2nd October: Yerevan, Armenia to Areni, Armenia
We were awoken pre-dawn by the iridescent flashes of lightning. Cars sploshed along outside. It was a day for boots. Yesterday’s showers, and presumably those overnight, had fallen as snow on Ararat. An old tale states that when the snows begin to grow on Ararat in autumn, the grape harvest should begin in Areni. As if we planned it, that is our destination for today.
The journey south of the city to the southern bus station on the metro was surprisingly straightforward as we were going in the opposite direction to the rush hour crowds. Unfortunately, it turned out not to be the location for buses to Areni. After being told by taxi drivers that buses didn’t go there, and by now being well aware of their games and slightly entertained by them, we found the bus ticket seller who gave us the map location. Back on the metro for one stop (another 20p!) and a walk to a parking space next to a busy roundabout. After asking in a shop, a driver appeared and took us into his minivan going to Yeghegnadzor – just after Areni. 2,000 dram each, rather than the 20,000 starting price that the taxi drivers were chancing their arms at. Granted, we wouldn’t have had to sit 4-wide on 3 seats in the taxi.
After passing the khrushchevki (five-storey Soviet-era concrete panel apartment buildings) of Artashat, Mount Ararat again poked through the clouds. At a fuel stop we all had to hop out. We then realised that the vehicle was running on compressed natural gas (CNG) – a first for me to see being refuelled, I believe. The terrain grew steeper and rockier, as we passed very close to the Turkish and Azerbaijani borders and only 10km from Iran. The steep sand-coloured rock faces, canyons, and tree types reminded me of Kurdistan. Before long we turned east and up into the winding, cloud covered peaks. We had expected to go a different route, as we were apparently now heading straight for Azerbaijani territory. In practice, this enclave has been de-facto part of Armenia since the first Nagorno-Karabakh war and there was no indication that this is de-jure Azerbaijani territory. Ongoing border talks between the two nations are likely to include swapping of such territories, however, the strategic road network of Armenia through two of them further complicates matters in an already tense set-up.
The driver had seemingly forgotten that we were getting out in Areni, so we gave him a shout, and we were unceremoniously dumped on the side of the main road. As luck would have it, our accommodation was actually on this edge of the small town. We hopefully walked up the muddy streets hoping that we could drop our bags off early. The guesthouse owner did better than that! We were able to check in two hours early and were presented with a plate of the most sumptuous freshly picked fruit. I couldn’t resist trying the apple and, to my surprise, didn’t have the expected allergic reaction. I had an inkling it would be OK after accidentally eating peanuts yesterday to no response. We were inside just in time too as the heavens opened! I fell asleep, only to be woken once again by the rumble of thunder. The persistent showers lasted until late afternoon, when we made a run for it to have a wander in the last couple of hours of daylight. The scene of vines in front of the sharp relief of the cliffs and canyons made the trip worthwhile.
The larger vineyards were hard at work, collecting grapes in huge Kamaz trucks for processing. As luck would have it, one also had an open restaurant where we were able not only able to fill up on delicious veggies but also to try some of the wares. I don’t think you can beat semi-sweet red wine, and when you can see future vintages being made out of the window (through yet another storm) that adds a whole extra layer to the experience. It was of a similar high quality to that we had in the Georgian Kakheti wine region during their harvest period a few weeks ago. Another local speciality we ordered was the pomegranate wine. This was completely new to us and the first taste was a party for the taste buds. Somehow, the tartness of the pomegranate hits you before being overtaken by just enough sweetness to keep you wanting more.
The amble through Areni was fairly uneventful, although to a beautiful backdrop. Some local kids found us hilarious, so we played along with their game of repeatedly asking ‘what is your name?’ before cracking up hysterically at our answers. We saw our first stork nests in the Caucasus, atop telegraph poles. People were out around town, sprucing things up for the official harvest and wine festival this coming weekend. On a cloudy evening in this rural mountainous area it was pitch black by 7pm, so we retreated for tea. Despite trying to avoid the European winter, sunsets this early will become a theme of our trip from now on. Hopefully the cold and wet less so!
