Kentron District, Yerevan, Armenia: Our Home In The Pink Capital

Hubby and I dumped our luggage in one corner of Tashir Pizza. We perused the menu handed by a charming waitress (who could shake your weariness off with one smile) and ordered something familiar and easy and essential: Spaghetti bolognese and salad and the WiFi password. An Armenian gastro adventure can wait, I thought. Besides, we were in a fast food joint. Not a lot of choices there. And we were starving after a Georgia-Armenia border cross that morn.

A park bench near Swan Lake.  

I fished my netbook out of my backpack and logged online — thankfully, the internet was working well — while the hubby headed out to look for an ATM. Earlier, we borrowed the phone of our cabbie who drove us from the bus terminal to the pizza place and called our AirBnb host. She didn't pick up.

So I quickly sent her an email.

"Hi, did you try to call me from Armenian number?" our host named Armine (yes, seriously, Armine from Armenia) wrote.

Apparently, she's the kind who won't answer calls from unknown numbers.

  AirBnB-listed apartment, cheaper than a double room in any hostel.
About half an hour later, she arrived at Tashir Pizza, just a few minutes after the hubby (who happily reported that he was able to withdraw some dram) got back. Armine, similar to our waitress, has a disarming smile. And she's got a crown of gorgeous long brown curls. Her aura, calm and collected, a lot like yoga which she teaches for a living. Introductions were brief. Armine hurriedly confessed that she was to use the rent money we're paying for an out of town trip. She had to leave as soon as possible.

Some of the new buildings along North Avenue stuck to the pink theme.  

Because we couldn't carry all our bags in one go, she and the hubby went ahead with some of the stuff. The hubby returned alone, key already in hand. The spacious one-bedroom apartment was all ours. Its building sits along one of the quiet residential alleys just across Teryan Street. We walked for less than five minutes to get there. The location of it in Kentron District is tops (and cheap for its league), reason why we picked this accommodation from the AirBnB list. 

Installation art meets vertical garden. Beyond the guitar is the Swan Lake (a man-made lake with, you know, swans)

Kentron is Yerevan's city center. It's compact, pedestrian friendly and easily navigable, thanks to neoclassical architect Alexander Tamanyan's layout design. Watering holes, restaurants, shops of famous international brands, and government offices are huddled here. Housed in buildings of various architectural types, from cold Soviet panel buildings to anything Europe-inspired. In my opinion, not as gorgeous as Tbilisi, but it does possess its own allure.

Speaking of allure, I've never seen that much beautiful women in one city!

The History Museum Of Armenia  

Yerevan is called "The Pink Capital" because of the pink tuff that was used to build certain structures during Architect Tamanyan's time. Such are the government buildings surrounding the Republic Square. The city as a whole is not really that pink-y anymore though, since newer constructions didn't stick to the theme.

Last thing I'd expect to see in an ex-Soviet state. A long queue of Barbie cabs.  

Our time in Armenia was much too short, and unfortunately, was not wisely spent. We got Armine's cozy apartment, particularly its huge couch and fast speed internet, to blame for this. And perhaps our jadedness from the Turkey-Georgia trip.

Within the capital we only managed to visit the Republic Square, the Swan Lake and the History Museum of Armenia (I recommend booking a tour guide in advance, it's free). The everything in between included binging on gyro and the well-loved Armenian barbecue, chasing Luna in parks, downloading movies (to watch in Nepal, our next destination), and working online.

Armenia's Zvartnots International Airport, prettiest airport I've seen so far. A play of the Armenian Tricolour or Yeraguyn (colors of their national flag).

Yerevan's one of those cities we don't mind visiting again cause we barely scratched its surface. Hopefully the opportunity falls on our laps, so we can someday comprehend why Armenia's drinking fountains are very popular to its people.

You'll get what I mean when you travel here too.


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2013 Year-Ender: When Travel Turned Into A Black Hole

And I got sucked in.

In 2012, we were armed with all sorts of excuses: Extended honeymoon stage. A break from the mundane. Discounted airfares for tots. "Still saving up for a house (and/or still haven't decided where to buy)". Backpacking while young. Living in the now... The list went on and echoed through the beginning of 2013. 2012, no doubt was a wild child.

2013 on the other hand started out quite prim, then morphed into some bad arse that broke out of its cage named 'settling down'. The call of elsewhere was much too strong and we ran free. Directionless, that we eventually found ourselves in a black hole that is long termish travel (again).

I could make up a bunch of reasons why we're postponing domesticity. But for today I'll use portraits and landscapes to back me up.

Eriyadu Island Resort, North Male Atoll, Maldives.
1. Australia

Clockwise from top left: 1. Bro-in-law's beautiful wedding in Curzon Hall, a sandstone manor built in the 1890s. 2. Bondi Beach, finally, after so many New South Wales visits. 3. Luna's third birthday at ze Persian in-laws' house. 4. Selfeet with  my Bensimon sneakers, Sydney Harbour Bridge.

2. Philippines

Clockwise from top left: 1. Thunderbird Poro Point, San Fernando, La Union for the hubby's birthday. 2. T'nalak Festival, South Cotabato. 3. Tattooed by one of the (there's a protégé) last mambabatoks in Kalinga. 4. Hapao Rice Terraces trek, Ifugao.  

3. Myanmar

Clockwise from top left: 1. Consulting a map at Yangon International Airport (photo by Ron of fliptravels.com). 2. Luna vs. angry birds. Yangon city center walking tour (photo by Ron). 3. Sunrise at Old Bagan. 4. Bare feet and templed-out (photo also by Ron).  

4. Singapore

Clockwise from top left: 1. We love Hotel Re! Nope, not a sponsored post. 2. Catching up with sis. 3. Supertrees Grove. 4. Marina Bay Sands.

5. Laos

Clockwise from top left: 1. Wat Si Saket, Vientiane. 2. Vang Vieng. Party central no more. 3. B-52 bomb crater in Xiangkhouang Province. 4. The mysterious Plain of Jars, also in Xiangkhouang Province.
6. Turkey

Clockwise from top left: 1. Blue Mosque, Istanbul. 2. Goreme Open Air Museum, Cappadocia. 3. Oldest temple in the world, Gobekli Tepe (older than the wheel, they say). 4. Pamukkale or "Cotton Castle". Calcite-covered mountain in Denizli Province.

7.  Armenia

Clockwise from top left: 1. One of our afternoon walks around Armenia's capital, Yerevan. 2. Khor Virap, an Armenian Apostolic Church monastery in Ararat valley. 3. UNESCO World Heritage Site Monastery of Geghard, partially carved out of a mountain. 4. The Armenian Genocide Museum.

8. Georgia (Yes, it's a country!)

Clockwise from top left: 1. Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Georgian Orthodox cathedral, Mtskheta. 2. Crossing the border by foot to Azerbaijan for Davit Gareji Monastery. 3. Ancient rock-hewn town Uplistsikhe, Eastern Georgia. 4. Former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin's house in Gori.

9. Nepal

Clockwise from top left 1. Climbing Fasidega Temple, Bhaktapur Durbar Square. 2. Luna sits in a kindergarten class/day care center for two days. 3. View of Himalayan peaks from our room's balcony in Nagarkot. 4. UNESCO World Heritage Site Boudhanath, Kathmandu.  

10. Malaysia

Clockwise from top left 1. Hotel Puri, a Peranakan ancestral home housed in a gorgeous structure built in the 1800s. 2. Nyonya Laksa. 3. Christ Church, 18th century Anglican church. One of Melaka's well-known landmarks. 4. Walking tour around UNESCO World Heritage Site Melaka.

12. Maldives

 

Clockwise from top left 1. Artificial Hulhumale Island. 2. A Maldivian 'bench'. 3. Eriyadu Island Resort. 4. Chili patties. Or something like that.      If your black hole is this bewitching, will you try to crawl out of it?     

 

This year-ender post is my entry to the Pinoy Travel Bloggers’ Blog Carnival for December 2013 with the theme “The Pinoy Travel Bloggers Closing the Curtains on 2013: Love, Learn and Living”, hosted by Brenna Bustamante of The Philippine Travelogue.




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Border Crossing: Overland By Bus/Marshrutka From Tbilisi, Georgia To Yerevan, Armenia

The driver slammed his cab's boot shut, as if to seal our two-week Georgia affair tight. He drove without a word. We were at the finish line of one Caucasus journey, and were about to begin afresh in a neighboring country. Yet another border cross my passport with a detached cover had to survive.

I was concerned. Though not as worried as finding out how much the driver's ten-minute wait would cost us. We only had a few lari left.

Sign says "Yerevan". The capital and largest city of Armenia.  

Ortachala Bus Station

 

Our short morning weekend cruise to Ortachala bus station, about two to three kilometers away, was a parade of emotions. It's a pain to depart a city filled with magnificent, decrepit buildings that are a mishmash of Georgian, European, Russian and Byzantine architectural styles. But at the same time we're on tenterhooks to trample on another land we know so little of.

The driver dropped us off right by where the marshrutka (a form of public transportation similar to a route share taxi) for Yerevan was parked. Although he overcharged us, I say five dollars is a fair price for convenience.

Inside a marshrutka. Cozy, with decent leg room.

We were lucky to snag the last seats (fare's about $20). I assumed it was the second trip of the day for I read somewhere that buses for Yerevan depart Tbilisi every hour, from 7:00 AM to noon. There's no schedule posted at the station, at least none that's written in the English alphabet (Georgia has their own unique alphabet). It was wise that we referred to the one we found online.

Georgia-Armenia Border

We arrived at the border past ten and found two equally chaotic lines (left our luggage in the marshrutka). It seemed queuing's not a norm on this part of the world. Our turn took forever. And because I did not (and was not asked to) pay for visa on arrival when we entered the country via Tbilisi Airport, the immigration officer spent a long time inspecting my battered passport and conversing with a colleague. Perhaps they were discussing whether I should be charged or not.

Georgian border control.

Fortunately, my passport was stamped without me being questioned. We quickly exited the building and crossed a bridge on foot to the Armenian border control. I was scared to look back.

Armenia e-Visa Application

How to apply for the e-Visa? We applied for an e-Visa through this website http://www.mfa.am/eVisa/ beforehand. Hubby simply filled out the online form. The price for a 21-day visa, single entry is $10 (120 days for $40) and can be paid by credit card. Visas are issued online within two business days and applicants are given a link to check the status.

It's advisable that visitors present a printed electronic visa, but we got through even just by showing photos of ours in a digital camera. e-Visa holders will be able to enter Armenia via Zvartnots International Airport, Gyumri Airport, Ayrum Railway Station, and the Bagratashen, Gogavan, Bavra and Megri land borders.

Visitors eligible for visa on arrival may apply at the border. It's a no sweat process of filling out a short form and paying. At the time of our travel, only Armenian dram was accepted. There's a currency exchange service but expect the rate to be bad.

Crossing a bridge on foot to the Armenian border control.  

Border To Yerevan

Unlike the uneventful Tbilisi-border drive (except for that moment when we spotted a turtle crossing the road which we avoided and almost got us into an accident) the border-Yerevan drive made a spectacular first impression, thanks to the dramatic Mount Ararat backdrop. It provided that much needed consolation.

The ride terminated at Yerevan Central Station. One cab driver agreed to accept our leftover Georgian lari and took us to Tashir Pizza where we were meeting up with an AirBnb host, whose house will be our Armenian home for one week.

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2013 Thus Far: The Second Quarter

Half of the year's consumed, and we're trying to catch our breath.

Dawn of 2013 I foresaw myself filling a more domestic role in an American redneck town while the hubby turns into some NASA rockstar around this time of the year. The scheme fell apart and here we are, the same ol' wildling mum and dad, still raising a daughter in her Terrible Twos 'on the road'.

UNESCO World Heritage Site Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Nepal.  

We were hoping for a more unstrained second quarter, yet we ended up doggone hectic all throughout that we're more tired than when April began!

Here's what happened with Plan B, in chronological order. May contain random shiznit as ush.

Had to cut our Laos trip short for a flight back to the Philippines for my Turkey tourist visa application (which by the way was a royal pain in the arse). Sister flew from Singapore to Philippines the day after to surprise my mom with a quickie family reunion.

Hubby chose a nomadic life over the possibility of NASA stardom. Because he stayed in his current company, he was sent to California for business conferences and a baseball match (an annual outing of geeks) while Luna and I did some catching up with relatives in Tarlac. Hubby also visited Japan as a sidetrip on the way to the U.S.

Attended Choose Philippines' relaunch at MNL Boutique Hostel which turned into one helluva Pinoy Travel Bloggers' block party! Joined an ice cream eating contest which numbed my gums for days. My guwapo partner from Island Media Asia and I lost.

Celebrated Mother's Day with my mom and the rest of the fam over a somewhat simple lunch out.

Was in Manila for the Aerosmith concert! Snagged the last free ticket worth almost $500 off ze cousin.

After countless Singapore stopovers, we were able to finally see the Supertrees up close. And see the Merlion for the first time.

In Istanbul we managed to see the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern and Topkapi Palace before flying to Denizli.

Panic at Pamukkale when hubby and I lost each other for a couple of hours in the ancient Byzantine city of Hierapolis. Hubby actually assumed I was kidnapped to the point that he was already collecting a group of suspects (at least in his mind). I, on the other hand, climbed the travertines the second time (not a walk in the park, I tell you) in my frantic search of my husband and child. I also requested the ticket officer to radio all park rangers — the same park rangers under the hubby's list of suspects — to look for them. 

Entered the house which is believed to be Virgin Mary's last residence. A structure that the Apostle John had built for her.

Walked around one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League, ancient Greek city (and later a Roman city) Ephesus. I gawked at the Library of Ephesus.

Hired a manual transmission car (Qué horror!) for a DIY tour in and around Capadoccia. It turned out cheaper than joining a group, plus we were able to see the sights that piqued our interests at an unhurried pace. We forgot to refuel the Renault before leaving it (due to an early flight) at the parking space across our cave hostel for the owner to pick up, but didn't get into trouble.

In Şanlıurfa, a province of Turkey that shares a border with Syria, we visited the following sites: The oldest temple in the world Göbekli Tepe (built before the invention of writing and the wheel), traditional mud brick "beehive" houses, and the cave where Prophet Abraham is believed to have been born.

On our last day in Istanbul we met up with Sabrina of Just One Way Ticket and found out that she indeed buys only one way tickets! It was the third day since the Turkish police attacked peaceful protesters at Gezi Park with tear gas and water cannons. Tsk.

Luna constructed her longest sentence to date, "Put that sugar in the tea!". Referring to a sugar cube (widely used in Turkey) which she wanted to put in her bubba's apple tea.

Flew about six times in two weeks just within Turkey because we were pressed with time.

In the country Georgia (yes it exists), a driver who barely spoke English and played/s 70s rock music in his cab took us to Jvari Monastery (6th century) and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (11th century). Two of the most important structures that showcase Georgian Christian architecture.

The same driver took us to Joseph Stalin's (former de facto leader of the Soviet Union) old house that's now surrounded by a park, then to rock-carved town Uplistsikhe (a name I can't pronounce until now) which is one of the oldest urban settlements in Georgia.

Hiked a mountain to get to the other part of Georgia's Davit Gareji Monastery's cave complex that physically sits on Azerbaijan. Yes, we crossed the border without having our passports stamped! Luna hiked by herself almost halfway.

Rode on Tbilisi's newly rehabilitated funicular and chanced upon a Georgian folk dances presentation by kids at Mtatsminda Amusement Park. We felt like we were on the set of Game Of Thrones.

Hopped aboard a marshrutka that took us from Tbilisi, Georgia to Yerevan, Armenia. Immigration formalities at the border took an hour.

Booked accommodation for the first time through AirBnB. Stayed in a Yerevan apartment for a week. Cheaper than in any of the city's hostels and guesthouses.

Visited Armenia's Etchmiadzin Cathedral, the oldest state-built church in the world. On the same day we spent some quiet time at Khor Virap Monastery where hubby descended to the dungeon where
Saint Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for thirteen years. Thirteen!

Was left with a harrowing feeling when we left the Armenian Genocide Museum. And we were even more distraught when a cabbie charged us 3,000 dram (about $7) for a short ride back to town instead of 700 dram.

I was never able to pronounce Shnorhakalut’yun correctly (hubby never bothered trying). It means 'thank you' in Armenian. Even Armenians don't use it, instead they say merci. 

Flew to Nepal for it was the cheapest route out of Armenia and toward our home region. Checked in a hostel named End Of The Universe, and we were given a suite with a sweeping view of a Himalayan range. One out of the two mornings that we woke up to such vista, the clouds parted and gave us a peek at the peaks!

Spent four days just eating and watching videos in a guesthouse at Bhaktapur's UNESCO World Heritage Site Durbar Square. We also let Luna sit in a Nepalese pre-school class for two days. Oh how she loved it.

Where we are now...

Just arrived in Phuket yesterday and it looks like we'll be here for four weeks since my sister and hubby's bro and his wife will be flying in also on different dates this month. Currently on a pad thai and Thai pancake diet.

Who's going to be on the island the coming weeks? Raise your hand, and I'll pass you a Chang or Singha.

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