Armenia Mania - First Snow Experience (Day 2)

Day 2: Exploring the Caucasus Mountains

My Day 2 Itinerary is to explore the century-old monasteries in the Caucasus mountains (Garni & Geghard) so the best option was to request a local driver from the ever-helpful staff of the Hrazdan Hotel.

always travel on full stomach :)

Travel Tip No. 1: Unfamiliar roads? Better get a driver.

His name was Gagik (for my fellow Filipinos, I really had to swallow a lungful of air every time to stop myself from smirking...and to those who are wondering why I have to this lungful exercise..."gagi" is a Tagalog expletive.) Thus throwing caution to the winds, I decided to call him Mr.Gagik so it wont feel like I'm verbally abusing him every time I pronounce his name. This trip will cost me around AMD50,000 (roughly AED400 only!)

Armed with a few words in English and million hand gestures and facial expressions, we managed to understand each other through finger pointing system. ( 1. take out your map;  2. point the place you want to go;  3. sit back and enjoy the ride and scenery) 

1st stop : Charents Arch & 1st encounter with snowfall!!!  This is more like a welcoming entrance to the Armenian countryside and conveniently located along the road to Garni and Geghard Monastery. and has a 360 degree breathtaking view of Mt. Ararat and her valley (although I didn't see it because of the cloudy winter weather).

Charents (Ararat) Arch 

my first snow encounter ...brrrr

oh look....snow on my hands!!!! time to make "halo-halo"

snow lined path...isnt it adorable?

Behold! The Valley of Armenia

Engraved Poem

Charents' engraved poem on the arch says:

For My Sweet Armenia

Travel the world: you will never find

a crest as pure as Ararat's,

As an impassible road to glory,

I love my Masis Mountain.

-Yeghisheh Charents (1897-1937)

Quick Architectural Facts: 
Monument Architect: Raphael Israyelian
Erected on: 1957



2nd Stop : The Temple of Garni

And then, as I walked the path leading to the 77 AD temple dedicated to Mitra, the God of Sun; the calming sound of the duduk instrument softly playing from the hidden speakers along the pebbled pathway, I was literally transported to the ancient times. The sun rays slowly rising from behind the temple creating a majestic silhouette that survived for centuries depicting the Hellenistic era. It was surreal knowing that my feet is treading the same road where the Roman emperors and ancient kings have walked.

path to the Garni Temple

architectural pedestal/stylobate details

ancient foundation of a church

symphony of the past and the present

A view to the Garni Gorge

Temple Interior with Oculus??

The Majestic Garni Temple

3rd Stop : Monastery Complex of Geghard - Kotayk Region

The legend of the St. Geghard Monastery will always fascinate me for it was said that a legend dugged this medieval monastery complex in a huge cliff. Legend says:

To legend a sister and a brother from a noble family decided to built a temple in the gorge. For a long time they couldn’t decide where to built the temple, so they asked God to help them. One morning they saw their hoe stuck on the top of the mountain. Soon after with the help of a saint virgin they built a splendid temple in the rock. And till the end of their lives they lived with faith, served the temple and died there.

another oculus

I met two wonderful guys who are in their late 20's that are of Syrian-Armenian origin (George and his bestfriend...sorry i forgot his bff's name) who took pity on me when they saw me taking selfies awkwardly...so they offered to take my pictures and vice-versa (I don't have a selfie stick at that time...so I rely on stranger's pity). It was blessing in disguise to made my acquaintance with them because they turned out to be my newfound friends. Since I have a hired driver and the guys rely on public transport, we made an arrangement to extend our tour to the mountain resorts near the Sevan Lake. It turned out to be mutually rewarding for all of us because we shared the driver's fee and we also had a great time sharing our experiences. So on to the next adventure! !!!

picture credit to George

St. Geghard 

more snow!!!!

my first ever miniature snowman!!!!

Stream behind the monastery

find me!!!!

monastery courtyard with an ancient birdb

my first GATA bread...uber delicious!!!!

Travel Tip No. 2: Always buy a GATA bread!!!! 

It is a must to buy the "GATA" bread. This large, sweet, round bread is to-die-for and I must say you have never been to Armenia unless you get to eat the gata. It was a mistake I didn't bought more, for they are freshly made with love from these Armenian women.


Armenian women are encouraged to put the love and warmth that they feel towards their family members into it, so that peace and success are present at their home the whole year.

Armenia Mania - Barev-Oor eh-Merci

Still on DAY 1: November 29 (2:00 pm) - Barev!!! Vonts es???"

Four most important words that got me through my Armenian adventure:

Barev (Hello)

Vonst es? (How are you...and for my fellow Filipinos, yes they sounds like asking someone if they are pregnant...buntis...buntis...bunttt is???)

Shnorhakal or Merci. (this tounge twisting pronunciation of Thank you demands extreme effort on my muscular hydrostat thus I often use the french equivalent)

Oor eh? (Where is...then add the name of the place you are looking for)

After walking for more than an hour and getting lost in the intricate streets of Yerevan along with a series of barev-oor eh-merci, I finally reached the Kendron/Kentron or simply called, the City Center. Here one can find statues, museums, opera house, parks. My self walking tour proves to be quite an easy feat as it only requires me to follow the hotel provided map and trek along the Moskovyan Street leading to the tourist spots of Yerevan such as the famous Cascade Complex.

William Saroyan Statue and a welcoming bench....

Kochar original works!!!

Do you know who is the founder of the movement Painting in Space??? Clue: He is Armenian.

Ervand Kochar Museum is located at 39/12 Prospekt. A small, quaint museum beside the Cascade Complex curated by Ervand's granddaughter whom I met personally, however my request for a photo op was rejected (perhaps she was camera shy...). For a minimal AMD600 entrance fee and AMD2000 guided tour fee, I was able to see the famous original works of Kochar (too bad I wasn't allowed to video the moving space sculptures, but it was an enlightening work of arts and to think it was invented in the early 20th Century!)

Moving onto the CASCADE Complex or Cafejian Center for the Arts (light rain started to fall around 5pm), the building was originally a concept by Alexander Tamanyan and revived in the 1970's by Yerevan's Chief Architect Jim Torosyan (notice how the Armenian family name ends up with "an" ??? Kardashian, Torosyan, Tamanyan...apparently you can easily recognize if they are Armenian origin by their last names).

CASCADE Quick Facts:

Number of steps - 572

Distance from the bottom to the top of the Cascade: 302 m / 991 feet

Distance from the bottom to the top of the Monument Terrace: 450 m / 1476 feet

Width: 50 m / 164 feet

Height of unfinished section: 78 m / 256 feet

Height of Monument Terrace: 118 m / 387 feet

Incline: 15 degrees

Cascade Complex

statues at Cascade grounds (hey i think im the inspiration of the naked lady sculpture...)

TIP: best view of Yerevan is to climb on top of The Cascade (of course i took the elevator....)

magnificent art works at Cascade

When the pouring rain subsided and turned to a light drizzle, it was already past 7pm and my feet are numb with cold and my stomach is gnawing with hunger. My eyes were watery and my brain reached its quota of information from Armenian Arts and Culture. Checking my Yerevan Brochure, it says that the Caucasus Tavern is the most popular tourist spot serving the best Armenian cuisine. Located at 82 Hanrapetutyan Street and Tumanyan Street, it looks like an easy walking distance from Armenian Opera Theater. Hunger and determination pushed me to ignore my conscience's advice to take a taxi to reach the restaurant. I was still convincing myself that its a lovely chilly night walk  on a strange continent (who was I kidding???) thus my sense of misdirection led me to the North Avenue. 

A chilly rainy evening walk passing by Armenian Opera Theater - Souvenir shops at North Avenue

very helpful Armenian women (Susan, Diane and Bella)

Tourist souvenir shops and shopping arcades made up the long, straight cobblestone walk of the North Avenue leading to Republic Square or Freedom Square. This time, I surrendered myself to the Armenian hospitality. As much as I like to approach the good-looking Armenian guys asking their help to point me out to the correct direction, I contented myself with their ladies who proved to be uber helpful. One very lovely bank clerk named Bella even walked me to a restaurant we thought to be Caucasus (apparently it was the wrong restaurant, the staff are unhelpful and I was even turned away from the place, telling me there is no available place for me even if I see quite a number of empty tables). Luckily, I passed by a pastry shop where I bought a slab of cake and water (with gas...yes, looks like locals prefer sparkling water than distilled...).

The Republic Square (getting lost in Yerevan to find the Caucasus Tavern - where they served the best Armenian food)

passing by a pastry shop while getting lost

Me: one water please...merci?

Storekeeper: With Gas?

Me: Gas??? Ummm... yeah??? ( i was seriously getting suspicious thinking if it was the LPG Cooking gas and wondering how they mixed it with water...I was totally relieved to see that it was sparkling water after all! New addition to my vocabulary... Gas+water=Sparkling Water!!!)

Searching for the Caucasus Tavern was such a challenge. My map indicates that the restaurant was a mere few blocks from the Freedom Square...and I was totally lost. I got scared a bit when Hanrapetutyan Street presented itself as a dark, semi-deserted place by 9pm, but needless to say I braved it out (remember I have no choice... either I die of hunger or regret) and after 30 minutes of limping, I finally reached my destination. Lesson for myself, no more shortcuts on the map and quit pretending to be Dora the Explorer!

old architecture buildings at deserted Hanrapetutyan Street...i'm looking for Block no. 82

Feeling cramp and cold, I was grateful for the welcoming heat inside the restaurant. The waiter at Caucasus Tavern seems very surprised to see me. But they were courteous and asked me what they can do for me. "Food please, merci...." I croaked at the curious looking waiter who seems to be wondering which planet I came from (apparently... this part of the world is yet to be explored by Asian tourists) . Seeing that the restaurant was fully packed, my request for a window seat was turned down. However, I was seated at lonely looking table near the kitchen (I'm overwhelmingly and practically dying of hunger, therefore any seat will do as long as there is FOOD!).

Caucasus Tavern (where I ordered dinner after 2 hours of walking in the rain!!!)

The waiter in Georgian uniform took pity on me as he offered me a small glass of Armenian brandy as a starter to regain warmth in my body (it worked!!!). I ordered quite a feast and was unable to finish it (note to myself: order one dish and finish it first before re-checking the menu). 

Travel Tip No.3: Avoid having leftover food when dining out in Armenia. 
I think it is considered a rude gesture for a person to have leftovers in Armenia (I'm so sorry...I really ate my fill on that first dinner...but the food was really good!). Even though I left a hefty tip, my server looks unhappy when he saw how much food I wasted. 

Going back to Hrazdan Hotel via taxi takes about 9 minutes from the city center (the driver thought that I was drunk because he demanded AMD6000!!!! Normal fare is only AMD1000 but I was too tired to argue...). As I took one last look of the Yerevan's night scene from my hotel room's humongous window,  I can't help but be excited to greet tomorrow's sunshine while gazing lovingly at the shadow of Mount Ararat in front of me. 

To be honest, I deserve a pat in the back for making it through the day alone in a foreign city of Euro Asia without any fiasco, (sans the greedy cab driver)...

Armenia Mania - Bari Galust Yerevan!!!!

DAY 1: November 29 (10:15am) - The Pink Capital of Armenia 

There is no time difference between UAE and Armenia, which is a very good thing as I am not fond of jet lags. I was amazed with the Zvarnots Airport upon my arrival because there was no queue and a handful of people can be seen at the arrival lounge so maybe I'm just really THAT lucky to get through the documentation easily? Or perhaps it was the 4 degree freezing weather and off-peak season? I wasn't sure if I can take pictures at the airport so I approached the lady guard (who looks like a General by her well-decorated uniform) and asked for permission to use my camera. Well, I did get it... thus my first Armenian selfie!

Bari Galust Armenia!!!!

Travel Tip No.1: As soon as you passed by the immigration, you need to convert your US Dollars to Armenian Dram (roughly US$1=AMD408) in order to pay for the visa which cost only AMD3000 or US$7 for Single entry up to 21 days. It would be helpful if you printed all your flight details & hotel bookings (carry some supporting documents like bank statements and Company Issued Travel NOC). But if you have enough time to plan the trip, you can easily check out the Armenian E-visa website.

Armenian visa sticker

I finally get to see some "kabayans" while falling into the queue to get my visa-on-arrival sticker. There was two groups actually... three ladies and a couple. Excitement flowed through my veins as I waited for the Immigration to stamp my passport. The group of Filipina girls were so sweet to worry about my safety and even tried to convince their guide to include me in their airport transfer. However, we exchanged numbers because they wanted to ensure I was safe and will be able to get out of Armenia in one piece. 

"Ang tapang mo ate, biro mo mag-isa ka lang! ( you are so brave! imagine you traveled alone!)" the youngest "kabayan" praised my so-called bravery. But honestly, deep inside I am trying to boost my own morale and tell myself that I can really do this. After all, everyone knows where am I at the moment. (thank you to FB check-in, my few close friends had their SOP just in case I stopped posting for the next three days to call the police and Philippine Embassy immediately!). Sadly, the girls' tour guide seems to be in a sour mood to take hitch hikers like me so I assured the girls that I can take care of myself and hailed a taxi on my own.

Travel Tip No.2: Airport Transfer to Yerevan is easy as per the Virtual Tourist website. Few men in leather jackets are waiting around the airport lounge who were actually carlifts drivers. Perhaps I look like a 12-year old kid who just lost her way that's why they approached me as soon as they saw I was alone. An English speaking old man made a beeline to me when the "kabayan" car left the airport gate. There was a bit of bargaining from AMD5000 to AMD2500. After agreeing to AMD2500 the old man led me to my driver (all along I thought it will be him who will take me to Hrazdan Hotel. The younger man however was a strictly non-English speaking person, and was either talking to me in Russian or Armenian (by this time, I discovered that I can be a champ in Charade Games!). Armed with a few basic Armenian words I learned on the plane ride, the driver led me to his rickety old sedan parked outside the airport. It was my first freezing walk in my whole entire life...(that was just for starters anyway!) 

statue scenery on the way to Yerevan

Yerevan houses

I was in my full winter clothes (bonnet, thermal jeggings, waterproof boots, layered furry socks, long blouse, leather jacket, scarf, leather gloves and a very cold nose). And the driver? A shirt, jeans and a leather jacket, no socks too! (okay, I'm from the tropical country and its my first time to be a frozen delight!). Despite the shabby appearance and lack of English proficiency, the driver was a master of finger pointing techniques which enabled me to understand the passing sceneries which mostly are grey or brown. 

Hrazdan Hotel is a 3-star landmark building overlooking a deep gorge located at Dzorapi Street, a few kilometers away from the city center with a budget friendly accommodation price for a cheapskate traveler like me. I was housed in a very spacious room on the 9th floor where I have the best view of the Caucasus Mountain. Although the bed linens has a certain stale smell (the room was reeking of cigarette smell which is I assume was quite normal since almost everyone seems to be avid smoker due to the cold weather). The food was okay and the elevator was ancient (well, I came here for history anyway...), staff were friendly in Armenian terms and cleaning the room according to my liking was not a problem as long as you leave a few drams on the table (not a requirement...but I just appreciate personalized services). Pool was dry and empty care for a few fallen leaves (explainable as there is a nearby on-going construction and weather is 2 degrees...so unless you fancy hypothermia...you are welcome to request the staff to fill up the pool). Overall impact of the hotel was that the old grandeur is fading but the view from my room was excellent (not to mention the pocket friendly price).

lobby entrance - restaurant - pool (no water...unless you fancy dipping in 2deg weather) - my lunch/snack

Hrazdan Hotel overlooking St. Hovhannes Church - my room which is in reality a suite (i have my own majlis...very nice....) 

 After hitting up a quick snack/lunch of their Armenian version of  "turón de banana", I was happily sugar-pumped to do my solo city tour via happy feet. It's all about texture and nature... old 1940's wall along the old houses depicts a post-war era. A very helpful Armenian police guided me (imagine like a kindergarten being led across the street...or that's probably how I look at that moment) making all the cars stop as we cross the street. So, I therefore conclude that my first Armenian encounter proved to me that they are somewhat hospitable and ready to help a helpless Filipina who look like a lost puppy in the middle of an unknown city.

exploring Yerevan (a 2-hour walk to the City Center....i got lost for a bit..)

The Writer's Union Bldg - National Assembly of Armenia (i'm not allowed to take pictures of the good-looking soldiers...)

The hotel provided me with a few maps for Yerevan so with no GPS or Google Map to help me out, I basically wandered around the streets, gaining some surprised look from the locals. (I have a feeling that I'll be famous in this country!!!) I passed by dark clothed locals (imagine yourself in the Soviet times where colored clothing was not encouraged to be worn in public) in long coats, leather jackets, knee high boots and made me feel like I'm in some kind of a Fashion TV... if you think the Kardashians are good looking, wait till you see the people of Armenia... they are truly blessed with model runway looks.

Things you need to know about Armenia (or rather historical facts that makes Armenia interesting to me...):

1. Armenia became the first Christian Nation in 301 A.D.
2. Im fascinated with the Ark of Noah and it landed on Mt. Ararat which was part of Armenia.
3. Armenian Alphabet has 38 letters!!!!
4. Merci or Thank you in French is also used in these part of the world...
5. Armenian Genocide in 1915 by Ottoman Turk Empire is still a hot subject.

Armenia Mania - Early Surprises!!!

November 29 2013 7:00am: Travel ala Dora the Explorer

Complete with my sturdy black Delsey laptop bag (sans laptop...as I just love the multi-pocket design which is perfect for travelling!), I sat on my small 14kg luggage to be able to zipped in all the newly bought thermal clothes from Columbia store at MOE (did I told you the winter clothes are on sale???) while breaking in my new winter boots. I headed to Terminal 2 past 4am on a foggy morning via hired taxi. All travel documents protected in one plastic envelope, I checked-in the ticket counter and grab my airline ticket. So to say, my fellow travelers are quite bemused as I am the ONLY Filipina who was in-line among them, and yes I do stand out even if I'm a little bit less than 5 feet as they were all towering above me. 

Red is my favorite color...fate once again???

Marhaba Lounge - As soon as I got my immigration exit stamp, I went to the Customer Service Desk who happened to have a Filipino guy. I hurriedly asked him for the direction of the loo as my bladder is screaming expletives at me. Oh well, I was too excited to even relieve myself before going to the airport, so basically it was entirely my fault. Well, I was in for another surprise! The guy was kind enough to ask if I have a credit card (although I was totally confused, wondering if he heard my queries correctly or he was deaf as he kept saying "ha? again? sorry?" simultaneously in one span of breath... come on, I was asking for the loo...not a Duty Free!) But despite my growing impatience and bladder, I said "yes, I do have my credit card with me" with a highly noticeable increase of my soprano voice. Then he told me to check out the Marhaba lounge, in which he added politely "they have a nice comfort room there and you can get free snacks/wifi/reading materials as you wait for your flight. The Marhaba reception will announce your flight on the public address system. Thank you." Then, it was my turn to say "ha? sorry? did I heard it alright? Free? Something is free???" and one nod of affirmation from him, my face cracked into the biggest, sweetest smile I can muster and hurriedly checked the Marhaba Lounge.

a morning dawn flight...lovely!

Apparently, my credit card was acceptable (I have yet to thank my company for putting me in that category) and I was able to relieve myself in a no-queue toilets. Munching some midnight snacks and catching up on some dailys, I almost forgot to listen to the PA announcing my flight which was ready for boarding in about thirty minutes. Well, you can't blame me as I spent the whole Thursday in a whirlwind of activities to get prepared for this impromptu holiday. As I fall in the queue of fur-coated Armenian-Russian travellers (yes, this time people are obviously gawking at me as I'm the only non-European looking person among them!), we were instructed to wait for the bus at the boarding gate to take us to the plane. 

Economy ala Business Class - who would have thought that there is a business class in an economy row???? Well, that only happens if you are lucky enough not to have seatmates throughout the entire flight... that my dear, automatically translates that the three rows of seat is all mine to stretch and behold! An instant business class upgrade! Who can ask for more? Did I also mentioned that the flight was a bit jam-packed and it was only my row that was totally empty from the two other travelers, who according to the flight attendant had cancelled at the last minute? Is this fate showing off at me and taunting me that all I have to do is to believe? Alrighty, it happened and I accept it gratefully, if not excitedly....this flight is really meant for me!

1 + 0 + 0 = happy passenger

Horizontal stretching?
(nah! im just showing off my new jeggings
and Timberland waterproof boots!)

Travel Fact: Distance from Dubai to Yerevan, Armenia

1205 miles / 1939.26 km / 1047.12 nautical miles

somewhere over Tabriz or Tehran (wherever that place is...)

oooohhhh...my first "snow sighting"
aerial view of the Caucasus Mountain Range

Armenia Mania - The Journey Begins....

I was raised with a huge Armenian influence, always hearing stories of Armenia, celebrating Armenian holidays. -Kim Kardashian

Never in my wildest dream have I thought that I would be brave enough to travel solo to Armenia, an ex-USSR country.

It  was a typical 27th of November 2013, in an almost-winter-but-we-are-wearing-our-winter-boots-and-scarf Wednesday when my great Armenian journey began. My ex-colleague Tat and her hubby Erwin (who happens to be my University schoolmates, ummm...they are younger than me by tiny-weeny-bit-of-three-years? or maybe four?) and their big-time friend Christian were having our late night drinking session at TECOM's Belgium Cafe. (If you are my friend and you really know me, you might recall that I'm the lucky low-alcohol-tolerant social drinker...I socialize and they drink..) 

For some drunken reason, our conversation have turned into a more exciting topic, which is "holiday". UAE National Holiday to be exact! If my memory serves me right, it was Christian who informed us that Philippines Passport holders are visa-on-arrival in Armenia and the country was full of history (and since we are Architects, we are supposed to be history bunnies). Maybe I was just out of touch of the US Showbiz news that I was not even aware of the Kardashian connection with the country called Armenia. At first, he talks like a travel agent doing an impromptu presentation of the pros of holidaying in the ex-USSR country. Then, Tat added that there is an on-going Cebu Pacific cheap flights to Philippines. For a mere forty minutes and a few more beers, a great discussion of flying to Armenia versus Philippines was debated in detail. I was just an observer who occassionally smile here and there waiting for them to finish the debate of which country we are going to fly into. A few calculations of how much money will be spent and in the end, Philippines won as our country of destination!!! (its reallllly more fun in the Philippines...plus you get to see your beloved families who will be in for a big surprise as we will just show up in our own houses. -Christian). The lovely couple are working their Iphones to the max, with a hint of impatience on the edge when the Cebu Pacific mobile app stopped working during the process of booking our flights (after another 40 minutes of typing and re-typing our personal information!). At the end, we parted ways agreeing that as soon as we get home, we will open our respective laptops and book ourselves the Manila flight.

the listeners a.k.a. voters

my favorite couple among my friends
(not to mention good traveling mates!)

the debaters

True to my word, I did actually opened my laptop at past 12 midnight when I reached home. But like a stubborn child, I researched the country of Armenia. Lo and behold! Booking.com offered a very, and I mean super duper veryyyyyy cheap hotel accommodation and Flydubai return flights to Dubai-Yerevan at AED1,284.47 (with 7kg hand baggage with 20kg check-in luggage!!!).

Travel tip: It is always wise to insure yourself during traveling. Travel Guard of Flydubai cost me a mere AED37.  

It was like a dangling gold chain, and all I have to do is pull and a shower of colorful balloons will fall from heaven. But it also happened to be the most difficult, tormenting but heart-stopping decision I ever made. I didn't even bothered to open the Cebu Pacific website as the total of the trip to Armenia will cost me roughly AED 1400++ which is AED400 cheaper than the flight to Manila excluding the pasalubongs, shopping spree and dine outs. But the best part or shall I say, the Armenian "magnet pull" on my persona was the Almost-December weather of 4 to 8 degrees which translates to a word for me... SNOWWWWW!!!!

Yerevan...here I come!!!!

Who can blame a typical Filipina dreaming of a white almost-Christmas in a mountainous country of the South Caucasus region in Euroasia which is only 3.5 hours away from UAE? Plus I get to see the Ark of Noah's final resting place which is visible in the mountains? Also, this solo adventure to an unknown non-English speaking country might also give me a 90% chance of experiencing my first "snowfall' out of my entire 33 years existence on earth??? My life strongest belief was, if something is meant for you regardless of whatever it is, everything will go your way. I mean, it was a real super-budget-friendly-way-cheaper-than-a-Groupon-travel-offer opportunity? So, I booked and called my friends to send my deepest apologies for being unable to travel with them to Manila (which I know in time they will surely understand once they see my adventure photos). I guess, I'm so lucky to have very understanding friends and a company who issued me the documents I needed in just one day...talk about things falling right into place!!!

How did I feel after organizing my first solo adventure??? Excited and ready! For some unfathomable reason, I felt quite alright, I was not even agitated and thinking negatively because I will be alone in a foreign country (web travel advice even includes not talking to strangers!!!). In fact, I was so cool about embarking into this short holiday or perhaps it was the much needed R&R away from the dry desert that kept me nonchalant on the impending journey.