update on the bag

Just in case anyone else gets a a kick out of smelly cheese, it is still missing (along with the bag) i expect it might be getting a little whiffy now, and i would predict that bag to be found in the next week.

The site record for longest amount of time to have a bag lost coming into Armenia is 2.5 weeks, the lucky holder of this record is Ward (who was a consultant and didn't actually have any clothes other than the ones he was standing it).

I am only at one week now... and i have clothes here so i am doing ok in the scheme of things!

The next adventure...

So, my next adventure is already booked and paid for (well, the permits are anyway) and now it all looks a little dubious.

I am supposed to be walking up Mt Ararat and flying my paraglider back down...it is a significant hill clocking in at 5165m and since it is a stand alone kinda mountain it is pretty damn impressive (click here for a pic from my old blog).

A few days ago three German tourists were kidnapped by the PKK (Kurdish workers union) from the 1st base camp as they were climbing the mountain... The Turks have closed the mountain, so, maybe i wont be climbing it in 5 weeks time after all.

It seems that the PKK are protesting the German government shut down a pro-PKK TV station in Germany - i imagine if i were kidnapped, when they find out i am from NZ i would get the standard response i get from everyone

"oh, i love New Zealand i want to live/move/visit there one day - how do i get a visa?"

I would then spend the next ten minutes listening to how wonderful NZ is, how wonderful Lord of the Rings was, and how much they want to visit...

Smell that bag

I may have mentioned a while ago that Austrian Airlines rocked.... well, they are not quite making my christmas card list any more...

They lost my bag when i came back to Armenia. Its been three days and they still haven't tracked it. This happens to everyone i know... but i bet not everyones bags contains half their body weight in smelly italian cheese, do they?

hehehe.

I think austrian airlines might be able to locate my bag by smell soon...

hehehe.

Only in Kapan?

I am sure you can find this kind of picture all over the world right?
Check out the people patiently sitting in the van waiting to get to work!!!



Thanks for sending the photo Steve!
Ill get around to writing more on Italy soon...

Churches, Delays and the Austrian Question

Mum spent two weeks here in Armenia, she spent time in Kapan with me while I worked and we also travelled around a little. I sent her to Iran (well the border anyway – they wouldn’t let people like her in there!!) and to an amazing monestry a couple of hours drive away with the boy from work who I am mildly suspicious that he might have a crush on me (think 27 bloody roses a few months back!)

I saw more old churches than I really needed to, and I am sure that even mum was a little jaded by them too. They are very impressive but I think there should be a warning attached that there are only so many you can see before boredom kicks in… this warning may also be attached to similarly old cultural sites in Italy to – but more on that soon.

The rigmarole at the airport proved that you can put a first rate modern airport in a developing country and you can give them all the fancy equipment in the world but when it turns to crap then all passengers will stand in line for hours delaying all flights until the ‘system’ gets running again. This also means that passengers miss connecting flights – and Mum and I get to stay in Vienna for a day. So we wandered around Vienna for a day and saw some pretty stuff, ate some nice chocolate torte. Austrians are supposed to be very serious, and it is said that they lack imagination and/or sense of humor which could perhaps be illustrated a few hours later back at the airport as we are leaving for Rome

Security lady standing at the xray machine

“please take off your belt”
Me - ah, ha, actually this belt is made of plastic
Her - Yes that’s nice but you will have to take it off
Me - But my belt is made of plastic and fabric (me showing her the construction)
Her - Yes, I can see that, but it is policy that you must take it off and put it through the machine
Me - But my belt is made of PLASTIC!!
Her - Please take off your belt and put it though the machine (the que behind me is growing longer)

Basically, we went back and forward, me getting more animated trying to explain to a very nice, polite, STUPID woman a that my belt wasn’t belt – and eventually taking off the blinking belt and putting the blinking belt thorugh the machine, muttering and cursing not-so-quietly under my breath.

So, the Austrian Question - is this security woman an anomaly in Austria? Is litral interpretation of all regulations - despite obvious absurdity the usual??? I have heard some rumors about Austrians but some more investigations might be necessary!

Birthday money spending!!

It has taken a lot of miscommunication and poor organization to be this delayed but eventually we got to the old peoples home in Artsvanik! Having finally got organized and collected all the necessary bits and pieces together we wandered off….

Mum, Penny, Roubina and I turned up carrying bags of goodies for the (mainly) old ladies. There is one old man, and he seems very happy. Apparently he is very interested in marriage but he hasn’t found a lady young enough for him (yet).
We piled inside and the ladies came with us (they had been relaxing outside enjoying the lovely evening). Different people looked excited by different items, one old lady was pleased by the paper we took, there was plenty for her poetry. There were quite a buzz by the women by the knitting stuff. One was especially keen on the chickens, and she was so excited when we gave the money to purchase these. The residents and staff had already prepared the area for the chickens and now is a good time of year to get them. I have a strong suspicion that next time we go there we will be fed omlettes and given socks for our efforts…

We took some nice chocolates and had tea with the residents and staff. The staff and residents are very proud of the art work and craft and so we were shown their art room again... Both Penny and Mum who hadn’t been there before commented on how nice and clean the place was and also how relaxed and friendly the staff/resident relationships seemed. It is easy to see how this place really has a long wait
list as compared to many elderly these guys have a safe secure place to live.

There is a little money left over – enough we think to purchase a DVD player, so they can watch old movies etc.
Thanks so much to everyone who contributed – I am looking forward to finally passing on the DVD player and going back when they have got the chickens established and laying!

Mum's here and fire

On an exciting note, Mum has arrived! She is currently sitting at home relaxing and doing a jigsaw puzzle… She is learning fast. Everyone says - how are you? Then the next question - how do you like Armenia? (answer: oh, I am fine, Armenia is very nice) The more you gush the more people like you in return! I will definitely write more about her visit soon...

We had a fire in our floor at work last week and so now we are without power, it looks like it isn't going to be fixed fast - the fire was caused because the wiring is old and there is no earthing, neutrals etc. The wires are not even in conduit, the wires are just plastered straight into the walls... The whole lot is being rewired now... Funny how something bad has to happen before they finally get around to fixing stuff. I guess there is so much to fix here...

All the people on my floor are refugees, trying to find a power point in some other part of the company, trying to find a desk to borrow for a short time, trying to get some work done. It is difficult for us but this is even worse when there are some people around who are refusing to allow people to sit at the empty desks in their offices. I love the cooperation and team work here. Grrr. I don’t think that people seem to realize that we are all working for the same common objectives.

I am starting to think I might bring some bad luck with electricity as I have already set fire to my apartment once, fried my computer, melted various cables and other bits and now had a fire in the wall of my office…