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I was in Armenia for almost the entire month of August and thought i'd share my experiences or pretty much anything notable that comes to mind. Some things might be obvious to regular visitors while others not. I stayed in Yerevan for most of the time with a few days in Stepanakert as well. The Pan-Armenian games (Համահայկական խաղեր) were also taking place during the month. I'm open for questions too!
Yerevan
Bustling city with rapid growth on every street. Construction still strong although some places look like they have been abandoned while they were being built (due to financial crisis). Northern Avenue looks like an empty shell to me and it definitely needs plenty of more trees. It is crowded there though til the early hours but the shops at Northern Avenue are ridiculously expensive for a local. The cafes at Opera are very unique and cozy. Service in terms of waiters/waitresses has improved greatly. Prices for food are very affordable for someone from Europe/North America and modest for a local. The food is the best part of Armenia!! Everything tastes amazing :-D. We wined and dined like there was no tomorrow.
There was a heavy unarmed police presence in the city and no incidents. Police corruption that Armenians are used to seems to have almost vanished. We did not get stopped a single time to be asked for a bribe and others remarked the same thing. Yerevan people are friendly to approach though if you dress up like a tourist, be ready to get stared at :-) The women in Yerevan are almost all beautiful and overdressed for the street but who's complaining
. Nightlife is extremely active and some supermarkets such as SAS or STAR (both rumoured to belong to the President's family) are open 24/7 for a late night binge. All taxi drivers do is complain so get ready to be quizzed about how life is in the country you are visiting from. But anyway, i've never met a cab driver that liked his job anywhere in the world.
Pan-Armenian games opening was stunning. Exceeded my expectations by far. Tons of fireworks, all the major stars sang, dance groups, the athletes' entrances. It was great that the entrance was free as the entire stadium was full. Record 120+ cities participated with Yerevan taking the most medals, as usual. The closing was good too but would have been better with a little less Armenchik and a little more Ruben Sasuntsi.
General
People aren't in the best financial shape in the villages, as expected. But the villagers have high spirits and are very welcoming and don't expect anything in return. Lots of nostalgia for Soviet times. I saw a lot of abandoned factories that saddened me. The common saying is: "At least everyone had a job, a home and bread on the table during Soviet times." People in Armenia really think the entire country is owned by Serzh Sargsyan and his friends, often times without any evidence. They tell me opening a business is hard because Sashik Sargsyan (brother of President) will take an amount away from you the moment you start becoming successful. Support for LTP is very low, probably even lower than SS (at least from what I saw). Dodi Gago is universally hated everywhere except outside of his hometown of Arinj and Tsaghkadzor so i'm really not sure how this guy has the second biggest party in Armenia.
Gyumri was really disheartening to see. The people don't smile at all, it is like the earthquake has zapped all their spirits even 20 years after. Lots of recovery though and glad to see Old Gyumri is still standing. Old Gyumri's architecture is my favourite in the country! Gyumretsis only receiving apartments now but at least they have homes now instead of tin cans.
Artsakh is magnificent. There is construction everywhere in Stepanakert and almost no traces of war in the capital. There is a lot of reconstruction going on in Shushi as well. Artsakhtsis will stare you down because they know you're not from there :-P They are really proud people and also very friendly like most Armenians. Soldiers are everywhere in Artsakh and make sure you thank them to help the kids with their morale :-) Tigranakert is definitely worth seeing. They have a museum there with ornaments they excavated from the nearby ruins with a very friendly guide who invited us for coffee. If there is a site to see in Artsakh, it is definitely Gandzasar. Make sure you stop by at Vank village right before the monastery too. The roads have been completely asphalted thanks to Levon Hayrapetyan.
Armenia, especially Yerevan, was FILLED with tourists due to the Pan-Armenian games and the new Iranian market. Tons of Iranian tourists who come to Armenia for "freedom" either as a family (usually you see headscarves) and just the party types who want alcohol fueled nights. They were well-behaved and nothing but good can come out of Iranian tourism in Armenia. There are a lot of Italians in Armenia as well. At almost every monastery outside Yerevan, we ran into ethnic Italians who come to Armenia to see our churches. Call it religious tourism :-P Oh, and I saw Iranians visiting out monasteries too. It was a funny sight to see hijabbed women leave Sevanavank. Even saw some Japanese there
)))
Kinda tired of typing and i'm still jet-lagged so if anything else comes to mind i'll post more. For now, here's some pics:
Yerevan
Bustling city with rapid growth on every street. Construction still strong although some places look like they have been abandoned while they were being built (due to financial crisis). Northern Avenue looks like an empty shell to me and it definitely needs plenty of more trees. It is crowded there though til the early hours but the shops at Northern Avenue are ridiculously expensive for a local. The cafes at Opera are very unique and cozy. Service in terms of waiters/waitresses has improved greatly. Prices for food are very affordable for someone from Europe/North America and modest for a local. The food is the best part of Armenia!! Everything tastes amazing :-D. We wined and dined like there was no tomorrow.
There was a heavy unarmed police presence in the city and no incidents. Police corruption that Armenians are used to seems to have almost vanished. We did not get stopped a single time to be asked for a bribe and others remarked the same thing. Yerevan people are friendly to approach though if you dress up like a tourist, be ready to get stared at :-) The women in Yerevan are almost all beautiful and overdressed for the street but who's complaining
. Nightlife is extremely active and some supermarkets such as SAS or STAR (both rumoured to belong to the President's family) are open 24/7 for a late night binge. All taxi drivers do is complain so get ready to be quizzed about how life is in the country you are visiting from. But anyway, i've never met a cab driver that liked his job anywhere in the world. Pan-Armenian games opening was stunning. Exceeded my expectations by far. Tons of fireworks, all the major stars sang, dance groups, the athletes' entrances. It was great that the entrance was free as the entire stadium was full. Record 120+ cities participated with Yerevan taking the most medals, as usual. The closing was good too but would have been better with a little less Armenchik and a little more Ruben Sasuntsi.
General
People aren't in the best financial shape in the villages, as expected. But the villagers have high spirits and are very welcoming and don't expect anything in return. Lots of nostalgia for Soviet times. I saw a lot of abandoned factories that saddened me. The common saying is: "At least everyone had a job, a home and bread on the table during Soviet times." People in Armenia really think the entire country is owned by Serzh Sargsyan and his friends, often times without any evidence. They tell me opening a business is hard because Sashik Sargsyan (brother of President) will take an amount away from you the moment you start becoming successful. Support for LTP is very low, probably even lower than SS (at least from what I saw). Dodi Gago is universally hated everywhere except outside of his hometown of Arinj and Tsaghkadzor so i'm really not sure how this guy has the second biggest party in Armenia.
Gyumri was really disheartening to see. The people don't smile at all, it is like the earthquake has zapped all their spirits even 20 years after. Lots of recovery though and glad to see Old Gyumri is still standing. Old Gyumri's architecture is my favourite in the country! Gyumretsis only receiving apartments now but at least they have homes now instead of tin cans.
Artsakh is magnificent. There is construction everywhere in Stepanakert and almost no traces of war in the capital. There is a lot of reconstruction going on in Shushi as well. Artsakhtsis will stare you down because they know you're not from there :-P They are really proud people and also very friendly like most Armenians. Soldiers are everywhere in Artsakh and make sure you thank them to help the kids with their morale :-) Tigranakert is definitely worth seeing. They have a museum there with ornaments they excavated from the nearby ruins with a very friendly guide who invited us for coffee. If there is a site to see in Artsakh, it is definitely Gandzasar. Make sure you stop by at Vank village right before the monastery too. The roads have been completely asphalted thanks to Levon Hayrapetyan.
Armenia, especially Yerevan, was FILLED with tourists due to the Pan-Armenian games and the new Iranian market. Tons of Iranian tourists who come to Armenia for "freedom" either as a family (usually you see headscarves) and just the party types who want alcohol fueled nights. They were well-behaved and nothing but good can come out of Iranian tourism in Armenia. There are a lot of Italians in Armenia as well. At almost every monastery outside Yerevan, we ran into ethnic Italians who come to Armenia to see our churches. Call it religious tourism :-P Oh, and I saw Iranians visiting out monasteries too. It was a funny sight to see hijabbed women leave Sevanavank. Even saw some Japanese there
)))
Kinda tired of typing and i'm still jet-lagged so if anything else comes to mind i'll post more. For now, here's some pics:
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