Armenia is definitely an interesting country where you can find both sides of the coin without having to flip it over.
Religion has been and still is one of the biggest influences on the landscape just judging the infinite number of monasteries that you can practically everywhere you go. Lot's of them ancient and really beautiful hidden in the mountains or in one of the tinny islands of a lake, where the landscape surrounding them was making us jealous of the monks that even nowadays keep the places fully working.
Unfortunately environmental care is bot of the first priorities in Armenia and just close by those magic monasteries you cab observe and old soviet metal factory still working, where the smoke of which stains the facade of the typical all look alike depressive soviet gray buildings of the city spreading around.
Visiting some of the cities you just have the feeling that the communist regime, like many do nowadays around the world, used this country to over produce to enrich themselves not caring for the harm done to Nature or the population, keeping them quiet with free houses and vodka.
Only sixteen years have past since the Soviet union disappeared and seems that people are still living the same way, where things get done not thinking about the consequences.
Armenians are really curious, friendly and specially strong. Even though the complicated situation to find a job after the communist left, or the bad conditions of the public services, or the tense relation that they have with many of the neighbour countries, including a still active war with Azerbaijan over the area of Nagorno Karabakh, they talk proudly about their country and how it will soon progress.
Some of that progress it is happening because some non-governmental organizations like the Peace corps from the U.S, whose are spread all over this country and many others trying to help developing the area in many aspects like business, environmental care or teaching.
Religion has been and still is one of the biggest influences on the landscape just judging the infinite number of monasteries that you can practically everywhere you go. Lot's of them ancient and really beautiful hidden in the mountains or in one of the tinny islands of a lake, where the landscape surrounding them was making us jealous of the monks that even nowadays keep the places fully working.
Unfortunately environmental care is bot of the first priorities in Armenia and just close by those magic monasteries you cab observe and old soviet metal factory still working, where the smoke of which stains the facade of the typical all look alike depressive soviet gray buildings of the city spreading around.
Visiting some of the cities you just have the feeling that the communist regime, like many do nowadays around the world, used this country to over produce to enrich themselves not caring for the harm done to Nature or the population, keeping them quiet with free houses and vodka.
Only sixteen years have past since the Soviet union disappeared and seems that people are still living the same way, where things get done not thinking about the consequences.
Armenians are really curious, friendly and specially strong. Even though the complicated situation to find a job after the communist left, or the bad conditions of the public services, or the tense relation that they have with many of the neighbour countries, including a still active war with Azerbaijan over the area of Nagorno Karabakh, they talk proudly about their country and how it will soon progress.
Some of that progress it is happening because some non-governmental organizations like the Peace corps from the U.S, whose are spread all over this country and many others trying to help developing the area in many aspects like business, environmental care or teaching.
Thanks to Penny Porter, one of the volunteers working with some of the schools in Kapan, we enjoyed a couple of days of her hospitality and we felt like home. we met a few of the other volunteers in the area and probably had the best meals so far in this trip, just before heading south to Iran.
Thanks again Penny!
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