2025-2026 Central Asia Adventure – Yerevan Armenia
Today’s Huntington’s Disease report is about Juvenile Huntington’s Disease. Juvenile Huntington’s disease (JHD) is a rare and aggressive form of HD that begins before age 20, typically in childhood or adolescence. It accounts for 5-10% of all HD cases and differs from adult-onset HD in its faster progression and symptom profile. It’s caused by the same genetic mutation on Chromosome 4 but with a much higher number of CAG repeats, leading to earlier and more severe neuron damage in the brain. Symptoms emerge rapidly, with an much shorter lifespan. Given how horrible HD is, JHD is even more tragic.
Hello from Yerevan, the eleventh stop on the trip. I though getting here would be a breeze, but of course not!
I packed up, checked out of the hotel and walked down the hill and found the minibus station ticket window. I’m on the 1pm, just under 1 hour from now. It’s cash only and they don’t take Georgian money. I found an ATM nearby, worked out that I could get 15,000 Dram from my Wise card, or $37.50. I paid 1000 Dram for the minibus, equivalent of $2.50 – a bargain for a 2 hour minibus ride, but little did I know. I found a place next door for lunch, got on the Wifi, logged into Wise, transferred a big whack of Euros onto it. Wise doesn’t natively support pre-converting those funds to Dram so I’ll let it convert Euros each time. There’s no support for Azerbaijan currency or any country east of here either, so I’ll let it convert to local each time. We had to go over quite a steep mountain peak, with many switchbacks, in this underpowered minibus. There are roadside huts selling corn, I counted 14 separate corn huts within 3km, wow.
Now the fun starts. Looking at my GPS, at 20 minutes to go to Yerevan, the driver pulls over at what looks like a city bus stop, crosses his arms in an X and makes everybody get off, then drives away. What the living fuck? I was told this minibus would go to Yerevan Central bus station but we’re on the side of the road a long way from the city. Am I supposed to wait for a connecting minibus? Make my own way into the city? A couple of city-bus-looking buses go by, one stops. I poke my head in and ask if it’s going to Yerevan, several people nod, so I got on.
I GPS tracked the bus as it entered the city and worked out if it’s continuing towards my destination hotel. All was looking good – direct shot to downtown – until it swung out on a curve to the east, I hung on, getting closer. Then it took a left turn and I decided to bail at this point. A girl on the bus used hand signs to say the cost is 150 Dram, or 38 cents. When the driver pulled over, I handed him my smallest note 1000 or $2.50. He glared at me and I shrugged my shoulders. He gathered up some coins and I made a point of counting them up to 850 as he got steamier. I said thank you with a big smile and got off the bus.
I followed Google Maps and rolled about 1 km to the address. It turned out to be a big door with a keypad lock/intercom, and again no hotel name sign. I asked the lady running a news/tobacco booth right next to the door if this was Royal Renaysance hotel (yes that’s how it’s spelled), she nodded yes and mimed press number 5. I pressed 5, nothing. I pressed it again, nothing. I decided to ask Google Maps for the hotel name rather than address and it said, oh the hotel is 100 meters away around a corner! Walked there and found the hotel. Thanks lady!
A nice kid called Simbot was working the desk, he was surprised to see me because they were expecting me at 2am! I showed my booking confirmation showing 2pm and he showed his showing 02:00 – 03:00. Booking.com apparently doesn’t understand night vs. day. He scrambled to get my room together, I told him no problem, take your time. He gave me the Wifi and after 10 minutes said I’m going to put you in the private apartment for tonight, then into your booked room tomorrow, I said that’s OK. The apartment is next door on the street and the best hotel room I’ve had on the whole trip. Entry leads to the kitchen, toilet room to the left, bedroom to the right with walk-in shower, 2 overstuffed chairs and a queen size bed. I could get used to this! He said I can keep it if I pay a little more for each night. We agreed to $10/more per night. The city hotel tax is, get this, 2.5 cents for my 3 night stay.
I went across the side street to a grocery store/food court and got drinks and snacks. I dropped them off then walked to the Opera house where Armenia Science Week was underway with booths set up all around the grounds. One man from the university physics department explained how his team was building single photon quantum cryptography, other booths had rocks and bugs and microscopes and hands-on stuff for kids, very cool. I had dinner in a huge outdoor patio area – chicken penne in cream sauce and a small local beer for $9.
The next morning I walked all over the city. Stopped into the small museum of the city with interesting objects and descriptions going way, way back. Stopped at a sidewalk wine bar for a glass of red and rest my aching right hip joint – this is yet another body part going to hell. I booked my minibus back to Tbilisi, there is no other non-air way to get back there.
The next day I walked through a park with a huge craft area. In the evening I was looking to chill out in a local bar so I went to Calumet Ethnic Lounge Bar, met an American called Nigel and Mexican guy called Javier who were doing their own pub crawl, so I joined. We went to Beatles Bar, then the same bar where I had my wine this afternoon, back to Calumet where it was now just jam-packed, to a bar that looked like it used to be a storage area behind a wall, then to a Trumpy-decorated after-hours bar filled with Very Important People. Nigel sat in the wrong chair apparently and nearly got his ass beaten before they threw him out into the street. Well that was fun!
Next stop: Back up to Tbilisi Georgia
