Continuing on from my trip last December, from Tbilisi, Georgia, I took a direct, overnight sleeper train which would get me to Yerevan, Armenia the next morning.
Then, it was a quick rest stop beside a highway. There was an eatery to purchase some snacks and drinks. From here, it was on to the land border crossing. The custom formalities were much faster than by train. Hardly any queue at all.
After the border crossing, it was straight on to the Tbilisi railway station. With my luggage collected, I headed to the bus stop outside to board the bus back to Tbilisi airport.
A great and wonderful trip in the Caucasus!
The sleeper train is made up of bunk beds, similar to the ones I have experienced in other countries. Fortunately, there were only few passengers on this particular night, so the compartment felt more spacious.
For the border crossing from Georgia to Armenia, I need not leave the train while being stamped out of Georgia.
However, upon reaching Armenian customs, all passengers were required to leave the train and assemble in the small custom building. The immigration process took about half an hour.
Note that the train arrives here in the middle of the night, so less time for sleeping.
Soon, the train arrived in Yerevan, Armenia in the early morning hours. The wet market outside the train station was being set up. Otherwise, all other shops in the vicinity remained closed.
The Yerevan railway station was connected to the nearby metro station via an underground walkway filled with shops. It was a short wait before the first metro train arrived.
I alighted from the metro a few stops later and wandered around on foot.
There were quite a number of statues around this area of Yerevan.
In the morning that I was there, there were hardly any eating places open. There a couple of convenient shops and mini supermarkets open. There was a KFC as well which opened late morning.
Soon after, it was another short walk in the downtown area to meet my driver. Prior to the trip, I had hired a driver to send me back to Georgia, a trip that takes about 6 hours including rest stops. The price quoted was reasonable too for the long distance involved.
Also, I had earlier requested photo stops along the way.
It felt great !
Scenic view of the sea and the snow-capped mountains in the distance.
The second photo stop is at the Sanahin and Haghpat monasteries. A Unesco World Heritage Site.
Then, it was a quick rest stop beside a highway. There was an eatery to purchase some snacks and drinks. From here, it was on to the land border crossing. The custom formalities were much faster than by train. Hardly any queue at all.
After the border crossing, it was straight on to the Tbilisi railway station. With my luggage collected, I headed to the bus stop outside to board the bus back to Tbilisi airport.
A great and wonderful trip in the Caucasus!
