27th of June, 2022.
Hitchhiking in Armenia
I don’t have to wait too much. Soon enough a man picks me up. He is going to Gavan, which is at Lake Sevan but not Sevanavank. He sells clothes. Like imitation of famous brand clothes. He has loads of them in the car. We make a quick stop in the Silk Road, where there is an old shelter where the caravans used to rest during the travels. It is called Selim Caravanserai. It is quite sinister but nice.
The way to Lake Sevan is beautiful! So green! But we stop in one or two towns, so the driver can get paid from some shops and offer his merchandise to others. When we finally get to Gavan it is already a bit late.
We don’t enter Gavan, luckily, so he drops me off at the road, on the way to Sevanavank.
A cool man called Arthur picks me up. He actually passes by me but turn around and come back. He works organizing events. Arthur drops me off in a road again, pointing me on the way to Sevanavank.
The next man who picks me up is very suspicious. First, he got into the road, then he came back a little and stopped his car nearby me. He remained there for several minutes until finally came and said he could drop me off in Sevanavank. I only got in the car because even though he seemed weird, I didn’t feel like he was a bad person. Perhaps he just doesn’t know much how to deal with people.
He drives me all the way to the Monastery and offers to wait for me to come back. I kindly refuse.
When I ask in a restaurant if I can drop off my backpack in there, the guy with whom I talk, it seems a bit uncertain about helping me. We walk outside of the building, and he then asks for some young man in this tiny bakery, if they can keep it there. They accept.
I am now starving! And I am feeling my migraine starting to bother me. Perhaps I haven’t drunk enough water but also, I haven’t eaten anything since morning. Because I still have some money from the 10 Euros I exchanged to buy a deodorant and a pair of socks, I decide to buy a pastry at this bakery. When I start eating it, immediately I feel better.
The view from the monastery is amazing! The hill where the monastery is located is surrounded by water and nature, and you can see two big hills from where the sun sets this time of the year. It is sunset time now and w-o-w! It is gorgeous to watch! Actually, this whole area is quite magical! I am so glad I decided to come here and persevered even when it was getting late, and it seemed like I wouldn’t make it. I manage to take a really cool photograph, even though there are a big group of Asian people all around. I take some walks around, enjoying the views and the sunset. The colors of the stones and the monastery are so nice altogether with the views. What a beauty!
I try to enjoy as much as possible, but I am still feeling my head. So as soon as the sun disappear behind the hills, I go back down to grab my backpack and find a place for camping.
I know I was right about my weird feeling of leaving the backpack by the small bakery. Now the young men have left, and my backpack was waiting for me outside, in front of the bakery. Couldn’t they have informed me that they would close the place soon?
This small little peninsula is busy at the same time it is not. I guess that after dark, everybody leaves, all the tourists and most people, so it can be quite empty.
I see a nice little park behind a hotel so I decide to ask in the hotel if I can camp there. There is a huge park on the way to the highway, but it seems quite abandoned, with something which look like old houses on it, so I am a bit reluctant.
At the hotel, nobody in the reception. When I am leaving the building, an elderly man asks me if I want something to do with the hotel. I say yes. He calls another man. Neither of them can speak English so they call someone. I think she can speak English, so I explain my story to her. When I finish (laugh), she asks me: how many people are for the reservation? Laugh. I say thank you and hang up the phone.
Luckily for me, a young man is passing by and talks with the two men. I ask him if he can speak English. He answers: “A little bit”. It is enough for him to understand what I need and ask the first man with whom I talked. Their first proposal is that I can stay nearby for a small fee. I say I am thankful but since I cannot pay anything, I will just keep walking and look for another place. But the young boy does not let me leave and talks with the eldest man again. They agree on letting me stay.
There is a small but super fancy cafe right across the hotel. Belonging to the cafe, there are a few super nice and fancy chalet, all facing the Lake Sevan. Around this area, there is a long garden, divided in several small picnic areas, with barbecue and stuff. I believe they are all connected. The eldest man offers me to stay in the last of these small picnic areas, where there is enough grass for my tent. There is a well illuminated building right beside me, with cars, boats and jet ski. Only in the morning I would figure that it is actually a police station.
My head starts to get really bad again. When I finish putting up my tent, the man offers me to have some tea at the cafe. I accept.
Once in the cafe, I ask if I could have some lavash too. I lovely elderly lady brings me the tea and some lavash plus a piece of pie. She is very sweet and interested on my travels. But we are only using the translate to communicate. After I finish the tea, I apologize but I say I must go to sleep. They are all very nice and understanding.
Who are not is some guys, who spent the many hours of the night speaking loudly and laughing. And my head is killing! I cannot figure why. It takes a long time for the pain finally go away.
10 Years Around the World 