It’s been a wonderful 10 days in Yerevan and Armenia filled with unthinkable surprises, fantastical landscapes, hospitable and curious people, encounters with other travellers that I now call my friends, misadventures on marshrutkas, finding random restaurants/cafes/bars/clubs of which the city has no shortage.

I knew little of Armenia before crossing its borders and still feel that I’ve only scratched the surface (like most places I’ve been to, in fact). I’ve been tempted to stay at least to the full term of my 21-day tourist visa, but ultimately, the travel show must go on…

Yes, it’s been superlatively wonderful; days so full of life I couldn’t have imagined when I started travelling four and a half months ago and certainly not when I was processing paperwork in the office even longer ago!

Now, in what is probably my last full day in Yerevan, I relax at an outdoor cafe (it’s a pleasant 28 degrees Celsius with a light breeze) listening to a beautiful singer covering English and Russian pop songs after going on a city-wide quest to buy new shoes! And now, after thinking about the last 10 days or so, I think about the upcoming week: Yerevan – Tbilisi – Belgrade – Kotor … I’m excited!