Hitching to Noravank, with an Unexpected Twist

After the fun times in the mountains near Vanashen, I once more join the road to continue my trip throughout Armenia, despite the pleas of everyone asking me to stay for a few days, weeks or until winter passes. Amas and Arasik give me a lift to the highway and wait as I flag down a lift.

After twenty minutes of waiting and one driver apologising that he can’t take me to Noravank, another slowing down, almost stopping and then speeding up again, I eventually find a car to take me. They’re on their way to Karabakh a man and his three sons who don’t speak English. They do know hospitality though.

We speed down the highway at over 160 km/h, Armenian techno blaring out of the stereo while doing shots with the guys sitting in the passenger seat. The trick is to down the shot before the tires skid around the hairpins, chasing it with a beer and not getting it on your chin. It seems these guys have been drinking since Yerevan.

All of a sudden, my phone rings. It’s Roseanna, from Yerevan, her husband is taking the French tourist to Karabakh and I can join them. I can barely hear a thing over the roar of the engine. Another phone call, it’s Vladimir, Roseanna’s husband.

Vladimir: You’ve just passed us, I recognised you from your facebook photo standing on the side of the road hitchhiking. Let’s meet up at Noravank.

Quick break, one of the guys doing shots with me.

After a few more drinks and some dancing in the car, I’m dropped off at the turn off for Noravank and start walking down the road thumbing for a lift. An old zhiguli pulls up.

Driver: Hello Ivan, I’m Vladimir, hop in.

Me: Small world.

Noravank. Fun fact, if you look above the entrance of the church on the right, you will find the following.

A saint carved with “slanty eyes”. In order to prevent Amir Timur’s armies from destroying the churches when they came through, they made the saint’s eyes reflect those of the great ruler himself. News of this soon reached Timur and he ordered the armies to not touch the churches as they passed through.

Khachkars (carvings of a cross) outside Noravank.

Vladimir, the manager of Discover Armenia Tours offers me, with his client’s permission, the option to join them for the tour through Armenia. Jean, the French, well-travelled traveller shows me his itinerary and says he’s happy to make modifications if there’s anything else I want to see. The only research I’ve done is in the conversations I’ve had with the tour guide at my hostel in Yerevan and the people I’ve met along the way, I decide that Jean has done enough research for the two of us and I happily join.

After Noravank, we head along the road to Jermuk (famous for it's mineral water) to the monastery of Gndevank.

Gndevank, as seen from the road to Jermuk. We’re all far too lazy to make the ten minute walk down to the monastery, mainly because of the return trip.

After Gndevank, and prior to arriving in Sissian, we stop at Carahunge to look at some rocks.

I like that boulder, that is a nice boulder!

While the true purpose of all of the boulders is unknown, the most plausible, and currently best accepted theory is that the area was an ancient observatory.

Imagine it’s night time, the sky is clear, it’s several thousand years ago, before the discovery of optics and modern day astronomy and you can see that it is a plausible theory. The rocks are pretty cool.

After the visit to Carahunj, we stop in Sisian, which has a really beautiful church and adjacent cemetery. We dine in a very nice restaurant, a welcome change to some of the places I’ve eaten before and prepare to do the impossible the following day.