6 The Long Journey to Armenia ©2006 Lori Bailey Cunningham
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  • Erebuni
  • Yerevan
  • Orran Mandala Workshop
  • Geghard Monastery and Garni
Lori, Rien Vartan, Jo and Sondra
The view from our hotel room at the Congress Hotel in Yerevan

Rien Vartan and our faithful driver extraordinaire - Vrej Vartanian JO at Erebuni - the ancient site around which Yerevan was built Sondra at Erebuni
This secretary at the Karabakh Embassy (where we got our visas to enter Karabakh) considers her Armenian coffee set-up an essential office feature.
Szilvia, Peter and June Petra with the priest at St. Gregory's . The priest gave mom and dad the option of a full body dunk or a much kinder knee blessing. June opted for door #2 since the temperature in the church was just above freezing.
June Petra Musurlian (baptized at St. Gregory's in Yerevan) promised the priest that she would have the Bible memorized by her next birthday.
Geghard Monastery: the door leads to a chapel that has been literally carved out of the mountain
Jo about to enter a tiny meditation chamber where she will ponder what kind of dolma to order for dinner
Lori, Jo and a katchkar
 A couple of cuties

Jo and Sondra traipsing around the snowy environs at Geghard, having refused to use the facilities (next foto)
The toilets at Geghard leave much to be desired (like toilet paper, privacy, clorox) I was the only soul brave enough (read: desperate) to use the facilities.
 
Lori and Rien at Garni, temple of the pagans
JO wheeling and dealing with a vendor at the entrance to Garni
 
Armenia needs Planned Parenthood for Puppies. Animal rights readers, this is the place for you to get to work with free neutering clinics. There are homelss pups everywhere. This dog just hung out in the same spot until all the coast was clear, then he crossed Dogs run in packs - right in the middle of the city. They do everything together: cross streets, dig for bones, party till the wee hours. The city dogs cross streets like seasoned pedestrians, nearly missing the cars and causing dog lovers like me to go nuts.

Mandala Workshop:
Orran Community Center

Saturday, March 18, 2006
This was a wonderful opportunity for me to lead a Mandala Project workshop with kids and elderly folks in Yerevan. We had great fun making a Community Mandala, dancing and hanging out. Orran is providing a much needed service to children and elderly people in need of all types of assistance - education, food, clothing and especially love and care. Read more about what they are doing here.

For information about
The Mandala Project,
click here
Orran Mandala Workshop: Coloring in mini-mandalas This woman was a real sweetheart and sang a beautiful aria at the end of the workshop
Kids and adults hard at work What a face!
The wonderful folks at Orran Rien and Armine Hovannisian, co-founder of Orran

The Long Journey to Armenia ©2006 Lori Bailey Cunningham

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