Some of you may have more military vehicle knowledge than I do, but from my understanding, the first image is a Soviet era BTR-80. This vehicle was randomly discovered way up in the mountains, on my way to a Soviet Radio-Optical Telescope that laid dormant since 2012. Driving through and up the mountain, a random church was discovered hiding down a stone road. The thing that stood out the most was this BTR that was just sitting there. Coincidentally, the child of the ROT-54 I was visiting was recently buried at this church, of which I discovered a day later. For the most part, the few graves at this location were unfortunately belonging to young men. Men that had been conscripted and died in the recent conflict against Azerbaijan. Local farm boys that barely made it out of their teens. It's tragic. Behind the BTR was this stone eagle. I found the point of placement interesting, at a certain angle is the peak of Ararat, way off in the horizon, being the horizon.
This church visit was an accidental discovery, but it shows how Armenia can always surprise with its culture. The religion that remains strong, with plenty of historic churches to be found all over, no matter how high up and remote you go. Mixed with the recent struggles of the nation, though without graves and plenty of Armenian flags, you wouldn't notice there has been an ongoing conflict. Something I assume many Armenians don't really want to be acknowledging. That dark reality for a group of people that are far too kind to be engaged in an act of killing.
Even at this point, I was still not at the peak of this mountain. And driving up it, you almost don't even really notice you are ascending up a mountain. Its roads twist and turn and the landscape shifts dramatically, as you came from a dry, rocky environment that is coated in dust. Large rocks sit by the road, no trees are visible here. No flowers. Nothing. It's as if you're passing through the remains of a civilisation that once reigned, now all that remains are their few foundations and elements of industry. You wouldn't assume people live and pass through this area if not for the cars that still drove through on the way to the mountain. At that point I found it interesting, how suddenly that landscape turned into flourishing green. Trees appeared, and tall grass covered in flowers added colour to the landscape. Cliff-edges became present, that realisation that there's nothing stopping you from tumbling over hits. Oh yeah, I'm going up a mountain! To add to this is the sudden wildlife, lizards roaming around. Snakes within the roadside. I even saw a praying mantis in the middle of the road, an insect I had no idea was even here.
Of course, the old way of life remains here. Farmers walk their cattle through the roads. Accompanied by tiny farm dogs that are a mere fraction of the size of cows. Having to stop the car and let them pass through, saying a quick hello to the farmers who all had aged with plenty of experience in this space. Clearly no interest in the modern life that continues on with chaos below the base of the mountain, all the way over in Yerevan. Above the head of the eagle is that peak of Ararat, by the way. And those little dots of white beneath? Those are homes. Like being in a plane and looking out of the window, right?
For more context regarding the sheer size of Ararat, here it is from about halfway up this mountain. The way the towns and villages just disappear, as if the life just halts in the horizon, in actuality it's the start of the mountain. The grassy part before the clouds and snow take over. That size is utterly insane. And you never really notice just how large the mountain is until you come to an area like this, looking down at the world below you, realising how small it is, and then having to look up at something much larger. Your own insignificance is felt. Especially on a clear day in which the clouds are gone and Ararat's entire features are visible. By the way, I used the focal length of 85mm for these shots. So that's actually a portrait lens that's slightly zoomed in a bit more. With the 50mm or 35mm focal length, everything would look even smaller! I have more images of how high up this was, but I think I'll prepare those for another post in which it'll be more focused on the ROT-54 travel itself. That deserves its own post for being the most strange thing I've ever seen.
And that's interesting to read, isn't it? That this country can have such unique spaces all over, within such a tight proximity. It's a country that feels so small sometimes, but it's so dense in history. The feeling that you can walk around just a little and stumble into all kinds of unique environments. A landscape that goes from modern to utterly ancient. 14th century churches and old villages with typical Armenian themes. Ladas, of course, all over.
To look down at it all from a mountain puts the nation into perspective. To realise how old and fragile it all is. How mountains can hold such importance in giving us more connection to something. Great beauty in the world around us, but that realisation that nature is ultimately the most important and powerful thing. Us and our strange ways of life are nothing in comparison, not matter how serious we attempt to be with our rules and societal expectations. Up in the mountain, all of that is lost. You feel free. A sense of discovery, a primitive feeling of content. I often feel this when I escape the towns and cities, when I witness a more simplistic way of life in others. Their happiness, friendliness, and general relaxed notion. I saw an old couple sitting at their beehive farm, rows upon rows of beehives. Up in the mountain and alone. The sound of so many bees left an endless hum in the area, yet they sat in the middle of it. Seeing me, they offered coffee. I think that sums up the way of life in such places.
And it's so interesting to see how these lifestyles differ in the way in which people behave. I know I love experiencing the elevation, mountains always offer something unique. Whether it's the nature they hold on them, or the views below. Or even just the people that live on and around them.
