Starting a Farmstay B&B in Armenia... Part 1

The Farmhouse

As a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV), my primary assignment is teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) in a village school, but living in Armenia for two years gives me plenty of time to pursue secondary projects.  Last summer, I worked at a bunch of youth camps (they’ll be a post on that later), but this year, I’m going to help my former host family set up and run a Farmstay Bed and Breakfast.  They live in a farming village with about 250 families in Kotayk Marz, about 30 km from Yerevan, where they own and operate an organic dairy farm with cows and sheep, earning about $120 a month from selling yogurt products in nearby Charentsavan.  They have a beautiful house set in rolling fields, with a garden providing fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the summer and homemade jams and juices during the rest of the year.

Ghosts Of The Past In Vayots Dzor

About two hours south of Yerevan, in Vayots Dzor Marz, is the town of Yeghegnadzor where I serve as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English at a local university.  The climate is best in spring and fall.  In the past year and a half of my service, I have seen the odd tourist come through here, but they always seem to be on their way somewhere else.  Most visitors to Vayots Dzor come to see Noravank, a magnificent complex of churches and outbuildings where monks lived and studied in the middle ages, and then they move on.  While Noravank is certainly worth the trip, visitors often miss out on the many other churches, universities and monuments that were built during the Orbelian reign over the Kingdom of Syunik.

Still Thinking of Winter Vacation? Discover some Winter Resorts in Armenia!

Where to spend vacation this winter? Is this still a question?
Throughout this hunt, someone might like to discover a new winter vacation destination in Armenia. Armenia has world-class winter resorts along with great sites and mountains.  Tsaghkadzor and Jermuk are just the two of the numerous fascinating places that winter vacation lovers must consider.

The Soviet Arcade Games of Gyumri

In the Central Park of the town of Gyumri, once called Alexandropol after the Czar, and still referred to as "Leninakan" by most locals, across the gorge from the Russian military garrison, and down the hill from the town’s Ferris wheel, is a small, square building with "Attractions - Games" written on the outside. Inside the building are a dozen Soviet-era arcade games and attractions. Give the middle-aged lady who works there 100 drams-worth about 30 cents, and she'll give you a Soviet 15 Kopek coin, enabling you to travel back to 1987 and experience the best in Soviet entertainment technology.

"Snayper-2," a target-practice game

Armenia's New Year Eve and Food

New Year Eve is still a big celebration time in Armenia, a nice close family gathering, keeping together, sharing last minutes of the past year.  It's a lofty moment, as there is an Armenian saying and belief: "The mood you start the New Year will last through the whole year round".   People even try to close their dept, apologize and stay away from arguments.