11 Oct 2011
by The Harebeat
in Armenia, Kotayk region
Tags: Armenia, bear, camping, clouds, eagle, fire, flora, forest, hiking, hills, horse, Kotayk, lost, mountains, nature, oak, outdoor, photos, shepherd, summit, Teghenis, Teghenis mountains, Teghenyats, tent, travel, tree, Tsaghkadzor
We left the town of Ashtarak in the evening. It was past six. Our plan was to get to the village of Buzhakan in Kotayk province of Armenia, set up our tent in forests to stay overnight and then early in the morning hike the Teghenis mountain (2851m). So after loading our backpacks, sleeping bags, water cans and food into the car, we (me, my friends Hrahat and Armen, and Armen’s dad) left the town and drove about 40km to Northeast towards the village of Buzhakan, located on a beautiful spot at the foot of the mountains. We drove through the village a bit further and soon found a good camping spot in the nearby forests under oak trees.
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14 Jul 2011
by The Harebeat
in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tags: architecture, Islam, Islamic architecture, Jamek Mosque, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Masjid Jamek, Moorish, photo, photography, religion, travel, travel photo, travel stories
Located at the convergence of Klang and Gombak Rivers, Masjid Jamek is acclaimed to be the oldest mosque of Kuala Lumpur.. And of course I wouldn’t forgive myself for missing it.. Not because it’s a famous touristic spot, but because I prefer to learn the history of places through their churches and temples, which play an important role in the life of any community.. From the hostel in KL’s China Town, where I was staying I decided to take a long walk to the mosque under the burning Malay sun! And as I suffer from “topographical cretinism” (as the Russians say) in big cities, I got lost, even though I had a map with me.. Luckily, with the help of the locals I made my way to the mosque, where an old man with a long white beard greeted me..
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11 Jun 2011
by The Harebeat
in Aragatsotn region, Armenia
Tags: architecture, Armenia, Armenian architecture, art, Ashtarak, christianity, church, history, Karmravor, legends, Spitakavor, travel, travel stories, Tsiranavor
In the town of Ashtarak, where I live now in Armenia, there aren’t many interesting places to explore.. But the town has some beautiful churches.. The four churches I am going to tell about below are related to each other in a story of tragic love.. That’s the town’s most famous legend – The Legend of Three Sisters..
According to the legend, three sisters lived in Ashtarak, all of whom fell in love with the same man, prince Sargis..The two elder sisters decided to commit suicide in favor of the youngest.. The threw themselves into the gorge of Kasakh river.. When the youngest sister found out what her sisters have done, she also committed suicide.. The prince, after knowing that three innocent girls died because of him, became a hermit.. And on the edge of the gorge, on the spots from where the three sisters threw themselves into the gorge, three churches were built, named after the sisters’ dress colors..
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11 Apr 2011
by The Harebeat
in Lviv, Ukraine
Tags: cemetery, death, graves, loneliness, Lviv, Lychakiv cemetery, memorial, museum, photography, tombstone, travel, Ukraine
Do you like cemeteries? I know it’s a strange question to ask, and yet… do you like cemeteries? I do! For me, it’s a place where I can wander alone in seclucion and think about life and death.. I always try not to disturb dead ones, but, you know, sometimes looking at the photograph of the departed one, I get this feeling I wanna to talk to him.. And we talk.. One of the oldest cemeteries of present day’s Ukraine is the Lychakiv Cemetery, a famous and historic cemetery in Lviv, which since its creation in 1787 has been the main necropolis of the city’s intelligentsia, middle and upper classes..
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14 Mar 2011
by The Harebeat
in Mountain Province, Philippines
Tags: Baguio, burial customs, burial traditions, carabao, coffins, Cordillera, echo valley, hanging coffins, history, Mountain province, mountains, Philippines, police, river, Sagada, soul, spirits, St. Louis, valley
SECOND PART
read the first part here:
Sagada: Echo Valley & Hanging Coffins, First Part
It’s not hard to guess why the Echo Valley is called so.. Many tourists come here and standing on some cliff they shout out loud to hear the echo.. I personally find it very rude! What would you think of a person shouting at cemetery for his own pleasure, to enjoy the echo?! While for most of the tourists Echo Valley is a place where they can have fun, for locals it is a sacred site where they used to “bury” their ancestors..
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