As we moved towards the border, the landscape changed dramatically as we popped out onto the Javakheti Plateau and it was like we were back into Steppe country. The Plateau covers parts of Türkiye, Georgia and Armenia, housing architecture immediately changed, faces changed, even the weather changed. Funnily enough, the countryside also looked a bit like some of the country around Hallett.
I’ve always enjoyed our time on the Steppe, so this expansive landscape was soothing. We were also heading towards the Bavra border crossing into Armenia. Another land border crossing, that did have a hiccup or two. We were questioned at the border as to why we had been in Azerbaijan. The tensions between these two countries are still very strong as they still have contested boundaries and contested alliances.
Bavra border crossing sits at 2,000m, and this means that the weather can change quickly, and for us it did. After our questioning, we got into the van in time for a massive hailstorm to hit, transforming the local hills into a white tinge, giving you an idea of what winter might look like!
Overnight we stayed in the city of Gyumri. This part of the world is heavily affected by earthquakes and Gyumri was hit by a 7 magnitude earthquake in 1988 in which much of the city was destroyed and over 38,000 people were killed. The city is still is still rebuilding and recovering even though it was close to 40 years ago.
