Expensive Armenian License Plates

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Here are some pictures of unusual license plates. These plates are different and their owners had to pay big sums for the privilege. Of course, plates with repeating digits signify someone with significantly more connections, whether in the criminal underworld or some other place of high power.

And back in the United States, our idea of individuality is to write Armenian words in English, such as HAMOVIK.

Picture by Arthur Papyan

Video: Bribing Policemen

I'm all for these types of experiments, especially if it's for the greater good. Sometimes, however, every attempt to get pulled over just doesn't seem to work!

If you've ever considered driving in Yerevan or wondered how bribes are given, have a look.

Source: Armenian Observer Blog

Khachatur Sukiasyan's Rolls-Royce

(click for bigger version)

Don't recognize the name? Maybe you know him better as Grzo, one of Armenia's richest men. Refresh your memory by consulting our List of Armenia's Richest Men published previously.

The car pictured is a Rolls-Royce Phantom and it retails for about $330,000. While the few Armenians lucky enough to own a car must drive Ladas, arguably the worst car ever made, the elite few drive around in expensive exports, due to their exploits and mostly illegal and criminal "business" practices. Ah, capitalism!

Image Source

Armenian Hummers...Powered by Natural Gas!

I don't normally report on rumors and "he says, she says" sorts of things, but this is a funny one: at least one Armenian Hummer owner has converted his car to natural gas, as it's cheaper than gasoline! Why is this funny? Well...

1) Hummers are expensive: an H2 Hummer costs around $50,000 in the United States, probably more in Armenia.
2) Hummer are inefficient: they burn a lot of fuel, because they're very heavy.
3) Most people hate them, as they are dangerous to others, both cars and pedestrians, and pollute much more.

Now, none of the above is entirely funny, but combine them, if you will: purchasing an expensive, big, heavy, and inefficient car, shipping it to Armenia, causing terror on the streets of Yerevan while displaying your wealth...and having to convert it to natural gas for it to be lighter on your wallet!

Okay, if that isn't entirely great - and to be honest, it isn't that funny after all - rumor also has it that the owners fill their cars up at night so no one sees! Ah, I love Armenia's many contradictions.

Source: ArmenianOdar

Journalist's Car Burned

It's hard to keep track of the cars that get burned. Should I start a tally on the blog?

On February 8, at about 8:00 p.m., unknown people burnt the car "Nissan-Jeep" belonging to Ara Saghatelyan, owner of Panorama.am and "My Right" newspaper.

...he was the first to see the burning car and saw nobody on the site. He has received no threats over the passing days.

Mr. Saghatelyan suspects no one and he will give names only after the investigation.

Armenia has to graduate from this phase of illegal democracy before it can truly prosper.

Source: A1+

Armenia: World Leader in Natural Gas Vehicles

Armenians have always been ready to adapt to new technology as they require it - and this is no different.

The transport ministry estimates that between 20 and 30 percent of vehicles in Armenia run on gas. That compares to just over 3 percent in the Netherlands, a front-runner in natural gas-powered transport, according to the World LP Gas Association.

In landlocked Armenia, it is not concerns over climate change or global warming that are driving growth in natural gas-powered vehicles. Instead, it is harsh necessity - and an unresolved war with Azerbaijan, its neighbor to the east.

"Petrol is getting more expensive," said Transport and Communications Minister Andranik Manukian. "(Natural) gas ... has not gone up by that much so it is preferable to use it."

Back in the late 1980s, my father had his Niva converted to natural gas. The car worked as normal, except it had one enormous red bottle - or more like a barrel - where the trunk space should have been. Oh, and it almost usually had a faint gas smell coming from it. Of course, gas doesn't smell, but an aroma is added so you could smell if you were in trouble and get out. Needless to say, that smell didn't matter then and it doens't matter now, even despite the fact that a majority of Armenians smoke regularly. However, I've heard - and they may just be urban legends - of some buses on natural gas exploding into flames in Yerevan and injuring or possibly even killing people nearby.

I encourage you to read the full article linked below.

Source: Topix