TravelStream™ news feed for member love1017 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/love1017 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:58:01 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/0506_bulgaria/1220539440/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/0506_bulgaria/1220539440/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/0506_bulgaria/1220539440/tpod.html Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:58:01 -0400 Sofia, Bulgaria - the good, the bad and the ugly

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Sofia, Bulgaria

I'm back in Sofia for a month, so I thought I would post a few photos from this trip. Some photos are from the Sopot area (I went hiking there with a friend rom NZ), Veliko Tarnovo and Ruse.

I always return here with mixed emotions. I grew up as a citizen of the world, and most of my friends from Bulgaria are now scattered around the globe... but this is still home for me. A place where every flower and stray dog, every lake and grain of sand feel dear. Even the cow dung and street potholes. My family history is here, and I love listening to my grandparents' stories about times past (in fact, this time I am going to record a few so I can transcribe them at some point in the future). People speak my mother tongue and I can understand every nuance of the colorful language. Listening to folklore music always makes me teary-eyed, and the sight of Rila's majestic slopes moves me like no other mountain can.

At the same time I see so much corruption and envy; social values have been distorted beyond recognition. From the Mercedes owner who believes the tram lane was designed for him, to the young girl (the high heels, short skirt, supermodel sunglasses, bleached hair and pink lipstick type, in case you are wondering) who is too busy talking on her cell phone to give her seat to an older person. From the all-important businessman who thinks tax laws exist only to be evaded, to the store keeper who snaps at you impatiently when you ask for assistance. These things continue to sadden me - surely the nation that preserved the legacy of St Cyrill and Methodius through the centuries can do better than this...

No, no, it's not all bad of course! I can't tell you how many wonderful people I met when I went to Sopot and visited some small villages around Ruse. Warm and welcoming, they would go out of their way to help me find directions or give me a ride into town, or show me where the local doctor is. Give how poorly organized tourist services are here, I would never have made it through my week of travelling without their support.

And so I wanted to dedicate this entry to the rural folk of Bulgaria - those weathered sun-kissed faces whose wide smile releaves a few missing teeth. Those hard working agrarians whose simple honesty, perseverance and compassion should be an example to us all... especially those living in the capital - the biggest village in Bulgaria, in my opinion.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/0506_bulgaria/1220549040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/0506_bulgaria/1220549040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/0506_bulgaria/1220549040/tpod.html Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:25:22 -0400 Sofia, Bulgaria - the good, the bad and the ugly

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Rousse, Rousse, Bulgaria

Ruse and the rock monastery in Basarbovo village, 10 km outside of Ruse
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/0506_bulgaria/1219339320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/0506_bulgaria/1219339320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/0506_bulgaria/1219339320/tpod.html Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:23:15 -0400 Sofia, Bulgaria - the good, the bad and the ugly

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Veliko Turnovo, Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria

Photos from Veliko Tarnovo
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/0506_bulgaria/1220548740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/0506_bulgaria/1220548740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/0506_bulgaria/1220548740/tpod.html Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:22:08 -0400 Sofia, Bulgaria - the good, the bad and the ugly

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Sopot, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Photos from Sopot and the Balkan mountain range that surrounds the city
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/1007_soam/1205292180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/1007_soam/1205292180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/1007_soam/1205292180/tpod.html Sat, 22 Mar 2008 12:33:46 -0400 To Tierra del Fuego and back [the adventures of a restless Bulgarian south of the equator]

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Buenos Aires, Argentina

It has been a while since I felt like writing, whether about pretty landscapes or about my state of mind. I had intended Buenos Aires to be a place of rest and reflection, and the time I reached this city would be a deadline for making some all-important life decisions that I have been thinking over all this while.

But nothing ever works out as you plan it. I'm sad to report that there will be no more photos from this trip. As I was sitting leasurely at a cafe one sunny afternoon, I fell victim to the classic two-man robbery scam, where one distracts you with something (in my case, asking for directions) as another takes off with your valuables. Yet again police reports, yet again changing passwords, yet again cause for thought.

Most importantly, I am alive and well. Nothing else really matters all that much. I still have most of my documents, and what I don't have any more is thankfully quite replaceable. Or, as we say in Bulgaria - health and love, and all else can be bought. The main effect of this incident is that I all of a sudden felt very wary, tired from all this moving about, from not having a place to call home, from having to get to know a new city, village or park every few days. All of a sudden I just wanted to be home.

And while I am fully recovered now and ready to see my trip through to its natural conclusion, I am also glad that the end is in sight and that I will soon enough be having a daily routine in my life again. I rejoice at the thought of waking up each morning with a cup of coffee and reading the morning news and weather forecast over the internet before setting off for work.

I have been wondering lately, what did I learn on this journey? If I had to compile a "lost and found" list, what would it look like? I set out to get to know the world, but somehow ended up discovering myself. How ironic, that I should end up travelling thousands of miles to become more intimate with what has been inside me all this time. But, I contend, this is probably a more valuable knowledge to possess; one which will light the way for decisions and choices I make in the future. The peaks of Torres, as spectacular and unforgettable as they may be, will be of no assistance to me in my future life.

The first thing I realized is that most of the items in the "lost" category are material items, easily replaceable; whereas most of the things I "found" are in my heart and mind, and will stay with me forever. And since its much easier to list physical objects, let me first get that out of the way.

Lost: two backpacks, $1500 of camera equipment, 3 sweaters, a swiss army knife, an MP3 player, 4 memory cards and a USB stick, a cell phone and 2 SIM cards, my green card (that has now been taken care of), numerous articles of clothing, jewelry (all cheap, thank heavens), and so on. Honestly, this list bores me so I can't be bothered to think of the rest.

I am a creature of intuition; and while I usually sense the right answer I am not always able to logically explain it. How strange, might you say, for a person who spent over a decade dealing with numbers and analyses. Perhaps that is one of the prime reasons why I chose to stay in public accounting for so long - to prove to myself that deductive, logical reasoning is not entirely beyond me. For sure I picked up some valuable techniques along the way - otherwise I doubt I would have made it as far as I did. Yet even now, I struggle to clearly formulate exactly what it is that I advanced my knowledge of self with. I feel more comfortable with myself, but to put it all down in words would be a different matter altogether.

Well, let me at least try... no harm ever came from trying.

So what did I gain then? For one thing, I learned that fulfilling my ambitions has made me content but not necessarily happy. To reach happiness, some compromises need to be made. Compromise has always been rather difficult for me - I usually want it all, and I want it now. A house with a white picket fence, limitless travel and a stellar career, all at the same time. Oh, did I mention the loving boyfriend and loyal dog? Now I'm thinking perhaps I can let go of the dog idea... Yes, I'm thinking I can suffer for another few years while I slowly work on aligning the perfect constellation of opportunities. And even if they don't ever align quite perfectly - all I have to do is think about all the misery I have seen on my numerous travels, all the unfortunate people that don't have a roof over their heads and a means of securing their next meal... to realize how lucky and fortunate I already am in my life.

While we are on the subject of boyfriend, let me tell you that I have never been happier with my single life. We all need to be loved, that is true. But then I think I already have more love in my life than I know what to do with. It would be great to have a partner, yet I am no longer anxious about being alone. Because I'm not really alone. No boyfriend can make you happy if you're not already happy with yourself. And when you are indeed happy with yourself, having a companion becomes a want, not a need. A luxury, not a necessity.

This last realization is tightly linked to thinking about my friends. I came to understand just how much they mean to me, and that I really miss their constant presence in my life. The support you all have provided me through your emails, comments and contributions to my Montanita library cause has kept me smiling and care-free even in the most difficult of moments. I find myself longing to spend time with you all on a regular basis - weekly lunches and movie outings, birthday parties, camping trips... the beauties of "routine" life!

Don't get me wrong, I think at some point in the future I will get "the itch" once again, and then we will have another going away party, and you will have another lengthy blog to muse over week in, week out. But the days when I disappear and my closest friends don't hear from me for months at a time are now a thing of the past.

I wish I could say that I have learned not to be so trusting - but that is not the case. Instead, next time I will just try to have a better insurance policy. That's as far as material possessions go. As far as learning to read people (my former boss David is really good at this, I wish I could be more like him)... analysis has not yielded much, but my intuitions are usually correct. It takes a lot of guts to trust your sixth feeling when you have no solid evidence to go on (says the accountant in me), but my senses have been proven right about 90% of the time. So instead of trying to develop a skill I am obviously no good at, I am going to focus on using what I have been given better.

One of the concerns I had when I first set out was that my tendency to let things get to me, to get worked up when things don't go exactly as I had planned them, to anger when everything is not perfect - that all this would somehow dampen my experiences. Let me tell you, after just a few weeks on the road as a backpacker you either get this beaten out of you, or you remain highly miserable. Thankfully, I ended up in the first category.

In Ecuador I made plans to go places and do things, but those plans were shattered because I fell and hurt my back badly and had to stay in bed for a week. In Bolivia I had to cancel a much looked forward to trip to the jungle because of weather conditions, and ended up losing a bunch of money on a flight that could not be refunded. I stayed in Lima for 10 days longer than I wanted to because my camera equipment was stuck at the slow moving Peruvian customs office. In Ecuador again, I found love only to lose it not long thereafter, and I was helpless to arrest the direction in which that relationship was headed. Service everywhere has been non-existent, directions provided - misleading, and some people's motives - quite dubious. And I spent 3 months discussing a potential job with a company before they decided perhaps now was not the most opportune time for them.

When stuff like that happens, you either cry or you laugh. And maybe I cried once or twice, but overwhelmingly I learned to laugh and move on. Like I said, I'm alive and well, and who cares about the rest, really...

And so I press on, as the end nears. I am going to make it full circle back to Ecuador before I return to the States. I got lazy here in Buenos Aires, and did not go to the Colombian embassy - so I probably won't be going there after all. But Ecuador has some spectacular beaches and I can't wait to be sitting on them and soaking up the sun for my last few weeks on this continent. If I am lucky, I will manage to take the scuba diving classes I had to opt out of a few months back due to my unexpected fall in Quito. Or I will continue taking kite boarding lessons. Or keep trying to surf.

I fly to northern Peru on Monday so by this time next week I should be comfortably sitting on a golden beach somewhere along Ecuador's fine coast.

I doubt I'll be making many more postings from this point onwards. I've covered this territory before. The last few weeks are not about discovering new places - they are about reflections, transition, peace of mind. I'll be back soon - so you better have those sushi dinner reservations ready!!! (I am *craving* edamame)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/1007_soam/1206116520/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/1007_soam/1206116520/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/1007_soam/1206116520/tpod.html Sat, 22 Mar 2008 12:32:21 -0400 To Tierra del Fuego and back [the adventures of a restless Bulgarian south of the equator]

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Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

Not much to say about Uruguay, especially Montevideo - sleepy city with a distant memory of the spendlor that existed at the turn of the 20th century. Colonia on the other hand was charming, with its cobble stone crooked streets, gardens overflowing with bloom, and melancholic colonial houses complete with beautiful street lamps.

In the absence of a camera I spent sketched a few drawings, and now I'm thinking I should have done that more often. But ever since I started out, I've been "on the run" - hardly any time to stop and rest and reflect on my surroundings. I'll know for next time.

I indulged in fine wine and cousine, mostly on my own. It felt wonderful to sit back and relax at a fancy restaurant with a good book in hand, soak up the lovely weather and enjoy the sight of tourists wandering about, admiring the old world attraction of Colonia.

The Uruguayans themselves look surprisingly different from the Argentines, despite being only on the other side of what people here call the river (Rio de la Plata, and I still take some objection to it being called a river). They're far more down-to-earth and much kinder than the Porteños (the name given to Buenos Aires natives). I thoroughly enjoyed my few encounters with them.

So 3 days in Uruguay, that's all. I don't think I have energy for more. Now its back to Buenos Aires, and then hello Ecuador!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/1007_soam/1204860900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/1007_soam/1204860900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/1007_soam/1204860900/tpod.html Tue, 11 Mar 2008 23:21:16 -0400 To Tierra del Fuego and back [the adventures of a restless Bulgarian south of the equator]

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Ushuaia, Argentina

Well here we are finally. I made it to the end of the world. Somehow, it doesn't quite feel so distant and desolate, with its fiber optic cable connections, massive cruise ships towering over the city skyline and trendy boutiques.

I am pleased to report that for once I did not manage to loose anything, or have anything stolen. Am I learning from my own mistakes? More likely I have nothing of significance left to loose. In fact, it was so windy that I was forced to acquire something, being a goretex windbreaker. You can't miss me - I'm the bright red blotch in the middle of the photos...

The weather was kind to me. Well, maybe except for the time when it poured rain all night and it was still pouring when I woke up the next morning. That was the day I was supposed to hike around in the National Park - needless to say that did not happen. Instead, I went for a hike with some travel friends in a random forest outside of Ushuaia, and it was one of the most beautiful experiences I can remember. We walked up to a series of cascades and waterfalls, then continued walking upstream until we completely lost the trail and had to jump over and duck under fallen logs, cross the stream by balancing on those same tree trunks, and wade through the marshy grass. The forest was really dense, so dense that you could not see more than 20 meters ahead. I had a lot of fun trying out new photo techniques with my camera, and some of the shots came out not half bad.

The thing to do in Ushuaia is go-a-sailing. That is, if you're not there to catch a ride over to Antarctica - and there were certainly quite a few wealthy Japanese people in town doing just that. But Antarctica would destroy any ordinary person's travel budget so it will have to wait for another time. I went to the Antartica tourist office (!) out of curiosity, and found out that the kind of journey I would be interested in starts at around 8,000 USD. Ha!

So sailing. Down the Beagle Channel. Tierra del Fuego was visited by some legendary sailors, explorers and pirates, including Magellan (after whom the Magellan Straits are named - but that was too far up north for me), Captain Fitzroy (who first sailed here with his ship The Beagle in 1830) and Darwin. Getting into a yacht and navigating the rough waters of the Channel sends your imagination sailing back into history and is a most exciting experience. Tierra del Fuego - land of fires - even the name sounds like a fantasy from a pirate story. And no wonder, since Magellan himself named this land after the numerous fires he saw on the shores of the islands when he first sailed this way. These were the fires of the native Yamana (pronounced Zhamana) indians who lived very primitive lived, walking around almost completely naked and feeding on sea lion and whale fat, living under the open skies and in the waters - without houses of any type.

The numerous islands around the Channel have extensive sea lion and penguin colonies. The penguins are so CUTE!!! They're every bit as adorable as you would imagine them to be. They waddle on the ground and swim fast as torpedoes in the ocean. They're very curious creatures, they will sit motionless less than 2 feet away from you (as you are zapping away with your camera) and stare at you, shifting their heads from left to right. I saw three different kinds, one of them (Rock Hopper) had bright yellow feathers sticking out above its eyebrows, long as whiskers. Our guide told us that this species is endemic to Antartica and the Islas Malvinas (Falklands); and that this particular individual must have somehow lost his way - so it was a rare and rewarding sight.

But unless you ARE headed to Antartica - 3 to 4 days is enough for Ushuaia. I was quite glad to head back to Buenos Aires. Once again, I made friends here that I hope to keep for a long time. Among them are two crazy Brazilians who were convinced they were seeing naked women running down the windy shores (humph, typical, haha); a Russian girl who curiously reminded me of, well... me; and a Dutch girl who tried to get us lost in the forest, for fun.

I can't help but think about the end. Because this was the whole point, wasn't it? To reach the end of this vast continent. Yes, sure, I skipped many experiences on the way... for example, I never made it to the jungle (saving that for whenever I visit Brazil), or Paraguay (should I have??), or any of the -uams up north. But hey, life is long and I have plenty of energy left in me.

Energy, that is, for another long trip, another time. Right now I am starting to slowly feel tired. Tired of changing hostels every few days. Tired of bumpy bus rides. Tired of wearing the same clothes. Tired of not having a cell phone - oh, wait, that I'm NOT tired of! Seriously, though, being a travelling bum is hard work. I know you don't feel the least bit sorry for me, I don't feel sorry for myself either. But I'm not upset that my travels are drawing to a close soon. In fact, I am looking forward to having my own bed and seeing my old friends once again.

Before I come back, there is one last thing I need to do - and that is, get warm again. Gosh, I am such a sea creature. Cold water does not cut it for me. I need perpetual sunshine and a warm ocean. So I'll be heading back up north soon, either to Ecuador or Colombia. Right now I am trying to figure out exactly what the hell is going on in Colombia, and where it's going on. Trying to find some locals and others to talk to and see how safe it is to travel around the Carribean coast. Don't worry, mom, I won't do anything stupid. Oh, wait, I forgot it's me talking here.

Not so fast though - first I will enjoy a couple of weeks in Buenos Aires and do all the things I did not have time for last year. Like visiting the museums, going to a football game, and even a Dylan concert. That's right, y'all, I'm going to see Dylan this weekend. And its costing me less than a dinner at a Chinese restaurant - eat your hearts out!!!

Before I sign off, I just want to say that I recognize it's mid March and many of my faithful readers (thank you all for being so supportive) are busting their behinds right now trying to meet deadlines. So please take this all in good humour, I hope it adds a touch of amusement to your overly stressed and unbelievably lengthy workin days. The end is near, for you and me alike - and I shall see you back in the good old U.S. of A.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/1007_soam/1204390440/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/1007_soam/1204390440/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/1007_soam/1204390440/tpod.html Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:08:52 -0500 To Tierra del Fuego and back [the adventures of a restless Bulgarian south of the equator]

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El Calafate, Argentina

I missed you, Patagonia! You are even more beautiful in summer than in winter. There is so much here to fire the imagination - glaciers of staggering proportions, wide expanses of steppe with not so much as a building or animal in sight, grandiose rock formations like Torres del Paine, beautiful silvery lakes... not to mention the unbeatable Patagonian steak and the botique chocolates produced by the many German colonies around the area.

I met some wonderful people here that I hope to be in touch with again in Buenos Aires. I went ice trekking on the Perito Moreno glacier - an expensive but incredibly fun experience. As we sailed from one side of the Lago Argentino to the other past the glacier, we observed huge pieces of it come off and thunderously crash into the icy waters of the lake, creating wave rings that rocked our boat in no uncertain terms. The glacier was while-blueish in color, and where the blue came through it was so intense, bluer than that of the skies.

The skies themselves here are incredible. It's like being in a cartoon - vivid blue with bright white clouds hovering so low above the ground, you feel like they are going to swoop down and brush against you any minute now.

I spent two days in Chile, in the Torres del Paine national park. Each day I did a hike; on the second day I went up to the Torres del Paine mirador (viewpoint) - a 20km uphill hike in under 7 hours. My legs are still hurting from that, but it was all so worth it. Once you climb over the final ridge and look upon the three jagged pillars that are the Torres, your breath stops for a second to take it all in.

I didn't have time to do the famous W circuit because I am moving on to Ushuaia today; but once again I am pretty certain I will return to this wild, untouched by modern civilization corner of the earth. Next time hopefully I can do some camping as well.

El Calafate is horribly expensive. You can't pay less than $10 for a basic meal at a cafe or restaurant, and a simple coffee is $3 - same price as in NY!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/1007_soam/1203989640/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/1007_soam/1203989640/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/1007_soam/1203989640/tpod.html Tue, 04 Mar 2008 11:54:33 -0500 To Tierra del Fuego and back [the adventures of a restless Bulgarian south of the equator]

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Mendoza, Argentina

Mendoza was nice, but not as nice as I thought it would be. My hostel was a breath of fresh air after the over-crowded and not so well maintained place I stayed at in Valparaiso. I can't remember when I slept in sheets so clean! And the staff were so awfully friendly, it made up for any other misfortunes I had in this city.

So let's see, what of interest? Oh yes, wines. I met a German, a Canadian and a Brit; and together we rented bikes and went around exploring wineries. We took a tour of one particular winery; the guide walked us through the whole process - quite fascinating. After a few more stops I ended up with 3 bottles of wine in my backpack so it was time to head home. All in all, I think we cycled 25km in 5 hrs (actually most of that time was spent in the wineries themselves), slightly intoxicated and with the sun scorching our backs. Fun fun fun. But it definitely wasn't the idyllic countryside that I imagined it to be. We had to ride down some main streets with plenty of traffic going through, and that wasn't very pleasant. So the next day we opted for buying our wine in the Carrefour store across the street from the hostel instead of at the wineries.

The only other item of mild interest was river rafting under a full moon. I say 'mild' because the waters was quite tame, I think it was grade II all the way - so no opportunity for anyone to topple over, and hardly any adrenaline. But there you go, now I can at least say I have tried it. There was a nice little party up in the mountains after we were done with all the rafting - big bonfire, music and expensive as hell alcohol. New York prices, or worse.

No world-shattering thoughts lately. Am I running out of steam? Or maybe I am just mulling over something new in my head that will take a little while to take shape and be ready for sharing. Either way, I am too busy enjoying the tail end of my trip. Off I go to Patagonia!!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/1007_soam/1203451380/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/1007_soam/1203451380/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/love1017/1007_soam/1203451380/tpod.html Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:31:16 -0500 To Tierra del Fuego and back [the adventures of a restless Bulgarian south of the equator]

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Valparaiso, Chile

Collection of photos of murals and reflections from Santiago and Valparaiso
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