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The Globe and Mail, Canada
Oct 9 2011
Swing a hammer and sightsee on a give-back getaway
douglas mcarthur
YEREVAN, ARMENIA - From Monday's Globe and Mail
Published Sunday, Oct. 09, 2011 4:00PM EDT
We came to Armenia as volunteer labourers, hoping in some small way to
help ease the country's housing shortage. We were also tourists, but
only on the handful of days allocated for R&R. We hoped this
combination of work and leisure would give us deep insights into a
complex country just emerging on the world's tourism map.
I was one of 10 Canadians (ranging in age from 27 to 83) on a 17-day
Global Village program booked through Habitat for Humanity Canada. We
spent much of our time sanding, plastering and painting the walls of
two unfinished houses in the northeastern Tavush province. It is an
area of high unemployment, subsistence agriculture and a stunning
mountain landscape straight out of The Sound of Music.
Our sightseeing forays were centred mostly in and around the capital,
Yerevan. With its opera house, pedestrian shopping street and central
circle of elegant government buildings, the city could have been
anywhere in Europe. In fact, land-locked Armenia lies in the southern
Caucasus where Europe and Asia meet. It is accessible through Iran and
Georgia, but disputes keep its borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan
sealed shut. The tourists we saw in Yerevan were mainly of the
backpacking variety, and hailed from Europe, Russia and the worldwide
Armenian diaspora. Many took coach tours to historic and cultural
attractions, including three World Heritage Sites.
Arriving on an overnight flight from London, we were greeted by a view
of Ararat, an ice-cream sundae of a mountain that shimmered in the
dawn light. The legendary landing spot of Noah's Ark, Ararat is
Armenia's national symbol and gives its name to a bank and a brandy
factory. Although visible from Yerevan on clear days, it lies wholly
within Turkey.
We touched down on May 28, which was a national holiday honouring
Armenia's short-lived independence from Turkey following the First
World War. A second holiday on Sept. 21 marks Armenia's 1991 secession
from the collapsing Soviet Union. Along with Ararat, the twin
independence days keep alive memories of the ancient Kingdom of
Armenia, which was much larger than the country today.
Central to the nation's vision of its past and future are the deaths
of an estimated million and half Armenians in Ottoman Turkey. The
deportations and massacres, which started in 1915, are chillingly
remembered through photos and documents in Yerevan's Armenian Genocide
Museum. It feels like a holy shrine. Our guide reminded us that Canada
is among countries that have officially recognized the genocide.
Others, including Turkey, have not.
Religion is another touchstone of national identity: Armenia proudly
boasts of being the first country in the world to adopt Christianity.
On a Sunday morning, our group visited the country's mother cathedral,
Echmiatsin, built according to tradition on a site revealed to St.
Gregory in a vision.
The ceremony was colourful with robed and hooded clergymen, an a
cappella choir and a colourful screen that opened and closed.
Tourists, who nearly outnumbered the worshippers, treated it as
theatre, butting their way through the standing congregation and
shooting flash photos and videos.
Most of the other religious sites we toured - centuries-old churches
and monasteries - are now museums. Small in size but solidly built of
stone blocks, they are rugged reminders of the country's religious
past. The massive Zvartnots Cathedral still inspires awe, even though
it collapsed centuries ago, leaving only a circle of pillars.
Sevanavank monastery, perched on a hill overlooking the blue waters of
Lake Sevan, takes top prize for panoramic setting. Geghard, dwarfed by
a sheer cliff, is most impressive of all. Its burial chamber - hewn
into the rock - has such incredible acoustics that two members of our
group burst into a chorus of Holy Holy Holy.
The work portion of our trip was centred close to Ijevan, Tavush's
provincial capital, which has fallen on hard times. Its central park
once boasted spouting fountains and landscaped lawns; now it's a
wasteland of rusting pipes and weeds.
Even our one-day tour here was a wild affair. At Lastiver, we set out
with a local guide for what was billed as `a three-kilometre walk.'
Instead we found ourselves slogging along a muddy path at the edge of
a precipice, fording a rushing river on slippery stones and clambering
up a vertical rock wall. It was dangerous but rewarding. The views
were postcard perfect and we ended at a cave where early Christians
had carved an altar into the rock wall.
It was in Tavush that we had our closest contact with the people of
Armenia. Most homes we visited had satellite TV, the Internet - and an
outhouse. Our group spent a lot of time debating these priorities. (If
I was raising children today, I too would opt for Facebook and Google
over indoor plumbing.)
Here we came face-to-face with the economic struggles of the families
our group had come to help. At our first house, we ran out of paint
because the parents had spent their money on health care for a sick
child. (Again, a choice I would make myself.)
As we finished our work at the second house, the owner, Kamo,
expressed his gratitude by inviting us back inside. He poured us all a
glass of Armenian cognac. Then he kissed each volunteer on both
cheeks.
It was a moment we would never have experienced had we been in Armenia
solely as tourists.
For more information, visit habitatglobalvillage.ca and tourismarmenia.org.
Special to The Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/vacations/adventure/swing-a-hammer-and-sightsee-on-a-give-back-getaway/article2194924/
Oct 9 2011
Swing a hammer and sightsee on a give-back getaway
douglas mcarthur
YEREVAN, ARMENIA - From Monday's Globe and Mail
Published Sunday, Oct. 09, 2011 4:00PM EDT
We came to Armenia as volunteer labourers, hoping in some small way to
help ease the country's housing shortage. We were also tourists, but
only on the handful of days allocated for R&R. We hoped this
combination of work and leisure would give us deep insights into a
complex country just emerging on the world's tourism map.
I was one of 10 Canadians (ranging in age from 27 to 83) on a 17-day
Global Village program booked through Habitat for Humanity Canada. We
spent much of our time sanding, plastering and painting the walls of
two unfinished houses in the northeastern Tavush province. It is an
area of high unemployment, subsistence agriculture and a stunning
mountain landscape straight out of The Sound of Music.
Our sightseeing forays were centred mostly in and around the capital,
Yerevan. With its opera house, pedestrian shopping street and central
circle of elegant government buildings, the city could have been
anywhere in Europe. In fact, land-locked Armenia lies in the southern
Caucasus where Europe and Asia meet. It is accessible through Iran and
Georgia, but disputes keep its borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan
sealed shut. The tourists we saw in Yerevan were mainly of the
backpacking variety, and hailed from Europe, Russia and the worldwide
Armenian diaspora. Many took coach tours to historic and cultural
attractions, including three World Heritage Sites.
Arriving on an overnight flight from London, we were greeted by a view
of Ararat, an ice-cream sundae of a mountain that shimmered in the
dawn light. The legendary landing spot of Noah's Ark, Ararat is
Armenia's national symbol and gives its name to a bank and a brandy
factory. Although visible from Yerevan on clear days, it lies wholly
within Turkey.
We touched down on May 28, which was a national holiday honouring
Armenia's short-lived independence from Turkey following the First
World War. A second holiday on Sept. 21 marks Armenia's 1991 secession
from the collapsing Soviet Union. Along with Ararat, the twin
independence days keep alive memories of the ancient Kingdom of
Armenia, which was much larger than the country today.
Central to the nation's vision of its past and future are the deaths
of an estimated million and half Armenians in Ottoman Turkey. The
deportations and massacres, which started in 1915, are chillingly
remembered through photos and documents in Yerevan's Armenian Genocide
Museum. It feels like a holy shrine. Our guide reminded us that Canada
is among countries that have officially recognized the genocide.
Others, including Turkey, have not.
Religion is another touchstone of national identity: Armenia proudly
boasts of being the first country in the world to adopt Christianity.
On a Sunday morning, our group visited the country's mother cathedral,
Echmiatsin, built according to tradition on a site revealed to St.
Gregory in a vision.
The ceremony was colourful with robed and hooded clergymen, an a
cappella choir and a colourful screen that opened and closed.
Tourists, who nearly outnumbered the worshippers, treated it as
theatre, butting their way through the standing congregation and
shooting flash photos and videos.
Most of the other religious sites we toured - centuries-old churches
and monasteries - are now museums. Small in size but solidly built of
stone blocks, they are rugged reminders of the country's religious
past. The massive Zvartnots Cathedral still inspires awe, even though
it collapsed centuries ago, leaving only a circle of pillars.
Sevanavank monastery, perched on a hill overlooking the blue waters of
Lake Sevan, takes top prize for panoramic setting. Geghard, dwarfed by
a sheer cliff, is most impressive of all. Its burial chamber - hewn
into the rock - has such incredible acoustics that two members of our
group burst into a chorus of Holy Holy Holy.
The work portion of our trip was centred close to Ijevan, Tavush's
provincial capital, which has fallen on hard times. Its central park
once boasted spouting fountains and landscaped lawns; now it's a
wasteland of rusting pipes and weeds.
Even our one-day tour here was a wild affair. At Lastiver, we set out
with a local guide for what was billed as `a three-kilometre walk.'
Instead we found ourselves slogging along a muddy path at the edge of
a precipice, fording a rushing river on slippery stones and clambering
up a vertical rock wall. It was dangerous but rewarding. The views
were postcard perfect and we ended at a cave where early Christians
had carved an altar into the rock wall.
It was in Tavush that we had our closest contact with the people of
Armenia. Most homes we visited had satellite TV, the Internet - and an
outhouse. Our group spent a lot of time debating these priorities. (If
I was raising children today, I too would opt for Facebook and Google
over indoor plumbing.)
Here we came face-to-face with the economic struggles of the families
our group had come to help. At our first house, we ran out of paint
because the parents had spent their money on health care for a sick
child. (Again, a choice I would make myself.)
As we finished our work at the second house, the owner, Kamo,
expressed his gratitude by inviting us back inside. He poured us all a
glass of Armenian cognac. Then he kissed each volunteer on both
cheeks.
It was a moment we would never have experienced had we been in Armenia
solely as tourists.
For more information, visit habitatglobalvillage.ca and tourismarmenia.org.
Special to The Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/vacations/adventure/swing-a-hammer-and-sightsee-on-a-give-back-getaway/article2194924/