Wet and Wild in Armenia

We were all sad to leave Georgia but eager to cross another border and see what treats Armenia had in store for us. 

Tbilisi, Georgia's lovely capital

Phil giving the cable car in Tbilisi a thumbs up!

Jo on the city walking tour

But first, it was Spike’s birthday and he would be celebrating it in two countries! After dinner we present Spike with his birthday cake and sing to him, but news of the early start the next day sends everyone to bed so a proper knees up to celebrate Spike is promised for the next evening, when we hit Yerevan!

Some of the gang have to apply for their Kazakhstan visas while we are in Armenia’s capital, they soon become known as the Kazak Seven. Before we even check into our hotel they are whisked away in taxis with Zaza at the helm taking control of proceeding, as best he can in the world of embassies and bureaucracy.

It’s a lovely sunny day so some people take the opportunity to enjoy the many cafes serving proper strong coffee. Hayden stocks up with coffee for the newly formed coffee club that he has instigated aptly named “Odd Coffee” I demanded a name for the club and also badges but they have yet to appear…

For our first evening we partake in an Armenian feast where we are served a extraordinary number of courses. Just when we thought it was over, another dish would appear. We ate numerous courses of salads, beans, hummus, pickled veg, meats, cheeses, stews, soups and lamb porridge. Harrisa is an traditional Armenian stew made with wheat kernels and meat cooked in a broth, lamb porridge as it became known around the table had mixed reactions and reviews, it was popular with Alex who managing to eat an entire bowl.

Armenian feast

James is loving the garlic

After our feast and a swift round of Brandy tasting from the more distinguished of our group, we left the restaurant with bellies full but not too full for dancing. It was time to let our hair down, and that is exactly what we did.

Brandy tasting

The Wild West Bar in Yerevan is a small bar with a slight western theme, but not too much to be gimmicky or cheesy. It has cowboy hats and saloon doors, but its in a basement and has a slightly tired old man English pub feel. That is until you get a group of 20 tourists inside of it and start requesting/demanding certain songs to be played from the YouTube playlist that is streamed from the internet.  Beer and wine are cheap so it doesn’t take long for singalongs and dancing with locals, even if a few locals did decide to leave shortly after we arrived!

Birthday boy, Spike

Dancing with some local guys

Hey you!

Jimbo and dave

Kelly on the dance floor

P Dog

P, Wazza & Lou

Simon, Mary & Mahala

Wazza & Al

Warren goes cowboy

The next day the few cruel victims of hangover managed to make it out on the walking tour provided by the hostel as well as a visit to the Genocide Muesum.

Alex on a tank

We leave Yerevan with Kazak visa applications still up in the air but head towards a bushcamp near Mount Ararat, stopping at famous monastery Khor Virap before hand. From here we visit the famous Geghard Monastery, drop the Kazak Seven back in Yerevan to complete their visa mission and bushcamp near Lake Sevan where in typical British style our Barbeque plans result in a slightly soggy evening.

Andy making his way into the dungeon

Inside the dungeon at Khor Virap monastery

Geghard Monastery

Inside the monastery

The rain moving in quickly over Mt Ararat

View of Mt Ararat from the tent

Zaza taking a tablet shot of Mt Ararat

Camping by Lake Sevan

Simon and a very small crayfish at Lake Sevan

We head off early the next morning eager to rejoin our comrades just outside of the Azerbaijan border in the Lagodekhi region of Georgia. As we leave wet Armenia the warmth of Georgia awaits us. The clouds start to open the closer we get and the sun begins to warm us and burn through the sky. We are all happy to be back in Georgia, if only for one night!

Bruce & Anna, sad to leave Armenia

Bruce & Anna, pleased to be back in sunny Georgia

Jumping for joy for Georgia

Phil catching some Georgian sunshine and maintaining good dental hygiene

Phil & Hayden on the roof seats

Alex on't roof

Whilst awaiting their arrival in our agricultural bushcamp we are visited by the farmer in whose field were are camping. He offers us Cha Cha and offerings of bread, tinned fish, garlic and tomatoes. It’s a delightful appetizer to the soup we are cooking in the poijke. Simon is sure that he is asking for money but he soon ends this when Simon and James push his friend’s car out of the mud.

Ratatouille!

Bruce reducing the ratatouille

Cha cha with the local farmer

Food from our farmer friend

James, Phil and Warren with the farmer

The Kazak Seven make it to camp very late at night and even though six out of the seven successfully obtained Kazakstan visas, they were exhausted from a long day of challenge Anneka-style racing around Yerevan.

We have a swift and smooth exit out of Georgia, like always, but our entry into Azerbaijan is less so. When passport control see our Armenian visas hackles are raised and we know we are in for some true border official bureaucratic fun.  The relationship between Armenia and Azerbaijan is strained, and while past trips have not had any hassles, unfortunately for us our bags were put to one side for a thorough search, cameras were searched for offending Armenian photographs (with any photos of the Genocide Memorial being promptly deleted), our bar was raided and 22 cans of Armenian beer were confiscated. Armenian money was taken from Pernille, and eventually then paid back to her in Azerbaijan manat. But eventually all the right stamps were issued and we were into country number four of our epic expedition, Azerbaijan.

A sign of things to come...

So begins another adventure. To come; Mud Volcanoes, Baku, and The Caspian Sea Crossing.  Cross all fingers and toes that the right ship comes in for our merry band of travellers and pray that our Caspian Sea journey will begin soon!