have bigger tables in restaurants here. All the meze we order hardly fit. We attack our food like a hungry lion does it’s prey. The meze is incredible, we try as much as we can as if we didn’t eat anything the past months. From hummus to baba ghanous and from muhamarra to kebbeh. 

Why are we writing instead of showing you this? Because we often devoured the food before a photo could be taken. Sorry, not so sorry, for that. 

Crisis!

Lebanon is in yet another crisis at the moment. Ever since the blast and civil war it doesn’t have a government, but it does have a shortage of … everything? There is no fuel, no medicine, no electricity, no money. People get fired, wait for 10 hours in front of gas stations and if you’re ill your waiting for a miracle. As we are here to work we went to a medical clinic to drop medicines and have a talk with the director. He tells us about the political situation in the country, about the government providing for only 4 hours of electricity a day and the challenges he faces. They are giving medical care for free to people who can’t afford to go to a doctor. They are not a hospital so no surgeries are done here but they do provide some dental care, a gynaecologist  and many more things we can write down but it’s just a list of the many things they do. 

So, after we get a tour through the building, meet some people and take some photos we are on the streets of Bourj Hammoud. This is the Armenian district of the city. Lots of Armenians live in Lebanon and this area is filled with them. You find Armenian food, gold and flags here. The Armenian language is written on walls as is “genocide graffiti”. From ‘Stop Azeri Violence’ to ‘Turkey is guilty of genocide’. It’s a nice hectic and a bit chaotic area of Beirut. While looking up one has difficulty of seeing the sky through all the electricity cables. It’s a bit ironic, all those cables reminding you of the electricity you do not have. 

We talk to people on the street who cannot work due to the economic crisis. The hyperinflation made everything ten times as expensive, the only thing that didn’t increase are the salaries. People now pay 10 times what they used to for diesel, bread and a taxi ride. However, their salary has stayed the same. Thus many people end up not being able to pay for the basics: home, food, health. 

2019 – civil war, 2020 – Beirut Blast, 2021 – hyperinflation. Every year another crisis. Maybe that’s why the people are so resilient. They lived through many wars to be able to overcome this as well.

After a couple of days working we decided to head out of Beirut to Byblos. Byblos is one of the oldest cities of the world and the word ‘bible’ deprives from Byblos. It normally takes 30 minutes from Beirut but now with the crisis – thus traffic jams at gasstation that have diesel – it takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes. But we make it and happily so because the town is pretty! 

So there’s an ancient sight with lots of beautiful ruins, a souk with mostly souvenirs for the few tourists that roam the streets and lots of cute cafes and restaurants. 

Time to go to Beqaa Valley

We are going to Beqaa valley for several reasons.

One – it’s beautiful! We visit the most beautiful ancient city we’ve ever seen: Baalbek. Its temple of wine is still standing and part of the temple of Jupiter as well.

Two – Anjar, an almost completely Armenian village, celebrates its beating of the Turks in 1915. So, that’s the genocide Turkey – and many other countries – do not want to talk about. Millions of Armenians were killed in death camps or during the death marches through the desert to Syria. In Musa dagi some villages gave some resistance. They were able to fight the Turks for 40 days until a French warship came to their rescue. Most of the descendants of these heroes live in Anjar today. Thus yearly they celebrate this heroic act.

Three – because Milene has to work for an NGO working in the refugee camps here. There are about 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Most live in houses but there is still a big group living in tents scattered through the area. 60% of the children do not go to school and there is not enough money to go to a doctor. So Milene followed a medical NGO for a day, to see their work first hand. 

We also visited two Syrian families Milene got into contact with. One living in a previously abandoned building. While we were sipping our mint tea the police entered ordering the people to get out within a week. He took a photo of our passports but didn’t dare to put the family on the street while we were there. 8 kids, 3 adults without a proper job. Where should they go? 

The other family finally found a house of a good Lebanese man. He is living in Turkey for a year and told them they could stay in his house for free during the year. The father has a heart disease and can’t work. The oldest son is 22 and tries to work by installing air conditioners. Payment isn’t good but it’s better than nothing. As a present the family gave us the holy Quran. There is no higher gift from a Muslim than this. We will cherish their holy book. 

Long story short: it was an amazing week! 

Want to know more about Lebanon? Let us know in the comments below.

Love, Milene & Yuri

Staying at a 700 year old caravanserai

Staying at a 700 year old caravanserai

We are staying at a caravanserai tonight. A hotel / restaurant where travellers would spend the night, giving their camels and horses some rest and catch up with other travellers about the way ahead. This Caravanserai is the best preserved one in Armenia and was built in 1332. That’s almost 700 years ago! 

We take a zip of our wine and look at the thousand of stars in the big black sky. Almost 700 years ago travellers like Marco Polo would take shelter here, maybe they looked at the same stars as we are. The wind is cold. And probably that hasn’t changed as well. The caravanserai is built without a courtyard so it would keep the people and animals warm during the icy nights. Marco Polo never got to see this marvellous place, he travelled the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. 

It’s impressive that after 700 years this building is still standing! And in comparison to the Anatolian caravanserais this one isn’t converted into a hip restaurant or hotel. It is still like it was 700 years ago, and that’s why history is still alive here.

While we walked through the building we imagine merchants and travellers getting together here like in nowadays hostels. Where camels and horses stood drinking, eating and happy to take a rest. Where men slept in the same area without knowing each other while the fire kept them warm. Stories, cultures and knowledge were exchanged, goods were traded and all were equal.

We see some stars falling through our atmosphere, a chill down the spine because of the cold wind and in the distance we see the lights of the nearby village twinkle. Yes, some things have changed in 700 years. There are now villages in the gorge, as there is internet on the pass and in the day one can find a lovely couple with their mobile market (lada full with goods) selling their goods day in day out.

How awesome is it that 700 years after the building of this incredible place we stay here for the night and in the day a merchant couple comes to sell their goods. We also met a young priest and his friend and exchanged stories. It doesn’t matter where your from, it doesn’t matter in which time you live, humans are humans. This place was built to bring people together and that’s what it still does 700 years later.

Love, Milene & Yuri

Religion, war and waste management

Religion, war and waste management

The morning sun is a welcoming guest high up in the mountains. We are now at almost 2500 meters above sea level and the wind carries the cold air into the van. Great for sleeping, a little less for cooking and living outside. But, we are Dutchies, thus no cold air can prevent us from living our life’s outside. And the sun is shining so what are we complaining about?!

Today we’ll be looking back at the past few days. They were intense, a lot of driving, visiting new places and finding spots to sleep.

Visiting the most famous Armenian monastery

We visited Tatev monastery. Probably the most famous monastery of Armenia, not the most pretty one though. But, at Tatev monastery you can walk through the ancient bishop chambers and that’s a lot of fun! The church itself is not that interesting so we didn’t stay too long. We slept on the parking lot of the ‘wings of Tatev’, the longest cable car of the world, thus holds a Guinness book of records. Even though parking lots aren’t that idyllic, we did have a toilet we could use and in the night they closed the gates so no visitors. Except for some dogs, cats and horses.

The next day we continued our route in the direction of Goris and beyond. Driving towards Azerbaijan, but just before we visited Old Khndzoresk, a cave city. The main interesting part of the city is that is was last inhabited in 1975 – as a local told us. The government didn’t think it would be good for the people to continue living in caves so they were moved to the top of the gorge. There isn’t much to see what we didn’t already see elsewhere but we had a good hike up and down the village and crossing a huge handmade hanging bridge.

We returned to the car and moved towards a waterfall. A pretty nice and rather big waterfall, the first one we’ve seen in Armenia. It’s quite dry here in the south, the landscape is bare and rocky. Trees can be found in the gorges but most of the landscape looks like the Wild West of the USA (never been there but we’re comparing it to movies and series we’ve seen). Actually it does feel a bit like driving through the scene of Westworld. But this ain’t a game where people can experience the wild west. Or maybe it is. 

Dispute over land kills people

A couple of days ago an Armenian soldier got shot by an Azerbaijani sniper in an area where we just drove through. It feels surreal, enjoying the beautiful landscape, driving from highlight to highlight while soldiers are being killed because of a war over land. It’s the same story over and over again. Whether it’s in Israël/Palestina, the Krim/Russia or Armenia/Azerbaijan. We fight over land and what’s below it. People die, people become homeless and we keep discussing who was first on the land that should be home to everyone.

We’ve visited churches centuries old, a caravanserai from 1332, standing stones dating back to 7.500 years… Often we see Armenian inscriptions on these man made sights. The first Armenian state was established in 860 BC. Azerbaijan being founded in 1918, you can imagine to whom the land truly belongs. Apparently it’s too easy to look at it this way. Anyway, the interference of the USSR and especially the fall of the Soviet Union didn’t help in the dispute over land. The people lived rather peacefully together during the Soviet Union, after the fall wars broke out. Newly erected governments wanted more land for themselves, not thinking about the people living there. All over the pre Soviet states war started. In most cases it ended quickly, but in some like Armenia and Azerbaijan it didn’t. And we’re not sure it ever will. 

Not something we can solve in this blog post so let’s continue for now. Can’t promise it won’t come back in another blog though.

We found a very nice place to stay for the night near the waterfall. Though we did have to clean the area and after collecting three bags of waste in 15 minutes we thought it clean enough to relax.

The problem of waste

Waste is another big problem. It might kill more living things than war does. And it can be found everywhere. Seriously, since we left The Netherlands we’ve seen so much waste lying around. It’s so sad, sometimes we hardly see the flowers through the waste. When we camp in the wild we often need to clean the area to be able to enjoy nature and not be surrounded by so much waste. So we decided to make waste collecting cool. Though we don’t know how yet. Any ideas? 

Love, Milene & Yuri

Continuing our Armenian advanture

Continuing our Armenian advanture

After five days at the beautiful campsite of Sandra and Marty (3Gs – check it out) we got waaaaay to comfortable with the swimming pool, two kitchens and a washing machine. Not to mention the showers, toilets and incredible wifi. You can imagine, it was time to go. 

Churches! 

With over 4.000 churches we’re sure Armenia must be in the top country of churches. Especially per squared kilometre. We are doing our best to visit some of the most famous, least known and the ones with the prettiest views. The later was on the program for today.

After 1.5 hours we arrived at a small monastery ‘Chor Virap’ with Mount Ararat as a backdrop. Can it get better than that? Maybe, maybe not.

The church itself wasn’t that spectacular, however we did manage to crawl down some stairs into the deep where we arrived at the church dungeon. Here they had built another chapel. God knows why. But it was fun to climb under a church for a change.

Red red wine

As the church and wine are inseparable we decided to continue our trip today to the wine region of Armenia, Areni. Not as big as that of Georgia but maybe nicer? 

On the way there we drove alongside the Armenian / Turkish border where we saw many many watchtowers. A bit further we drove alongside the Armenian / Azerbaijani border. Yeah, Azerbaijan has some enclave in the South West of Armenia, bordering Turkey. That’s why Azerbaijan is so keen on creating this corridor through Armenia. The whole road was protected by a big pile of stones and sand. Every 50 metres (I think, I’m not good at measuring this) was a dug out place where a soldier could fit. He would be surrounded by tires as protection. Than these dug out places changed into tiny, two men bunkers. On the other side we saw the same on the Azerbaijan side. Looks a little hostile of course. But even more so when we saw the dug out trench for soldiers to walk across. And then of course we passed the Russian peace keepers chilling in their tent, visible because of the flag fluttering through the air. 

We drove a little further and actually had to cross an enclave of Azerbaijan. So small only one village fits in it and it didn’t seem like another country to us. The highway just went through, there were no flags and the landscape was the same. The only difference was the road. It’s like driving from The Netherlands into Belgium. The nice beautiful tarmac roads make place for old roads with some cracks. But other than that you wouldn’t notice you would drive through an enclave.

A little bit further we drove into a gorge which is best known as the wine region Areni. We looked for a nice wine cave restaurant (got good reviews on Google) but when arriving it felt like an intrusion. “Are you open?” “We certainly are!” So we parked the car, got inside and ordered a wine tasting. After five minutes she opened a bottle of wine, gave us some glasses and walked away. Her daughter came back with some bread and cheese, smiled friendly and told us to ring a bell when we need her. The door closed and we were alone in the wine cellar with a bottle of wine without name. 

Well we know very well what to do with that bottle, that bread and that cheese. The wine was delicious. The cheese not so much but that’s kind of what we are used to now. For good cheese one has to stay in Western Europe. Nothing beats the French, Swiss and Dutch cheese. 

Half way through the bottle we decided it was time for the main course: Harissa. That’s something I, Milene, make a lot at home. Moroccan Harissa is my favourite! So I was pretty curious what the Armenians make of that. Well, it’s nothing alike. It’s totally different, even the colour doesn’t look the same. It was nice though.

Sleeping under a thousand stars at the church

We continued our adventure to Noravank monastery, which is about 15 minutes from Areni. To get to the church you’ll drive through a magnificent gorge with mountains (and caves) all around. And then after some curves through the gorge you’ll hit a straight road and head towards red rocky mountains. Amazing!!! After seeing mainly dry desert like land today, this was a very welcome change of landscape. 

In Armenian Noravank means ‘new monastery’. A name that doesn’t really fit a monastery that’s seven centuries old. So it was built in the 13th century, above the Amaghu River, near the city of Yeghegnadzor. In 2002 it became a UNESCO heritage sight.

Funny story about the church. Apparently the Armenian alphabet was designed so that a single swastika was a monogram of the alphabet: every letter could be found in its shape. This saved space, so that more could be written. During the unstable times, when invasions and destruction were common, Armenian history was written carved into the church walls, and words were written as monograms, with all the letters stacked on top of each other, in order to save space.

The church sits at the end of the gorge, on the most beautiful place of course! We arrived quite late so it was very quiet in and around the church, which we love. And as the sun dropped in the ocean somewhere in the world, the wind took over and one by one stars appears. We could see thousands if not millions of stars in the dark sky. No light pollution so it was all very visible. The Milky Way showed its grandeur and was almost as white as a single cloud on a clear day. Not long after the darkness set in, the few cars that had been here left and we were all alone.

Quietly we watched more stars stealing the show and the contours of the mountains only slightly visible against the sky that darkened even more. We saw stars falling and satellites moving. It made us dream of far away places that now seem unreachable. But, when this church was built the priests would certainly not imagine that we would be travelling to the universe one day. Let alone step on the moon! So, even though we seem so tiny under that big black sky we can do things unimaginable. Things that some people think impossible. Like reaching Armenia with a 45 year old Volkswagen van. 

And that, our dear reader, gives us reassurance and trust in the future of this journey. It might not continue exactly as we planned but every day on the road is a unknown advanture and we take them as they come. 

Love, Milene & Yuri

From temple to church

From temple to church

Finally exploring again. We love visiting cities and staying in a hotel, guesthouse, airbnb for a while but we love it even more to explore the roads with Alexine and drive towards unknown destinations. Not knowing where we will sleep that night, but enjoying the wind rushing through the van, while Alexine crosses mountains.

The only Pagan Temple of Armenia

This time we wouldn’t drive too far. Armenia is small so most places are not that far from each other, which we like and Alexine even more. It means she doesn’t heath up too much. Anyway, after 50 minutes we arrived in Garni. Famous for the Pagan Temple and the Symphony of Stones. We visited both, but first the Pagan Temple.

The Garni Pagan Temple was once a pagan temple dedicated to the Armenian sun god Mihr. Built in the middle of the 1st century CE, the Temple of Garni remarkably survived the destruction of pagan temples following Armenia’s conversion to Christianity in the 4th century CE, and countless invasions and earthquakes until its collapse in 1679 CE. 

Today, it is the only free-standing Greco-Roman structure in Armenia and seen by many as a potent symbol of Armenia’s classical past as well as its deep historical ties to the civilizations of Greece and Rome. We love when histories of different countries come together in yet another country.

The Temple of Garni is situated in a very strategic location, on a cliff, overlooking a range of the Geghama mountains as well as the Azat River (meaning; freedom river) near the Ararat Plain. The site was inhabited in prehistoric times, and there is evidence that it was also used by the Urartians between the 8th-6th centuries BCE.

A very nice place to visit, although also very crowded with people not interested in all of the above. They are mainly visiting to take a selfie in various positions. Along our trip we’ve seen so many people being more occupied with themselves by taking selfies all the time, in various positions, than absorbing the stories, the culture and the incredible architecture of a place like this. The Pagan temple was not any different from a bridge in Rome or a Svan tower in Ushguli. It’s annoying, yet understanding. The time we are living in is all about individualism, social media is built on it. A selfie on Instagram gets a lot more likes due to the algorithm than a beautiful photo of the temple without persons in it. Sad, but true.

Thus, after getting a bit annoyed but the selfie bombs of people we decided it was time to move on.

Symphony of Stones

Not far from the village Garni we found one of the most well-known and beautiful natural monuments of Armenia: Symphony of Stones. It is said, like the Giant’s Causeway in Ireland & Scotland, that this natural monument is the result of the collapse of the volcanic rocks. And yeah, it looks very similar. Though the difference is the amount. The whole Garni Gorge is filled with these volcanic rocks.

The basalt columns (some nearly 50 meters high) hang against gravity of which some resemble an organ; thus, symphony of stones. We decided this was a good place to park the van, have diner and watch the stars, of which there were many. The moon shone on the symphony and while the last picnic group was gone silence returned. Except for the river and birds of pray flying over.

Visiting Geghard Monastery, UNESCO sight

After a very good night sleep we headed towards another monastery and several churches. It would also be the day that we visited a UNESCO sight, and ate one!

The monastery of Geghard contains a number of churches and tombs, most of them cut into the rock, which illustrate the very peak of Armenian medieval architecture. The complex of medieval buildings is set into a landscape of great natural beauty, surrounded by towering cliffs at the entrance to the Azat Valley. – UNESCO

Read more about the monastery via the link above. It was quite busy when we got here but it was doable. So, the first church we visited is the main church. Upon entering we found that the church is built upon a spring. Of course, many then think it’s holy water but it didn’t taste any different than mountain water so that’s debatable. Anyway, there were some people taking it very serious. One lady was standing at the foot of the spring, mumbling some words and making a cross on her chest without stopping. We went to check all the other rooms, went outside to check some thumbs, even went to visit one other church before coming back to see what was happening inside the spring room. She was still standing there, making crosses and mumbling words. You gotta love the dedication. She did get angry at other people filling their water bottles with holy mountain spring water.

However, the real gem of Geghard is not actually the biggest church but the one on top of it. While entering there a man was singing. Not quietly, not in himself but out loud. It filled the church with his voice and the echo and gave me a chill down my spine. I, Milene, was alone with this man and I almost felt a bit spiritual, which I’m truly not. You understand that when he left and Yuri arrived, he took his place. Not singing like him but humming. It sounded even better! I love it when places are built to make sounds become music and when the voices are magnified so that everyone listens. Even though one cannot understand.

After our private concert we left. We climbed up a little bit to an old church cut in the mountain and left right after it.

On the way to a campsite (yep!) we saw ladies baking bread. Not just any bread but Lavash!!

Finally eating UNESCO bread: Lavash

Lavash is a soft and flat bread that can be folded easily to make sandwiches and wraps. It’s popular in countries such as Armenia, Iran, Azerbaijan and Turkey. Traditionally, lavash is made in tanoor (brick or wood oven) or on saj Tava. Lavash can be preserved for about 6 months. The ladies showed us how they make the bread. Let’s share it:

A simple dough made of wheat flour and water is kneaded and formed into balls, which are then rolled into thin layers and stretched over a special oval cushion that is then slapped against the wall of a traditional conical clay oven. After thirty seconds to a minute, the baked bread is pulled from the oven wall.

Of course we bought some of the bread and tasted it, delicious! It’s not that different from Turkish, Iranian or other Middle Eastern bread but it’s Unesco so it’s cool.

Lavash is included in UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The nomination was submitted by The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Armenia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia in 2013. “Lavash, the preparation, meaning and appearance of traditional bread as an expression of culture in Armenia”.

With UNESCO bread in our pocket we knocked on the door of Campsite 3Gs. On Instagram many people told us we should go here so why ask if you don’t listen right? Thus, we arrived here and were welcomed by Sandra, one of the owners. Sandra and her husband Marty are from The Netherlands and started the campsite in 2015. They call it campsite, we think it’s more a combination of glamping, camping & b&b. And that’s exactly what it is. With two kitchens, three toilets, showers, a washing machine and wonderful swimming pool this place has it all. We will stay here a couple of nights to relax, do some work and plan the rest of our trip because if Iran doesn’t open it’s borders and other borders might close we have to consider different options.

What do you think we should do?

Love, Milene & Yuri