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| By Eddie Carter |
BULGARIA507
Kilometres – 9 Days17
August – 26 August 2007
17
August – Oltenita, Romania - Silistra, Bulgaria – 85 kilometres
Following
a breakfast of fresh tomatoes and paprika from Peter’s garden, we hurried to
the Calarasi border, before the veggies kicked in. This time a ferry operated across
the Danube river towards Silistra. As can be expected, I was apprehensive about
my Romanian Visa dilemma. By then, I was in the country for 20 days instead of
the two days indicated on my visa. I didn’t say anything simply handed over my
passport to border officials. They disappeared behind a screen. Later, they
reappeared and returned my passport, all without a single word, I was relieved,
to say the least.
I
could tell straight away communication in Bulgaria would be an even bigger
problem. Bulgarian is a Southern Slavic language using the Cyrillic alphabet. Bulgarian
was further the first Slavic language to be written. A more modern version was
standardised following Bulgaria’s independence in 1878. More confusing was a
single nod of the head indicated “no” while shaking the head side to side, which
indicated agreement. I can assure you that that isn’t an easy thing to become
used to. I first discovered this behaviour enquiring about an abode. Again, the
head’s side-to-side movement clearly indicated “No” and as I gathered my belongings,
the lady produced the room key. I looked at her confused as she had, merely
seconds earlier, indicated the hotel had no accommodation available (or so I
thought).
18
August - Silistra -Balchik - 136 kilometres
Bulgaria
measures 110,994 square kilometres roughly the same size as Malawi, a country I
consider small. Eddie and I headed towards Balchik a Black Sea coastal town and
seaside resort. The town’s location along the shores of the Black Sea made it a
simple choice. Our chosen route led 136 kilometres through farmlands,
cornfields and past vast fields of sunflowers. We slinked into Balchik late merely
to discover the town had no camping. A further fifteen-kilometre cycle north brought
us to Kavarna with camping at the lake’s shores. The place was lovely. No time was
wasted submerging our sweat-soaked bodies in the lukewarm waters of the Black
Sea, pure bliss following a long day on the bicycle.
19
August - Kavarna
The
following day was spent at the beach. Where we again ran into the Baltic Cycle
group, we encountered in Bucharest. It became a fun night of drinking and trying
to communicate as almost everyone in the group spoke Polish and no English.
At
first, I thought the Black Sea was a lake, but upon closer inspection, the map
revealed a connection to the ocean via The Bosphorus Strait. The waters of the
Black Sea first flow into the Sea of Marmara, which is in turn connected to the
Mediterranean via the Strait of the Dardanelles. The Black Sea is a massive
body of water measuring 436400 kilometres2, and I was surprised to learn it reaches
a depth of more than 2000 meters in places.
20
August - Kavarna - Kancija via Verna - 96 kilometres
The
next day we resumed our ride south in the direction of the Turkish border. Finding
one’s way turned out a tad tricky as nearly all the signboards were in
Hungarian. Nevertheless, a campsite in Verna was located. Albeit basic, the
camp was a well-located one at a decent beach. Hence, we ran into Baltic cycles
as they were searching out the most inexpensive camping. It again became a
great night with these cyclists, who could party as hard as they cycled. The
restaurant owner invited us over to sample Rakia, a strong fruit brandy, as
well as homemade wine. I surmised the alcohol was offered to help tolerate the mosquito-infested
campsite.
21
August – Kamcija
A
day of leisure was spent shooting the breeze with the other cyclists at the
beach. It seemed communication improved in direct relation to the amount of
Vodka consumed and they fast became good friends.
22
August - Kamcija - Nesebar - 104 kilometres
We
were by then well into our familiar routine of camping, packing up and cycling
to the next place to do the same. At the campground in Nesebar, was a 70-year-old
German gentleman pushing a bike and trailer around the world. He started a year
prior to meeting him in Germany and was still going strong. His bicycle had no
pedals, meaning he couldn’t cycle even if he wanted.
So
good was the campsite, and so much fun was had in Nesebar two days were spent
in Nesebar.
24-25
August - Nesebar - Yuk Camping - 96 kilometres
Good
thing the Baltic Cycle group told us where they intended to camp as Yuk camping
turned out to be one of the best in the area. En route, Pomorie and Sozopol made
good places to swim as the weather was boiling and an excellent way to cool
off.
The
others moved on, but I spent the day at the beach trying to rid myself of my terrible
cycling tan.
26
August - Yuk Camping - Border – 75 kilometres
Bulgaria
is a country with a diverse terrain encompassing the Black Sea coastline and a mountainous
interior. Once away from the coast, the road became extremely hilly. Being August,
and thus mid-summer, most days were sweltering, making challenging riding.
Flies were an added problem and buzzed in hordes around our heads, strangely
reminding us of biking in Ethiopia.
Shortly
before the Turkish border Eddie and I pedalled into a small village to pick up
refreshments but decided to stay. Unfortunately, the village had no campsite or
accommodation. Still, we were directed to the hospital, which doubled as a
guesthouse.
27
August – Bulgarian Border – Kirklareli, Turkey – 50 kilometres
I’ve
overnighted in unusual places but never in a hospital, and I thought it
necessary to check that I still had all my organs before leaving. Once across
the border we headed to the nearest town and bike shop. Eddie’s bicycle rim was
buckled to such an extent, that cycling became impossible. Turkish people are
some of the world’s kindest, and while waiting, we were offered tea,
watermelon, as well as coffee. The rim took longer than envisaged to repair. It
was raining when all was done, and we opted for accommodation in Kirklareli.
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