Ivan grabbing a sneaky peak of Raphael's special offers page
Panel vs. Brick
Panel buildingPanel buildings were erected during communism in the 70s and 80s as a fast, cheap and easy way to provide housing for the growing population. Panel built flats are less solid than brick buildings. They do not provide good insulation in winter. Some people have added outside insulation to prevent drafts creating a patchwork of colours on the outside of the building.
Today neighbourhoods like Trakia that encompass 300 blocs of panel buildings are very popular with young people because they offer space, convenience of 24 hour shops, restaurants and bars and a community that has now been living here for 2 generations.
Today neighbourhoods like Trakia that encompass 300 blocs of panel buildings are very popular with young people because they offer space, convenience of 24 hour shops, restaurants and bars and a community that has now been living here for 2 generations.
Mehmet is dead
Turkish soapsLast night in the latest episode of Perla Mehmet was stabbed by two unknown men and left for dead in the street. "No! Mehmet don't die!" cried his family and half the housewives in Turkey and Bulgaria. The other half was switched on to The Proud Asi.
Story telling evenings in the mountains huddled around the chimney is a myth. From the elderly half-blind grannies to the merry housewife and the young girls all are hooked on Turkish soaps. Gossip is all about what will happen next.... There are fan clubs online. Husbands and wives quarrel to watch their favourite programs.
The Bulgarian alternative is Tsenata na istinata, the price of the truth. One person makes a statement and a selected group has to say whether his assertions are true or false to win money. Here are some statements:
"My mother is bisexual because she wears trousers."
A fat man who looks like he would have trouble standing up on his own says:
Luckily, by the end of the episode Mehmet's condition stabilizes. He's in a coma.
Next!
Story telling evenings in the mountains huddled around the chimney is a myth. From the elderly half-blind grannies to the merry housewife and the young girls all are hooked on Turkish soaps. Gossip is all about what will happen next.... There are fan clubs online. Husbands and wives quarrel to watch their favourite programs.
The Bulgarian alternative is Tsenata na istinata, the price of the truth. One person makes a statement and a selected group has to say whether his assertions are true or false to win money. Here are some statements:
"My mother is bisexual because she wears trousers."
A fat man who looks like he would have trouble standing up on his own says:
- "I have had a threesome."
- "I've had group sex."
- "I've had sex with a man"
Luckily, by the end of the episode Mehmet's condition stabilizes. He's in a coma.
Next!
The KAT Commission
Serving the communityThese are the offices of the KAT commission for the Plovidiv region. If compare it to the community centres in Tower Hamlets where all the information is provided in 15 languages including Sinhalese, Vietnamese and Somali to serve all the groups of the local community what this tells me is that it only serves the people who work there: white, lazy, pot-bellied, middle-aged men.
None of the KAT employees apart from the Police officers wore uniforms so we never knew who was working or where to ask questions. It's probably a great to avoid being bothered.
None of the KAT employees apart from the Police officers wore uniforms so we never knew who was working or where to ask questions. It's probably a great to avoid being bothered.
KAT
A day in hellThe KAT is where you register vehicules and apply for new plates or a driver's licence. It's the Bulgarian DVLA. All cars imported from abroad need to be checked and registered by the KAT.
Bulgarians drive mainly second, third-hand cars that are on average 5-10 years old. All cars are imported. In Bulgaria you'll find the cars that people don't want to drive in the rest of Europe.
To avoid stolen cars making their way to Bulgaria the KAT checks the serial numbers and road-worthiness of all imported cars. The public administration wants to do it itself to avoid corruption and criminality. There is only one centre for the whole of Plovidiv, the country's second largest city. But the Kafkaesque process is so obscure, slow and painful that anybody would be ready to pay any amount of money to avoid a day in hell. Anti-corruption measures breed corruption!
Mechanics who were meant to check the car walked around with their hands in their pockets, smoking cigarettes, and chatting on the phone. Their word decides the future of your wheels so you have to be nice to them.
We had to queue in front offices where men played cards and joked in the warmth as the biting wind outside was burning our faces.
At the coffee shop outside the main building star-spangled police officers were merrily greeting business men with dark eyes and expensive coats, providing a personal service by delivering the documents that required signatures to avoid the queue. Clerks left their posts to provide a similar service to friends and acquaintances.
Mariya pulled out our secret weapon, Raphael, to jump the endless queues. When she dared to ask the clerk how long it would take to get the new number plates the lady behind the counter screamed at her threatening to keep the papers till tomorrow. We would have had to leave the car and come back for another day in hell. It summed up the whole experience. She was doing us a favour by doing the job she's paid for...
By the time it approached closing time people were arguing and ready to fight each other out of sheer frustration. Mariya was in tears.
Bulgarians drive mainly second, third-hand cars that are on average 5-10 years old. All cars are imported. In Bulgaria you'll find the cars that people don't want to drive in the rest of Europe.
To avoid stolen cars making their way to Bulgaria the KAT checks the serial numbers and road-worthiness of all imported cars. The public administration wants to do it itself to avoid corruption and criminality. There is only one centre for the whole of Plovidiv, the country's second largest city. But the Kafkaesque process is so obscure, slow and painful that anybody would be ready to pay any amount of money to avoid a day in hell. Anti-corruption measures breed corruption!
Mechanics who were meant to check the car walked around with their hands in their pockets, smoking cigarettes, and chatting on the phone. Their word decides the future of your wheels so you have to be nice to them.
We had to queue in front offices where men played cards and joked in the warmth as the biting wind outside was burning our faces.
At the coffee shop outside the main building star-spangled police officers were merrily greeting business men with dark eyes and expensive coats, providing a personal service by delivering the documents that required signatures to avoid the queue. Clerks left their posts to provide a similar service to friends and acquaintances.
Mariya pulled out our secret weapon, Raphael, to jump the endless queues. When she dared to ask the clerk how long it would take to get the new number plates the lady behind the counter screamed at her threatening to keep the papers till tomorrow. We would have had to leave the car and come back for another day in hell. It summed up the whole experience. She was doing us a favour by doing the job she's paid for...
By the time it approached closing time people were arguing and ready to fight each other out of sheer frustration. Mariya was in tears.
Booze & booze
Home-made Wine with "Bouquet"In Bulgaria booze is categorised in 2 ways.
First there's the home made stuff which is true alcohol. It's clean and strong. People make home-made wine and rakia which is a form of brandy. Rakia can be made from plums or grapes and flavoured with herbs or Acacia.
Then there's the other stuff which is not considered alcoholic: beer and wine that comes from the shops.
Some time ago one evening we found our way to a makeshift "Mekhana" (tavern) in the mountains. It turned out to be someone's home. But they were so drunk they didn't care and we couldn't understand. They offered some Rakia but we declined and asked for something non-alcoholic. They suggested beer or wine. They just couldn't understand why we would want to drink water. Water's for washing.
And more recently our neighbours wanted to offer us a drink and insisted on pouring us a glass of wine from a 2 litre bottle with a plastic flip top similar to the ones drunks cradle in Paris. "It's not alcoholic, you know. It's from the shop!"
Then again a few weeks ago we tasted one of the best wines ever. It was fresh and sweet like a juice. We could roll the raspberries and blackberries around our tongue and sipped it like a syrup. The Grandad that makes it only produces 100 litres and gives it to friends and family in Coca-cola bottles. He won a prize in the Troyan region for best home-made wine.
Dimitrovgrad
Dimitrovgrad has one of Bulgaria's biggest Pazars. It is a market town comparable to Jatujak for Bangkok and Merida in Yucatan. You can find all sorts of local products as well as imports from Turkey, Greece and China. It is situated in the South-East corner of Bulgaria, close to the Turkish and Greek borders and a short drive from Plovidiv the country's second largest city. People come from all over Bulgaria and South-East Europe to trade. You can taste lots of different foods and buy almost anything. But the fashion style is pretty drab.
Dimitrovgrad, named after the Bulgarian Lenin, Georgi Dimitrov, was built by volunteers in the fifties who came from all over Bulgaria to erect a modern communist city. The architecture is Russian, solid brick-built buildings and wide avenues.
Merry Xmas
Be my turkey!If you're having trouble keeping the kids happy during the recession this Xmas just call Santa's Little Helper. He'll sort'em out proper.
Azis
AzisIn a country that is traditionally traditional (can be read as homophobic and intolerant of minorities) Azis has become a superstar. Of Roma (Gypsy) origin and outrageously camp and openly gay he is an icon of the Bulgarian Chalga music scene. He is a trans-gender hit. Everybody loves to hate him.
Recently he has come out as straight! Even Wacko Jacko couldn't perform that trick, aie!
Chi, check out this video:
Edno mi
Recently he has come out as straight! Even Wacko Jacko couldn't perform that trick, aie!
Chi, check out this video:
Edno mi
Swing da batty, bad boy!
Baby travel essentials 5
Ten fingers and toesNothing better for self-soothing and gymnastic contortionism!
Baby travel essentials 4
A wooden spoonIdeal for helping teething tots. With a taste of special porridge (oats, 7 types of nuts, honey and pollen and a few mushroom powders). It makes him as warm as a Scotsman without knickers and as strong as a Viking!
Baby travel essentials 3
Baby bouncerAs you can see we've gone native for the decoration of the room we live in. Curtains and bed covers come from the local market in Troyan.
Baby travel essentials 1
Breast is bestEven when it's minus 5 celsius in the mountains Raphael gets a warm nutritous meal. The mother's milk naturally adapts to the baby's neeeds. The amount of water and nutrients varies for each feed depending on the baby's health, temperature and stage in his growth.
We couldn't trek in the mountains in winter if we had to prepare a bottle every few hours!
We couldn't trek in the mountains in winter if we had to prepare a bottle every few hours!
We have a pet
Merry Xmas Mr. MouseWe have a mouse in the house. We've been tracking its movements around the kitchen as it gets more brazen. I saw it today on top of a cupboard sniffing around the bags of flour and oats we have in store for winter. I smacked it real hard with a towel. It bounced off the top of the furniture and fell behind. I haven't heard it since.
Tomorrow we're buying our little pet a trap. Snap! Who says a pet is not just for Xmas?
Mountain Fashion Mum Winter 09-10
Mum:- Fur hat from antique shop, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
- White scarf from George, Asda, Isle of Dogs, London.
- Colourful baby change bag from sexy tranny with a beard, Brick Lane, London.
- Brown duvet coat from Zara.
- Ski trousers and gloves from discount ski shop, Franco-Swiss border.
- Keen mountain shoes, London.
And underneath:
- Cherry coloured jumper, Zara, London.
- Purple jumper, H&M. Alternating the two jumpers for variety every other day.
- Elle Macpherson maternity bra, John Lewis, Oxford Street, London.
- Blue knickers, Jatujak, Bangkok, Thailand.
Mountain Fashion Dad & Baby Winter 09-10
Dad:- Retractable ear-muff cap from DIY shop in Dienze, Belgium.
- Sheep skin and fake fur coat, Camden Town, London.
- Blue sheep skin lined mits, Workers Cooperative, Troyan, Bulgaria.
- Purple silk scarf, Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
- Chinese Army trousers inlayed with fake fur, Troyan weekly market.
- British Army boots, cheap on eBay.
And underneath:
- Red and blue Norwegian jumper, 40 years old borrowed from Dad.
- Quechua blue fleece, Decathlon, London.
- Gap brown jumper as per so many other pictures in this blog!
- Original French army issue kaki thermal T-Shirt. It never lets me down.
- Blue boxer shorts, Jatujak market, Bangkok, Thailand.
Baby:
- Baby Bjorn carrier with winter muff.
- White muslin square to catch the saliva.
- Winter space suit, Gap. Thanks Grandma and Auntie!
- Light blue bear hat, eBay.
And underneath:
- Long-sleeved white and yellow knitted jumper.
- Sleeveless brown knitted jumper.
- Light grey Gap tracksuit bottom.
- Blue and white striped socks.
- Hand knitted baby shoes by a granny at Troyan market.
- Red striped vest, the same for this week.
- Throw-away nappy, changed every 2 hours to stay dry!
Bob
Beans, called Bob locally, are the national dish. They come in all colours and sizes. Cooked in an earthenware pot with onion and carrots and flavoured with savoury, paprika and a special type of mint they are all delicious. Mmmmm!
Monday morning tourist
Monday morning is the best time to visit a city. You can catch its essence. People go about their business without noticing you. The vibe is raw. They are caught up in their thoughts, planning the day trying to catch time. Drop off the kids at school. Catch the bus, metro or tube. Try not to be late for work. I'm hungry, what am I going to eat?In Trakia you can see people picking up a Banitsa. In Paris the sombre mood of the metro is punctuated by the people dressed in grey and black. In London at Piccadilly Circus the last revellers go home after full-on binge weekender. The crazy ones go straight to work. On the DLR in the direction of Canary Wharf there are no holds barred, like a Muay Thai fight elbows are in. Just say "Sorry" after thrusting your laptop into their kidneys. In Cairo men huddle around a cart to eat a Fool sandwich. In Damascus microbus drivers sip on a cup of Mate, some add milk. In Bangkok they'll cross the canals of the delta in long boats and stop at make shift restaurants on the pavement to have some rice with a bit of fish. At the Wat Pho temple you can do yoga before starting work.
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Meet the grandparents
We've completed one loopWe wanted Raphael to meet his family. He got so many kisses and hugs that his cheeks were burning.
Diana
We've traded in Camila in exchange for DianaDiana's more reliable in the pot-holled mountain roads. We can also go off-road where we're looking for a place to live.
She's a bit old but more youthful and bouncy than Camila. Sasho and Ivan have made sure that she is reliable during the difficult winter months. She has more gadgets and features that we know what to do with... it feels like she's a bit wasted on us.
Winky-winky Prince Charlie ;-)
She's a bit old but more youthful and bouncy than Camila. Sasho and Ivan have made sure that she is reliable during the difficult winter months. She has more gadgets and features that we know what to do with... it feels like she's a bit wasted on us.
Winky-winky Prince Charlie ;-)
3 secs
What would happen if there was no electricity in London for 3 seconds?
No grid supply, no backup generators, a complete black-out. What would happen if the unexpected black-out lasted 3 minutes, 3 hours or nobody knew when it would end? No TV or radio for information. No server farms to maintain internet connections. The tube would shut down. Passengers would be in the dark. People would panic thinking that it's another 7/7. The financial district that makes money on millisecond trades would go into panic and probably melt-down once systems are back up... Maybe some people would just chilax, enjoy the moment and go for a walk. People might switch off their iPods and talk more to each other.
We arrived in the mountains determined to have the internet as fast as possible. Never mind TV, it's boring. Switch off and log on! We need the internet. Within the day the internet company came to set it up. They threw cables over roofs and telephone lines to connect our half-built house to the nearest routing point 100 metres away.
Internet speeds in Bulgaria, even in the mountains, are faster than central London. In Sofia the capital you can reach 100Mbs compared to less than 4Mbs in London. Here in the mountains we're running on 10Mbs.
That is, if we have electricity.... We switched on the new modem, tried to log on but nothing happened. We quickly worked out that there was no electricity. At first we thought the mains switch from the old fuse box had jumped. Fuse boxes here looked like a crop of antique ceramic mushrooms. You could flog them off in Portobello Market as Victorian Arts & Crafts.
Any suggestions are welcome!
Happy Birthday!
Raphael has completed his first 12 monthsRaphael has spent 9 months inside Mariya and completed the last trimester to adapt to the outside world. He is sleeping very well and waking up with a huge smile and loads of energy.
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