Our nice little camping spot on the lawns in front of an abandoned factory seemed high profile judging by the number of kids visiting us. The military also visited us – and kicked us out. We are now sleeping in someone’s house that is being renovated with a spectacular view over the mountains. This is called going with the flow.
Our living room in Ayrum
Armenia on a sunny day. We were welcomed by the border guards with their impressive tall green hats. We collected some drams (the currency) and were on our way, following the border river.
Drams
The small village of Ayrum was chosen as our end point of the day. A kind lady who spoke German pointed out a nice abandoned factory with lots of lovely lawns for pitching a tent. On getting to the factory, we passed the army barracks. They wanted our sunglasses, and James obliged, giving a spare set of spacey sunglasses. I was allowed, then, to try out the beret.
Armenian beret
So, they knew about us. And they knew where we were camping. We set up the tent, and the soldiers visited our campsite, together with the kids, multiple times. We also socialized with the neighbours – with all 3 generations.
The neighbours
On the 3rd visit from the soldiers, the boss told us we could not camp. We were near the Georgian border. (We weren’t.) Our neighbours spoke to the soldier – could we camp in their garden? No, said the soldier. So, we are now in their second house that they are renovating – up on the hill above the village. What lovely people!
Our Ayrum hosts
View from our verandah
arctic-cycler.com 