Conquest of bulgarian mountains

Day 1

The plan of this weekend is hiking some of the bulgarian mountains. Iskra, the friend of a couchsurfing friend of mine called Maya, arranged all the trip with her other friends. We start the trip taking a train at 6pm from Sofia to Pirdop, everybody with positive energy, smiling, lauphing, nice conversations... Important for a complete adventure!!

The Bulgarien trains, I just love them!

Asking for information

At 8pm, we arrived to Pirdop then climbed to Pascal, the hut which is about 1400m where we have to sleep the first night. En the end, it was bit dark, but no matter we had to fight all the wild plants and the mass of watter everywhere.
In the refuge, we found a familial environment of a bulgarian granma and her family.

Into the forest

Breakfast time at paskal hut

Day 2

I tittle this day by "Between life and death".
In the morning, we had breakfast with the granma, she prepared for us a nice coffee and had some discutions using the few bulgarian words I learned. Later we followed our route today of 12 hours.

With the lovely bulgarien granma

Paskal hut

Starting the hiking

Just in the beginning, we met 3 guys who are walking from Serbia crossing all the mountains of Bulgaria, so all of us walked in the same direccion.
The first part of the route was quiet easy, but there was a strong wind and many clouds which make the way all white without future expectations. But after 5 hours, it started raining so hard as I have never seen, then a strong thunderstorm like it was the end of the world, where to escape? - nowhere!

Just before the storm

where to escape? - nowhere!

We had to discuss what to do, we tried to go back, escape to another route then try to reach the closest refuge. But we weren't successful, somehow we found ourself crossing the storm again, had no choice except accept it as our challenge to survive, praying for God and wait our destiny, we did it in half an hour, everybody safe and the sky is blue again.

Bulgarian hourses.. woww!
just want to ride themmmmmmmmm

Iskra: THEN THE THUNDERS CAME TOGETHER WITH SOME CHAOS IN THE GROUP BUT THE TRIP'S MOHAMMED PROPHET SAID WE SHOULD TAKE OUR CHANCES AND RISK CAREFULLY THROUGH THE STORM - THE GROUP WASN'T SURE - BUT THE SKIES SAID YES WITH A THUNDER - SO THE GROUP JUST OBEYED AND STARTED SILENRY ASCENDING...

The guide, the savior

After the storm, we found another route which leds to another refuge in 1 hour, while ours had to be reached in 3 hours, so we had to change our plan, we arrived all wet, we dried our cloths, set close to the fire and the life semed to beggin again :-)
The refuge is supper cool, being here makes me live a new story of the first moroccan who conquest the bulgarian mountains. Time to hear the stories of the other guys and very good night!!

Iskra: THE THUNDER DIE OUT SOMEWHERE HERE AND LED US COME BACK TO LIFE, ALIVE, AND ENJOY SOME REAR MOMENTS OF CLEAR SKIES AND VIEWS OF THE WHOLE MOUNTAIN RANGE.

Iskra: ANF THE CLOUDS FULL EN US AGAIN SO WE ABANDON OUT ECHO HUT PLAN (STILL 3.5-4 HOURS AWAY) AND TURN LEFT TO THE EMERGENCY EXIT - THE VEZHEN HUT. IT TOOK US HOUR DOWN THE STEEP HILL - TO REACH THE FIRE IN THE STOVE AND MOHAMMED'S FIRST EVER MASHROOM SOUP.

A siesta(nap) into the clouds

Iskra: THE VEZHEN HUT AT 18.30H
MOHAMMED, SHOES FULL OF WATTER, SOCKS FEELING (AND LATER ON LOOKING) LIKE HELL, HAPPY SMILE ON HIS FACE - GET OUT HIS CAMARA AND START SHOOTING AROUND LIKE CRAZY (THAT'S WHY THE MOUNTAIN MAKES OUT OF PEOPLE, AS ONE GUY SAID AT DINNER) SO THE FIRST MOROCCAN GUY TO VISIT THE BULGARIAN MOINTAINS WAS NO EXCEPTION -> AND BEING CRAZY FELT REAAALY CONFORTABLE TO HIM.

 Day 3

It is Sunday, time to go back home, no drama anymore. After 1 hours walking we hitchhiked a car back to Sofia. Big thanks to these wonderfull ladies who know how to enjoy the nature and nature itself knows how to protect them and even it understands their complicated joks :-)

I am sure we will hike more mountains together! And don't forget that Tobkal is waiting for you and looking forward to enjoy your stay in its refuges.

Bests,

 It's me, follow me!

Same second, same moment, Same shout :-)

 Alive even after this picture :-)

Turkey is Magic

Merhaba( it means hello in Turkish)

The purpose of my journey in Turkey is to finish my last year of the university with the european exchange program, ERASMUS. I started my trip July 15th 2012 from Tangier, Morocco, and took 15 days to be in Turkey land. During this year alot of things happened and have a lot of stories to share with the world. This is all about my Turkey time http://turkeyismagic.blogspot.com/ you'll find all my adventures during this stay from the first long trip to arrive crossing 3 continents till the last one going back home. As well as all the trips exploring the country and its beautiful culture. I usully travel with low budget, when I want to travel, I just have to take the decision with myself, then I pack my bag and hit the road. Hitchhiking in Turkey is kind of paradise, people are awesome, while in every ride you will have a worm discution and an invitation for a cay or a meal as well. The country is full of nice touristic places, as well as close to each other, on the other hand if you want to know something about that, contact me please!

I wish you enjoy my pictures and reading from my experience during this unforgettable year, and that I was able to transfer well all what I learn about the turkish culture.

Finally, I will appreciate any advices for any possible improves to this blog, any observation, any mistake or a missing information...

Email : simo163@hotmail.co.uk

Blog: http://turkeyismagic.blogspot.com

Georgia

The title of today is Georgia. Somewhere In the black sea, we(my travelmates Benjamin, Teraza and me) hitchhiked a bus to Sarp, the border between Turkey and Georgia,.Benjamin and Tereza passed the passport control without any problem while I needed a visa which costed 32 american dollars, the decision to pay it was decisive even I thought to jump the border somehow but no away. 

Goodbye Turkey!

Welcome Georgia!

So now what? I found myself in an another country, where nobody understand the 8 languages we speak, new culture, everything different, music, architecture, people missing smiles, trafic without rules, really lost in a stange country but the food was really nice, and cheap as well, at least! :-)  

Respect Madame!

 The georgian Sevici, as Sevilla

 The alphabet tower

 NY?

Me Vs Captain Jack Sparrow

Ajaran kachapuri and a nice juice looking like wine.

The camii of Batum

A church

Batum at night.

What is left from the second world war...

Hello sir!

copy/past the izmirien clock tower

Benjamin and Captain Jack Sparrow

Me and the leader.

Well, We walked the whole day in the city center, discovered many new things of course, at night we knock a door close to the only cami in the city, the familly was georgean but they speak Turkish, they didn't have a space for us but they led us to another house of a georgean familly, there they had a garage with some beds, so cold but resoneable prices. The father speaks little English but the others didn't talk at all while the grandparents was just looking at us, wondering who are we? what are we doing there in their house? I am sure they didn't get any answer of that. 

Next day, maybe it was the worst day of our long trip. It was raining so hard the whole night, decided to go back to Turkey as soon as possible and then reach to kars as next stop. Only 10min after leaving the house of the georgean familly, one van crashed Teresa when she wanted to cross the street, we didn't have any idea how things works there, neither couldn't ask people for help, we don't speak georgean, we just tried to make sure that she is ok and stop the guy to not run away, few people came to see her and stand her up, the others just watching the drama, nobody called to the ambulance or something, even a policeman was there but didn't move at all, what the hell was going on there? Everything was fast, nervous, few ideas what to do, I just tried to explain the guy to call to the police but wasn't a good solution for him, he proposed to take us to the hospital, we accepted between the only choice that we had, we got on his van with his 4 friends, mafia style actually, the hospital was really in basic conditions, seems like it was used for the second world war, fortunatly her leg wasn't broking, she did a pomade to relieve the pain then we leave the hospital, we just wanted to leave the country. We went back to he city center, had something special of georagian food to eat with some awesome juice which looks like beer, finally we had a smile from 2 women with a sweet like gift, later baught some stuff with the last georgean money that we had, then went back directly to the border again. We hitchhiked a truck to Hopa, booked a bus for Tereza to Izmir.

Then Benjamin and I continued hiting the road to Kars, fortunatly we couldn't make it, we only could arrive to Şavşat, it was already 7pm, dark and no cars going there coz the road was closed by the snow. We had to stay here the night, we found a place to sleep in a open toilet but decided to have a Cay before; While walking to the caffee, "Maybe we found someone interesting for tonight" I said to Benjamin, so yeah we met with a man who works for the municipality of the village, he asked us where are we going, we told him the whole story, then he provide us a nice room in a nice hotel, I don't know how he made it but probably he paid everything, and tomorrow will have a appointment with him for brekfast. In bref, Great we are back safe to Turkey, after one another crazy advanture added to my long list.
To know about the whole trip, please enter here!

Some dogs where wanted to hitchhike to kars.

 All what is left are memories and a georgian bread. 

Somewhere we were invited for tee.

Our beds finaly.

Good night and Thank you for this unforgettable adventure!