Armenia or Serpentinia?

After leaving the region around Tbilisi, it quickly became clear to us that the road to the Armenian-Georgian border did not offer the best road quality. For a moment, we considered that we might be heading towards a closed border crossing, as the paved roads turned into gravel roads with potholes and we hardly encountered any vehicles coming towards us. Fortunately, we were wrong with this assumption, so we were able to pass the border gates quickly, shortly after Irganchay. Armenia also requires car insurance, which can be obtained (this time we were lucky with the opening hours...) directly at the border, with dollars, Armenian or Georgian money. Even before the border, there was a suspicious whistling noise in the corners. So, shortly after the Armenian border, we visited one of the concrete ramps regularly available on the side of the road. These can still be found in some of the former Soviet states, especially in Ukraine and Armenia. Soon, the front right wheel bearing was identified as a possible cause, and the search for a replacement began. It did not take long before we found a complete wheel bearing set in the nearby village, for about 8€. There was also no shortage of helpfulness, as they chauffeured us back and forth between the village and our chosen ramp. A mechanic who takes care of wheel bearings in this village pressed the bearing cups into the hub for us, after a lengthy joint breakfast, using an ancient German press. Afterwards, he helped us with the installation, and when we asked what we could give him for his efforts, he told us that it was a gift. The Lada was also very happy with the new wheel bearing and once again pleased our ears. Our chauffeur was obviously an important person in the village, and a comment from him suddenly gave us a generous exchange rate, and later even more spare parts as gifts. We were clearly favored by the 'Don of this village'. In total, we spent 3 nights in Armenia, the second one near the huge and beautiful Lake Sevan. The country is not very big, but the many mountains bring along endless serpentine roads, so we stayed one more night in Kapan before heading towards the Iranian border.