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Mountain Forest Turning Yellow
Georgia & Armenia |
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The "Golden Autumn" of Oct 2025
The Mountain Forests of
Georgia & Armenia |
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| Azerbaijan - "Land of Fire" |
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| Georgia - "Home to Mountain Villages" |
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| Armenia - "Home to Ancient Monasteries" |
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| Map of Central Asia |
It is interesting to note that Central Asia has 6 countries having their country names end in "stan" ie Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan & Uzbekistan and another nearby country called Pakistan but I am not doing any "stunt or stan" on this 24 day free & easy trip as the three countries in Caucasus region I intend to visit (near to Türkiye, Iran & Central Asia) have no "stan" but called Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia - all were ex-Soviet states of Joseph Stalin years ! I had in the past visited 2 "stan" in Central Asia ie Kazakhstan & Kyrgyzstan (May 2015) via an overland border crossing "solo stunt" from Urumqi, Xinjiang, China ! Other nearby countries bordering Central Asia & Caucasus I visited again in solo in recent years were Syria, Jordan, Türkiye & Egypt (2008) and Iran, UAE & Oman (2018).
Beyond the Borneo rainforest & orang utan in my home country, Malaysia in South East Asia, the mesmerize Georgia & Armenia in Caucasus near Central Asia offer stunning mountain forest scenery for your holiday stay during the Autumn fall season in Caucasus Mountain villages & a great place for travellers to reminiscent & roam the centuries-old monasteries (a number of them are UNESCO World Heritage sites) & providing you a glimpse into life in past eras like taking you through a time tunnel ! Azerbaijan, a Land of Flames or "Land of Fire" is a fascinating country with abundant gas & oil reserves which led to its historical role as a center for fire-worshipping particularly Zoroastrianism (I am learning a new word) with ancient fire temples & natural eternal flames like Yanar Dag that have burned for centuries !
Autumn is calling, the mountain landscape, forests & parks have transformed into a vivid display of yellow maple leaves colour & very eye catching; cool & pleasant weather during the day (average 12c) & cold at night (3c > - 4 c, especially in the mountainous regions of Georgia & Armenia) greeting first time visitor like me & my group; using a self drive rental car (a Toyota Camry criss-crossing the various cities & towns in Georgia & Armenia), my travel buddy, KF Wong had to perform a herculean task as he was the sole driver (praying hard that no power nap for him while driving on any of the days, when the going gets tough, the tough get going !) & me as a navigator (trying to keep awake at all times !) for our group of 4 striving to manoeuvre & take on the various challenges (albeit some hiccups along the way, minor incidents causing slight damage to the car which needed minor repairs ie lower portion & front bumper of the car by car repair workshops operating in country towns along the way), driving some of the Armenian treacherous roads (sharp bends & twists, road surfaces with potholes, falling rocks on the roadsides, muddy pools of water, narrow / slippery / winding / uneven & undulating hilly roads) & rugged mountainous roads (but some of their expressways & main trunk roads were well tarred & maintained), this stretch of Armenian mountainous roads too have a number of dimly lit Soviet era tunnels to drive through, also a huge challenge finding parking (merry go round !) in big cities of Batumi & Yerevan Old Town where our guest houses are located; driving all the way starting from Tbilisi, Georgia > Alaverdi, Armenia (2 border crossings between Georgia & Armenia) passing a number of country towns (Sighanaghi, Stepantsminda, Gori, Chiatura, Kutaisi, Mestia, Zugdidi, Batumi, Vardzia, Borjomi, Akhaltsikhe - all in Georgia & crossing over to Armenia to visit Gyumri, Yerevan, Dilijan & Alaverdia - a total of 15 cities / towns) over a 16 days in these two beautiful Caucasus countries, it was our passions in travelling (aged mid 60s > mid 70s) that gave us the drive, energy, mental, physical & spiritual strength in taking on this "rock & roll" overland border crossing trip starting from Azerbaijan > Georgia > Armenia & returning to Tbilisi, Georgia before flying home ! As senior citizens, everyone of us strive to live long & live well thus able to travel well & travel far !
Staying in guest houses & enjoying the delicious Armenia breakfast & dinner, pampering ourselves making our own cooked steamed rice with Armenian smoked fish & smoked sausages, chicken thighs cooked with curry powder, pan-fried chicken nuggets (a big thank you to my travel buddy, Kam Ying who occasionally volunteered to cook for our group), red bean soup & a taste of local persimmons, apples, grapes & making ABC soup using fresh vegetables ie carrots, tomatoes, big onions, capsicums, cucumber, lettuce etc cooked in our own style !
Now that I had done the Caucasus trip, I am pleased to post some of of the good, the bad & the ugly pictures (some pictures were taken from the front seat of a moving rental car, so my hands might be shaking or off balance or lack of focus) which I had taken during the the trip (great memories for me in the years ahead !) & last but not the least - my grandpa story on this "non-stan" Caucasus Autumn Delight visit & I hope you too one day could take on this trip to fulfil your dream of seeing all of the countries in Central Asia humming John Denver's moving song, Country Roads Take Me Home to the Georgian & Armenian mountain villages where the people belong ..... Country Roads, Take Me Home to the place I belong (I yearn to see) ..... West Georgia mountain mama take me home, country roads ..... ! Happy travelling !
My travel buddies: KF Wong (Team Leader), Kuan Chen & spouse Kam Ying.
Counting the cost - total expenses incurred (24 days): Rm 5,622 + Rm335 + Rm669 + Rm293 = Rm6,919 (US$1,628) per pax (group of 4). Exchange rate: US$1 = Rm4.25.
- Cost Breakdown (Pre-booked Expenses + Ground Transport prior to the flight (ie Airfares, Hotels, Car Rental, International Driving Licence, Grocery & Grab etc): Rm5,622 (US$1,323) per pax.
- Airfares: Kuala Lumpur > Baku & Tbilisi > Kuala Lumpur = @Rm2,892
- Visa fee (Azerbaijan & Armenia): @Rm128 + @Rm34
- Travel Insurance: @Rm230
- Hotels (24 nights):@Rm1,163
- International Driving License (Rm150 per year): @Rm37.50 (cost sharing of 4)
- Car Rental + Full Insurance + Unlimited Mileage (16 days in Georgia & Armenia): US$968 (Rm4,162 @ Rm1,041, cost sharing of 4)
- Grocery (KL): @Rm50
- Grab Kota Damansara > KLIA1: @Rm36 (cost sharing of 2)
- Skybus KLIA1 > KL Sentral: @Rm10 (Senior)
- Cost Breakdown, Azerbaijan (mainly car hire in Baku, petrol, bus ride, entrance fee, food etc), 5 nights stay, cost sharing of 4: Rm335 (US$88) per pax (covering visits to Baku, Sheki & Azerbaijan / Georgia border). Exchange rate: 1 AZN (Manat) = Rm2.60.
- Pre-booked Taxi Baku Airport Pick-Up: US$30 = Rm128 (@Rm32)
- Sim Card: 45AZN (Rm117 @Rm29)
- Car Rental + Petrol + Excess Insurance (1 day in Baku, Azerbaijan): 55AZN + 30AZN + US$10 (Rm264 @Rm66)
- Long Distance Bus (Baku > Sheki): @13.40AZN (@Rm35)
- Entrance Fee (Temple of The Flame & Yanardag: 9AZN x 2 = 18AZN (@Rm47)
- Local Guide (Mud Volcano): AZN50 (Rm130 @Rm32)
- Bus / Metro Card (Bakukart): @5AZN (@Rm13)
- Bolt Cab: 15 + 5 AZN = 20 AZN (Rm52 @Rm13)
- Food & Grocery: 23 + 5.30AZN (@7.10AZN = @Rm19) + @Rm16 + @Rm1.30 = @Rm36
- Taxi Hire (Sheki > Azerbaijan border): 47AZN @12AZN (@Rm32)
- Cost Breakdown, Georgia (mainly taxi hire, accident claim, petrol, food, entrance fee etc), 10 nights stay, cost sharing of 4: Rm669 (US$157) per pax (covering visits to Sighnaghi, Tbilisi, Stepantsminda, Gori, Chiatura, Kutaisi, Mestia, Zugdidi, Batumi, Vardzia, Borjomi, Akhaltsikhe, Georgian / Armenia border. Exchange rate: 1Gel = Rm1.60
- Pre-booked taxi: 80lari @20lari, (Georgian border > Sighnaghi) + 150lari @37.50lari Sighnaghi > Tbilisi, Georgia) = 230lari (Rm368 @Rm92)
- Metro Card: 18 + 10 lari (Rm45 (@Rm11)
- Bolt Cab (Mother Georgia > Hotel): 12 lari (Rm19 @Rm5)
- Carrefour Grocery: 25 + 38 lari = 63 lari (Rm101 @Rm25)
- Sim Card (30 days): 37lari (Rm59 @Rm15)
- Car Accident Compensation: @US$37 (@Rm157)
- Food: @2.50 + @6 lari + @15 lari + @17 lari + @15 lari + @4 lari = @60lari @Rm96
- Entrance fee (Stalin Museum): 15lari (@Rm24)
- Petrol: 127.14 lari + 60 + 58.80 + 96 + 114 lari = 456 lari (Rm729 @Rm182)
- Toilet: @5 lari (@Rm8)
- Car Repair (engine cover): 50lari @12.50lari (@Rm20)
- Car Insurance (Armenian border): 40lari (Rm64 @Rm16)
- Bolt Cab (Hotel Apartment > Tbilisi Airport): 44 lari @11 lari (@Rm18)
- Cost Breakdown Armenia (mainly petrol, entrance fees, food, car repairs etc), 6 nights stay, cost sharing of 4: Rm293 (US$69) per pax (covering visits to Gyumri, Yerevan, Noravank Canyon, Dilijan, Alaverti & Armenia / Georgian border. Exchange rate: 1,000 Armenian Dram = Rm11.10
- Petrol: 10,380AMD + 20,000 + 7,900 = 38,280 @9,570 (@Rm106.20)
- Sim Card: 1,800AMD @450AMD (@Rm5)
- Food & Grocery: 3,605AMD + 2,797 = 6402 AMD @1600 AMD (@ Rm18)
- Armenian Dinner (Green Garden B/B): US10 (Rm42.50)
- Entrance fee (Garni Temple & Areni-1 Cave: @1,500 AMD + @1,000AMD (2,500AMD @Rm18)
- Smoked Fish: @250AMD + @1,200AMD (@Rm16)
- Parking Fee & Toilet: 400AMD + 700 + 400AMD = 1,500AMD (@375AMD (@Rm4)
- Car Repair: 30,000AMD @7,500AMD (@Rm83)
Currency Exchange: 1 AZN (Azerbaijan Manat) = Rm2.60; 1 Georgian Lari (GEL) = Rm1.60; 100 Armenian Dram = Rm1.11; US$1 = Rm4.25
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| Azerbaijan AZN (Manat) |
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| Georgian GEL (Lari) |
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| Armenian Dram (AMD) |
Travel itinerary (24 days, 18 cities / towns): Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia > Baku (Azerbaijan) > Sheki > Sighnaghi (Georgia) > Tbilisi > Stephantsminda > Gori > Chiatura > Kutaisi > Mestia > Zugdidi > Batumi > Vardzia > Borjomi > Akhaltsikhe > Gyumri (Armenia) > Yerevan > Dilijan > Alaverdi > Tbilisi (Georgia) > Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (overland mileage approx 2,730km).
E-Visa required for Malaysians entering Azerbaijan (US$30) & Armenia (US$8) but visa exempt for Georgia.
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Baku > Sheki > Balakan
Azerbaijan Border (approx 393km) |
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Balakan / Lagodekhi (Georgian Border)
Sighnaghi >> Tbilisi, Georgia
(approx. 177km) |
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Tbilisi > Stephantsminda > Gori >
Chiatura > Kutaisi, Georgia
(approx 520km) |
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Kutaisi > Mestia > Zugdidi > Batumi
Georgia (approx 488km) |
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Barumi > Vardzia > Borjomi >
Akhaltsikhe, Georgia (appox 383km) |
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Akhaltsikhe > Ninotsminda / Bavra
(Armenian Border) > Gyumri, Armenia
(approx 162km) |
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Gyumri > Yerevan > Noravank Monastery
> Dilijan, Armenia (approx 404km) |
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Dilijan > Alaverdi >
Bagratashen > Sadkhlo
(Georgian Border) >
Tbilisi (approx 203km) |
Land Border Crossing No 1 (Azerbaijan > Georgia) via Balakan-Lagodekhi
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Azerbaijan > Georgia Border Crossing
via Balakan-Lagodekhi |
Land Border Crossing No 2 (Georgia > Armenia) via Ninotsminda / Bavra
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Georgia > Armenia Border Crossing
via Ninotsminda / Bavra
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Land Border Crossing No 3 (Armenia > Georgia) via Bagratashen / Sadkhlo
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Armenia > Georgia Border Crossing
via Bagratashen / Sadkhlo |
Travel Highlights:
Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic is bounded by the Caspian Sea & Caucasus Mountains which spans Asia & Europe; its capital, Baku is famed for its medieval walled inner city; within the inner city lies the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, a royal retreat dating to the 15th century and the centuries-old stone Maidan Tower which dominates the city skyline "
Georgia, a country at the intersection of Europe & Asia is a former Soviet republic that's home to Caucasus Mountain villages & Black Sea beaches, it's famous for Vardzia, a sprawling cave monastery dating to the 12th century & the ancient wine-growing region of Kakheti; the capital, Tbilisi is known for the diverse architecture & maze-like, cobblestone streets of its old town.
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian highlands of West Asia; it is a part of the Caucasus region & is bordered by Türkiye to the West, Georgia to the north & Azerbaijan in the east, and Iran & the Azerbaijan enclave of Nakhchivan to the south "
1) Baku, Azerbaijan
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| Mud Volcanoes, Azerbaijan |
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| Ateshgah of Baku, Azsrbaijan |
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| Yanardag, Azerbaijan |
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| Flame Towers, Baku, Azerbaijan |
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| Park Bulvar Mall, Baku, Azerbaijan |
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| Mini Venice, Baku, Azerbaijan |
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Maiden Tower, Baku
Azerbaijan |
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Baku Fortress Wall
Baku, Azerbaijan |
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| Azerbaijan Carpet Museum, Baku |
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| Baku Boulevard, Azerbaijan |
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| Highland Park, Baku, Azerbaijan |
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| Martyr's Lane, Baku, Azerbaijan |
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| Nizami Street, Baku, Azerbaijan |
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| Fountain Square, Baku, Azerbaijan |
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| Heydar Aliyer Centre, Baku, Azerbaijan |
2) Sheki, Azerbaijan
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Sheki Fortress (UNESCO)
Sheki, Azerbaijan |
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Circular Albanian Temple
Sheki, Azerbaijan |
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| Khan Mosque, Sheki, Azerbaijan |
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Winter Palace, House of Sheki Khans
Sheki, Azsrbaijan |
3) Sighnaghi, Azerbaijan
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| Sighnaghi Wall, Georgia |
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| Sighnaghi Fortress, Georgia |
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| St George Church, Sighnaghi, Georgia |
4) Tbilisi, Georgia
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| The Chronicle, Tbilisi, Georgia |
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| Median Bazar, Tbilisi, Georgia |
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Metekhi Church of the Nativity of
The Mother of God. Tbilisi, Georgia |
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| Old Tbilisi, Georgia |
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| Clock Tower, Tbilisi, Georgia |
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| Sulphur Public Bath House, Tbilisi, Georgia |
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Holy Trinity Cathedral
of Tbilisi, Georgia |
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| Narikata Fortress, Tbilisi, Georgia |
5) Stepantsminda, Georgia
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| Mt Kazbek, Stepantsminda, Georgia |
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Gergeti Trinity Church
Stepantsminda, Georgia |
6) Gori, Georgia
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State Museum of Joseph Stalin
Gori, Georgia |
7) Chiatura, Georgia
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| Cable Car Ride, Chiatura Georgia |
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The Monk's Monastery of
Katski Pillar, Chiatura, Georgia |
8) Kutaisi, Georgia
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| Kutaisi Central Square, Georgia |
9) Mestia, Georgia
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Scenic Mountain Forest
Mestia, Georgia |
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| Svan Towers, Mestia, Georgia |
10) Zugdidi, Georgia
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Dadiani Plalace Complex
Zugdidi, Georgia |
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| Botanical Garden, Zugdidi, Georgia |
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| Farmer Market, Zugdidi, Georgia |
11) Batumi, Georgia
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| Ali & Nino, Batumi, Georgia |
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| Europe Square, Batumi, Georgia |
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| Piazza Square by Night, Batumi, Georgia |
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| Batumi Boulevard, Georgia |
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Alphabetical Tower
Batumi, Georgia |
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| The Octopus, Batumi, Georgia |
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Casino Iveria by Night
Batumi, Georgia |
12) Vardzia, Georgia
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| Caves Complex, Vardzia, Georgia |
13) Akhaltsikhe, Georgia
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| Akhaltsikhe Castle, Georgia |
14) Borjomi, Georgia
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| Borjomi Historical Park, Georgia |
15) Gyumri, Armenia
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| Black Fortress, Gyumri, Armenia |
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| Iron Fountain, Gyumri, Armenia |
16) Yerevan, Armenia
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Mother Armenia Monument
Yerevan, Armenia |
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| Mount Ararat, Armenia |
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| Symphony of Stones, Armenia |
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| Garni Temple (UNESCO), Armenia |
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Geghard Monastery (UNESCO)
Armenia
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17) Dilijan, Armenia
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| Parz Lake, Dilijan, Armenia |
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| Old Dilijian, Armenia |
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Dilijan Local Lore Museum &
Art Gallery, Armenia |
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Haghpat Moiastery (UMESCO)
Dilijan, Armenia
|
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Sanahin Monastery (UNESCO)
Lori, Armenia |
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| Haghartsin Monastery, Dilijan, Armenia |
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| Goshavamk Monastery, Dilijan, Armenia |
18) Alaverdi, Armenia
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| Alaverdi Mountain Landscape, Armenia |
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Bagralashen Sadakhlo Border Crossing
Armenia > Georgia
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The Soviet Era - One for the Album - A glorious & chequered past ! The Stalin days & the new "stan" & "non-stan" countries in the making in Caucasus Region & Central Asia !
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State Museum of Joseph Stalin
Gori, Georgia |
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Monument of 300 Aragvians
Soviet Era, Zhinvali, Georgia |
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| Soviet Era Mountain Tunnel, Georgia |
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Russia - Georgia Friendship Monument
Georgian Military Highway |
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| Soviet Era Truck & Car, Georgia |
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The Historic Centre of Sheki
& The Khan's Palace, Azerbaijan |
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Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape
Azerbaijan |
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Haghpat Monastery
Lori, Armenia |
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| Sanahin Monastery, Lori, Armenia |
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| Geghard Monastery, Armenia |
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| Garni Temple, Armenia |
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