The Hotel California
Trip Start
Aug 31, 2007
1
45
90
Trip End
Apr 19, 2008
Veliko Turnovo,
Bulgaria
Monday, November 5, 2007
At 9:00, I wake up with one goal for the day: getting to Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria. Can't be too difficult, right? The Internet (ha! Never believe the Internet!) has promised me a bus to Ruse, across the border, at 11:30. I ask the hostel receptionist to cal the company to confirm the station location. Bucharest is blessed with slightly fewer than 467 bus stations, ranging from what you might imagine a station to look like, to a corner of a parking lot, to a lane on the side of the road where a bus sometimes stops. So confusing!
The man on the other end of the line says there are buses at 6:00 and 9:30 and they stop in front of the Hotel Horoscop. No 11:30 bus. It's 9:28. Not looking good. I have the hostel guy call Autogara Diego out of Lonely Planet to see if they have different news. They have a bus at 2:30. It's later than I would have liked, but I have to take it. Imagining Autogara Diego to be a reputable station, I set out in the rain, with my pack, to see if they might have any other means of getting me to Bulgaria sooner.
I first make it to the Hotel Horoscop. No sign of anything but a hotel. I can't even tell where a bus would load. On to Autogara Diego. After some searching, I find that it is actually a one-room office. They inform me that I can catch their 2:30 bus outside Hotel Horoscop. All the buses are the same company! Somehow this enlightenment doesn't inspire me.
I return to the hostel to dry off. At 2:00, I position myself in front of the Hotel Horoscop. It is 3 degrees and raining. I stand there, miserably, for an hour. Nothing remotely like a minibus comes by. The most excitement is a gypsy boy who wants me to give him my Snickers bar. I say no. He responds f/*! you. Ah, the spread of American culture. Dejected, I give up and use my last metro ticket to get to the train station. I know there's a night train to Sofia, so as a last resort, I'll hop on that.
At the train station, the ticket lady informs me that her computer isn't working. I'll have to come back in an hour. I ask how much the ticket will be. 95 Lei. I count out my meagre reserves. 94.3 Lei. I really shouldn't have bought that Snickers bar. I head back to the hostel to work some logistics. As in Minsk, I never figure out how to pay for Bucharest buses. I buy tickets, but I can't punch them. Hence, I travel unworried about paying bus fare and figure I can ride them all I want and claim ignorance if the ticket lady comes by (she never does).
At the hostel, I hit up people for 70 bani and call my host in Bulgaria, asking him to pick me up from the train at 1:45 am. He wonderfully agrees to meet me. Two successes! Back at the train station, the computer is still down. Good thing I have time. The train doesn't leave until 7:40 and it's only 4:30. I read my book for an hour. The computer's still down. Fortunately, the woman behind the window speaks English and I ask what happens if the computer's not up before the train departs. Suddenly, it appears the computer's working (coincidence? I think not) and I get a ticket for 61 Lei. Why the drop in price, I do not know. Unfortunately, I realize I have left my guidebook at the hostel and spend more time stealing bus rides to retrieve it.
I return to the train station, which is open air, and it's cold. I just can't bring myself to sit in a cold waiting area for an hour. I see McDonald's. Heat. Never before have you seen someone eat a burger and medium fries so slowly. I watch McDonald's television. I learn how they select only the best potatoes for their fries and hand pick and wash all their lettuce. Lovely.
Finally, I board the train and head off. Romanian and Bulgarian customs are very friendly, though quite concerned a girl travelling alone will fall asleep and have her luggage stolen. This is a usually lovely and sometimes annoying thing about travelling alone and looking so young - everyone fuses over you. I nod my head and smile at their advice. My bag is locked to the luggage rack and I'm a light sleeper. I'm not too worried. At 1:20, my alarm wakes me. Half an hour later, I disembark. Stan gets me from the train station as promised (let's not think about what I would have done were he not there) and shortly, I'm at the hostel and asleep. What a day!
