Posvätné hory 2007





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FROM IRAN TO ARMENIA AND THE THINGS CONNECTED WITH IT

HELLO MY FRIENDS OF MOUNTANS, JAZZ AND MODERN DANCE MUSIC.

20th April, Friday
OUR AMAZING JOURNEY BY BUS FROM TEHRAN TO YEREVAN IS STARTING. WE WERE ELEVEN, BUT WE ARE ALREADY JUST FOUR. MARTIN AND JURO ONDREAS, MIRO CHALUPKA AND ME – DURCOT HYROS. THE TICKETS BOUGHT BEFORE PROMISE 24 HOURS IN A COMFORTABLE BUS SCANIA SUPER SALOON. IN SPIRIT OF „NOBODY CAN GIVE YOU MORE AS WE CAN PROMISE“ IT TOOK FINALLY 34 HOURS. IT’S BECAUSE WE SPENT 10 HOURS IN OUR SLEEPING BAGS AT THE CUSTOMS AT IRANIAN-ARMENIAN BORDER. THE REASON – THE DRIVER HAS FORGOTTEN HIS PASSPORT IN TEHRAN. NO STRESS, NO ANGER, NO PANIC. NOBODY CARES. OBVIOUSLY THERE IS EVERYTHING IN ALLAH’S HANDS. THE DRIVER HAS EVEN TAKEN US THE TICKETS BY LITTLE TRICK JUST IN CASE WE WOULD WANT TO RUN AWAY IN TAXI AND WOULD ASK FOR MONEY BACK.

FOR YOUR ILLUSTRATION I DESCRIBE THE CUSTOMS PROCEDURE AT THE IRANIAN BORDER. A BUS COMES TO THE IRANIAN CUSTOMS. EVERYBODY HAS TO GET OUT AND TAKE ALL HIS LUGGAGE OUT OF THE BUS. EACH PASSANGER HAS AT LEAST 5-10 PIECES OF LUGGAGE, PACKETS OR BOXES. THE CUSTOMER LOOKS OVER THE PASSPORTS FOR A FEW HOURS. LUGGAGE GOES UNHEEDED. EVERYTHING AND EVERYBODY GET ON THE BUS AND PASS THROUGH THE NOBODY AREA, IT’S 100 METRES. EVERYTHING AND EVERYBODY GET OFF THE BUS. THE PASSPOSRT PROCEDURE FOLLOWS AT THE ARMENIAN BORDER. EVERYTHING AND EVERYBODY GET ON THE BUS AGAIN. THE BUS LEAVES AND EVERYBODY IS SMILING.

21th April, Saturday
>FROM THE BORDER TO YEREVAN IT IS APPROXIMATELY 400 KMS, SO 9 HOURS BY BUS. „SOMETHING LKE ROAD“ GOES THROUGH SEVERAL PASSES 2000m HIGH ABOVE SEA LEVEL AND THEN IT GOES DOWN TO A VALLEY AT ABOUT 500 METRES. THE COUNTRYSIDE IS WONDERFUL, VERY SIMILIAR TO CENTRAL SLOVAKIA. JUST THOSE ULCERS AS HUMAN DWELLINGS ARE REALLY DISGUSTING. IF THEY HAD REPAIRED OR PAINTED SOMETHING IN THEIR VILLAGES AND TOWNS IT WOULD REMIND ME HARMANEC OR PODBREZOVA. RIGHT BEHIND THE BORDER WE ARE BUYING BEER AND A BOTTLE OF VODKA AND WE ARE QUITE SUCCESSFULLY KILLING THE SUFFERING FROM TRAVEL. NOW WE ARE SMILING AS WELL.

22th April, Sunday
IT’S 00:01 AM AND WE‘RE GETTING OFF IN THE CENTER OF YEREVAN. THE LOCAL WOMEN START TO FIGHT FOR US. UNFORTUNATELLY IT’S NOT BECAUSE OF US BUT BECAUSE OF OUR WALLETS. FINALLY WE PREFER OLDER WOMAN WHO RENTS US THE WHOLE FLAT IN THE CENTER OF YEREVAN FOR 40 USD PER A DAY. AFTER SOME BEERS IN THE LOCAL PUB CALLED‘WILD WEST‘ WE SLEEP THE WHOLE MORNING. IN THE BUS WE GOT A NAME OF ONE PASSANGER’S BROTHER, SAID TO LIVE IN A VILLAGE CACHKAOVIT UNDER ARAGAT /4000M/, THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN OF ARMENIA, THE LAST GOAL OF OUR EXPEDITION. WE HAVE BEEN TOLD WE CAN SLEEP AT HIS PLACE AND THERE IS AN IDEAL START TO ARAGAT FROM THAT VILLAGE. IT’S NOT THE SAME AS OUR KNOWLEDGE FROM INTERNET, BUT I DON’T KNOW WHY WE FOLLOW THIS INFORMATION. IN THE EVENING WE SHOW THE PAPER WITH OUR VILLAGE’S NAME TO A TAXI DRIVER AND WE MOVE ABOUT 80 KMS FROM YEREVAN TO THE NORTH. HERE WE MEET A BIG CULTURAL SHOCK. IT’S THE DIRTIEST HOLE WE’VE EVER SEEN. ABANDONED SEMI-PULLED DOWN BUILDINGS, SHEET METAL AND STONE SHACKS INSTEAD OF HOUSES, DIRT, DUST, MUD. SIMPLY, THE TOTAL EXPIRING SOCIALISM. THE VILLAGE PEOPLE STANDING IN THE STREET HAVE SURROUNDED US. IT IS POSSIBLE TO COMMUNICATE IN RUSSIAN MORE OR LESS. WE SHOW THEM THE PAPER WITH A SAMVEL ARMEN NAME. THEY SHAKE THEIR HEADS, FINALLY AN YOUNG MAN COMES, MAYBE A BIT DRUNK, IN STRIPPED SUIT AND MUDDED PATENT-LEATHER SHOES. HE SAYS HE DOESN’T HAVE ANY BROTHER. HOWEVER, WE INSIST. THE POOR GUY DOES’T KNOW WHAT TO DO, HE IS SWEATING, SQUIRMING, THE VILLAGE PEOPLE ARE STARING AT HIM. FINALLY HE SOLVES THE RIDICULOUS SITUATION WITH THE WORDS. Pojidite so mnoj, pogovorim. HE GUIDED US THROUGH THE MUDDED STREETS ACROSS THE HALF OF THE VILLAGE TOWARDS A HOUSE WHICH WAS SO DESTROYED THAT WAS EVEN FRIGHTENING. OUR DOUBTS HAVE STARTED. IT REMINDS TOO MUCH BRONX. ONCE I WAS IN LUNIK 9, BUT IT WAS A LUXURY COMPARING WITH WHAT WE SEE NOW. UPSTAIRS ON THE SECOND FLOOR A DOOR HAS OPENED. IT’S NEEDED TO IMAGINE US – FOUR BIG EUROPEAN GUYS WITH HUGE BACKPACKS AND SKIS IN OUR HANDS PRESSING IN A SMALL DARK CORRIDOR. EDUCATED OLDER MAN WITH GREY HAIR IN THE DOORSTEP ASKS US - sto vy chotite. WE ANSWER WITHOUT HESITATING. My prijechali na Aragat i my budem zdes spat. HIS EYES ALMOST GET OUT FROM HIS EYEHOLES, BUT HE GETS THROUGH WITH IT AND HE SAYS. Nu sto, vy zdes. IN THE END WE HAD A GREAT TIME. THEY TOOK US UP ON THE FLOOR OF HIS LIVING ROOM, WE DRANK BEER, HAD A TALK, PLAYED CHESS (EVEN I LOST IN SPITE OF PLAYING IT ALMOST PROFESSIONALLY FOR 4 YEARS), WE HAD A DINNER. I HAVE NEVER MET MORE HOSPITABLE AND KIND PEOPLE.

23rd April, Monday
THE ATTACK TO ARAGAT STARTS AT 6:00am. THE VILAGE – 2000m ABOVE SEA LEVEL, THE PEAK 4090m ABOVE SEA LEVEL. WE ARE RELAXED AND READY,WE TRUST IN OURSELVES. HOWEVER MOTIVATION IS SOMEHOW MISSING, ESPECIALLY TO ME.
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I DONT’T KNOW WHY, BUT WE HAVE STARTED TO SPEAK RUSSIAN TO EACH OTHER. THE ROUTE IS EXHAUSTING, SUITABLE FOR CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING. LONG, VERY LONG AND MODERATE ASCENDING, SOMETIMES DESCENDING, THE PEAK CAN’T BE SEEN. AFTER 7 HOURS OF CONSTANT WALKING WE REACH THE EASTERN PEAK AT 3600m ABOVE SEA LEVEL. TO REACH THE NORTHERN HIGHEST PEAK 4060m WE HAVE TO GET ACROSS A QUITE NARROW RIDGE WITH A MOUNTAIN PASS 200m LOWER AND 600m STEEP BUT NOT DIFFICULT SNOW WALL WITH ROCKS. IN OUR OPINION IT‘S ABLE TO BE SKIED. I THINK 3 MORE HOURS REQUIERED. HOWEVER, WE ALL ARE SICK OF IT, ME AS ALWAYS THE MOST. EXCEPT OF THAT I’VE STARTED TO HAVE PAIN IN MY KNEE, MATO SEEMS TO HAVE BRONCHITIS, OUR TOBACCO HAS BECOME WET, VODKA IS OVER, AND AREN’T WE AT THE TOP OF ARAGAT OR NOT AT ALL? SO THE NEXT STEP WAS DEPARTURE. THE SKIING WAS THE FOLLOWING – I DIDN’T MAKE ANY CURVE IN 1600 METRES, IT WASN’T NEEDED. EVEN SOMETIMES THE SKI POLES HELPED. WE CAME BACK TO ARMEN’S PLACE AT ABOUT 4:00pm, WE DRANK SOMETHING, WE INTERCHANGED OUR ADDRESSES AND HE ARRANGED A TAXI TO YEREVAN FOR US. WE SPENT NIGHT IN OUR RENTED FLAT.

24th April, Tuesday
IT’S RAINING AND ACCORDING TO accweather.com IT WILL BE RAINING FOR A LONG TIME. FOUR DAYS ARE REMAINING TO OUR FLIGHT HOME. GUESS WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO? WE ARE AWAITING YOUR ANSWERS IN OUR GUEST’S BOOK. THE ONE WHO WILL FIND THE BEST GUESS WILL GET A MOVIE ABOUT OUR EXPEDITION.

YEREVAN, 24th April, DURCOT.

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I CAN’T UNDERSTAND WHY THEY ALWAYS SUCCEED IN PERSUADING ME TO GO TO THESE EXHAUSTING EXPEDITIONS. WE DRAG ACROSS THE HALF OF THE WORLD WITH HUGE BACKPACKS. SKIS, PALE, HATCHET, CRAMPONS, TENT, COOKER, SLEEPING BAG,...TAXIS, BUSES, PLANES, WALKING. WHEN I CAME CRAWLING TO THE TOP OF THE SUFAN IN WINDSTORM AND SIBERIAN WINTER I WAS „HALF-DEAD“. WHEN I CAME CRAWLING TO THE TOP OF THE ARARAT IN WINDSTORM AND SIBERIAN WINTER „I‘VE ALMOST DIED“. WHEN I CAME CRAWLING TO THE TOP OF THE DAMAVAND, I REGRETED NOT TO DIE ALREADY IN ARARAT. I DIDN’T ENJOY SKIING IN NONE OF THESE PLACES. FIRST, I’M NOT GOOD AT SKIING, SECOND THERE IS ALWAYS TERRIBLE COLD, FOG AND WIND. THIRD, AFTER CLIMBING MY LEGS ARE ALWAYS STIFF AND AS IF MADE OF WOOD. AND NOW AGAIN I’M CREEPING TO SOME INSIGNIFICANT POINT. WITHOUT SLEEPING, WITH HANGOVER, HUNGRY, IN THIS BORING AND EXHAUSTING CROSS-COUNTRY SKI TRACE MADE BY GUYS IN FRONT OF ME. SO I’M THINKING IN THIS WAY AND SEARCHING FOR SOME MOTIVATION.

Posted at: 25.4.2007

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