Post
The postal situation has not recovered from the collapse of the Soviet Union. The cost of stamps is a pittance (20-100 AMD), but there is a reason for that: normal post can take months for outward letters to be delivered, and inward post may never be received (RN is still waiting for a letter sent four years ago--he knows it’s in some back room just waiting to surface). The post office is now used mostly to sell collector stamps and distribute pensions and social security to the local population. Some people report good luck at sending postcards from the Central Post Office on Republic Square, others moan in despair. There are options, though, that do work. They are expensive, but also more reliable. General Restrictions: Only written material (letters, books and magazines) and pre-developed photographs may be sent using the document service. Packets of personal belongings and clearly allowable souvenirs can be placed in the "Tovari" service. Customs does run everything through the x-ray before they allow it to leave or enter the country, and has the right to open and examine all contents.

Outward Bound:
Most reliable is Express Mail (EMS), Federal Express or DHL. Express Mail is the cheaper of the three, but all guarantee delivery within 7-14 days. We have had most luck receiving mail unhampered by EMS. All mail is routed through Russia including priority mail and Express Mail. The Russians levy a hefty 35% surcharge on the handling.

DHL Worldwide Express-Armenia:
Agent - Michael Yukhanayev, Director
((374-2) 58-66-88, fax: (374-2) 52-81-583),
6 Demirchian St., Floor 1, Yerevan 3750002 and
1 Charents St., Yerevan 375025 Armenia

Extremely expensive: letters up to 100 grams cost $70 outward bound.

Federal Express:
Agent - Arek Khachatrian
((374-2) 57-46-86, 57-48-59, fax:(374-39) 07155),
1 Charents St., Yerevan 375025 Armenia Just as expensive.

EMS:
((374-2) 58-47-50, 56-74-80),
25 Sarian Street (caticorner from the Ministry of Communications/Armentel building) is open from 9-5 Mon-Fri, and 10-2 on Sat. Our favorite for reliability and more affordable service. Incoming mail can be delivered to your door, and outward is guaranteed against possible loss. Typical cost to mail written materials (includes photos) is $32-35 for up to 100 grams, $50 up to 1 kg to Europe/the USA. Not cheap, but they get it where it’s supposed to go. They have started a door-to-door service. Call them, and they’ll come by your hotel or apartment to collect.

A much cheaper option that takes about the same time as the express companies, is to use mail services at SaberaTours/Sevan Voyages ((374-2) 52-85-48, 52-54-48), 37 Hanrapetoutyan St., Yerevan. They are open from 9-6 Mon-Sat. Only letters, written material, books and developed photographs can be sent through their service. They route mail through Paris via the weekly Yerevan-Paris flight. You need French postage stamps with you (they also sell stamps by order only--takes about a week to receive). Typical cost to North America is FF 8.80 for 100 grams to FF 46 for a one kg. Packet. To Western Europe is costs FF 6.80 to FF 35. To Australasia FF 11 to FF 77, to Asia FF 10.90 to FF 67.

Inward Bound:
Inward mail using EMS cost about $12 for a letter from the USA. Federal Express and DHL cost more. Both DHL and Federal Express charge a fee to receive mail, and frankly, they aren’t worth it after charging so much to get it here in the first place. Express Mail (at your local post office) usually arrives within 7 days, and there is no charge to receive. They have started a free delivery service, so if you know you will be at the address on the packet, they’ll bring it you. You can also collect express mail at the office (be sure you’ll pick it up, as they cannot forward it back to the sender). Priority Mail from outside reaches Armenia in about the same time as Express Mail, but we have had bad luck with packages being open outside our presence before delivery.

SaberaTours /Sevan Voyages
((374-2) 52-85-48, 52-54-48),
37 Hanrapetoutyan St., Yerevan

has mail days for incoming letters o the Paris flight on Mondays (4-6 p.m.), Thursdays (4-6 p.m.) and Saturdays (12-3 p.m.). There is no charge to receive the mail. Figure it will take the time to get from the sender to Paris, and then be put on the next flight.

How to Address: EMS: If you know where you will be at the time it is to arrive, address it normally, and include a local telephone and your name on the label. EMS is willing to act as a poste restante, but they cannot forward mail back if you don’t collect it. Have the packet or letter addressed to

c/o EMS,
Sarian Street 25, Yerevan 375016, Armenia.

Include a contact name and phone number where you might be reached on the label.

SaberaTours/Sevan Voyages:

Address to: Sabera Tours, 19, rue St. Roch, 75001 Paris, France.

In the lower left hand corner of the letter or packet, write "FOR ARMENIA" and your name, and a telephone number (though they do not call you when the mail arrives unless you have made prior arrangement).

Shipping Options
Several companies provide parcel post and shipping services to and from Armenia. If you’re laden down with goodies, check out their prices--it may be cheaper than paying excess baggage.

USA: Jet Line Air Cargo, 307 East Beach Ave., Inglewood, CA 90301, USA
((310) 419-7404, (800)874-1745, fax: (310)419-8957).
Levon Travel, Office in California: 7083 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood CA 90028;
((213) 871-8711, (800) 445-3866, fax: (213) 462-7410, telex: 298842).
Yerevan office: 10 Sayat Nova Blvd., Yerevan 375001, Armenia;
((374-2)525-210, fax:(374-2)151-133, telex: 243398 levon su).

EUROPE: SaberaTours-Sevan Voyages
((33-1) 42-61-51-13, fax: (33-1) 42-61-94-53),
19, rue St. Roch, 75001 Paris, France.

ARMENIA: Gyoud Corporation
((374-2) 22-47-91, fax: (374-2) 22-48-03),
8/1 Gaidar St., Suite 3, Yerevan 375033 Armenia.

Northwest Airlines/KLM
((374-2)525-210, Fax: (374-2) 151-133,
E-mail: klm@arminco.com),
10 Sayat-Nova Street, Yerevan 375001, Armenia;.

Continental (Russian Aeroflot agent)
((374-2)53-38-52, 56-45-82, 58-27-26),
1/3 Abovian Street, Yerevan 375001;.

United Armenian Fund, a California-based agency, frequently flies humanitarian aid from the U.S. to Armenia by U.S. cargo planes. UAF is willing to accept commercial cargo on the return route from Armenia to the U.S. if there is room available on board: For more information contact:

United Armenian Fund
((818)241-8900, fax: (818) 241-6900),
126 South Jackson Street, Suite 205, Glendale, California 91205 USA.

Telephone
Telephone Code to Armenia is (374). For Yerevan add a (2). Unless you use a calling card or callback service, you are at the mercy of the local phone system, which the American embassy declares is "old and unreliable." A direct international connection (called "AT&T" by locals) provides a reliable if expensive option for calls out, but incoming calls are iffy. A new digital service was promised to begin operating in February 1997, but delays has set the date back. Once operating, the system should provide the best communications connection in the region. From hotels you can book a call overseas through the hotel operator, and wait for them to connect with an international operator . They can connect within an hour or so. Sometimes they ask you to wait as long as a day, but that is rare. You pay in drams afterwards, up to 1200 AMD per minute.

Bigger post offices have international telephones. You place your order at the counter, and when the connection is made, go to a designated booth. The cost is more than 1000 AMD per minute.

Armenia does not yet have telephone cards, but they are upgrading the phone system in Central Yerevan, and plan to offer fiber-optic cables and direct International dialing by 1998. Most people who work here use either Armentel’s AT&T connection, or InfoCom’s (a dummy corporation for Armentel) Sprint Service. The service uses dedicated lines to hotels, offices and homes. Typical cost for Europe and the USA is $2.48/minute, about $1.76/minute at night. InfoCom has international telephone services at the central post offices in most towns, and at both Yerevan airports. Those calls are $3/minute, regardless of time used.

Ways to Save: If you have a call-back system, check their rates for Armenia. As long as you can reach their computer, you get a direct line to the States. Several we know of are 30% cheaper than using the systems here. Also, if you have a calling card, you can use their listed number for Armenia to connect with a USA or foreign operator. Sprint, MCI and AT&T are three American phone companies with connecting numbers in Armenia. France Telecom is a European telephone company. They may have off-rates below Armentel’s. Local calls are free from your hotel phone, or at pay phones for 50 AMD for 5 minutes in Yerevan and 100 AMD per 30 seconds to the CIS. You need zhetons to use the public phones, available at post offices and metro stations.

Telegram
Telegrams are easy and cheap way of reaching the outside world. International telegrams can be sent from all post offices and the larger hotels. They usually arrive within 24 hours. English or French messages are no problem as long as they are printed clearly. Sample rates (slow /express service AMD per word) are: Within Armenia 20 AMD/60 AMD; Europe 110 / 220 AMD; Asia 130 / 260 AMD; Africa 142 / 284 AMD; The Americas 142 / 284 AMD; Australia and Oceana 154 / 308 AMD. In-coming telegrams to your hotel or residence works as well.

Telex, Fax
Telex is available at the central post office in Yerevan, Giumri and Vanadzor. Fax service is available at InfoCom regional offices, and at the larger travel agencies. Fax’s are charged by the page. A fax and phone service is available at the Ministry of Communications building on Sarian Street, Ground floor, upper level (53-67-22). They charge 1000 AMD per minute for phone calls to the USA, and for faxes they charge 1500 AMD per page to the USA and Europe, 1800 AMD per page to Africa and Asia. To Russia it is 1,100 AMD per page. Levon Travel charges $7 per page to fax the USA.

The Internet
The Internet has surfaced as the most reliable and cheapest means of communication in Armenia. There are hook-up offices in all major towns, and a newly announced network to be created by the United Nations Development Agency will fully integrate Armenia with the fastest connection available. Normal baud rate is 2400 to 14,400.

ARMINCO
((374-2) 52-63-13, 52-63-26, 28-14-25, fax: (374-2) 28-50-82,
E-mail: postmaster@arminco.com and support@arminco.com),
28 Isahakian St.3rd floor, Yerevan (M: Yeredasardakan), has a public access office in Yerevan, with additional hook-ups around the country. Arminco is the only fully private Internet services provider in Armenia, and works very hard to win customers. Their rates for public access are quite reasonable, the staff speaks English and French, and they go overboard to help. They can get you set up for e-mail or the web in less than 24 hours, and are on call 24 hours a day.

InfoCom
( & fax: (374-2) 52-88-56, 151-926;
E-mail: postmaster@mtd.armenia.su),
22 Sarian Street, floor 4, Yerevan, competes with Arminco for customers. They have exclusive rights for data transmission in Armenia under the Ministry of Communications, but receive mixed reviews for service by the International community. They have phone and fax connections throughout the country, but Internet hookup is routed through their central office. Prices are comparable at both companies.

Emergency Contact
Perhaps the simplest way for someone to reach you is by long distance call to your hotel or place of stay (be sure they know the number ahead of time). Yerevan’s telephone code is + (374-2). A telegram can also be used to reach you. If you use a travel agent to arrive, they can be reached and contact you as long as you let them know where you are. If you register when you arrive, most foreign offices maintain an emergency operator who can call your embassy in Armenia (as long as you have one). They don’t like to do this unless it is a real emergency, but they will. Call the

US State Department
((202) 647-5225; 647-4000 in the evening), the British Foreign officer ((071) 270-3000). For others, see Embassies and Consulates for direct numbers to Armenia. Your itinerary and a contact number (i.e. travel agent or hotel) will help track you down.