Stage 81: From Tbilisi to Yerevan

After a restless night in the 3rd class with a two-hour stop at the border, the train arrived at Yerevan station around 7 am. The bike had to be assembled again, then we headed to the hostel. Nearby, there was already a Chinese woman, Jessica (her Western name), who was obviously on the same train. After checking in, we decided to take a small city tour with a Russian guy from the hostel. Climbing the Cascade is a must in Yerevan, as it offers a view of the entire city from the top. Then we walked past the Opera House to the huge Republic Square, where demonstrations often take place. The rest of the day was spent on further planning. Due to the winter conditions in Armenia, it quickly became clear that continuing by bike was not feasible as the pass would be too dangerous. The solution was to take a bus from Yerevan to Tehran.

I made the preparations for this the next day. First, I bought the bus ticket for the day after tomorrow, and again, they said that taking the bike would not be a problem. Basti had also done it successfully a few days ago. Then, I walked through the city in the snow to the PCR test center. It is still not entirely clear whether vaccinated individuals need a PCR test or not, but I wanted to play it safe. Later at the hostel, I met Jim, who is now traveling as a backpacker but had recently cycled from Cairo to Cape Town. We had a lot to talk about, of course. In the evening, I cooked with Nikita, who has been working at the hostel for a month. Later, Jim, Jessica, and I went to a pub nearby to try the local specialties. After we finished the local beer, we had to have a Bitburger beer as well. I really didn't expect to find Bitburger in Armenia!

The next morning, I said goodbye to Jessica and Jim. I planned to spend a night at a hotel near the bus station so that I wouldn't have to get up too early for the long transfer and could prepare everything for entering Iran in peace. However, the goodbye was short-lived. Due to heavy snowfall in the Armenian mountains, I was informed at the bus station that the pass was closed. So, I had to be patient (which is not exactly my strong suit) and go back to the hostel to save money! Unfortunately, no one could say when the first bus would depart and whether they would still allow bikes to be carried. Of course, the validity of my PCR test was now also void. Since the alternatives are very limited (I would only take a flight from Yerevan to Tehran as a last resort), I decided to stay put in the hostel for now and wait for updates from the bus company. I guess this is all part of the adventure! The good thing, however, was that I had a few more days to explore Armenia with Jim and Jessica.

Since the bus company still couldn't provide me with any reliable information the next day, we decided to take a taxi to the famous monastery of Khor Virap. On the way, we drove along the border with Turkey, passing through the small trading town of Artashat until we reached Khor Virap. There, we could visit the old monastery complex from the 17th century. The hill of Chor Virap is also significant because the Armenian capital city of Artaxata was established there in 180 BC. But the highlight of the tour was the view of Mount Ararat and the slippery ladder that leads to the interior prayer room of the monastery. We would never have found it without our driver!

For the next day, we planned a longer tour in the surroundings of Yerevan. Since I wanted to make another attempt to enter Iran during the day, we needed to get a PCR test before breakfast. Our private tour quickly took us back into winter. The first stop was at the Charents Arch, which was built in honor of a famous Armenian poet. Unfortunately, the visibility there was so poor that we couldn't see the landscape. However, that changed fortunately on the drive to the Garni complex. The pagan temple there dates back to the 1st century AD. Nearby is the Garni Gorge with a few bizarre rock formations that resemble huge organs, which is why they are also called the 'Symphony of Stones'. Later, we visited the Geghard Monastery, which was originally built in the 4th century. In the evening, we didn't feel like eating Armenian cuisine anymore, so we went to a Chinese restaurant and embarrassed ourselves with chopsticks in front of Jessica. After another fun evening, I had hoped to make it to Iran on the second attempt.