Adventures in Lori - Part II

On Saturday night Zina made a special dinner of summer dolma. Her (other) guests were someone who had stayed with her years ago – she had worked for Peace Corps Bulgaria – and her boss. We talked about Bulgaria, the long history of the peoples in this part of the world, and life in the former Soviet Union and its satellites. At the end of the dinner, the boss read my coffee grounds; this was a first for me in Armenia. After a couple of months of calm, I will have a big change. I will be working with people of many races, and live near water. I will be going to a mountain soon. Overall, he said, I have a bright future.

I might have gone to the mountain that he referred to the next day! The trip to the Debed Canyon was about eleven hours long – so why not go back to Lori marz right away, this time for a twelve-hour day? The hiking group was going to two places that sounded interesting, and I thought it would be nice to do some hiking, so I signed up. There were mountains in the distance, and Mt. Aragats was outside the window for most of the way up and back, so chalk one up for the coffee grounds.

There was quite a mix of people this time – from Argentina, Italy, Lebanon, Syria, Germany and of course Armenia; a cook, an architect, two civil engineering students, an NGO person, a teacher, two policewomen and more. Lori Berd was our first destination – well, after the Aparan bakery, that is. This fortress was built on the edge of a gorge at the point where two rivers meet, as Amberd was. There are the remains of a bathhouse and a church, and then we walked down into the gorge, where there was an arched bridge (wait – wasn’t the one last weekend the only one?). As we had lunch there, a group of PCVs and Fulbrights hiked through! As one of them said, it’s a small country. One could keep hiking along the gorge – and it would have been nice to, though it was quite hot – but we had another stop, at a Dendropark.

This arboretum was cool and shady but not large. Armenians come in the spring to breathe the pollen, thinking it has a health benefit. Maybe there’s something in that - near Lori Berd I could not stop sneezing, but in the Dendropark I could breathe and the air was fragrant. However, we walked on every path and still had about an hour to hang out before we went home. Jeanne had gone on last week’s hike and she said it was a long drive and not much hiking – I wonder if the leaders think that it’s too hot to do a lot of walking and that the group just wants to get out of Yerevan and go somewhere cooler. I’m glad I saw both of our destinations but I wish we had either hiked more or gotten back sooner. At least I got back in time to stop by Republic Square and watch the fountains for a while. I love those!

By the way, I asked where we had gone on that very first hike – since I wasn’t on the mailing list yet – and found out that it was a nature reserve in Ararat province. I knew we had gone to a fortress and a church called St. Karapet, and when I read Lonely Planet I thought that’s where we might have gone; I was glad to confirm it. So that means I have seen two sites in Ararat marz (and not just been to Khor Virap twice) – Lori was my last marz, and now I have been twice, so why not see every marz twice now? There was a big MCA pumping station opening in Tavush last week; this was originally going to be an outing for all of MCA-Armenia but it was scaled back, and I didn’t go. During the construction they found some pre-Christian tombs; that would have been interesting to see, but I think that even those who did go last week didn’t see them. I may go back to Lori a third time to visit a PCV who has invited me. I’ll go back to Shirak on my way to Georgia and I think I will come back from Georgia through Tavush, and that’ll do it.

Adventures in Lori - Part I

One of the A-17s is a group organizer (every group needs one of those) and she put together a trip to visit the UNESCO World Heritage monasteries and other churches of the Debed Canyon. The group size kept changing and it ended up that we took a taxi, with one person in the front and four in the back (one of whom was her mother, who served in the Peace Corps 30 years ago!). The taxi was smaller than the grand taxis in Morocco and the people were bigger, so it wasn’t a comfortable day, but it was fun.

Our first stop was in Aparan, where there’s a renowned bakery. It lives up to the hype – I had a warm potato piroshki and a ponchik, which is like a cream-filled doughnut. We then started at Haghpat, perched – as so many of these monasteries are – on the edge of the canyon, with a magnificent view. It’s one of the UNESCO sites. What, to me, distinguishes it from the others is the bell tower, the decoration on the side of two brothers holding a model of the church, the fact that the buildings are separate where in most others they are contiguous, a dramatic khatchkar featuring human figures, and a library/repository in which there were holes in the ground for storage jars.

We passed through the town of Alaverdi, which is dominated by a copper mine. There’s also some strip mining nearby, which is not beautiful, but the rest of the landscape and the canyon was. Lots of trees in Lori marz! Our northernmost destination was Akhtala monastery. It’s surrounded by a fortress, similar to others I have seen – fortress and church all in one! The main attraction is the frescoes inside. Built and decorated in the Georgian style – it’s not far from the border and at one time was under Georgian control - it was awe-inspiring. It should have more visitors! But it was nice that we had it all to ourselves.

Sanahin is a contemporary of Haghpat (its name means “older than the other one,” while Haghpat means “huge wall”). It was built by the same family and has the same carving of the brothers holding the model of the church. It has a nice bell tower as well, and a little round chapel in the back. Sanahin has more trees on its property, so it felt cozier. And there were nice benches outside, where we had a picnic lunch. This is the other UNESCO site.

Maybe the best was the last, though – Odzun. As we approached the property, we saw a café across the way, where the priest was sitting. He came over and gave us a tour. He was obviously very proud of his church, pointing out 4th-century stones and 6th-century elements, including one of the world’s oldest Madonna and child stone carving. Then he demonstrated the building’s acoustics by singing; his voice was beautiful and the sound rang out and he was so sincere that we all felt compelled to make a donation or to buy something. This is another church that most tour buses pass by, so it was worth being in the crowded taxi to see all four of these outstanding sites!

Miscellany

Time for another post with a collection of random information – and for the revelation that when I write this kind of post – I’ve been blogging for almost five years now, and am stating this for the first time – I title them with headlines that come from the “leftovers” Jeopardy categories. Did you notice?

It’s been hot here. Maybe in the 90s F? So far, it has cooled down enough at night that I can sleep well; it was hot at Chad’s. I suspect that one of these days it will be too hot to sleep at night, but am not sure it’s worth it to invest in a fan, though I could leave it with Zina or donate it to another volunteer. I’ve been feeling tired at night for the past week or so, and I realized it’s because my room is hot. I’m doing hot yoga in the morning, too! The sun peeks over the ridge and fills my room just as I’m getting started on my routine these days.

Have I mentioned that the days are long? I think so. They’ve been long for a while, and of course this week they’re the longest of the year. For the solstice, it rose at 6:33 am and set at 9:35 pm. Yerevan is at 40 degrees latitude, about the same as New York and Chicago, but I think the days seem longer here because there aren’t tall buildings to create shadows, so it stays very light very late.

One thing I enjoy here is seeing the swallows (that’s what the people here call them; a PCV birder says they are in reality swifts) fly around this way and that in the early morning and at dusk. There are so many of them! I imagine that without them there would be many insects to deal with. I got a few bites when I was away over the weekend but have had none in Yerevan. Why don’t we have swifts in major American cities? (Conversely, I have seen only a handful of pigeons here).

I’ve also heard quite a few planes lately – fighter jets practicing, I think. Except that each time I hear them, I wonder if the next war with Azerbaijan has started and if I’m about to get a text message to that effect from our Safety and Security Coordinator. I’m much more alert here than I felt I needed to be in either of my other assignments, though there was always the possibility of something happening there too.

I’ve been working on a miscellany of things with my counterpart away – most notably an entry for MCC’s Poverty Reduction Blog, my Peace Corps Final Report and Description of Service (with room to add projects that I’ll work on when she gets back) and one of the online surveys that we have to complete before we COS (the other won’t be available until July). In addition, I’m developing the flyer, testimonial and internet listings for Zina’s Bed and Breakfast. I’ve also started going through the English-language version of the MCA-Armenia web site, which is my de facto default project when there aren’t other assignments. I love that.

I’ve also had a miscellany of social activity – a lunch with Mel, Gordon and Jeanne (they were in Georgia for two weeks; I missed them!) last Tuesday that somehow turned into the whole afternoon, a lunch with Shannon last Friday that somehow turned into the whole afternoon (not without a little guilt though; I have to get over that and enjoy these afternoons while I have them), a coffee with the OSCE program chair, who is leaving Yerevan soon, another orchestra/Republic Square evening. Next Tuesday is a ballet – Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet – and I may go to an art opening tomorrow evening.

I think strawberry season is just about over. I can’t say I had as many as humanly possible, but I had a lot, and I still think they are the best strawberries I have ever had. Cherries are out now – they are good too, but I don’t like cherries as much as I like strawberries (and we know strawberries are better than snakes!). And I finally had my first apricot – Armenian apricots are supposed to be the best in the world. This one was all right. My host mother said she wasn’t even sure it was Armenian – she can’t tell where the produce is from these days. She also said the really good ones are too expensive. I told her I would give her extra money so I could see what the best taste like! She said it’s early and we’ll wait a week or two. I just hope the recent hailstorms didn’t ruin the crop, as I hear it did last year….

When I go to other PCV’s houses, I enjoy seeing how they live. I especially like looking at their books. More and more PCVs have Kindles now – it makes sense; you can read so many more books and save all that weight in luggage and in packages from home – but I think that as more people get them, something that’s traditionally been a big part of Peace Corps life – the trading of books among fellow volunteers - will be lost.

I’ll close with some good news – the PCV who broke her ankle in three places just before our first trip to Syunik in February is on her way back this week! She was medically separated but was reinstated – so she won’t COS with the A-18s, but she’ll be able to complete her service here. I would love to get back down to Meghri and Kapan – they’re supposed to be beautiful in the summer – but I think I have to chalk that up to, “you can’t do everything.” I am glad I got there once!

The pictures are miscellany too – more from this past weekend.

Jews in Armenia

Last week, a fellow PCV posted a link to this site, created (I think) by another PCV, whom I have not met - http://yeghegis.syunikngo.am/ - coincidentally (or not), I had just been reading about this in the Bradt guide. There’s an 800-year-old Jewish cemetery in Armenia, one of the oldest known in the world. It was rediscovered in 1996 and excavations have been in the works since 2000, through the Jewish University of Jerusalem. Several of the gravestones have Hebrew lettering on them. You can reach the cemetery via a rickety footbridge over the Yeghegis River. Built in the 1930s, the bridge supports include some of the gravestones; another bridge may be built and then the gravestones would be restored to the cemetery. Over 60 gravestones have been identified, some with decipherable inscriptions. Interestingly, some of them have the same symbols and decorative motifs – such as the spiral wheel – that are seen on some of the early Christian stones. There’s speculation that the same craftsmen may have carved stones for both this cemetery and Christian ones (makes sense to me). The Bradt guide says that the Jews in the area worked in flour milling. They came in the 13th century after the Mongol invasion and left in the 15th after the Ottoman invasion.

You may have already guessed that the way to this cemetery (and also to a couple of monasteries and a fortress) is near Yeghegnadzor and that we couldn’t get to it because of the road that was washed out. If the road is repaired before I leave, I’d go back to see this – it sounds like a fascinating bit of history and something unique to see. I enjoyed seeing the Jewish cemeteries and quarters of Morocco, after all! Or maybe I will just go back to Yegh to go tubing on the river with Emily, Meag and others – that would be fun.

Another volunteer has been working on some English translations – see http://jewish.am/?page_id=36&lang=en. If you look at a map, it makes sense that Armenians would have gotten to Israel and Jews would have gotten here; it’s not far. One day I did an internet search and found the address for a synagogue in Yerevan. Gordon, Jeanne and I were out for a walk one day and he didn’t feel well so he went home; Jeanne and I weren’t ready to call it a day yet, so I suggested we check it out. It was hard to find – we went up and down the street, and then a local figured out what we were looking for and pointed to a narrow, residential alleyway; we went though and found it. It was undergoing renovation and was empty; a menorah in front and some books with Hebrew lettering inside were the only clues that we were in the right place. Then the rabbi came along and talked to us for a while. He invited us to the re-opening, but it was the same day as our COS meeting, so we couldn’t go. I’m not sure I’ll make it back there but here’s a look at it now - http://hetq.am/eng/news/1757/

Who knew?

July post script, or why I am still reading tour books even though I am almost finished, part two – because I learn things. Near the sculpture of the hands from twin city Carrara (see May 28) and the tree-of-life sculpture that is a replica of one Yerevan gave to Carrara in return (July 14) is Yerevan’s monument to the Holocaust. According to the Bradt guide, the Hebrew is wrong. Still, it was nice to find this sculpture.

Village life, Spa town, Walkers meet, Caravanserai - Part II

I went back to Chad’s for the night with one of the walkers and her husband (who had not done the hike but who had randomly passed by them at one point during the walk, making his marchutny stop to say hello to them). The next morning, it was hard to tear myself away – we relaxed outside Chad’s house, talking and just sitting with his landlord’s family. The father took me on a tour of the garden. My host mother had told me there were lots of snakes in Yeghegnadzor, and when I mentioned it to Chad, he said there were three who regularly appeared in the garden. So the father took me to look for them. They weren’t in their usual spots, and I began to wonder what I was thinking by asking to see them and what I would do if they were underfoot. The father picked some ripe strawberries for me and showed me everything else he was growing. I tried to say that strawberries are better than snakes but Chad told me that I said I wanted more snakes – his Armenian is great, and it made the Jermuk trip and the family time all the more rewarding.

I loved my taste of village life, but tear myself away I did, to spend more time with Emily and Meag and the B2Bers. Everyone was sitting at a long table in the garden – hot, sunny Vayots Dzor, with everyone sitting outside, was quite a contrast to chilly, rainy Gegharhunik – making posters for the final B2B event. Everyone who had hosted the walkers along the way plus Peace Corps staff were coming for it; my plan was to leave town before the masses arrived. First, though, I wanted to explore a little more. The northern group had camped out their last night at Selim Caravanserai, the most intact remainder of the Silk Road in Armenia. Lonely Planet says that it’s not worth going just to see it, but that if you’re on that particular road it’s worth pulling over, and a couple of the walkers agreed with that assessment. I decided I wanted to see it anyway, especially after hearing all of Katie and Theo’s stories and reading their book. Emily and Meag called a taxi driver that they often use, and I talked them into coming along.

Of course, it was worth it, at least to me. First of all, just the fact that it’s there is an interesting slice of history – you can visualize the traders taking the same route that the Border2Border people had just walked, except with animals and goods to trade. Inside, there’s a main hall for the animals, with holes in the roof and a trough on the floor, and naves along the side for the people and their wares. The caravanserai was built in the 1300s. Per the Bradt guide, it is one of the best-preserved in the world - its remote site prevented its being quarried. And the view from it down the gorge was breathtaking. The tallest mountains, on the horizon, mark the border with Naxcivan (Emily said that there’s one spot on the drive back from which, on a clear day, you can see Naxcivan, which is that separate part of Azerbaijan, and then the next range is Turkey, and the range after that is Iran). We went over the Selim pass (in the other direction from all of those) and saw a completely different valley (oh, those microclimates!).

On the way back, we stopped to see a road that had been washed out (more on this in another post) – the entire side of a mountain just slipped into the river below, cutting off about nine villages. This is the way to some good hiking and historical sites; if it’s repaired before I COS I might be tempted to return. We also stopped at a 13th century arched bridge – so arched that it comes to a point – that is also part of Silk Road history; it's the only one of its kind in Armenia. All of this was fascinating, and much more fun because Emily and Meag were along. Emily’s Armenian is also very good, so she could translate some of the comments that our taxi driver made. You can see her in action in this video, made by the U.S. Embassy here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuVQV3lo0wM

Time flies when you’re having fun, and I made the last marchutny going back to Yerevan. I was so happy after a weekend of kind people, interesting sites, beautiful views, and sunny weather that the two-hour hot, airless, bumpy, twisty ride went by quickly. The Yegh marchutny stops not far from where Gordon and Jeanne live; she was on an outing with the hiking group but he met me at the café at the train station, where we had khatchapuri and traded tales.

Village life, Spa town, Walkers meet, Caravanserai - Part I

This may have been my favorite weekend in Armenia! It got off to a shaky start, though, with a two-hour ride in a completely full, hot and airless marchutny – during which, ironically, I was reading a New Yorker article about tuberculosis (nobody coughed during the ride, thankfully). Then I got into a taxi where I had trouble being understood and was lamenting my lack of Armenian study and practice – when I got to my final destination, my host told me I got the crazy taxi driver, so it wasn’t me. After that, I had a wonderful time.

I met Chad once at the cafeteria near the Peace Corps office; I told him I was interested in coming to Yeghegnadzor for the end of the Border2Border walk, and he instantly said he had four beds and I could have one, in my own room. Plus, I mentioned that I was interested in going to Jermuk, the spa town of Armenia, and he agreed to go with me. What a nice host! First, we met his landlord’s family – extremely nice people, with cute kids – and walked around his village. It’s the largest village in Armenia in area and the second largest in population. Almost everyone lives off subsistence farming in their gardens; some also have animals that they take across the river to graze. Chad’s family is quite prosperous – they grow enough food for themselves and have extra to take to market, plus three of them have outside jobs; it was nice to see a well-off family. Much of the rest of the village looked prosperous as well, with big houses and gardens; Vayots Dzor is a good region for agriculture. All is not paradise, though – the 19-year-old daughter in Chad’s original host family was bride-napped a few months ago by another family in the village. She hasn’t been allowed back to see her family, and she’s now pregnant. Another volunteer is extending his service specifically to work on bride-napping issues; it’s apparently an increasing practice here.

We took the marchutny to Vayk, the next town over, and learned that the next bus to Jermuk would be an hour and a half later – I was happy to spring for a taxi rather than wait, and we ended up with a driver who regularly transports Peace Corps volunteers. He offered to show us around, wait for us and take us back. First he took us to the ski lift, which operates year-round, and we had a view of the mountains and lake – Jermuk, at about 2600 meters, is much cooler than the village from which we had started. Then we went to a waterfall, where we took a little walk by the river. Jermuk is known for its waters – a local sparkling water is bottled here, and in the town itself there are hot mineral springs where you can drink and/or fill bottles. I had a sip from each spigot and feel cured of any possible ailments! Jermuk is also known for sanitariums – in Soviet days (and even today), people would come for long vacations and get various treatments. These are not as sophisticated as the spas we may know of and long for (ah, for The Farm in the Philippines!), but I wanted to experience a treatment. I had a 15-minute underwater massage – I was immersed in a big bathtub and then an attendant directed a stream of water from a hose along all of the major muscle groups. I wish the bath had been a little warmer, but I did feel relaxed and clean – not bad for less than ten dollars. I don’t think I’d go back for a long vacation though, or even a weekend. Our last stop was by the lake, where there are more resorts. It looks like a nice place to swim – unless you get too close to the end, that is. There, a large daisy-shaped outflow drain goes to an underwater river that empties into Lake Sevan, 53 k away. An interesting engineering project, and the end to an interesting little visit!

After Jermuk we went into Yeghegnadzor, where the Border2Border walkers from both the north and from the south had arrived. Supporting them and seeing them all at the end of their walk was my motivation for the timing, but I also wanted to visit Emily and Meag, the PCVs who live there. They were working with the women embroiderers; they have since found other projects, as have I, but they’re both nice, so I wanted to visit anyway. Plus, they are renowned throughout the country as great cooks. I found my way to the kitchen and helped stir cherry pie filling while others were making lasagnas. After all the prep work was done and the food was in the oven, we sat on the steps while a trio of B2B walkers who happen to be extremely musically talented (one went to Julliard, one won a national barbershop quartet contest, and the third, who knows) sang, harmonized and played a variety of instruments – one guitar and several improvised (shaken Pringles can, brushed broom, and banged-on pans, water bottles and other items). It was a real treat! As was dinner – even at a point where everyone (especially the walkers) was so hungry that anything would have been devoured, the food was exceptional. I enjoyed the stories and the camaraderie, and had a chance to do one of my favorite things – washing dishes when I am a guest in someone else’s house.

Gallivanting in Gavar

Gavar is the provincial seat of Gegharkunik marz, near but not on Lake Sevan, a town of about 30,000, framed this time of year by green, snow-capped mountains. It has a nice church – the tallest in the country before Etchmiadzin was built – but the main attraction for me was the PCVs who live there. When I mentioned my plans to another PCV, he decided to come along for the day before returning to his site. Good thing that he did – this was my first encounter with overcrowded marchutnys. I remember the bum-rushes at the Fes taxi stand, but hadn’t steeled myself for pushing my way onto a vehicle here; as another crowd gathered, we found enough people to share a taxi, and off we went.

Chris and Bryan were the hosts, Vincent and I came up together, and Rani and Robby were visiting as well, already there. The six of us took a long walk to Noratus, the site of more khatchkars in one place than anywhere in the country. They date from three separate time periods (I think 5th, 9th and 11th century) and you can see the evolution in style. There are even older (cradle-shaped or flat stone) grave markers as well, and a fancy, new part to the cemetery, in addition to a view of the surrounding town, lake and mountains, so it was a nice place to wander around. There had been a bigger collection of khatchkars in Naxcivan, but the Azeris destroyed it. Supposedly, when the Ottomans came, the general defending Noratus dressed the khatchkars as soldiers, and the Ottomans, thinking it was a big army, retreated. We wandered, had a cup of coffee outside the entrance, and then some of us walked back – part of the way through fields of wildflowers – while others took a taxi and started cooking. Another PCV friend, Shannon, came up in time for dinner, a repast of fried zucchini sticks, macaroni and cheese, and cherries, strawberries and Girl Scout cookies that I contributed. Good walk, good food, good company, good cheer. It was one of my favorite days here!

Border2Border is a volunteer project that I have been excited about since I first heard about it – you can read more at http://walkacrossarmenia.wordpress.com/. Six PCVs started at the Georgia border and six started at the Iran border and this coming weekend they will meet at Yeghegnadzor. Along the way they are stopping every other day or so and giving health lessons to kids about smoking, drinking, nutrition and exercise. I’ve planned for a while to go to Yegh this coming weekend to support everyone (several of the people I’ve become friendly with are walking – and the PCVs in Yeghegnadzor have been warm and inviting). I didn’t realize when I set the date with Chris that the northern group would be arriving in Gavar on Sunday. Once I knew it, though, I offered to help; Chris and Brian convinced me to contact my counterpart and Peace Corps and tell them I was staying to see the presentations on Monday.

Chris, Bryan and I spent most of Sunday getting food – both for the nutrition presentation and for the meals that the walkers would have during their stay. There’s no supermarket in Gavar, so we had to go to several hanuts to get everything requested and required; that’s just daily life for the people in the regions (as is water availability – Chris has water from about 7:30 am to 2:30 pm and he fills up buckets so that he can flush and wash during off hours). It was raining off and on and much chillier than the day before – it had been threatening during our hike but the rain held off until after dinner.

The B2B people arrived in mid-afternoon and we greeted them with cheers and snacks. They were tired – they’d walked 187 km so far and 38 km that day – so we sat around and talked (well, some dozed, and some just sat without the energy to talk). I’ve never been one to just hang around, but the walkers, the hosts, and the other PCVs in town are all good people, so I am glad I stayed. As with Thanksgiving in the Philippines, it was nice to experience a slice of PCV, as opposed to PCRV, life here in Armenia.

The next day, showers went to the B2B people but not to the hosts or other guests (I hadn’t slept well, either – makes me appreciate the shower and bed at Zina’s all the more). I helped cook breakfast and then we all went to the school to set up for the event. The picture of them walking in was staged for the media – but their actual arrival the day before was in two groups, so this is a better picture. About 45 kids came; I haven’t interacted much with kids here so it was interesting. Gordon is working on a grant to study gender differences in the schools. In general, the girls are good students and the boys are disruptive – maybe because they know that after school they have to go into the military or to Russia to have any hope of work. To some extent, the same dynamics were at play in these health lessons.

After the setup, I sat in on talks. About halfway through the second one, I was pulled out of class – I don’t think I’ve experienced that since sixth grade! The sky was looking ominous and Shannon and Rani wanted to get going back to Yerevan before the storms hit. I’d been looking forward to seeing the kids swarm around the healthy food and do the exercising, but at least I had seen some of that in photographs the night before. We made it out just in time. And when I got back, I napped and then went to bed early! I did rouse myself in between for dinner with Will, the A-14 in town, and his now-fiancee. He had come here to see his girlfriend and in the course of the month proposed. She said yes; he said how about now? They’ve been working on the paperwork but it’s complicated, so he will come back in a month – possibly with his parents and brother as well; they’re a nice couple and I wish them a happy marriage! He came over to have a farewell coffee with Zina on Tuesday, and I, refreshed by sleep and showers, am having a good week!