Dilijian

 This morning we left Jerevan around 0930 and headed north towards Dilijian, about 100 kms. 

We stopped into a village near Azarkan to visit a small milk project run by an Armenian family who had bought a state farm from the Soviet period. It was a run-down facility with no hygiene. We visited the site but told the owners that we could not support them until they improved their hygiene.

We then went on to  Hrazdan and visited a lady who runs a small textile facility. She had some 25 machines but because of Covit and the war, she had very few orders. Therefore her workers had been reduced from 20 to only 12. She wanted a label and letter printer for her clothes. Lynel let her know that until she can re-employ younger staff, HERA could not provide a second grant. She suggested the lady re-apply next year.

We then drove north past lake Sevan which is a huge lake at 1900 meters altitude. The lake represents 1/6 of the territory of Armenia and is beautiful. It is the main vacation spot in the country and it is surrounded by hotels and small vacation villages.


We arrived in Dilijian after passing through a huge tunnel. The landscape changed from dry to green at the end of the tunnel. One felt that one had changed counties as all of a sudden, there were green trees and it looked like Bavaria.

We arrived in Dilijian and went straight to the hotel Lynel and Dennis had reserved for us. They had given Nico and me the only 2 rooms available which was very generous. They went on to stay at a place a few miles away. They will be back this evening for dinner with us here.

The hotel Tufenkian Old Dilijian, is on a rehabilitated street of Dilijian which had been abandoned for over 100 years. It was opened in 2007 by a famous Armenian artist called Hovhannef Shaiambeyaan.  It has 18 rooms each of which housed a family.  Most of the rooms are dug into the mountainside and are therefore underground and cool. It is managed by the Tufenkian Hotel chain, which has hotels in Jerevan and elsewhere in Armenian. The manager is a charming woman, Gayane Gishyan, from a town north of here called Novemberyan, meaning November. She told me the route from here to the Georgian border is safe as she travels from there two or three times a week as she lives there, Her email is:gayanegishyan2016@gmail.com. I promised I would send her a link to this blog. She also told me how to say thank you in Armenianian, written in Latin script (Armenia has its own script). Thank you is shnorhakalutun. Try saying that.

The rooms are big and cool and my room has two beautiful Armenian carpets.  It is well equipped with good internet.  The view into the valley is amazing. Thanks, Lynel and Dennis.

The hotel has several little stores and I purchased a few things with my last Armenian money.  They make such beautiful local art.

It has been a good trip for me to practice my Russian as so many Armenians speak the language. Tomorrow we head for Tbilisi.

Todays pictures are at:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/HaQzGSHsce741JLz9

https://photos.app.goo.gl/zQTwDwZPPmFg6TyG7

https://photos.app.goo.gl/t8wMHHa1fxoi2q5v5

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