What Armenia's Thousand-Year History of Survival Teaches the Indian Comfort Traveller

The Country That Refused the Comfortable LieYou land in Yerevan and the first thing you notice is that nothing is performing for you. There are no garlands, no cultural shows arranged for tourists, no smiling guides in traditional dress waiting at the gate. The city is grey and pink, built from volcanic tuff stone, and it goes about its business as if your arrival is entirely your problem. For an Indian traveller trained on Rajasthan havelis dressed up for the camera, or Keralan backwater resorts where every discomfort has been pre-empted, this is a quiet shock.