24th of June, 2022.
Hitchhiking in Armenia.
It is a nice walk. The sky is cloudy, what makes everything more pleasant. I stop to rest under a mulberry tree and take the time to have lots of it.
I walk all the way to the village. When I am passing a house, a nice elderly man sees me and offers me some apricots. I try to refuse, showing him that I have some, but he tells me (not in English but with signs) that his ones are good. He asks me then, if I need anything else (again not in English, only by gestures) and I ask for some water. Now it is perfect! That’s all I need to find a place for camping.
I am walking alongside the road, when a very old van stops. There are two men on it. They ask me where I am going, and I say Tatev. They tell me they can bring me to the road. At first, I try to refuse but then I think that, if they can drive me a bit further, after the village, it saves me some energy, so I get in.
The driver is very nice and tell me (by gesturing) that there are two ways to Tatev: the road where he is going to, through the village, which is not so busy for cars; and a busier road. I tell him we should just carry on this way because I have my directions through the village.
He then offers me coffee. I also think about refusing at first, but because I have time and I don’t want to be rude I say yes. He calls his wife and ask her to prepare some coffee. He welcomes me to his home, where I meet his beautiful and lovely wife, and his daughter, another lovely lady. She is only two years younger than I and already has two kids. Pity. I also her brother.
They offer me coffee, chocolate and delicious fruits. Before I leave, the lovely wife gives me some home baked lavash, homemade cheese. She offers to full fill my water bottles and gives me another one, a frozen one. What an incredible woman!
Again, me and the two men take the road. They drive me a bit outside the town, Vedi, and stop a car which is passing by. I don’t know exactly what they talk, but the humble man inside the car, with his young son, take me inside and start to drive.
I was to think he would drive to the next village or something, but as soon as I find a good place for camping, in the mountains, with no houses around, and I ask him to stop, he does so but turn around and comes back after I get off the car. Go figure! Apparently, he just wanted to drive me to a nice spot for camping. How sweet!
It is beautiful here! I take a good walk up the hills so I am not visible from the road and so I can have some quietude and peace. I can see a house further away, but it seems abandoned. I can also see some buildings but they are far so I cannot make what are they.
The closest flat area I can find it is covered in long grass. And Loki! I almost die to get up here with my backpack. That because I left the small one down the hill, otherwise it would be way too heavy, so I must come back for it. And only for the few minutes I was making my camp, some annoying drops of rain started to fall. Just kidding! I love the rain! But when you are pitching your tent…
After some lovely photographs and some food, I try to get some sleep.
In the morning there is a lot of bees and flies’ noise. I sleep a bit further into the morning and even take a nap after my breakfast. But even though I would like to sleep more, I decide to leave before it starts to rain again. The sky is promising.
I sit on my backpack to rest for a while, and a very elderly man comes to chat with me. I believe I am in front of his house. He seems to be living alone here. How can he manage that?
I stop in front of a small shop to stand for my hitchhiking. That is because there is a small roof covering at the shop, so in case it starts to rain, I can hide under it.
And that is exactly what happens. Only a few drops thought. After I take a photograph, I consider asking the owner of the shop, if I can wash my face in a sink by his house, because it is just beside the shop. Luckily, I don’t have time to. I show my “Tatev” sign to a car coming and it stops. The car right behind stops too, so I assume they are together. It is the beginning of a very interesting journey.
Thumbs up always!
10 Years Around the World 