autopatrolled
4
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
no edit summary
[[File:Photo1515.jpg|thumb|250px| Dadivank monastery.]]
The '''Nagorno-Karabakh''' Republic (NKR; Armenian: Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի Հանրապետություն Lernayin Gharabaghi Hanrapetut’yun), or '''Artsakh''' Republic (Armenian: Արցախի Հանրապետություն Arts'akhi Hanrapetut’yun) is a de facto independent republic located in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of the South Caucasus. It controls most of the territory of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast and several Azerbaijani districts adjacent to the borders of [[Azerbaijan]] with [[Armenia]] to the west and [[Iran]] to the south.
== Personal Experiences ==
"The people are friendly, fiercely hospitable, and perpetually intoxicated. Almost every car that passes will stop, and many drivers will go out of their way to help you reach your destination. You will be offered free food, snacks, and alcohol (and you won't be allowed to refuse!). Nagorno-Karabakh is sparsely populated and there are few cars on the road, especially in the north. After sundown there are no cars on the roads between cities. It is also possible to hitchhike into the abandoned city of Agdam, where military recruits will greet you with enthusiasm. Despite the region's excessive hospitality, waiting times can be long given the sparsity of cars on the road, and drive times (especially in the north) are long due to poor road conditions. I hitchhiked all of Armenia and Karabakh, entering the territory from the south, passing through Stepanakert and Agdam, and exiting through the north to Vardenis. I absolutely recommend hitchhiking in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, however, pack a tent or arrange accommodations, as the northern stretch of Karabakh is almost devoid of settlements." - [[User:vmpfc1|vmpfc1]]
" When I arrived I was suprised that I need a visa but finally it was very easy. You have to just fill some papers, pay 3000 AMD(6 euros) and that´s it. In papers you should write where you´re staying, but don´t worry I wrote there just "camping" and no one cares. Karabakh is really nice country. It´s similar to Armenia but it´s more in mountains and country is a litlle bit poorer. Locals are very hospitable and nice. Roads are not very good but almost everyone takes you. In Soushi you can find 2 empty mosques and one of them has open minaret so you can climb up and there is fucking nice view, let´s check it!" (Král všech moří, Semptember 2016)
I recently travelled to Karabakh, in May 2017. As a solo female traveller, who has hitch hiked alone in quite a few countries, it was the first time I felt afraid at times. Many times men touched my leg, and/or asked for sex. While I was hiking along the Janapar trail a man invited me to his home for lunch with his family. I have experienced this type of hospitality in Central Asia, and I never had any problems, so I happily accepted his invitation.
Afterwards he followed me, wanting to walk with me to the next village. He wanted to have sex with me so I went back into the village, and hitch hiked instead.
I had another similar experience in southern Armenia, so afterwards I accepted invitations from women only.
I also met many kind, friendly people, so overall, it was good, but sometimes it was difficult.
I heard from another solo, female traveller that she had similar problems, so I decided to post my experiences, because I think its important to just be aware and cautious. Generally, i had more problems in the more isolated places, often with Sheppards.
[[Category:Asia]]
{{IsIn|Asia}}
