Central Yerevan

With Mount Ararat, the reputed landing site of Noah's Ark, prominent in the horizon, Yerevan is sleepy and proud, friendly and vibrant, gentle and modest. A stark contrast to Russians, the people of this ex-Soviet republic pride themselves in being hospitable and smile with no provocation. Though this is a poor country, cafes are omnipresent and the nightlife trails into the wee hours of the morning. The people carry a Persian appearance, with perhaps a bit of Turkish and Russian mixed in, and many are quite stunning. Armenian is the official language while most everyone speaks Russian also, and English is the hip language that is spoken by the under-30 set (as well as many others). Lunille, a smart trilingual Armenian girl who works the front desk at our hotel, informed me that the population wants to forget Russian altogether, hopefully to be replaced by French or Spanish.

The weather here is idyllic, the semi-humid air nearly the same temperature as the skin. Little consistent rainfall in the summer makes for sudden gusts of dust clouds that can sting the eyes, but it is a small price to pay for such a peaceful, welcoming place. Our meals have been very cheap; last night's full Lebanese dinner with felafal, hummus, salad and two beers for $4 each. The people here are so friendly and this city of 1.1 million feels quite safe to stumble home at any time of the day.

Devoted formerly to Lenin, the Soviet-style Republic Square in central Yerevan has been refurbished into something colorful, enormous and majestic. The headless statue of Vladimir lies supine in the fountain and ubiquitous corn-on-the-cob and watermelon stands serve tourists and locals alike.

Although unmistakably serene, I can't shake the sad feeling that this is the high point of many Armenian lives and the abject poverty just ten miles away better reflects the nature of this country.