High, higher, Armenia

Soon we leave the outskirts of Tbilisi behind us and struggle for the third and last time up the arduous slope from the valley of the capital. Our legs are tired from the steep Gombori Pass and the traffic is grueling. But we are on our way again! Finally we pass the turnoff to Asureti and from now on we are again in new territory. The landscape opens up and the rolling hills with their winter caramel colors make the drive a feast for the eyes. Shepherds drive their flocks across the empty fields and the passing villages look idyllic. Higher mountain ranges soon begin to appear on the horizon. We are already on our way to the border with Armenia. Also the people seem to change. We are greeted joyfully and honked at in a friendly manner and during a shopping stop it turns out that the majority of the population here is Muslim and belongs to the Azerbaijani Georgians. It is amazing how different the atmosphere is here. Men drink tea together and the women wear colorful headscarves. Georgian and a kind of Turkish are spoken. We strike up a conversation with a fruit vendor. He gives us mandarins, pears and fresh herbs and only after a lot of persuasion we are allowed to put some coins into his coin box.

The dusty suburbs at the roadside give a hint of the proximity of the national border. Liquor, detergents and huge packages of diapers are offered and only a few women can be seen in the hustle and bustle. Men stand around their battered cars and people know and greet each other. Cab drivers and buses hail rides to Yerevan and the ever-present street dogs lie lazily next to the garbage cans. Trucks with Azerbaijani, Georgian, Armenian and Iranian license plates swirl up dust and we stock up on food in one of the supermarkets. After an undisturbed night next to impressive rock formations we cross the border. The main road is surprisingly quiet and without any problems we are stamped out of Georgia and into Armenia. A new country! The road follows the river Debed and soon we find ourselves in a steeper and steeper gorge. What a landscape! Every car and truck honks friendly when overtaking, people at the roadside wave or even give us the thumbs up sign. The sun is shining, birds are chirping and it just feels great to ride a bike through the wide world. In places the tar gives way to unpaved road sections and the passing vehicles envelop us in clouds of dust at times. We feel a bit like we are on the Pamir Highway and already after half a day we have fallen in love with this land. The valley seems to have experienced golden times during the Sovjet era. Huge decaying buildings give an idea of the extent of the once mighty mining industry in the soviet times. All the buildings here seem to be built of the same stone: The slightly reddish volcanic stone is the basic building block for the entire country. No matter if apartment blocks, factory halls or government buildings – the “Armenian standard stone” always looks good!
The decaying mines with all the rusting cars and equipment fascinate us. The rock walls fascinate us. The impressive roads fascinate us. The small villages somewhere in the nowhere fascinate us. In short, we can’t get out of our stupor.

We find a place to spend the night today right next to a decaying gas station. On the opposite side of the road Ashod maintains his mini farm. He enthusiastically beckons us in and shows us around his self-made property. In the smallest of spaces, he keeps two cows, rabbits, various chickens and an angry dog. He points to a dried rib cage of a former cow and an open fireplace. Here he cooks the dog’s dinner. From a refrigerator in another corner he takes four eggs and pushes them naturally into our hands. In a small, low room there is a bed and a small stove. He explains to us with talented pantomime that he has a house with his family in the village, but sometimes he also stays here overnight. We think this is quite reasonable, considering the small liquor party with friends that is going on later. We thankfully decline the invitation to dinner and instead enjoy our daily stew at the warming campfire. We are amazed when Ashod stumbles towards us later with a fish burger in his hand. Of course he caught the fish himself.
The next day a first pass is on the program. The weather continues to be kind to us as we leave the mountain town of Wanadsor with its decaying mining industry behind us and tackle the real altitude gains of the day. The plateau to be crossed lies at over 1800 m.a.s.l. and we are amazed to see various villages complementing the vast landscape even at this altitude. The altitude corresponds to the average altitude of the country; Armenia is a true mountainous country. Obviously, fields are cultivated and cattle are kept here. There are still snowfields everywhere, but the warm temperatures hint at spring.
To end the day, we dash down to the self-proclaimed “Little Switzerland” of Armenia, to Dilijan. Quite frozen through, we find ourselves a simple accommodation, which promises a warm shower and heating. Here we spend a well-deserved break day and explore the crumbling monasteries in the nearby national park. A friendly street dog spontaneously joins our exploration. Faithfully she trots along beside our bicycles and also accompanies us on our hike. She follows us back to town and our attempt to get rid of her at the place where she joined us fails miserably. So it happens that Lady Cocco whines her way past all the local street dogs and finally curls up in front of our front door. Every attempt to get her away from us fails miserably. She will surely give up during the night, we think. Wrongly thought. Several times we wake up from loud terretorial fights in front of our door and curse the affectionate lady. The next morning she is still there. We pack our belongings and drive off and Lady Cocco accompanies us again highly motivated. Our salvation is the steep descent that leads out of the small town straight onto the next pass road. Finally we manage to shake off the bitch and can concentrate on today’s altitude gain. The road winds up in narrow serpentines to over 2000 meters of altitude. Today we will reach the huge Lake Sevan. Many of the surrounding mountains are around three thousand meters high and look more like rolling hills than alpine mountains. Also the side road is partly still covered with snow and we have to push the bikes partly. But for the physical effort we are more than rewarded on this splendid day. The ride is incredibly impressive and when we reach the lake in the afternoon, we spontaneously decide to spend a night on a peninsula. Decaying infrastructure testifies to a neglected tourism industry and we set up in a Coca Cola tent for the night. Despite cold gusts and the proud altitude, we spend quite a cozy night in our marquee.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

"Wiedechätzli"

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