Day 1 in Yerevan, Armenia (9/28/21):

-Tipping around 10% is expected here, mainly in the capital. If you don’t like it, simply don’t visit.
-First Impressions: Armenian people are kind as heck.
-Armenia is dirt cheap. I ate out, had around ten drinks, and tipped 20% – spent $26 USD.
-People here, primarily women, are super fashionable.
-The currency is nuts. 50,000 Armenian drum is just over $100 USD – so I’m a billionaire here.
-Armenians hate their surrounding neighbors for political reasons.
-Like every country that was under Soviet rule, everyone here speaks Russian but prefers speaking their native language.

Day 2 & 3 in Yerevan & Tatev, Armenia (9/29/21-9/30/21):

-I spent the morning at a local spa with some local women who taught me about their culture. It was one of the highlights of my trip learning about them.
-Armenian coffee is delicious and locals smoke these short, ill-smelling cigarettes that are inserted into a portable, electronic heater but smoked through the original filters.
-Casual relationships are not popular here.
-There aren’t many foreigners because Armenia is looked more so as a transit country.
-Armenian people are the embodiment of friendly and hospitable. First salon I’ve ever been to where I was given pastries, cake, and a bag of coffee to-go as a present.
-Yerevan is very safe. Walking alone at night is not a problem, even for a woman.
-Some other cities to explore are Dilijan, Gyumri, and Lori.
-Carry cash. The majority of establishments here only take cash.
-When it comes to Russians, half are awesome, the other half have absolutely no manners.
-Armenia is having a mandate in October where if you aren’t vaccinated you are not allowed to work and must get tested every two weeks. It isn’t sitting well with locals who see it as it should be their choice to live with.
-Driving here is like Vietnam with cars. Constant honks, turn signals don’t exist, weaving around pedestrians and other vehicles.

Day 4 & 5 in Yerevan, Armenia (10/1/21-10/2/21):

-You can get just about any food here. Japanese, Iranian, Lebanese, American BBQ, and so on and so forth.
-I’m torn about how I feel about locals. I’d argue I’ve met some of the nicest people here. However, road rage is everywhere, cars don’t yield for pedestrians, a lot of stray dogs are looked at with disgust, and Armenians are blatantly racist, especially towards their neighbors like Russia and Iran. Additionally, a lot of locals get frustrated if you don’t speak Armenian and are insulted being communicated to with Russian or English.
-Armenia is the only country I’ve been to that is loaded with smoking bars and restaurants. Smoking is a huge part of the culture as 70% of the population smoke.
-Every other dude here has a unibrow. I’m not exaggerating. I’m literally counting right now.
-Yerevan has some of the best parks with outdoor/patio dining.
-The autumn weather here is perfect. You can wear nearly anything and be comfortable.

Day 6 in Armenia (10/3/21):

-Ice isn’t readily available in Armenia. You get served sodas and cocktails without or with minimal ice often.
-I would vote Armenian men ugliest men in the world. There is nothing attractive about a guy covered in back hair.
-I would also vote Armenia for the most anti-mandate country in the world. Was never asked for my vaccine certificate outside of immigration and think I saw a mask 1/100 people.
-A shared taxi from Yerevan, Armenia to Tbilisi, Georgia is around $15 USD and takes five hours more or less. By my crap luck, my shared taxi’s driver canceled after waiting an hour and a half, waited an hour for another one, only to wait another hour when he had to stop at a clinic to pickup another rider’s PCR test. At least I got to catch up on my Netflix.
-Turns out the Colombian flag is the Armenian flag upside down.
-I’m writing this as my driver is speeding and swerving in and out of lanes in the rain and fog in the mountains. I made a joke that this is a fun ride and a Czech rider, who lives in Georgia, says he’s driving very safe for Georgian standards and was serious. I don’t know what I’m getting myself into….
-The fog in Armenia is no joke.