When in Armenia, warm up to being befriended by strangers

On a five-day trip to Armenia, a tourist discovers the warmth of the locals, who are willing to offer umbrellas, desserts, rides, and more without expecting anything in return

It was the last day of our short vacy in Armenia. We were on our way back to Yerevan (the capital of Armenia) after visiting the Tatev Monastery. Taking advantage of Dubai's long weekend my husband and I scooted away to this small country on a budget trip, scoring the last minute deals. It was a befitting last leg to our trip as the Wings of Tatev - the world's longest non-stop double track cable car as recorded in the Guinness World Records - offered the most scintillating sight.
It was going to be a long ride, 250km to reach the city. Mild drizzles had washed the winding roads as we tuned into System of a Down in our car. Our 24-year-old driver, Narek, was persistent that we listen to the music of SOAD, an American band with Armenia musicians on board, from the early 1990s. As he joined the vocals on the song Chop Suey!, there was a sudden loud thud and we knew the trip was going to be longer.
The rear tyre had burst. He started apologising profusely for the inconvenience, even as he hurried to change the tyre. As the men got to work, I stepped out to see nothingness around - empty dark roads bordered with apricot trees under the starry skies. It looked like all the stars had gathered just above us.
Before it was time to leave, he went to fill air in the front tyre. It was after a couple of failed attempts that we realised the front tyre had burst too; which is when it dawned upon us that we were stuck on a remote highway, at least 170 km away from the city with no spare tyre.
As we were still raking our heads for solution, a car stopped by and two young Armenian men emerged. It was unsettling to see two well-built strangers walk our way, blankly staring at our faces. But, the presence of a lady in the backseat relaxed my nerves a bit. Narek explained them our situation and the men kept looking at us while they spoke in Armenian. The one with the husky voice said, "Don't worry, sister." and continued to talk in Armenian. They got on their knees and started pumping the front tyre again. After trying twice, they offered to take the driver to the nearest mechanic at the next village and drive him back here.
Beyond doubt, it was a bad idea for two Indians to be left alone with a broken car in the middle of nowhere without knowing the local language. And not to forget - the unstable mobile network. So, we called the car rental agency for help. The owner would take at least an hour-and-a-half to reach us with a spare tyre, but that was our only choice. In the next hour, we heard animals howling from the forests and it was a sign to quickly get into the safety of our car.
Narek, on his part, was overtly apologetic. On the deserted road, at least five more cars stopped to inquire if we needed help. They offered us food, a ride to the next petrol station, and even offered to wait with us until help arrived. Although, we didn't understand a word of what they said,  apart from 'Don't worry' (addressed to us), these strangers made us feel safe.
And it is this warmth that makes you feel at home in Armenia. During our short stay of five days, we also met up with a non-English speaking Russian driver, who gave us a free drop from the airport for an inconvenience caused; an unknown shopkeeper offering us an umbrella to walk back to our hotel without knowing if we will return it the next day; and an old lady at a quaint bakery offering us a piece of every dessert on the counter so that we could have a taste of Armenia.
The city is full of people, willing to help without expecting anything in return. Surprisingly enough, back in Dubai, I bumped into an Armenian, Violetta Muradyan, at a book launch of a renowned Indian chef. She is one of the few Armenians in the city and stands out because of her peculiar Russian accent. "I am working on slowly phasing it out," she tells me. Violetta has been in Dubai for nearly two years and labels the period as the most eventful time of her life. Fresh from completing her graduation in marketing, she convinced her parents to let her visit Dubai for a vacation and started giving interviews. Luckily, she got a job within just a few days. She started handling hotel guest relations, moved into marketing and now she is a social media specialist. "Dubai is more challenging than the UK or US. Although, you do have lot of opportunities here. Companies are looking for young talent and if you have it, you will be hired irrespective of your background." Today, she feels at home, even though she hasn't met a single Armenian since she's been here. "What I love about the city is that there is summer throughout the year! Also, it's never boring in Dubai. You will always find something to do." She, like many expats, truly belong to the city. 
anita@khaleejtimes.com
Anita has a fixation for the Garamond font and is often lost figuring the new song on the radio!