masaba

Bulgaria is quite a different world. Very nice. Only
15 years ago they were still under communist rule. It
was very interesting to talk to the owner. He is
relatively young and very smart. He speaks Bulgarian,
Russian (it used to be mandatory), English, Spanish,
and Korean. He is also very helpful.

One interesting thimg about Bulgaria is that once you
arrive at your accomodation, you have to get
registered. That means that you have to have an
official piece of paper stating where you are staying
and for how long. The man at the hostel told me that
they can come and interrogate the hostel owner about
my visit if they choose. You have to have all these
papers from the places you stay when you leave
Bulgaria.

Yesterday I went to check out another hostel because
the one I was staying is was very small. Found a nice
place a few blocks away and checked in this morning.
I met a nice Canadian/Polish guy (lives in Canada,
from Poland), who gave me his phone number in Poland
and invited me to come and stay with his family (he
will be visiting his aunt and grandmother).

Today I went to the ladies market. It was a huge
outdoor food market. Bought some cherries (apparently
everyone eats cherries in Europe) for super cheap.
Then I went to the supermarket, bought some excellent
cheese and bread. It was quite different from
anywhere I've been so far. It is like a huge mall and
inside you have different vendors selling juice,
cheese, bread, etc. You pay at each booth instead of
at the end of your shopping. Next was a huge church
that was beautiful. I bought some ice cream. Now
that was a different experience!!! After they scoop
the ice cream into the cone, they put it on a scale
and charge you according to how much it weighs.

After I arrived back at the hostel I met a nice guy
from Belgium who offered me the same as the Polish
guy! Turns out I am meeting all kind of local tour
guides for places I will visit.

The phones are impossible here. I can't use the phone
cards I brought, and it is extremely expensive to call
so looks like I won't be calling from Bulgaria.

Tomorrow I leave for Veliko Turnovo. A very beautiful
place! I am excited because it is a small village.
Tired of city life