Iced Coffees

Something happened today that I just can't get past. Matt and I were trying to hitch a ride from Yeghegnadzor to Goris (because we found out that we had missed the last marshrutka by just 8 minutes). After being propositioned by several Taxi drivers who had stopped for us, we see a man slam his brakes, reverse his car and exclaim, “No money. No money.” He wasn’t going to Goris, but he offered to take us to a town halfway. So, we hopped in. 

Mid-way through the 40 minute ride, he pulled over for a pit stop - we were assuming he had to run an errand. Two minutes later, he hops back in the driver's seat bearing gifts – iced coffees for himself, Matt and I.

Wait a minute. We ask for a ride, and YOU are the one that gives US something. Mind exploding - shouldn't it be the other way around? I mean, we didn't have much, but we were prepared to offer him an apple we had stashed in my bag.

I don't know why I'm so dumbfounded by this simple gesture. I guess it's because things like this just keep on happening. Just the night before, the next door neighbor of an apartment we were staying in randomly brought over a tray of fresh fruit and hazelnuts as a welcome gift. Then later invited us into her home for coffee and pastry with her family, where we ended the night with a gift from her son – a stone cross necklace for me.

I've never encountered perfect strangers with such blatant generosity and not a shred of expectancy to return the favor.

This world just keeps surprising me, and I'm so grateful that we get to experience these little moments one encounter at a time. As for the man, we said thank you in broken Armenian, popped open our iced coffees and cheersed our new friend – he politely said no to the apple. 

Yerevan Or Bust

We've quickly found out that here in Armenia all roads lead to Yerevan. It's easy to get there, but much more difficult to leave with a specific place in mind - outside of taking a Taxi, renting your own vehicle or hitching a ride (aka: auto-stop).

From Tbilisi, GEORGIA we wanted to cross into ARMENIA and stop 2km past the border in a town called Alaverdi. Unfortunately, according to the bus station, no such ticket existed. We tried for 3 hours to find a marshrutka to take us there (taxi wanted to charge 50 Lari / person), but they would only let us buy a 30 Lari ticket to Yerevan. If you speak Georgian, you may be able to work out a deal, buy even that is difficult without going through "the chief" first.

Chris - Using her backpack as a seat.

LOGISTICAL STUFF: 
TBILISI, GEORGIA - ALAVERDI (OR YEREVAN), ARMENIA: From the Ortachala international bus station in Tbilisi, buy a marshrutka ticket to Yerevan (last one leaves at 15:00 - private bus companies do not go to Alaverdi) for 30 Lari / person - sadly, you cannot get a cheaper ticket just for Alaverdi. We were unable to locate any information on trains to Alaverdi. If anything, there is a train to Yerevan on EVEN days, and one from Yerevan to Tbilisi on ODD days, but we are unsure if they even stop in Alaverdi. From talking to several travelers, there may not be one, and if so, it's difficult to stop.

Matt - Inside Georgian border control building.

VISA:
Hop off the bus (leave your bags on board) and go through the Georgian border control building to obtain your exit stamp. Hop back on the bus to travel 30 feet to the Armenian border control booth (outside, next to a large metal gate) to obtain your VISA. Fill out an application given to you by the officer in the booth - no photo required, despite what it says in the designated rectangular area on the top right corner of the application. Make sure you have a full-page available in your passport for the full-page VISA sticker to live. Sign the entry/exit paperwork (again, given by the officer) and pay the man. You cannot pay with any other currency other than Dram - 3000 Dram / person for U.S. Citizens. (If you need Dram, ask one of the security officers in fatigues to point you to the "bankomat" across the Armenian border - he will hold onto your passport until you return.) Walk 30 more feet to a tiny booth next to several car lanes to get your entry stamp. Welcome to Armenia! :) Don't forget to hop back onto the right marshrutka.

Day 100 - Brother & Sisterly Love

We wanted to post a big THANK YOU to Mark & Gaby (Matt's brother & sister-in-law) for bestowing upon us a taste of luxury for our 100th Day on the road. Also, thanks to Nicole (Chris' sister) for working her magic on the "hook-up" in this endeavor. Love you guys!

With their powers combined in Tbilisi, GEORGIA:

A Hiker's Paradise

There's still a great deal more to see on our trip, but if someone were to ask me today what place has had the most natural beauty in all the places I had ever traveled to, then I would, without question, say the Caucasus Mountains in Georgia.  I'm sure I would get a few blank stares back at home, until I explained that I meant the country of Georgia and not the state.
We visited two different places in the Greater Caucasus - Mestia and Kazbegi (there are plenty of others) - and both were equally mind-blowing in terms of natural beauty. There really aren't any words to describe how breathtaking it was, but picture small village towns, super fresh cool air, massively steep mountains, glaciers tucked away in almost every valley, and wild horses randomly seen on distant mountain sides.  

Mestia
 

Kazbegi

These regions truly are a hiker's - or any nature lover's - paradise. From the extreme glacier summit climbers to the 3-day trekkers, or even the 8hr day hikers, the options to enjoy nature seem endless. We saw wild horses on two of our four hikes and on all of them we couldn't stop saying, "Wow, where are we?!"

Mestia

The only possible negative part was the potential for over development and tourism run amok.  Although still not a tourist "Hot Spot", the once small village town of Mestia now has futuristic-looking buildings and construction on every corner. It's easy to see why there is such huge potential for tourism, but hopefully it doesn't take away what drew people here to begin with. (This wasn't the case in Kazbegi and, in our opinion, these regions as a whole are still very much "untouched.")

CLICK FOR PICS: Mestia & Kazbegi