TRV Travel
Alles over je favoriete vakantiebestemmingen, vakantie-ervaringen van jezelf en anderen, tips, info en meer. Van Schin op Geul tot de USA.
Goedenavond!
Na de leuke reacties op mijn twee vorige fotoverslagen van Iran en het Midden Oosten en Marokko heb ik besloten mijn fotoverslag van mijn reis door de zuidelijke Kaukasus ook maar online te gooien. De onderschriften zijn in 't Engels; ze komen van Facebook. Hoop niet dat jullie er aan storen.
De titel is ietwat misleidend. Het grootste deel van de reis speelt zich inderdaad af in de zuidelijke Kaukasus (Georgië, Armenië en Azerbeidzjan), maar er zit ook een ander deel tussen. Van de Kaukasus over land naar België, om daar een vliegtuig naar Washington, DC, te pakken.
Ben erg benieuwd wat jullie er van vinden!
A new summer, a new trip.
Visited countries: 13 + Abkhazia
Days travelled: 45
Average money per day: E19,73 (excl. flights, clothes, cigarettes)
Blue: air plane (3)
Yellow: hitch-hiking (19)
Red: train (5)
Orange: bus/mashrutka/taxi (+30)
Due to my exams, I had to go later to the Caucasus. There, in Georgia, where my friends Arjen and Joost already camping. I caught a plane to the Georgian capital Tbilisi to save time. On the plane I met Floortje Dessing, a Dutch travel presenter. "Be careful," she said after I told our plan of going to Abkhazia.
— at Riga, Latvia.
In the early morning I arrived at Tbilisi Int. Airport. With not much money to spend the taxis were no option to go to the city centre. To get rid of the taxi-drivers I decided to wait at the train station. The first train was coming in two hours. The train station reminds me of Red Alert 2's Chronosphere.
— at Tbilisi, Georgia.
While waiting at the trainstation, one taxi driver showed up for a chat. Although he didn't speak that much English, he helped me with killing the time.
When the train arrived I just wanted to take a photograph of the taxi driver, called Tomasko. When I took it, Tomasko started laughing: the train was leaving. He felt sorry for me and offered to bring me to the centre for just 5 Lari (2,5E).
En route his Lada got a blowout. While he was changing the wheel, I could drink a vodka. At six in the morning, to be precise. Welcome to the Caucasus!
— at Tbilisi, Georgia.
Politically, culturally, economically and socially, Tbilisi is the capital of Georgia. It is lying on both banks of the Mtkvari River.
Since Georgia has it own alphabet, signs are sometimes difficult to read: თბილისი.
— at Tbilisi, Georgia.
My first host in Tbilisi welcomed me with some Georgian coffee: a small cup with lots of coffee grounds.
— at Tbilisi, Georgia.
Synagogues, mosques and churches are located next to each other in Tbilisi. With more than 100 different ethnic groups, Tbilisi can really be called a multi-ethnic city.
— at Tbilisi, Georgia.
Georgia had a revolution in 2003: the peaceful Rose Revolution. Mikheil Saakashvili, whom married a Dutch woman, came to power.
Some symbolic statements about his foreign policy can be seen in Tbilisi: a sign which says "Our Foreign Policy is to Integrate in NATO" and these flags, for example.
— at Tbilisi, Georgia.
I had to move quickly to Armenia to hook up with my friends. But there were no buses to Sevan, only to Yerevan. "Problem, problem, problem!" all the mashrutka (minibus) drivers said. But offered some extra money it was "no problem, no problem, no problem!"
While is was driving through the beautiful Armenian landscape, a heavy thunderstorm suddenly showed up. The mashrutka dropped me on the highway because the passengers wanted to go home - and Sevan was not en route.
I knocked at the door of an hotel, told my story, and got a free sleeping place. Lobsters, sandwiches and whiskey included.
— at Sevan, Armenia.
The next morning I walked and hitch-hiked the remaining kilometres to Sevan.
— at Sevan, Armenia.
If you like this picture, play this music and you will love it: Djivan Gasparyan is known as the master of the duduk, a double reed woodwind instrument.
— at Sevan, Armenia.
The town of Sevan is known as the Armenian Riviera. The sunny summers are brief in Armenia - we had rain all the time.
— at Sevan, Armenia.
Lying at the end of a peninsula, the monastery of Sevan (Sevanavank) lies on a breath-taking place.
The monastery was originally built on an island, but the artificial draining of Lake Sevan during the Stalin era transformed it into a peninsula.
— at Sevanavank, Armenia.
And there they are! Camping next to the presidential residence.
— at Sevanavank, Armenia.
Believe me, his music fitted perfectly in the surroundings.
— at Sevanavank, Armenia.
The Green Lada brought us to Dilijan, a place where it was not raining - by then. The little town is home to numerous Armenian artists, actors, and composers. Before setting up a camp somewhere in the mountains, we visited a museum.
— at Dilijan, Armenia.
The museum turned out to be really interesting: Armenian art, Soviet art, and a collection of archaeological stuff. We got our own guide - who made good coffee as well.
It was raining again when we left the museum. We talked to the director, who invited us earlier for coffee and cake, and he invited us to his interesting house up in the hills.
— at Dilijan, Armenia.
Walking back from the directors house to Dilijan town centre.
— at Dilijan, Armenia.
Many legacies of the Soviet era can be found in the Caucasus. The 50th Anniversary of Soviet Armenia Monument is shown at the photo.
— at Dilijan, Armenia.
The post-industrial Soviet city of Vanadzor is our next stop in Armenia. These guys at the busstation were, as always and everybody, really friendly to us.
The Lonely Planet told us that "young folk attending the teacher's colleges add a bit of nightlife to city." We didn't find the nightlife, but we found a lot of interested looks at our presence.
— at Vanadzor, Armenia.
He couldn't tell me in English why he took the tattoo - he could be in the navy, but Armenian has no sea. Most men in former Soviet countries have tattooed dots on their hand. Every dot symbolizes a family member. Could be that he was in the Soviet navy.
— at Vanadzor, Armenia.
Mashrutkas is the most common way of transport in the Caucasus. Aftobuses, the one on the photo, are less common. And less speedy.
— at Vanadzor, Armenia.
The mining and industrial town of Alaverdi is situated in and on a canyon. The town has 16,500 inhabitants. In 1989 it were over 26,000.
Already in 1770, the Alaverdi Copper Smelter was founded. Joost is looking at the Alaverdi Copper Factory here. He's is standing on the 1195 Sanahin bridge.
— at Alaverdi, Armenia.
Burning candles in the medieval Haghpat Monastery, "Հաղպատավանք"; yes Armenia has as well its own alphabet.
— at Haghpatavank, Armenia.
The Haghpat Monastery is located halfway up a mountain, overlooking the Debed River. The monastery itself is mystic, the surroundings are breath-taking.
— at Haghpatavank, Armenia.
Back in Alaverdi, we wanted to look for a good camp place on the top of the canyon. There is a place called Sanahin, which houses a monastery and some beautiful nature. A cable car brought us for a few cents to the top.
— at Alaverdi, Armenia.
He went fishing. And he liked that I asked to make a photo of him. It's the same man that is seen on the previous photo in the cable car.
— at Sanahin, Armenia.
LOST. This is the Sanahin Monastery. "Sanahin" means literally "this one is older that that one", claiming that this monastery is older than the Haghpat Monastery.
— at Sanahin, Alaverdi.
After a walk through Sanahin we found this spot. Lovely, isn't it? On our way to it many people looked surprised to see three Western boys walking in the small town.
While we were setting up our tents, a goat herder showed up. He was just standing there, looking. Looking at us. He said nothing and after half an hour he went away.
But he returned when the night fell. He brought cups, tea and Armenian cognac with him. We couldn't exchange a word, but we enjoyed being together and watching the stars.
— at Sanahin, Armenia.
As I said, many people looked suprised when they saw us walking through Sanahin. Armine, 17 years old and really good in English, was one of them. "What are you doing there?" she shouted, while we were climbing up a hill in front of her house.
Armine invited us at her home. After we put up the tents and had cognac with the herder, we went to Armine. What. A. Night. We met her whole family: her cute little sister, her father who is a policeman, her mother that can cook deliciously and her lovely grandparents.
As you can see on the photo, this is a delicious meal. Prepared and served especially for us. Welcome to Armenia!
— at Sanahin, Armenia.
This is Armine's little sister. She had to go to bed while we were eating with her dad. "Where are the three boys?" she asked her sister when she found out that we left. "I want to see them again."
— at Sanahin, Armenia.
And this is the family. The next day there was another meal prepared for us. To be honest: my heart was warmed by so much hospitality.
— at Sanahin, Armenia.
We went back to Vanadzor as last stop in Armenia before going back to Georgia. We had a fancy Soviet hotel the last time we were in Vanadzor, but it was not that cheap. The head of the bus station recognized us and offered us a sleeping place: a closed and locked bus station. He even made a toilet for us: a crack in the floor.
— at Vanadzor, Armenia.
Tbilisi feels almost like homecoming. This time Arjen and Sierd brought me to the Waltzing Mathilda Hostel. If you ever go to Tbilisi and you have know place to stay: go there! — at Tbilisi, Georgia.
"So, how are you travelling?" Together with 'where you from', 'where you went', and 'where will you be going', this is one of the four questions you usually asked to fellow travellers. So I asked them to the lad in front of me that was also waiting on his Azeri visa. "By ambulance," he answered.
Meet Max and Freddie. Two Englishmen that freshly graduated at Oxford Brookes University and immediately got a job in London - starting in September. So, what should they do in this last summer before the real work starts? Let's buy an ambulance, raise some money, and bring both by land to Mongolia, must have said someone of them. Because that was what they were doing: driving a British ambulance from London to Mongolia to donate the ambulance and the money to a children's hospital.
We could get a ride from Tbilisi to Azerbaijan with them: two days of Beatles, wine, and corrupt police. Max and Freddie, it was an honour to be a part of your trip. Cheers to you!
— at Tbilisi, Georgia.
We left Tbilisi in the afternoon and headed towards Azerbaijan. Before we reached the border, the lights of the ambulance stopped working. We decided to set up our camp next to the road. We talked, drunk, and laughed from dawn till the deep night.
— at Georgia.
The next morning we went on and passed the border without nominate worthy problems. But we were hungry. We stopped at something that looked like an restaurant.
"What do you want to eat? Chicken?" The owner of the restaurant looked at us. Chicken was fine with all of us, so we sat down in the adjacent garden. The owner came back: "Which one do you want?" holding two chickens -alive and literally kicking- in is hands.
— at Ganja region, Azerbaijan.
On the road again.
— at M-2, Ganja region, Azerbaijan.
A British ambulance in the Caucasus. Even special for us, so even more for the Azeri police..
At this fancy police station we were stopped by the police. The back doors were opened and we look right in the face of a smiling police officer. He seemed to be nice and asked Freddie to come with him. "Guess he has to drink some tea with them", I joked to Max.
No tea, not even coffee, but a fine of 750 Azerian Manat. That is something like 660 euros. For what? Overtaking on solid line. We didn't overtake there, and everybody does it anyway. The police officer threatened to take the car and put the boys in jail. "But this ambulance is for charity, sir!" Freddie shouted. "I do not care!" the officer replied angry.
"If you do encounter a sticky-fingered (customs) officer, it usually pays to stay calm and stand your ground", Lonely Planet says. And that is what the boys did. Stand their ground and do not pay 750 Manat.
BUT, not even five minutes later, we got stopped again. "Money," the police officer smiled. "No," said Max while Freddie pushes the accelerator. Bye bye, officer.
— Southern Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan.
Baku is booming, as you can see.
— at Baku, Azerbaijan.
We even got ripped off in Baku: dying for an ice-cream in the 40 degrees Celsius sunshine we had to pay a converted 20 Euro. That's the result of something that almost can be called mass tourism.
— at Baku, Azerbaijan.
The Government House of Baku, known during the USSR as Dom Soviet, is a government building of Azerbaijan. It was built between 1936 and 1952.
A statue of Lenin was facing the Lenin Square, but it was removed by the Azeri independent movement in the aftermath of Black January.
During our stay the Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gave the Azeri PM İlham Əliyev a visit. It was interesting to see: I guess more than hundred black cars with blue flashing lights, a few limousins and a lot of police.
— at Baku, Azerbaijan.
This is where all Azerbaijan's welfare comes from: oil. By the beginning of the 20th century these oil fields were the largest in the world. It is said that if Hitler did not go to Stalingrad, but to Baku, he had a big chance to win the war. If-history is always interesting.
The Baku oil fields are featured in the James Bond film ''.
— at Baku, Azerbaijan.
We met two Dutch lads that were travelling by Land Rover in the Caucasus. They offered us a ride all the way back to Tbilisi.
Unfortunately after the visit to the oil fields, the Land Rover broke down. They decided to transport the car to Istanbul, where they could be helped by the ANWB (Dutch roadside assistance).
Too bad we don't have any contact information of the boys, I am curious what happened to them in this long long trip to Istanbul.
— at Baku, Azerbaijan.
While we left the Land Rover behind in Baku, we immediately got a new ride towards Tbilisi. A brand new Jaguar. It turned out to be that the driver was Shahriyar Mamedyarov, a Grand Master of Chess.
— with Shahriyar Mamedyarov at Baku region, Azerbaijan.
Story is coming..
— at Sheki, Azerbaijan.
Story is coming..
— at Sheki, Azerbaijan.
Story is coming..
— at Sheki, Azerbaijan.
Story is coming..
— at Sheki region, Azerbaijan.
Story is coming..
— at Kakheti region, Georgia.
Refugee camps.
— at Gori, Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Samegrelo region, Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Zugdidi,vGeorgia.
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Story is coming..
— at Zugdidi, Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Sukhum, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Sukhum, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Sukhum, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Sukhum, Abkhazia/Georgia.
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Story is coming..
— at Sukhum, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Sukhum, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at New Athos, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at New Athos, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at New Athos, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at New Athos, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at New Athos, Abkhazia/Georgia.
We were one of the few Western tourists/journalists that were in Abkhazia. But the Russian tourists are everywhere. And not exactly the backpacking types.
— New Athos, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at New Athos, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at New Athos, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Sukhum, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Sukhum, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Rooftop.
— at Sukhum, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Sukhum, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Sukhum, Abkhazia/Georgia.
The 870 meter long Inguri Bridge is to only legal crossing-point to enter Abkhazia. German prisoners of war started the building of the bridge in 1944 and completed it four years later.
Both Georgia and Abkhazia have posted troops on the banks of the river; Russia stationed peacekeeping forces on the Abkhaz side.
— at Inguri, Georgian/Abkhazian border.
Story is coming..
— at Zugdidi, Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Batumi, Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Hopa, Turkey.
Story is coming..
— at Hopa, Turkey.
Story is coming..
— at Hopa, Turkey.
Story is coming..
— at Hopa, Turkey.
Story is coming..
— at Prolesha, Bulgaria.
Stuck for five hours, some Italian girls gave us some help..
— at Gradinje, Serbia.
Story is coming..
— at Bács-Kiskun county, Hungary.
With the Sziget starting, one of Europe's biggest festival, our trip to and from the Caucasus is officially ended. A whole other atmosphere, but so good. Photo not taken by me. - Sziget, Hungary.
Story is coming..
— at Budapest, Hungary.
Story is coming..
— at Lviv, Ukraine.
Story is coming..
— at the train from Lviv to Kiev.
Story is coming..
— at Kiev, Ukraine.
Story is coming..
— at Kiev, Ukraine.
Story is coming..
— at Kiev, Ukraine.
Story is coming..
— at Lviv, Ukraine.
— at Lviv, Ukraine.
— at Lviv, Ukraine.
Story is coming..
— at Jaworzno, Poland.
— at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Georgia, United States of America.
— at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Georgia, United States of America.
Business-class seats, gin-tonic, and whiskey-coke. Thank you Irene!
— at airborne somewhere above Georgia, United States of America.
Storm is coming..
— at Washington D.C., United States of America.
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the legislature of the US. The construction began in 1793. George Washington, dressed as a Mason, laid the cornerstone. The architects were inspired by Roman architecture.
Photo made with a disposable camera.
— at Washington, DC, United States of America.
The Georgetown University, founded in 1789, is the oldest Catholic university in the United States. Former US President Bill Clinton studied here. He is not the only head of state that studied on 'GU'; more than a dozen heads of state studied here.
Made with a disposable camera.
— at Washington, DC, United States of America.
Made with a disposable camera.
— at Washington, DC, United States of America.
Made with a disposable camera.
— at Washington, DC, United States of America.
Na de leuke reacties op mijn twee vorige fotoverslagen van Iran en het Midden Oosten en Marokko heb ik besloten mijn fotoverslag van mijn reis door de zuidelijke Kaukasus ook maar online te gooien. De onderschriften zijn in 't Engels; ze komen van Facebook. Hoop niet dat jullie er aan storen.
De titel is ietwat misleidend. Het grootste deel van de reis speelt zich inderdaad af in de zuidelijke Kaukasus (Georgië, Armenië en Azerbeidzjan), maar er zit ook een ander deel tussen. Van de Kaukasus over land naar België, om daar een vliegtuig naar Washington, DC, te pakken.
Ben erg benieuwd wat jullie er van vinden!
A new summer, a new trip.
Visited countries: 13 + Abkhazia
Days travelled: 45
Average money per day: E19,73 (excl. flights, clothes, cigarettes)
Blue: air plane (3)
Yellow: hitch-hiking (19)
Red: train (5)
Orange: bus/mashrutka/taxi (+30)
Due to my exams, I had to go later to the Caucasus. There, in Georgia, where my friends Arjen and Joost already camping. I caught a plane to the Georgian capital Tbilisi to save time. On the plane I met Floortje Dessing, a Dutch travel presenter. "Be careful," she said after I told our plan of going to Abkhazia.
— at Riga, Latvia.
In the early morning I arrived at Tbilisi Int. Airport. With not much money to spend the taxis were no option to go to the city centre. To get rid of the taxi-drivers I decided to wait at the train station. The first train was coming in two hours. The train station reminds me of Red Alert 2's Chronosphere.
— at Tbilisi, Georgia.
While waiting at the trainstation, one taxi driver showed up for a chat. Although he didn't speak that much English, he helped me with killing the time.
When the train arrived I just wanted to take a photograph of the taxi driver, called Tomasko. When I took it, Tomasko started laughing: the train was leaving. He felt sorry for me and offered to bring me to the centre for just 5 Lari (2,5E).
En route his Lada got a blowout. While he was changing the wheel, I could drink a vodka. At six in the morning, to be precise. Welcome to the Caucasus!
— at Tbilisi, Georgia.
Politically, culturally, economically and socially, Tbilisi is the capital of Georgia. It is lying on both banks of the Mtkvari River.
Since Georgia has it own alphabet, signs are sometimes difficult to read: თბილისი.
— at Tbilisi, Georgia.
My first host in Tbilisi welcomed me with some Georgian coffee: a small cup with lots of coffee grounds.
— at Tbilisi, Georgia.
Synagogues, mosques and churches are located next to each other in Tbilisi. With more than 100 different ethnic groups, Tbilisi can really be called a multi-ethnic city.
— at Tbilisi, Georgia.
Georgia had a revolution in 2003: the peaceful Rose Revolution. Mikheil Saakashvili, whom married a Dutch woman, came to power.
Some symbolic statements about his foreign policy can be seen in Tbilisi: a sign which says "Our Foreign Policy is to Integrate in NATO" and these flags, for example.
— at Tbilisi, Georgia.
I had to move quickly to Armenia to hook up with my friends. But there were no buses to Sevan, only to Yerevan. "Problem, problem, problem!" all the mashrutka (minibus) drivers said. But offered some extra money it was "no problem, no problem, no problem!"
While is was driving through the beautiful Armenian landscape, a heavy thunderstorm suddenly showed up. The mashrutka dropped me on the highway because the passengers wanted to go home - and Sevan was not en route.
I knocked at the door of an hotel, told my story, and got a free sleeping place. Lobsters, sandwiches and whiskey included.
— at Sevan, Armenia.
The next morning I walked and hitch-hiked the remaining kilometres to Sevan.
— at Sevan, Armenia.
If you like this picture, play this music and you will love it: Djivan Gasparyan is known as the master of the duduk, a double reed woodwind instrument.
— at Sevan, Armenia.
The town of Sevan is known as the Armenian Riviera. The sunny summers are brief in Armenia - we had rain all the time.
— at Sevan, Armenia.
Lying at the end of a peninsula, the monastery of Sevan (Sevanavank) lies on a breath-taking place.
The monastery was originally built on an island, but the artificial draining of Lake Sevan during the Stalin era transformed it into a peninsula.
— at Sevanavank, Armenia.
And there they are! Camping next to the presidential residence.
— at Sevanavank, Armenia.
Believe me, his music fitted perfectly in the surroundings.
— at Sevanavank, Armenia.
The Green Lada brought us to Dilijan, a place where it was not raining - by then. The little town is home to numerous Armenian artists, actors, and composers. Before setting up a camp somewhere in the mountains, we visited a museum.
— at Dilijan, Armenia.
The museum turned out to be really interesting: Armenian art, Soviet art, and a collection of archaeological stuff. We got our own guide - who made good coffee as well.
It was raining again when we left the museum. We talked to the director, who invited us earlier for coffee and cake, and he invited us to his interesting house up in the hills.
— at Dilijan, Armenia.
Walking back from the directors house to Dilijan town centre.
— at Dilijan, Armenia.
Many legacies of the Soviet era can be found in the Caucasus. The 50th Anniversary of Soviet Armenia Monument is shown at the photo.
— at Dilijan, Armenia.
The post-industrial Soviet city of Vanadzor is our next stop in Armenia. These guys at the busstation were, as always and everybody, really friendly to us.
The Lonely Planet told us that "young folk attending the teacher's colleges add a bit of nightlife to city." We didn't find the nightlife, but we found a lot of interested looks at our presence.
— at Vanadzor, Armenia.
He couldn't tell me in English why he took the tattoo - he could be in the navy, but Armenian has no sea. Most men in former Soviet countries have tattooed dots on their hand. Every dot symbolizes a family member. Could be that he was in the Soviet navy.
— at Vanadzor, Armenia.
Mashrutkas is the most common way of transport in the Caucasus. Aftobuses, the one on the photo, are less common. And less speedy.
— at Vanadzor, Armenia.
The mining and industrial town of Alaverdi is situated in and on a canyon. The town has 16,500 inhabitants. In 1989 it were over 26,000.
Already in 1770, the Alaverdi Copper Smelter was founded. Joost is looking at the Alaverdi Copper Factory here. He's is standing on the 1195 Sanahin bridge.
— at Alaverdi, Armenia.
Burning candles in the medieval Haghpat Monastery, "Հաղպատավանք"; yes Armenia has as well its own alphabet.
— at Haghpatavank, Armenia.
The Haghpat Monastery is located halfway up a mountain, overlooking the Debed River. The monastery itself is mystic, the surroundings are breath-taking.
— at Haghpatavank, Armenia.
Back in Alaverdi, we wanted to look for a good camp place on the top of the canyon. There is a place called Sanahin, which houses a monastery and some beautiful nature. A cable car brought us for a few cents to the top.
— at Alaverdi, Armenia.
He went fishing. And he liked that I asked to make a photo of him. It's the same man that is seen on the previous photo in the cable car.
— at Sanahin, Armenia.
LOST. This is the Sanahin Monastery. "Sanahin" means literally "this one is older that that one", claiming that this monastery is older than the Haghpat Monastery.
— at Sanahin, Alaverdi.
After a walk through Sanahin we found this spot. Lovely, isn't it? On our way to it many people looked surprised to see three Western boys walking in the small town.
While we were setting up our tents, a goat herder showed up. He was just standing there, looking. Looking at us. He said nothing and after half an hour he went away.
But he returned when the night fell. He brought cups, tea and Armenian cognac with him. We couldn't exchange a word, but we enjoyed being together and watching the stars.
— at Sanahin, Armenia.
As I said, many people looked suprised when they saw us walking through Sanahin. Armine, 17 years old and really good in English, was one of them. "What are you doing there?" she shouted, while we were climbing up a hill in front of her house.
Armine invited us at her home. After we put up the tents and had cognac with the herder, we went to Armine. What. A. Night. We met her whole family: her cute little sister, her father who is a policeman, her mother that can cook deliciously and her lovely grandparents.
As you can see on the photo, this is a delicious meal. Prepared and served especially for us. Welcome to Armenia!
— at Sanahin, Armenia.
This is Armine's little sister. She had to go to bed while we were eating with her dad. "Where are the three boys?" she asked her sister when she found out that we left. "I want to see them again."
— at Sanahin, Armenia.
And this is the family. The next day there was another meal prepared for us. To be honest: my heart was warmed by so much hospitality.
— at Sanahin, Armenia.
We went back to Vanadzor as last stop in Armenia before going back to Georgia. We had a fancy Soviet hotel the last time we were in Vanadzor, but it was not that cheap. The head of the bus station recognized us and offered us a sleeping place: a closed and locked bus station. He even made a toilet for us: a crack in the floor.
— at Vanadzor, Armenia.
Tbilisi feels almost like homecoming. This time Arjen and Sierd brought me to the Waltzing Mathilda Hostel. If you ever go to Tbilisi and you have know place to stay: go there! — at Tbilisi, Georgia.
"So, how are you travelling?" Together with 'where you from', 'where you went', and 'where will you be going', this is one of the four questions you usually asked to fellow travellers. So I asked them to the lad in front of me that was also waiting on his Azeri visa. "By ambulance," he answered.
Meet Max and Freddie. Two Englishmen that freshly graduated at Oxford Brookes University and immediately got a job in London - starting in September. So, what should they do in this last summer before the real work starts? Let's buy an ambulance, raise some money, and bring both by land to Mongolia, must have said someone of them. Because that was what they were doing: driving a British ambulance from London to Mongolia to donate the ambulance and the money to a children's hospital.
We could get a ride from Tbilisi to Azerbaijan with them: two days of Beatles, wine, and corrupt police. Max and Freddie, it was an honour to be a part of your trip. Cheers to you!
— at Tbilisi, Georgia.
We left Tbilisi in the afternoon and headed towards Azerbaijan. Before we reached the border, the lights of the ambulance stopped working. We decided to set up our camp next to the road. We talked, drunk, and laughed from dawn till the deep night.
— at Georgia.
The next morning we went on and passed the border without nominate worthy problems. But we were hungry. We stopped at something that looked like an restaurant.
"What do you want to eat? Chicken?" The owner of the restaurant looked at us. Chicken was fine with all of us, so we sat down in the adjacent garden. The owner came back: "Which one do you want?" holding two chickens -alive and literally kicking- in is hands.
— at Ganja region, Azerbaijan.
On the road again.
— at M-2, Ganja region, Azerbaijan.
A British ambulance in the Caucasus. Even special for us, so even more for the Azeri police..
At this fancy police station we were stopped by the police. The back doors were opened and we look right in the face of a smiling police officer. He seemed to be nice and asked Freddie to come with him. "Guess he has to drink some tea with them", I joked to Max.
No tea, not even coffee, but a fine of 750 Azerian Manat. That is something like 660 euros. For what? Overtaking on solid line. We didn't overtake there, and everybody does it anyway. The police officer threatened to take the car and put the boys in jail. "But this ambulance is for charity, sir!" Freddie shouted. "I do not care!" the officer replied angry.
"If you do encounter a sticky-fingered (customs) officer, it usually pays to stay calm and stand your ground", Lonely Planet says. And that is what the boys did. Stand their ground and do not pay 750 Manat.
BUT, not even five minutes later, we got stopped again. "Money," the police officer smiled. "No," said Max while Freddie pushes the accelerator. Bye bye, officer.
— Southern Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan.
Baku is booming, as you can see.
— at Baku, Azerbaijan.
We even got ripped off in Baku: dying for an ice-cream in the 40 degrees Celsius sunshine we had to pay a converted 20 Euro. That's the result of something that almost can be called mass tourism.
— at Baku, Azerbaijan.
The Government House of Baku, known during the USSR as Dom Soviet, is a government building of Azerbaijan. It was built between 1936 and 1952.
A statue of Lenin was facing the Lenin Square, but it was removed by the Azeri independent movement in the aftermath of Black January.
During our stay the Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gave the Azeri PM İlham Əliyev a visit. It was interesting to see: I guess more than hundred black cars with blue flashing lights, a few limousins and a lot of police.
— at Baku, Azerbaijan.
This is where all Azerbaijan's welfare comes from: oil. By the beginning of the 20th century these oil fields were the largest in the world. It is said that if Hitler did not go to Stalingrad, but to Baku, he had a big chance to win the war. If-history is always interesting.
The Baku oil fields are featured in the James Bond film ''.
— at Baku, Azerbaijan.
We met two Dutch lads that were travelling by Land Rover in the Caucasus. They offered us a ride all the way back to Tbilisi.
Unfortunately after the visit to the oil fields, the Land Rover broke down. They decided to transport the car to Istanbul, where they could be helped by the ANWB (Dutch roadside assistance).
Too bad we don't have any contact information of the boys, I am curious what happened to them in this long long trip to Istanbul.
— at Baku, Azerbaijan.
While we left the Land Rover behind in Baku, we immediately got a new ride towards Tbilisi. A brand new Jaguar. It turned out to be that the driver was Shahriyar Mamedyarov, a Grand Master of Chess.
— with Shahriyar Mamedyarov at Baku region, Azerbaijan.
Story is coming..
— at Sheki, Azerbaijan.
Story is coming..
— at Sheki, Azerbaijan.
Story is coming..
— at Sheki, Azerbaijan.
Story is coming..
— at Sheki region, Azerbaijan.
Story is coming..
— at Kakheti region, Georgia.
Refugee camps.
— at Gori, Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Samegrelo region, Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Zugdidi,vGeorgia.
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Story is coming..
— at Zugdidi, Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Sukhum, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Sukhum, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Sukhum, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Sukhum, Abkhazia/Georgia.
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/319649_1930517549110_1427380610_31656884_1217819_n.jpg[/img]
Story is coming..
— at Sukhum, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Sukhum, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at New Athos, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at New Athos, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at New Athos, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at New Athos, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at New Athos, Abkhazia/Georgia.
We were one of the few Western tourists/journalists that were in Abkhazia. But the Russian tourists are everywhere. And not exactly the backpacking types.
— New Athos, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at New Athos, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at New Athos, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Sukhum, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Sukhum, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Rooftop.
— at Sukhum, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Sukhum, Abkhazia/Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Sukhum, Abkhazia/Georgia.
The 870 meter long Inguri Bridge is to only legal crossing-point to enter Abkhazia. German prisoners of war started the building of the bridge in 1944 and completed it four years later.
Both Georgia and Abkhazia have posted troops on the banks of the river; Russia stationed peacekeeping forces on the Abkhaz side.
— at Inguri, Georgian/Abkhazian border.
Story is coming..
— at Zugdidi, Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Batumi, Georgia.
Story is coming..
— at Hopa, Turkey.
Story is coming..
— at Hopa, Turkey.
Story is coming..
— at Hopa, Turkey.
Story is coming..
— at Hopa, Turkey.
Story is coming..
— at Prolesha, Bulgaria.
Stuck for five hours, some Italian girls gave us some help..
— at Gradinje, Serbia.
Story is coming..
— at Bács-Kiskun county, Hungary.
With the Sziget starting, one of Europe's biggest festival, our trip to and from the Caucasus is officially ended. A whole other atmosphere, but so good. Photo not taken by me. - Sziget, Hungary.
Story is coming..
— at Budapest, Hungary.
Story is coming..
— at Lviv, Ukraine.
Story is coming..
— at the train from Lviv to Kiev.
Story is coming..
— at Kiev, Ukraine.
Story is coming..
— at Kiev, Ukraine.
Story is coming..
— at Kiev, Ukraine.
Story is coming..
— at Lviv, Ukraine.
— at Lviv, Ukraine.
— at Lviv, Ukraine.
Story is coming..
— at Jaworzno, Poland.
— at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Georgia, United States of America.
— at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Georgia, United States of America.
Business-class seats, gin-tonic, and whiskey-coke. Thank you Irene!
— at airborne somewhere above Georgia, United States of America.
Storm is coming..
— at Washington D.C., United States of America.
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the legislature of the US. The construction began in 1793. George Washington, dressed as a Mason, laid the cornerstone. The architects were inspired by Roman architecture.
Photo made with a disposable camera.
— at Washington, DC, United States of America.
The Georgetown University, founded in 1789, is the oldest Catholic university in the United States. Former US President Bill Clinton studied here. He is not the only head of state that studied on 'GU'; more than a dozen heads of state studied here.
Made with a disposable camera.
— at Washington, DC, United States of America.
Made with a disposable camera.
— at Washington, DC, United States of America.
Made with a disposable camera.
— at Washington, DC, United States of America.
Damn, mooi verslag en bovenal mooie fotos! Niet een keer bestolen?
In the quiet words of the virgin Mary..... come again?!
Dankje! Ben geen een keer bestolen. Nog nooit tijdens het reizen of liften trouwens. Jij wel slechte ervaringen gehad dan?quote:Op zaterdag 17 september 2011 14:37 schreef WarPuppy het volgende:
Damn, mooi verslag en bovenal mooie fotos! Niet een keer bestolen?
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