From here the Traveler opts to take a break from hiking and hop on a minivan to the nearby city of Ashkarat. Here, down from the sleepy main street, the ground suddenly disappears and there's an impressive canyon running right through the city. The Traveler can't pass up the opportunity to climb to the bottom and take a swim in the refreshingly cool stream below.

It's a beautiful moment ... immersing himself in water in an intriguing place, an isolated canyon in the middle of a city that he'd never heard of before this day. Somehow, water immersion takes "discovering a new place" to a new level.

I'll have to do this more often, he tells himself

He continues on down the gorge, hoping to find a way out. Sure enough, there's an ancient bridge that looks like it could be from way back in Roman times, and beyond a tiny chapel/shrine high up on a hilltop. He figures that a tour of Ashkarat wouldn't be complete without a mini-pilgrimage to the top.

Actually, Ashkarat has a whole bunch of ancient church compounds... small historical churches surrounded by a garden or courtyard, each a little different, but with the distinct Armenian style.