3 March 2025 - In Yerevan, Armenia

On an instinct, at breakfast I changed the day's plans, reversing the sequence for the day. Tshagkazdor ski resort, which was the last on the list gained first spot. Primarily the reason for the change were two: one, the distance of about 65 km from Yerevan and two, the weather. If the weather fouled, the ski resort experience would not be that enjoyable.

As I was leaving the city, the Monday morning traffic had built into a crescendo. There were traffic blocks everywhere, but in the opposite direction caused by innumerable cars arriving into the city. Travelling out of the city I avoided the incoming traffic. Once I was out of the city limits, I motored along quite smoothly, navigating a few potholed sections and ice on the road. Both sides of the road had endless spans of snowed down fields and hills. It had gotten much colder too and the windshield fogged.

For the first time I found a mismatch between the route directions that was signposted and that indicated by Yandex Navi, the map app. In fact, the difference was so substantial that I pared into a few hotels to crosscheck the route, as many roads were covered by snow too. Unfortunately, it took me three tries before I got the correct information; most hotel staff do not speak English, and they had no clue where the ropeway was! There were not many vehicles when I arrived at the ski resort close to 11 am and parked as directed by the staff. This shoulder season, it seemed was not a favourite with the skiers. The peak season is between mid-December and end-February.

The base level of the ski resort is at 1966 meters above MSL, and the mountain peak is at 2820 meters above MSL, a vertical lift of 854 meters. There are five lift systems, with four of them being double seaters. There are 16 trails with the longest run being 5.8 km. The ski resort was built in 1986 in the vicinity of the Tsaghkadzor Olympic Sports Complex, to train Soviet athletes for the 1988 Winter Olympics. Apart from the lifts, the resort offers ski and snowboard rental as well as skiing instructors.

There are cafes and restaurants located at the foot of the lifts and cafes at intermediate lift locations. The temptation to dart into a cafe to warm the insides had been strong. It was extremely cold and the layered clothing covering the fat in my body was inadequate to keep me from shivering. Later, I realized it was just the beginning.

I took a ticket of 3000 AMD for the trip to the peak and back in the open ski lift. The counter clerk informed me that the round trip would last 24 minutes. There were all sorts of ticket plans depending on what you are there for. People like me, visitors who just wanted a ski lift experience to the mountain peak had a rate different from serious and amateur skiers. Getting on to the lift itself calls for a precise lift and plop on to the lift seat. There are helpers who hold your hand and help you get on. In a situation where I could not feel most parts of my body, the helping hand truly was most welcome.

As the ascent started, it began to feel colder and there was no more warm clothing I could summon to battle the increasing cold and chill. The mild breeze added to the woes. The landscape was truly incredible, though. I had to keep my hands exposed to operate the mobile camera. I was scared of dropping my precious Pixel 7 from the great height of the ski lift. Most of the chairs were empty, signifying the poor arrivals. Once I reached the peak, I almost didn't get off the chair. The kind helper almost dragged me out from the moving lift after two tries.

As I was nearing the dismount area, I was told to remove my scarf and smile into the camera wielded by a young, pretty girl. At a time when all body parts are frozen, and not able to know whether my face itself existed, I found it ironical to be asked to smile. Nevertheless, I tried. She tried to coax me into paying for the photos that showed my paralyzed face! She didn't succeed, of course. Another guy wanted me to try out a swanky snow mobile. The best I could manage was to pose for a few pictures with the snow mobile. After spending as much time as I could, I took the ride back, which was a wee bit less uncomfortable.

It took me some time to get the blood flowing in my fingers inside the warm confines of the car, before I embarked on my 60 km journey to the Charents' Arch. Yegishe Charents is widely regarded as the main Armenian poet of the 20th century. He was disillusioned by Stalinist Russia, was arrested and incarcerated. He is thought to have been shot in the place where the memorial arch is now situated. It is widely regarded as Charents' favourite place.

The arch has a quote from Charents' poem engraved in it, which says: "There is no summit as snow-white as that of lofty Ararat; Like an inaccessible path to glory, I love my Mount Masis". The arch with basalt exterior and orange tuff interior does indeed overlook one of the most incredible landscapes in the country. The arch is itself at 1500 meters above MSL. At the foot of the memorial was a local musician playing Mera Jhoota Hai Japani; the song was deep-rooted in the erstwhile Russia psyche, 70 years after it was sung by Mukesh and picturized on Raj Kapoor.

After climbing a few steps to a massive white cross near the Charents Arch I left for the Garni Temple, about 15 km away. The colonnaded Hellenic structure was known as the eastern most building of the Greco-Roman world. The pagan temple and the surrounding complex were reportedly built in the 1st century AD by King Tiridates 1 and was almost completely destroyed by the earthquake in 1679.

Ruins can be seen in close proximity to the temple, covered in snow. The temple reconstruction took place between 1969-75. The temple is a tribute to the Sun God, Mihr or Mithra. The complex is well maintained with manicured bushes and trees. Entrance to the temple is charged and is 1500 AMD per adult. The Greek inscription on a block of stone at the entrance to the complex ascribes the construction of the temple to King Tiridates 1 in the year 77 AD.

The "Symphony of Stones" or "Basalt Organ" is less than 3 km from the Garni Temple and is one of the most impressive natural monuments of Armenia. Located in Garni Gorge, on the right bank of Azat river, the natural feature is made up of thousands of basalt columns stuck together. It resembles the organ musical instrument.

The rock mass is of volcanic origin and the "symphony" is a laval formation. Entrance to the feature is also charged at 300 AMD per adult. For the infirm and unsteady the 'Garni Express' battery operated rubber tyred 'train' is Handley. The natural phenomenon is quite stunning and stretches over quite a distance along the Azat river.

Just over 10 km from the Symphony of Stones is the Geghard Monastery, a medieval rock cut complex overlooking a cliff. It is a protected monument as a UNESCO world heritage site. While most of the complex was built in the 13th century, its foundation is said to have been laid by Gregory the Illuminator in the 4th century at the site of a sacred spring inside a cave.

Some of the churches within the monastery complex are entirely dug out of the cliff rocks, some are little more than caves, while others are elaborate structures, with both architecturally complex walled sections and rooms deep inside the cliff. The structure is remarkably well preserved. The many types of crosses engraved into the rock are indeed remarkable. The location of the monastery and the simple living spaces are indicative of the austerity of the resident monks, a far cry from the present, indeed.

It was time to return to Yerevan. I set course for the Yerevan Central railway station, 40 km away, where I wanted to see the acclaimed statue of Sasuntsi Davit. The copper equestrian sculpture erected in 1959 depicts the protagonist, Davit, of the epic, Daredevils of Sassoun. Davit's face was modelled after dancer Vanoush Khanamirian, who portrayed Davit in the ballet Khandut inspired by the epic in the 1950s. The Statue is right in front of the Yerevan railway station set on a basalt base in a reflective pool. Of course, the pool is frozen in winter. 

The railway came to Yerevan in 1903 connecting it to Gyumri and Tbilisi. The large central railway station was built in 1956. In winter the number of trains are few. The station was bereft of any passengers at the time of my visit, a far cry from what we are used to in India. The large, commodious building with huge platforms seemed such a waste.

I was back in the hotel for the customary beer feast before heading to the Tashir Pizza diner for dinner. Cream of mushroom soup, vegetable pasta, cheese spaghetti and snickers cake were my order. As I normally skipped the meal between breakfast and dinner during my travels, reveling in the sights that kept me rivetted, I get ravenous at dinner time, especially after a couple of bottles of beer. It was time to bid Yerevan adieu. I arranged for early breakfast at the hotel as I intended to leave for Gyumri by 8 am.