Contrasts...

We were in the arse end of nowhere today. It was unbelievable the contrast to Yerevan - they pump all the money into Yerevan and forget about the rest of it. We went to the Turkey-Armenia border where villages are abandoned and those which are inhabited are run down, the houses with boarded up windows and walls falling down. The few people who live there, eye us suspiciously while they get on with tending animals and hanging out washing. Many of the men are playing cards and smoking, while the woman get on with cooking, cleaning etc. When Ivan asked about it, we were told that they are all unemployed and they basically live off the land. The factories which used to provide employment and once made this area quite rich have all been closed down because of the fighting across the border. There are discussions now to open the border. The decision will go to the Turkish government later this year.



Village near the border...........................................Yerevan


There is a journalist from Turkey staying in the same hotel as us, and she writes about the Armenian-Turkish conflict. We told her about wanting to cross the border because there is an incredible tephra fallout deposit which implies there must have been an enormous Plinian eruption - like Vesuvius, except about 100 times bigger! It is right on the border, and unfortunately we can't do much with it because you need at least 2 outcrops to work out the distance and direction from the volcano, and the other outcrops must be in Turkey! She was very interested in this as it gives another story as to why the border should be open, so she interviewed us!


After summit day we took it easy - still long days but not difficult ones! Chuck, Laura and Ralf left early this morning, so the director of the geological institute took everyone out for dinner. There were about 20 folk there and enough food to feed the 500! Armenians love to do toasts. They toasted the project, the people, the drivers, Armenia, Women, safe journeys, future work, meetings..... it went on and on! Every few minutes someone else would stand up and say a few words - usually quite a lot of words - and raise his glass. At one point I had a glass of Russian Vodka, a glass of wine and a glass of Cognac in front of me! Needless to say I wasn't on best form in the field today!