The Armenian sleds or the hospitality downhill

Today was a hitch-hiking day, those one that I love because they always end unexpectedly.

Today I began on Yerevan, my road was going south, getting closer to Iran. Did not have a clue on where I was going to stop, generally I just decide before the night falls.

So, one car with really good people picked me and told me that they were going to a town I wanted to reach: Goris. But, they said, that place would be really cold and full of snow. The place that they advised me to stay in was also full of snow..

After a couple of hours of frozen road, great mountains and trucks that slid off the path we reached the town. It was small, like everywhere on Armenia. I stepped out the car, waiting for the blizzard that was going to cut me in two pieces.. But that white demon never showed up, the place was not so cold.

Time to find where to sleep, I walked on the main street, there were only a couple of dwellers around. Soon I stumbled upon a group of children (the eldest was fourteen maximum), two of them had home-made sleds. As soon as I greeted them they invited me to play with them.

In that moment I did not know that the hospitality was downhill. But I did know that is mandatory to follow this fate signals. I ran with them uphill, I put my backpack on the snow and was commanded by one of the children. I was the passenger, as always I am.

There I was, sliding downhill with this little kid in his sled. If the day was not so cold it was because we were supposed to play. We slid down and run uphill, again and again. There were five of them, three boys and two girls. I asked to one of the girls about a place to put my tent, the girl was speaking enough Russian to understand my Neolithic-like version of the Slavic language.

We slid down once more, this time with my backpack. The translator stopped at a door and went upstairs, it took her two minutes to come back with a key. She opened a door on a bakery next to the stairs and all the children took me inside.

We ended up in a comfortable room, they wanted to see my tent so I pitched it on the room (not so necessary but required by the little ones). Here I am, in this beautiful room, my tent is next to me and the little and not-so-steep hill just a few meters from here. I don't know where are the sleds now, I don't know if they are in home or in a dark and cold corner of the backyard. I’m grateful with them, their simple metal structure allowed me to be in a warm place today. I feel good and happy, I just hope they do so.