Photos

Here is my photo tour of last night and today

http://picasaweb.google.com/ndbrown1701/YerevanBeautifulSaturday#

A Perfect Weekend Day

Saturday, 9 October

Good afternoon, everybody.

It has been a busy almost-two days since the last posting.  Let’s see if I can remember everything that has been going on.

Successfully moved from the 5-star non-internet hotel Friday morning to the 3-star yes-we-know-we-are-in-the-internet-age hotel where I started.  Life is much better.

My new room has a balcony that overlooks a garden restaurant next door (where they have had 3 weddings in the past 24 hours) and, just beyond that, the French embassy.  There is a lovely view from the room.  I am writing this from a café in the park across the street…when I get back to the room, many pics will be uploaded.

Ended the training at the 1:00 lunch break yesterday, giving the willing trainees a bonus.  I have no sympathy for those who skipped the morning session and showed up at 2:00 for the afternoon training.  Hope they got caught in severe traffic on the way home.  :>)

After unpacking and a quick nap I headed out about 4:00 to see what Friday evenings were like around here.  Strolled a few blocks north to the city center (actually an oval), which is the focus of tomorrow’s celebration of the 2792^nd anniversary of the city.  Nobody can yet tell me why they are celebrating this year instead of waiting until 2018, when it will be an even 2800 years.  Any numerologists reading this?

I went from there to walk along the main shopping street, filled with brand names anyone in the world knows.  Prices were universally high, by Columbus standards.  Although there were many people on the streets, most stores did not seem to have any customers.  There is no recession here, so maybe I just caught the area at the wrong time.

The end of the shopping street conveniently abuts the opera house.  It was heavily surrounded by police, and I am not sure why.  Police here are fairly plentiful but, unlike Baku, few carry firearms.  They are a comforting, rather than menacing, presence, and there is precious little street crime at any hour of the day.

Anyway, I got several good pics of the opera house (built in 1932), and stopped at the box office to see what was playing over the next week.  Last night was sold out and, not knowing what my evening schedule might be during my final week, I dropped 10,000 dram (about $27) on tonight’s concert for a German pop artist of Armenian heritage.  I may be out of my league in the crowd.

Unforecasted rain then dropped in, and I spent an hour drinking Armenian coffee (about 85 cents a cup) at a covered opera-side café) while crowd watching.  An hour of this was enough, and I hit a grocery store for provisions before returning to the room for the night about 8:30.

Now, to today’s fun…and it WAS fun.

I have walked just over 8 miles today, so far.

 Slept in until 9:00, checked email and world events over a light breakfast before showering, and was on my way before 11:00.  The sun has been shining all day, and the temp right now is about 68 F.

Just to orient correctly, I headed back to the city oval and parked my butt at a streetside café to enjoy two Armenian coffees and a sausage sandwich totaling less than $3.00.  I then ambled along another major thoroughfare that seemed to be the main tourist trap in town..airline offices, tour buses, and too many souvenir stores to mention.  I stopped in one of the souvenir stores, but swear that they changed the price tags in the time it took me to cross the street.  I’ll find some little momento over the next week.

That random road too me to the city outskirts…conveniently, the main city is in a valley, with a concentric road encircling it.   Heading NW along that road, I came upon Cascade park, which flows from city level on the NW up to the monument near my non-internet hotel.  The hotel, from which I took the pics with the overarching view of the city, was build to commemorate to 50^th year of Soviet cooperation with (domination of) Armenia.  I’m sure the city leaders would love to remove it, but it would be incredibly expensive.

Leaving that park, I proceeded counterclockwise along that concentric road.  This led me along “minor embassy” row….Syria, Thailand, etc.  All embassies have attractive buildings, courtesy of their respective taxpayers.  When you multiply that over 200+ countries in the world, you can see what an expensive game diplomacy is.

Along that walk, I also got some good shots of the city university (lovely campus even by American standards). 

Next to the University, I just happened to stumble into a refuge called Lover’s Park.  Absolutely beautiful (you should have been with me, Nancy!).  Of course, there is a café (100% organic and natural) in the park and, of course, I had to stop in for more coffee (are you sensing a trend here?).  I wound up buying a fine pasta & red pepper salad, coke, and coffee for just over $4.00.  I also tipped heavily.  The park concessions are run by volunteers.  All tips are donated to a fund to assist juvenile cancer patients.  In addition, profits from food sales are donated to the park for maintenance.  I was told that my 2000 dram purchase paid to maintain 2 square meters of the park for the next year.  Works for me.

From the park, my strolls wound around to the Church St. Paul-Peter, built in the 5^th and 6^th centuries.  The inside was gorgeous, and hopefully my pic of the altar will turn out OK.  I decided not to nose around too much because there were about 30 people inside for some sort of death commemoration (funeral or anniversary, I do not know which).

Finally finishing the half-circle tour of the city, I visited the Museum of the History of Yerevan.  After visiting each of the 3 floors, I happened to encounter the Director in the lobby, and he insisted on showing me the lobby displays of crafts that citizens have made to commemorate tomorrow.  They were truly astounding, particularly the woodworking and tapestry.  He was deservedly proud of his people.

And that is all so far today.  In a few minutes, I shall return to my room to upload this blog post and associated pics.  Tonight is the concert and, on the way back, there is a famous jazz club that I shall investigate.  It may be a late night, but I have only one weekend to discover what I can about this city.

Tomorrow, my hosts will show me the country outside of Yerevan.

And now, for some commentary.

I have only Baku to which to compare Yerevan.  While that is a limited comparison, it may be enhanced by the fact that the two countries have been at war for 14 years.  I had a good time in Baku and made many friends, albeit mainly expats.  People there were friendly, once you got to know them individually.  But, there was a prevailing sadness and reservation which I attributed to the recent Soviet domination.  Also, nobody would ever position Baku as a tourist destination.

Now I am seeing the other side of another former Soviet state.  The people here are happy and optimistic, and I cannot imagine a higher level of friendliness and hospitality.  My hosts speak of diplomatically solving the Nogorno-Karabach occupation dispute with Azerbaijan diplomatically, instead of constantly referring to potential war.  There is a calm approach to life, and everything is oriented towards outdoor activities and interaction.  The State lays a light hand on the people and, again unlike Baku, one does not need top bribe his way into a job or for necessary documents.  The streets are clean, and people put their litter into waste baskets instead of dropping it at their feet.  It is just a bunch of little things that combine to set the character of a locale, and Yerevan had discovered them.  I would look forward to returning here (WITH Nancy) at any time.

Enough with waxing philosophically…back to the room to connect online. Thanks for reading.

This was a good day

Thursday night, sitting in the hotel lobby at 10:30 so I can access internet and get some work done.  And, more importantly, chat with Nancy over gmail.

Today was a tiring and frustrating, but productive day.  We had several good discussions during the training exercises, but I perceive that those who should be there (small business calling officers) are not, and those who aspire to be said officers ARE.  We shall see next week when we get into financial analysis, but there may be a disconnect between those who think they need training, and those who think their employees need training.  That is one of the dangers of an assignment like this – since I did not negotiate directly with the bank, I had to depend upon others to correctly and competently convey the needs and assignment.  It is not until one arrives on site that any discrepancies become apparent.   We shall do the best we can with the time we have.

My hosts ( the two top people in the training dept.) have been nothing short of spectacular during the visit….going out of their way to show me nearby sites, make recommendations, and do things for me before I even know I need them done.  They need to work at least a half day this weekend, but are tentatively planning to take me on a daylong tour of Armenia, outside of Yerevan, so I get a proper feel for the country of which they are so proud.  Of course, it is an opportunity I cannot pass up.

If I happen to be in town Sunday, the city is also celebrating (Big Time!) its founding 2,792 years ago.  Kinda puts our “old” cities to shame, doesn’t it?  I have no idea exactly what it planned, but the epicenter is about ½ km from my hotel, so I shall be there if possible.  I caught on a marketing newsletter, a month ago, that the world’s largest candy bar had been created for this event.  The 1,000 kg+ bar was reported to be scheduled to be cut up and distributed during the celebration.

Training ends at 5:00 every day (the work day ends at 6:00).  Today, instead of going back to the hotel, my hosts included me in a party for a co-worker whose first child was born Monday.  About 15 people attended, around a formal table with traditional Armenian dishes (ALL delicious).  Of course, there were also several traditional Armenian toasts with 8 YO Armenian brandy.  They really go out of their way here to make one feel welcome.

OK, it is late and I need sleep.  More over the weekend.  Have a great day, everybody.

Photos on a Clearer Day

Here are just a few more for you, folks...my new hotel, clear views, and the city from the other side of the valley.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ndbrown1701/SomeBetterWeatherInYerevan#

New Hotel

7:10 local time Wednesday evening, and I’m in the restaurant of the Golden Palace Hotel in Yerevan, my abode for 2 nights until I can return to my first hotel.  This is the only(?) 5-star hotel in the city, and it certainly looks and feels that way.  Far above my norm.  But, it is deserted.  There is a couple dining across the room and, otherwise, I’ve only seen one guest.  The impression after my first hour is that I would not stay here again.  The first reason is that it is across town, on the main hill, and there are no shops or other attractions to walk to.  So, not only is the neighborhood boring, but one must dine here or use a car or taxi to head down the hill.  The other problem, and the killer of the deal, is that there is no internet in the rooms.  There is wifi in the lobby but, of course, I would be much more comfortable upstairs.  Plus, I am not going to use Skype from the lobby.  The wifi does not extend to this restaurant. But, it is only for two nights.  And maybe, when I check later, the TV will pull in more channels than my first hotel.

The reason why I was booted out of my hotel for two days became obvious this evening – we went to retrieve my luggage, and a large bus of German tourists had pulled up.  This city seems to be popular with that nation…I am hearing German spoken all over.

For those curious ones, I am dining on a fresh (local) tomato/cuke/spinach/soft feta salad, local lake trout with veggies, a chocolate brownie, and my first Armenian beer.  And fresh Armenian bread, of course.  Can’t complain.

A piano player just started in the lobby, and the music is penetrating the restaurant walls.  They really do seem to be trying hard here…perhaps the hotel just opened, or perhaps the location is just too relatively inconvenient.  Hope the restaurant staff isn’t surviving on tips.

The last two days have been a tiring whirl.  Training is draining, whether one is listening or delivering, And the participants are a little less prepared than I had guessed…most are very junior lenders who have been in their positions for less than a year.  Because of the need to go over some material in more detail, and eliminate some other parts that I’ve judged to be worthless to them, I have had to substantially rewrite my approach each of the last two nights.  Tomorrow should pretty well go as originally scheduled.

The trout just arrived – whole. I hate having my dinner stare at me.  He seems pissed.  Maybe tomorrow night will be something benign, like spaghetti.

It has hailed each of the past three days, and residents are really complaining about the weather.  This is unusual for Yerevan in October.  We have already exceeded the average October rainfall. 

Traffic here is quite manageable…drivers obey the traffic lights, stay in their lanes, and do NOT just back up on the street when missing their turnoff.  Much better than Baku.  Downtown parking is a problem, but they do no use the sidewalks for parking.  The only thing to be alert about walking in a crosswalk…drivers obeying a turn arrow do not feel obligated to yield to pedestrians. 

My hosts (training managers at the bank) took me on a brief tour of center city on the drive here…shopping seemed robust and storefronts and buildings clean and updated.  The opera house was most spectacular…if there is a production this weekend, I shall take it in.   I sincerely hope the weekend weather cooperates so some good pics can flow your way.

This server also looked at me twice when I ordered Armenian (essentially strong Turkish) coffee without sugar.  Obviously a very unusual request. 

Coffee is here, dinner is over, and I shall tie up this missive and retire to the lobby to upload it, check email, and (hopefully) IM with Nancy.  Have a great day, everybody.  Back in the States in 10 days.

Final Shots for the First Day

Time for a few more observations, since I have no idea how busy the next few days may be.

On my 5-mile stroll this afternoon, before the rains returned, I was pleased with how green the town is compared to Baku.  This area doesn’t get much rain, since it is surrounded by mountains.  I have to chalk it up to the fact that the sun and heat don’t pound down on the turf as much.  It is definitely much more of a pleasure to walk through.

It’s a good thing the internet connection at the hotel is strong….the TV variety is not.  I have 11 channels…3 in Russian (which I can vaguely follow), 1 each in Italian and Spanish (no major problem), BBCEuro News in English, and the rest in Russian.  It is a bit surprising, since Russian seems to be much less used here than in Baku.  All of the signs are in Armenian, which I can’t read for anything; but 80% of them are also written in English.  No problems getting around or reading anything important yet.  Anyway, TV watching will be at a low priority for the next two weeks.

I exchanged 200 USD today for 72,000 AMD….makes one feel quite rich!

Also hit a local supermarket late this afternoon, buying about $20 USD of groceries that should take me into Tuesday.  Most of the pricing is nice….a 5-pack of sandwich rolls for $.65, a kilo of local grapes for $1.75, cheese, soda, water, yogurt, and nuts.  Of course, the relatively low prices are a function of the average laborer wage here of around $165 a month.  I also wandered a large (roughly 2 acres) indoor food mart with over 200 farmers’ stalls.  The food looked great, but no prices were marked.  I passed up buying anything, figuring my gross disadvantage in not knowing the language, not knowing the pricing, and obviously being a “wealthy foreigner”.

The forecast for the next week is routine…30% chance of rain (typically at dusk, I am told), with partly sunny skies and highs around 70F.  The deciduous trees today look as ours did in late August…no major foliage falls in the next few days.

The drivers here are also a pleasant surprise compared to Baku.  They do speed, but maintain lanes, obey signs, yield for pedestrians, and do not drive backwards on the freeway when missing an exit.  Petrol prices are roughly double what we pay in Columbus, which is unfortunate given the low wages.  There are precious few natural resources in the country.

OK…time to call Nancy soon, so I’ll tie this off.  More exciting musings to come your way Monday, as I start earning my pay.  Enjoy what remains of your respective Sundays.

First Pictures of Yerevan

Well, folks, the rain has returned, cutting short my stroll after about 5 miles.

Here are my first pictures of central Yerevan, to enhance your morning coffee.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ndbrown1701/YerevanAlbum1?authkey=Gv1sRgCIa1pZfgzKKADw#

Day 1 in Yerevan

Good morning, everybody.

It's about 12:30 Sunday afternoon in Yerevan...about 3:30 Sunday morning back in Columbus....and the skies here are just starting to clear from the steady rain that started right after breakfast.  A few more comments, then off to explore this new city for the afternoon.

Now, where did we leave off?

The plane from Paris to Yerevan, on Air France, left right on time and got us in here just before the scheduled 8:55 landing last night.  Another flight with every seat taken...of course, with only two incoming flights yesterday (the other originated in Moscow), choices do not abound.  The woman sitting next to me, coincidentally, grew up in Upper Arlington (about 5 miles from where we live now), so that evoked a bit of conversation.  It was her sixth trip here, so she gave me some pointers on food, culture, etc.  Most useful.  Otherwise, the plane was largely filled with Armenians returning from Paris vacations and shopping.

With both foreign flights arriving at about the same time, the airport was ready.  I already had my visa, so could bypass that line.  Passport control had 10 officers on duty, so I was only in line about 5 minutes.  Baggage claim took about 20 minutes, and then Customs waved me right through without any inspections or questions.  Guess this old guy doesn't look too dangerous.  My contacts at the bank were waiting in the lobby, and had me at the hotel within 20 minutes (roughly 15 km. from the airport).  A quick check-in, unpacking of clothes, and hopping online to check email; and I was in bed by midnight.  Slept solidly for over six hours.

Initially, the city looks to be quite a step up from my only previous experience, in Baku.  There was still much activity at 10 last night (I am almost dead-center in the city).  Much of the highway from the airport to the city line was lined with gambling casinos on both sides...not as large as Vegas, but with the usual garish neon signs. I'm told the casinos are a dying business here and, not knowing the language or gambling laws/cheating norms, I'm not inclined to find out about them directly.

The streets around the hotel are much cleaner than in Baku...people actually put their litter into trash cans.  The few (maybe a dozen) locals I have dealt with so far are universally friendly and helpful...maybe it is because fair skin and blond hair are both rare, so one can tell from 10 km. away that I am a foreigner.  They will also look you in the eye, which was not common in Baku until both parties knew each other.

My bank contacts offered to show me around the city today, but I punted so they could spend the free day with their families.  We will do the tour next weekend.  The work starts tomorrow, with meetings with bank management; then nine full days of training before I depart on the 16th.  Conveniently, the bank is only 2 blocks from the hotel - no need for a driver or taxi.

For those of you who love food, I will tell you that I took advantage of the breakfast buffet in the hotel this morning (so I could bill it to the room, since I have no local currency yet).  For 3500 AMD (Armenian dram, with an exchange rate of about 360 to the USD), I spent 90 minutes navigating 8 types of pastries, three cereals, yogurt, oatmeal, bacon, ham, sausage, cheese, melon, fruit cups, an omelette station, baked potato pieces, rice with peppers, and some of the best coffee I've had in a long time.  No, I didn't sample everything....just a good chunk of the offerings.

OK...the rain has ended, and I need to buy some dram and take some pictures to post later.  Hope all of you are happily sleeping right now.  Later!   

Start of a New Trip

October 1, 2010

Yerevan Musings, Inaugural Edition

Good evening,. all.  It's approximately 7:40 p.m. Columbus time and we just entered No. Atlantic airspace, north of St. Johns, on the way from Cincinnati to Paris.  I am one of about 20 people awake on this full flight of about 270 passengers...too early to fall asleep, but I will probably regret it tomorrow.

The plane left Columbus about two hours late today, cutting it a little too close for my liking to get the connection in Cinci.  Delta blamed the bad weather in NYC, but I don't buy that because our plan was just doing the Detroit – Columbus – Cinci shuttle all day.  This is the first time I've flown Delta in about 20 years, so I'.m stuck in the back with cramped seats and babbling vacationers from KY.  Also flanked by a couple of dudes with wicked colds, and who never learned to cover their mouths.  Never thought I would miss the perks that came from flying United all of last year. 

We are scheduled to land at deGaulle airport in Paris just after 6 a.m. local time (midnight Friday in Columbus)   But, with a tailwind of 138 knots, we expect to get there an hour early.  That will give me 8 hours to kill, instead of 7, before Air France whisks me to Yerevan for the next two weeks.  Hope French coffee is decent.

It's a relief to get this trip underway...there has been too much prep time involved over the past month without having a chance to field test it.  No doubt changes will be required eaxch night for the next day's training, so I've brought roughly three times more material than could be covered in the time allotted.  It's also a bit unsettling that I have yet to speak directly with bank management about their expectations – all of the arrangements so far have been made by Bankworld.  At least the bank in Yerevan agreed to delay the start of training until Tuesday, giving me Monday to meet wityh them and make any necessary adjustments.

I only have one full weekend in Armenia, so I need to make the most of it.  The consulate in DC only issued me a single-entry visa, so any thoughts of visiting nearby Turkey have been stomped.  But, there seems to be more than enough in the city of 1 million (1/3 of Armenia's population) to keep me on the move for two days.  It may help that I am here on a solo project – unlike Baku where I was part of an on-site team – so I can reasonably expect to field no social invitations.

If this training goes decently, Bankworld is planning to pitch it to a bank in Tbilisi, Georgia.  It would be nice to get some additional mileage out of the prep.  They have also asked me to be available for projects in Azerbaijan and Vietnam next year, should their shortlist bids succeed.

OK...we land in 3 hours, so time to get some reading done and a quick nap before facing French customs.  More from the airport. 

    

October 2, 2010

It is now 6:58 a.m., and I’m sitting in Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris, planning my next 6 hours until the next flight boards.  Originally, I had this stupid idea of just firing up my laptop and using the airport wifi (don’t all airports now have wifi?).  Unfortunately, here, only the first ten minutes is free….from there it’s 4.9 euros (roughly $6.15) an hour.  I have nothing THAT important to say….especially when you statesiders are peacefully sleeping right now.  On the plus side, the gate seating areas each have multiple outlets by the seats for PC & phone recharging, and Samsung has several central kiosks for additional recharging.

Virtually nothing in this airport is in English….good thing we all have encountered enough French and pictures to figure things out.

Just finished breakfast at the one restaurant that is open at this hour.  A little serve-yourself café.  A fruit cup, raisin roll, OJ, and coffee cost just under $21.00.  I am in the wrong business.

The various terminals are connected here with a clean, fast, totally automated train that comes around every two minutes.  Most impressive.

One of the customs inspectors told me it only takes about 30 minutes to get into Paris by train from here.  Too bad I don’t have a visa to enter France….they are not hard to get or expensive, but combining that with the hassle of getting back through security just makes it not worthwhile.

Time to wander around the terminal a bit…the old legs still need stretching from the flight.  Later!