Adventures with a Broken Car

Orbelian Caravanserai on the Selim Mountain Pass (Vardenyats Pass), Armenia – showing our little red car

OK, here’s the continuation of the story of how we made it back to Yerevan from the “Hills Have Eyes Hotel” Park Khoren (near Noravank) with a blasted broken car.

The fastest and most direct way back to Yerevan from Park Khoren was using the route we came from. It’d be 112km and take about 2 hours (but what’s the adventure in that??).

Alternatively, we could take the route going north to the shores of Lake Sevan and then back to the capital. It’ll pass thru a mountain pass to reach Lake Sevan, go along the shores of the lake to the town of Sevan (where we can make a stop at the lakeside monastery Sevanavank), and then head back (which definitely sounds more exciting). That’d be about 218km (according to Google Maps) and take 3.5 hours.

Knowing full well of the series of unfortunate incidents that had already happened in the morning of that fateful day, i.e. 1. We couldn’t bloody start the car for some reason unknown to us (at that time); 2. Jayden could’ve drowned falling into Lake Khoren; 3. We had to friggin break the lock of our brand new travel bag, we decided to proceed ahead with the more ‘exciting’ route. Car fault or no! Yes, we’re insane.


Little red car, at Park Khoren

And so we bid adieu to the old housekeeper of Park Khoren (who helped us push start our car) and went our way towards the Selim Mountain Pass. We drove past Arpi and Getap and had stopped near Shatin to fill our water bottles from one of the many free flowing Armenian drinking fountains, when I got a phone call! “…Huh? Someone calling me from Armenia?” Turned out to be the proprietor of Park Khoren who asked us where the keys to the cabin was. Shit, I was carrying it in my pocket to return it to the old man, but due to all those problems, I COMPLETELY FRIGGIN FORGOT!

We headed back. Yup, we’re responsible tourists who do not run away with hotel keys. Park Khoren also sent a vehicle out to look for us heading our way. We were almost there, I think near Arpi, when I noticed a car honking repeatedly at us from the rear. We stopped, and there, was the old man of Park Khoren. Sorry and thank you, that’s your keys back.

Made a U-turn and headed back for the Selim Mountain Pass…


Selim Mountain Pass / Vardenyats Pass, looking south, just north of the Vayots Dzor border


Selim Mountain Pass from the 14th century Caravanserai


The kids and the Orbelian / Selim Caravanserai


Inside the eerie Caravanserai… As is evident in its name, it was built as a halfway stop for travellers. Caravanserais were halfway stops common all over the Silk Route and Mongol-Islamic Khanates & Kingdoms in the Middle Ages


Hey Honey, where are you going? – Selim / Vardenyats Mountain Pass

Oops, the car couldn’t start. (So it’s definitely not the car lights, as the battery would have recharged by then after all that driving. Must be the blasted alternator). Luckily yours truly was smart enough to park it near a slope. A little push and there it goes. What the heck, let’s get on with the trip.


We reached Lake Sevan! Left the car engines on, but it stalled by itself. Luckily we were on a slope. Getting worried now.

Drats! It stalled again, halfway to Sevanavank, this time in a friggin dip in a rutted part of the road. How do I friggin push start it? Luckily, I got a missus who ain’t shy about asking for help. Some helpful passersby helped us push start and we reached Sevanavank! I parked the car on a parking lot with the front facing a downward slope, hehe!


The shores of Lake Sevan, Sevanavank – “Hey Jayden, we’re not here to play on the water! You forgot you already took a dip in a lake this morning??”


“Hey! Careful OK?” - Sevanavank, Armenia


Lake Sevan, Armenia – from Sevanavank


Let’s go! We’ve got 80km to make it back to Yerevan. Let’s hope everything goes well.

We successfully rolled our way down the slope to start the car, but on the journey back, we realized that every tiny little electrical thing that we used, horn, indicator, air-friggin-conditioner, slowed the engine down to the point of stalling! We switched everything off (luckily it wasn’t night yet!), including the AC! We reached Yerevan (yes!) but stalled twice in the city, in rush hour. The last stalling was near our hotel when I wanted to turn into a side road. I had to come down in the middle of a traffic jam and push the car (our car was friggin obstructing traffic on the back and front) amidst honks, across a major road. Luckily the side road had a slight slope downwards. That was the last straw. I found a parking spot, called the car rental company (Peнtmotopc) and told them I couldn’t get the car going any further and asked them to come and collect it (our rental was till the next morning, but since we were leaving Armenia for Georgia by cab on the next day, we didn’t need it the next morning anyway). (I had informed them of the fault in the morning before we started, so they knew the problem). (They checked the car and agreed to waive the cleaning and extra fees, etc…) And that was how we made it back to Yerevan with a blasted broken car!

Peнtmotopc is how you write it in Russian. Guess the name of Peнtmotopc in English. (P=R, H=N, C=S).

…Yup, Rentmotors!


We made it! Top of the hill, Sevanavank, Sevan, Armenia