ClearlyEnlight's Travel Blog

The Village Life, Part Four—Bulgaria.

2009-12-10T10:53:00.001+02:00

This is a common site around many small villages and especially in the mountains in Bulgaria. I captured this picture while I was sitting in my car at the library on Skype. This Gypsy lady made a couple of trips down the street hauling large bags on her back.

There are some Bulgarians of the older generation that are completely hunch over at the waist. This lady could stand upright; however, from her demeanor, clothes, and overall look it is clearly noticeable that continual strenuous work and poverty are impacted upon the human psyche.

The hunchback syndrome is from continual bending over in the garden. The size of gardens here in Bulgaria are much larger than in the west. The gardens are like small farms—most homes owns some cows, hens, and maybe a pig.

A subject of interest is that many people here in the village in November just started cutting and chopping their wood. I would think they would want to accomplish chopping the wood late September or early October so it will dry properly. Also, some poor people are going around gathering wood. The survive, hard work must be accomplished, then you must gather, chop, and process the wood even if it is cold. Because of the rigorous work, most people work when they have too, I am experiencing this circumstance myself.

Many homes in the villages and towns in Bulgaria still farm as a business, though small, the company lifestyle provides food on the table. The son of my neighbor is continually busy bringing in the harvest of cabbage, lettuce, peppers, and just finished the wine making; they sell all their produce in Varna on the Black Sea where their granddaughter lives.

I visited Mitko's house, my friend in Parvomay who lived in England for three years. His parents are very nice who grows vegetables nine months of the year; the work is all done by hand using five large greenhouses plus outside fields. Currently they are harvesting leeks, and growing lettuce.

They also own some pigs and the mother pig gave birth to nine babies. They will sell most of the piglets; the mother became overweight that she cannot even stand up.

The small businesses of farming and raising pigs, hens, chickens, cows, and making Rakia, and Vino is extremely common among the villages of Bulgaria. Most older people and even some of the younger generation want the socialized system to return. As the capitalistic nature of the west forces its greed into Bulgaria, many home gardeners/farmers will struggle to keep a float.

The Village Life, Part Three—The Pet View.

2009-12-08T15:08:00.004+02:00

An analogous outlook upon animals and pets is slightly standardized within the former Ottoman Empire. Spending quality time in each country allows the educational process to distinguish the deeper dynamics of the cultural mind-set. After two years into traveling/nesting I have less of an interest to travel fast.

The mind-set and perception of animals are contrastingly different between the west, the middle east, and the east. The over sympathetic attachment among most westerners causes an imbalance that is a production of the ego. The example is of the organic farm I stay at in Greece for two weeks last May. Those English ladies expressed a bizarre displaced compassion upon their ten mutts, and the lonely little flower, in contrast to deprecating their fellow citizen. This mentality to animals is an ego justification that deludes the individuals reality.

The village life in Bulgaria is similar around the country concerning the mind-set to animals, but an extremely contrasting distinction from the western mentality, with the exception in the capital city of Sofia where the pet owner will bring their dogs to the park to play and run. However, everywhere that I have experienced there is a common out-look toward animals. As a western viewpoint, the Bulgarians treat their pets as tools. My English friends always commented concerning the Bulgarians and the "cruel" treatment of animals But, that is a perception that is created through the western cultural dogma of the media. I have taken time to study the nature of the Bulgarian view of pets, and according to their perception, and their lifestyle, half of the mind-set makes sense and the other half does not—the western culture is different from the former Ottoman and Eastern bloc countries.

In the Villages, mostly, every Bulgarian home has a dog, and sometimes two or three. There are a few exceptions to the rule, but the majority will put the dog on a small chain, about a meter long that is anchored on the dog house. I have never viewed any villagers walking their dog. Even my two friends in Parvomay that lived in England for a time have their dogs on a chain. The reasons behind the dog chain idea are simple. First, the homes have gardens and the dog on the chain prevents havoc. Second, if the dog gets loose someone could shoot them out of fear. Now, fear is the motivating factor. Most people in the villages and mountains are afraid of dogs, because the dog on a small chain barks and acts spiteful whenever a person walks by the house. The fear, and a barking dog answers number three—the perfect watchdog. Some homes will not only have the dog on a small chain, but also, have the dog inside a wire fenced kennel. The fear that is expressed, culturally, is completely on a different level than in the west. Interestingly enough, the Russians view their animals as a pet, so this mind-set in Bulgaria is not from Russia.

In Bulgaria cats are meant to be outside, and I have not known anybody in the village that will have a cat in the house. The friends that gave me Mitts cannot understand why I have the cat in the house, and the idea that he sleeps with me is totally out in left-field. I did explain that I want Mitts as a pet not just an animal that catches mice and feeds his stomach. My neighbors also cannot understand how I can have my cat in the house.

Even though, there is a vast difference of perception to the treatment of animals between the west and the former Ottoman Empire, it doesn't mean that either inclination is better. Each personal preference is different, I want the animal as a pet, not as a tool or an extra stomach.

Within these countries there are many stray cats and dogs, Egypt is at the extreme end of the spectrum with stray cats. Many western travelers question the multitudes of stray cats and dogs that are scavenging for food. Understand that these countries don't have the money to fix the animal, in addition to creating services related to animal control. The idea to go around at night and shoot all the stray dogs in the area hasn't surfaced among the locals within the different countries.

What about the kitty cat home-front?

Occasionally during this autumn season a stray kitten would appear in the yard. I would always offer some food, but the kitten never returned. This last week I came home and my cat was joyfully playing with this small little white kitten with a black nose. I offered some food, and he enthusiastically inhaled the inexpensive processed pork sausage. My cat is crazy for this type of processed garbage; I loath the idea that it is actually for human consumption. One package is only $1.50, possibly captivating for an extremely poor family.

So, this kitten decided to stay, somehow he knew that a meal is in waiting. He has the strangest meow, and very skittish. There is a huge difference in the demeanor and mentality of a stray cat, and the cuddly house cat. I did get him in the house, and I will just pet that strange meow out of him. Right now, while I am writing this I have the kitten laying by my side, and he is purring up a storm; this is his second time in the house; I have to trick him into entering the house. One interesting aspect is that when I pick him up in the house he never attempts to scratch. His name will be O-La. So a two in one name for both cats, Mitts & O-La, for short Mitts-Ola.

I went to Hisar (the house of the family) this last weekend, Zivko the bother of Boris will be in Bansko for the winter doing seasonal work teaching snow boarding and skiing. I do have the opportunity to stay at the apartment in Hisar, but I am not really interested. I dislike like apartments, it is too modern, and I dislike electric heat. I certainly find my ultra traditional situation and routine extremely pleasant.

I did bring Mitts to Hisar which is a one hour drive, he did great in the car and enjoyed it once he got use to the atmosphere of moving. He is a really good cat and adapted to the apartment atmosphere, yet, he enjoys the outdoors where there are chances at catching mice. We left for two nights and I knew little O-La would stick around, and he did, he came running out of the barn immediately when we came through the gate.

Steve is Lost, The End, sort of.

2009-12-02T12:15:00.004+02:00

Steve is Lost just landed in LA after traveling five years continuously.

This is his first impression of viewing LA:

And 18 hours after leaving my Bangkok home I arrived back in the good old USA. I do have to add though, flying out of Bangkok’s new International Airport and flying into LAX (Los Angeles International) it felt like I was flying back into a third world country. Man, the place was tired looking and worn out. Add the fact that sales tax is like 10%, what the hell happened. When I left it was like a little more than 7%. This was going to be rough.

THE END. Well, sort of.

What the hell happened?
Well Steve, the Wall Street crooks and bankers have fleeced the Americans worse than in 1929, and the result is to raise taxes.

The Village Life, Part Two—Bulgaria.

2009-12-01T10:54:00.004+02:00

The city of L.A.

From the viewers eye the village life here in Bulgaria may not look inviting, however there are many positives along with the negatives. The pictures posted may look quite different from what you regularly view. Indeed, most westerns may view several countries as dirty. Some streets here in the village are lined with some trash, and the cow dung does not create a lovely scene of followers, although, within the homes that I have visited everything is kept clean and tidy. After traveling Egypt for five months my external view of an area has diminished, I am not really concerned about cosmetics of the external view of an area. Comparing my street view of the prior post, which looks more relaxing, the city look from these two pictures, or my street in Bulgaria?

Block houses in China.

The buildings in Bulgaria are just old, but I experience the majority of Bulgarians to live clean. Even the gypsy's are clean people in their own way, even if their living location looks ram-shackled. But, this is not always the case, and on my street here in the village there is a house that sticks out like a sore thumb.

The above picture is of a house that is across the street, and to the left from my gate. I thought the house was abandoned, low and behold eight people live there, three adults and five children. The house has no running water. This particular situation causes some estranged energy on this street.

This is Big George, he is a really nice guy, supplies the family with water, and loves his Rakia.

Since they live like Gypsy's, but are Bulgarian, the neighbor’s outcast the entire family. The mom and kids walk two blocks to the house of Big George to fetch water. I am friendly to the kids and the mom, the oldest kid is 16, and the three little ones in the picture are 2, 4, 6. Over the summer these two little ones caused somewhat of a havoc desiring my attention, which makes sense since the village wont associate with them.

One day I had the three kids over for some iced tea and the neighbors tried to tell me how they are bandits and to never let them past my gate, I did try to explain that the kids are not to blame, they don't understand the situation, and will act absurd just for attention, negative attention is better than none for these kids.

Little "Zak" is great at hanging birds. He is one frustrated and angry little boy.

Over the summer the kids were throwing rocks at my gate, calling out my name, I would visit making funny faces and give them a little treat, they would sometimes give me some grapes, and then all of a sudden they stopped yelling my name and making noise upon the gate. I am always friendly and I told the neighbors that I will not shun the children; it is unimportant to me how they live. Now upon passing everything is amiable.

The Village Life, Part One—Bulgaria.

2009-11-24T14:10:00.006+02:00

The month of November in Bulgaria this year has been unseasonably warm; somedays reaching 70*F/22*C. The last couple of weeks I have been taking random pictures of the village for the reader to get a good idea of the village life in Bulgaria.

On Saturday my neighbors butchered up a cow and a big pig. I found the process to be very educational. I got some great pictures of guts, blood and all the gory aspects that consists of butchering up an animal, pictures will be posted soon.

This is one of my neighbors, the gate you see on the right is where I live.

I will be posting a series are articles of the village life here in Bulgaria. The top picture, facing the opposite direction that the above picture, is my street. The house where I live is on the left, pass the car across the street from the green trash can. This is the view of most small villages in Bulgaria. Most houses in the villages have brick walls that create privacy within the home and garden area. Most places that I have traveled have surrounding walls that inclose the property. Some cases the walls define land ownership, also, it can prevent any type of wannabe thievery intrusions. Even though the inclosed comfort zone is cordial, it seems to create odd energy out on the street. I adverted before that outside my gate can consist of a strange energetic undercurrent that transmutes.

The above picture is the street I walk down to the store and the library, facing this direction, my house is to the left. The ladies that are talking by the bench, and about everyday and they always ask "where am I going", which my answer is the same everyday.

The above picture is the town center, the building you see in the background is one of three cafes, I am taking the picture from the red building pictured below; the library with fast DSL is within this building.

During the Soviet era they played movies and presented plays in this building.

More Bulgaria and Lou Dobbs.

2009-11-17T10:46:00.004+02:00

Here is the wood burning stove, I have plenty of buckets that prevents from going out in the cold and fetching more wood or coal.

Last Thursday I accomplished getting my car registered in Plovdiv, a painless process with all the correct documents in-hand. Also, I paid the insurance, which is very cheap, about $100 a year. Somewhat strange when you think that some Americans might pay $2000 to $3000 a year for car insurance. The insurance in Bulgaria is a socialized state run insurance; everyone pays the same amount. And, I also got the Greed Card that insures me throughout Europe.

Shopping in Plovdiv I found some avocados, ginger and broccoli, very rare items indeed. There are several large stores in Plovdiv that are foreign owned that carry imported items. I also found some burrito tortillas, salsa, Chinese oyster sauce, and some fantastic Japanese sesame oil, and other Asian items. I will make my own taco seasoning, although no sour cream in Bulgaria. Though, at this big foreign owned store it is clearly noticeable that the vegetables and fruits are pesticide/genitally manipulated; the massive size is an indicator. The local vegetables and fruits in Parvomay are home-grown and fresh. Nowadays, I am leaning more raw and light foods such as rice, oats, and lentils. My entire diet has changed since I departed two years ago.

The vegetable roots—beets, radishes, and many others—during the autumn are just outstanding, including the delicious pomegranates. The Pomegranates are the bomb, I slice them in half in a bowl and squeeze out all the hearty red juice, fish out the seeds with a fork, discard the pulp, and refrigerate the bowl overnight. The oats I cook are similar like a granola, with seeds and raisins. I cook the oats in milk, but without letting the oats absorb all the milk, and then append homemade honey. The locally produced Bulgarian sausage is decent if a person likes eating sausage products, my cat is crazy over Bulgarian sausage.

My neighbor is making wine from their grapes and bestowed a bottle of their red stock, excellent home produced vino, also some yummy bean soup and healthy cole slaw without the mayo. I cannot over emphasize that Bulgaria is a nice place once a person is established and you are OK watching the cows shit in the streets, at least here in the village that is the reality. This might sound negative, but it is not; Bulgaria is comfortable, and traditionally relaxed as long as a person avoids the production of a project or any pursuit any ambitious ideas because many ideas just don't pan-out.

The predominant positive aspect to living in Bulgaria as a foreigner is that nobody attempts to charge me more for the item I am buying. In many ways Bulgaria is a fascinating culture, the village life is even more fascinating, I can admit the inclosed comfort zone is cordial. My dealings with the Bulgarian people are that they are honest and friendly, even though a negative undercurrent exists, but considering the dynamics of the government bureaucracy, the police mentality, the low meager wages, it makes sense. In America the predominate emotion is anger, the result of the fleecing that the crooks of the Federal Reserve (which is a private bank) and on Wall Street have created, and the police state that it is progressing to become.

My cat is crazy about my daypack.

Observing from a distance what the ultra greedy western governments, and bankers are pursuing, and especially in the United States is astonishing. Have you asked how can a country that has designed itself as a healthy, hygiene, money rich country that produces the state of the art water and waste systems (even though most American believe their water is unhealthy to drink) and the most advanced technology in disease research, and then there are reports are that over 22 million American have contracted the "Swine Flu". I cannot help from asking if anybody has wondered that these greedy manipulative control freaks of government, bankers, and wall street villains con-cocked this disease to motivate people out of fear to accept the vaccination and to produce more control for when they unleash their New World Order plan? The people who are getting the vaccination have no idea what the mixture contains. Has anyone thought that maybe the high levels of government created this flu virus? The main question to ask is "do you think the leaders in government, banking, and Wall Street are the good guy?"

Lou Dobbs quit CNN after 30 years of broadcasting, he was the only anchor that would attack the actions of the government. I said to myself three years ago that Lou Dobbs would quit or get the axe someday. Maybe he should team up with Alex Jones who reports the honest truth of the wicked actions the government, bankers, and the corporate scam artists in connection to the "New World Order", which will be a reality for everyone. Alex Jones conducts an Internet streaming broadcast, and has a somewhat large cult following; however, he is not on a major network. Because of popularity, Lou Dobbs can cause damage to these greedy, power fanatics. Under a CNN contract they possess control over their employee. Maybe Lou Dobbs, Alex Jones, and Michael Moore will team up.

A growing kitty cat.

For the millions of Americans that refuse to notice what the government and bankers are pursuing, it is time to wake up and prepared for when they act to control the nation with their high-tech gestapo tactics. Interesting enough, when I talk to other open-minded people from Western Europe or the UK with an amiable level of awareness, they comment that the same thing is occurring in their country. Once the Western Plutonomy gain the ultimate level of control to pursue the New World Order of enslavement, the middle-class will be deposed. Even after the Wall Street Bankers swindled 1.4 trillion dollars from the American taxpayers, most American people are still under their delusion, which the root cause of delusion is 60 years of brainwashing deception of the media. Even though a portion of the media workers are waking up, it is the number of years people have immersed themselves in front of the hypnotic television that creates an ultra high alpha brain condition that results in a passive mind.

Not only people need to be prepared for this occurring, they need to prepare for the arrival of the Man of Lawlessness in the flesh who is the master and director in spirit of these greedy tyrants. I am not referring to violence within the context of fighting back when using the term "prepared". The preparation needs to be of Endurance.

My cat loves the wood burning stove.

The people that cannot see this realty are glued to their TV and too afraid to face the truth. The powers of the media had created a propaganda that is a complete delusion; mind controlling TV over the last 60 years has strived earnestly to produce the brain inept to problem solve effectively. Passive activity is creating an indecisive society that unconsciously depends on the media to troubleshoot. The Wall Street Plutonomy, which is a form of fascism under the delusion of democracy is of total corporate enslavement. How many Americans know that an "Environmental Police" exist in New York. The Plutonomy government has created this entire environmental issue, by playing both sides, to make money. Closely contemplate the word Environmental, "Environ" defines as "enclosed", and "Mental" equals: an enclosed mentality.

The awareness of the truth averse to the lie and against the darkness of greed is the predominant issue. There is no stopping what will happen. There will be a rebellion, this is why there are multitudes of Fema concentration camps being built around America. However, the spiritual wise will remain neutral, clearly observe, endure, and teach others the truth: 911 was and inside job.

The Energetic Culture.

2009-11-10T16:13:00.004+02:00

The other day the children from the school presented a performance of the culture of Bulgaria. Here are a few pictures. The cultural aspects of Bulgaria goes back to folklore. The style of dress and music is always the predominant feature. The family I am good friends with, their youngest daughter of the family preformed amongst the other kids in the old Soviet building on the road to Istanbul, which denotes the center of the village; the small library is within this building with the DSL. Within a certain perplexing position there is a strong sense of community, but then on the other hand many of these people hate each other that is clearly noticeable from the difference in energy from person to person. The family of girls avoid certain people in the village, they are positive girls that understand the importance of avoiding negativity.

I mentioned previously that the energy is transmutable and the undercurrent is afflicted with a negative value. Certain days this village is a great place to live, according to my perception within that moment. The rhythm is certainly slow, the food store is just down the street, while walking down the street to the library or food store I always see someone I know. The acquainted family of girls are very nice and positive. And, my immediate neighbors are pleasant.

On the other hand, some days the energy within the streets is overcome with a strange level of pessimism, and cynicism that causes an atmospheric entrainment of despondency. My dwelling area resides positive energy, and the strange energy that did exist transmuted. But outside the gate into the street presents itself as peculiar.

Many cultures such as the Mediterranean cultures express a closer level of physical contact that entails kissing each other on the cheek as a greeting and farewell. Predominantly, the English speaking countries are observed as distant and in need of space. Certainly, America, Canada, Australia, and the British display a distant nature. However, my good friends in California and I exchanged hugs, this was automatic with my female friends. My experience so far is that the Bulgaria culture is very distant. And, a sentimental nature is nil. Considering the overly emotional nature of sentiments in America, I don't mind the lack of sentiments here in Bulgaria. An imbalanced level of sediments caused from an overly sympathetic disposition that only leads to grief and sorrow.

Andy is Traveling Haiti.

2009-11-07T11:22:00.002+02:00

A quick note: Andy the Hobo Traveler is currently in Haiti.

I am sure this trip of his will be interesting to follow @ HoboTraveler.com

A Positive Routine—The Meridian Clock.

2009-10-30T10:58:00.004+02:00

Since I returned from my short excursion from Turkey, I have been easing into a positive daily routine. I am determined to maintain a positive daily routine; bad habits are easy to acquire and once a habit becomes a rut, changing can be challenging among the similar geographic location. However, this is not the case amongst my lifestyle within this non-progressive Bulgarian village. I did say to myself that if I would slide into an unwanted rut, I would seek a departure.

I have studied the meridian clock since I learnt the rotation in massage school. Understanding the meridian clock and respecting its natural flow can assist a person in their well-being.

Bulgaria switched to standard time last weekend, which I don't mind. From 0700 to 1100, the spleen and stomach organs which relate with the wood meridian are active. It makes sense, it's the time most people get up and break their overnight fast. Before 0700 the large intestine is active which motivates the morning elimination. The best time to wake up is between 0700 and 0800 in relation to the meridian clock.

I am the most productive in writing and website building between 0700 and 1100. I have stopped drinking black tea in the morning. I started a new hearty drink of hot milk,, honey and fresh mint, totally enjoyable.

The fire Meridian is active in relation with the heart and small intestine between 1100 and 1500. This is the best time to accomplish a task or physical labor. At 1100 I visit the local library where there is fast DSL and will be warm in the winter for one hour. The doors are shut from 1200 until 1400, so I head home and cook some lunch and will accomplish any tasks that are in need, and if I have a cup of black tea, British or Arab style, I will enjoy the tea within the time of 1200 and 1400, however, this is not a daily drink, but an occasional treat. Caffeine addiction is predominately prevalent among the world. Commonly, from observation, multitudes will awake and break their overnight fast with a cup of coffee, or unsophisticatedly, multitudes. In the morning our chemistry is vulnerable to addiction. It is a healthy benefit to have a breakfast prior to drinking a caffeine product. Foremost, during the active fire meridian is prime time to drink caffeine.

The water meridian is active that relates with the bladder and kidney meridian between 1500 and 1900. This is a natural siesta time of the day. I am sure you notice the energetic change around 1600, it is the most non-productive time of the day. Note that the water meridian is active between the active fire meridians.

At 1900 the fire meridian is active, again, until 2300. However, this time there are different organs active; the sex organs from 1900 - 2100 and the thyroid and adrenals from 2100 - 2300. Have you ever wondered why people are motivated for entertainment in the evening? Among the younger generation this inner motivation is clearly proven, although, unaware, the active sex organs and the thyroid gland are the inner cause. Is your pet actively high-spirited in the evenings, my cat is crazily playful in the evening, and he naps every day between 1400 and 1800

The daily meridian clock makes sense and generates a healthy disposition, unfortunately, though, the majority of humanity is unaware the natural rhythm of the meridians. Possibly this could explain why multitudes of people experience "a bad day". In the morning, we eliminate and eat after fasting throughout the night. Fire is active that provides the best time to work, and then the water meridian is a natural break throughout the day. In the evening couples may have dinner, entertainment, and sex. What a perfect day!

2300 hundred is the best time to go to sleep, between 2300 and 0300 the wood meridian is active that relates to the liver and gall bladder. Partying into the early hours in the morning can be unhealthy. The reason debauchery may occur during the night with people that are drinking is that the liver is active between 0100 and 0300, and the liver relates with anger and resentment along with a host of other negative emotions.

Between 0300 and 0700, the metal meridian that relates with the lung and large intestine is active. Have you ever wondered why a large amount of people wake up around 0400? The lung meridian is active, however, the similar emotions are Dogmatically Positioned and Grief. Considering that an immense amount of humanity is Dogmatically Positioned from the falsehood the world teaches through the media and religion; there shouldn't be a wonder why people wake up during the active lung meridian. Dogmatically Positioned negatively generates grief. In addition, that a majority of humanity smokes that effects the lung organ. Between 0500 and 0700, the large intestine organ and meridian are active. The coldest time of the night is during the hours of 0500 and 0600. The active large intestine organ preps our morning elimination of waste.

* If you experience a slothful energetic shutdown during the active fire meridian (1100-1500) this means your fire energy is imbalanced. This imbalance could be from a congested emotional reality. The fire meridian relates with large variety of negative emotions that included Lost, Abandon, absent mindedness, depleted. It could also mean your water meridian is imbalanced if you are lethargic during the fire meridian and energetic during the active water meridian.

** An over active fire meridian can lead to depletion, balance is the key.

*** Sleeping through the morning into the fire meridian can be very unhealthy. Drinking and partying into the early morning hours is extremely unhealthy; observe people that live that type of lifestyle and who sleep through the earth meridian.

Recognizing the energetic dynamics of the meridian clock of the natural human rhythm of the day can assist in well being for our human chemistry.

An Introspective Outlook—Bulgaria.

2009-10-23T11:11:00.001+02:00

Leaving for a time to a country that expresses a different character, belief system, energy, and mind-set, and then returning to Bulgaria is providing an introspective outlook. The atmosphere of the winter's nest is private and mostly quite. It would make all the difference if the house were one kilometer out of the village. However, it is not; the house is within the village. Even though I live on a good street with nice neighbors, indeed though, the village is negative. I find it astonishing how the populace of a village, country, and culture can allow the powers of negativity to befall their personage. A clear result of watching negative passive television and utter boredom. Boredom leads to gossip. Gossip if not restrained leads into mocking, labeling, ridiculing; an unbridled tongue leads into a heart of jealousy and envy. Observing the negative entrainment of the Bulgarians generally, there is no wonder why this country progresses slowly. However, the negativity within the village is at an extreme.

The domination of the darkness (negativity) is an extremely powerful force. I have observed people experience an unwanted disagreeable situation and allowed the negative forces browbeat the unaware individual. Indeed, awareness of the powers behind the negative and positive energies is crucial. Yet, many individuals allow negativity into their lives through music, television, movies, and may choose atmospheres that the undercurrent of energy is an entrainment of negativity. It is an ironic concept, although affirmative. There are some people that prefer negativity, like a snake enjoying his dark hole. The predominant power of negativity within each area is a common theme throughout my travels, some locations are more unpleasant that are oppressed with a strong level of negativity. Contemplating that this whole world is under the domination of the wicked lower entities—the observation of negativity should not come as a surprise.

I am eagerly awaiting the cold winter; it will shut everyone inside. I will be set up to the point of having to head into the neighboring town once a week. This summer the village was slightly energetically draining, yet with school in session, and the cold slowly arriving everybody has slowed down wanting my attention. There are only a few situations that will force me to leave earlier than the spring: a kaput boiler, the water pipes freezing, or an allergy striking my senses. An allergy for myself is from an unfavorable atmosphere. Before I left Santa Cruz I was afflicted with an allergy for one year, which started exactly after my seven year mark of living in Santa Cruz. I found an acupuncturist that treated my system for a host of different allergies, however, this allergy was an atmospheric allergy that departed my chemistry once I departed from the area.

Even though there is a high percentage of negativity within the culture of Bulgaria, once a person is established, Bulgaria can be a pleasant place to reside. If a person wants to let their life pass-by like a mosquito bitting the behind of the flesh, then great, Bulgaria is for you; it is an easy place to let days just pass by eating sunflower seeds, and it seems like a twinkle of the eye. Having said that, it does depend on the disposition of the individual, for many expats Bulgaria is a great place to reside.

Back at the Winter Nest—Bulgaria.

2009-10-19T10:28:00.002+02:00

I am back at the winter nest in Bulgaria. After ten days, it is much colder and I did fire-up the wood burning stove. I can say that this stove will be extremely efficient, and burning coal is the ultimate; coal burns hotter and much slower than wood. My cat is extremely jubilant concerning my return; he stayed in the house all day mingling and fraternizing my legs and sleeping on my bed. However, the outdoor experience in the rain and chilliness is good for him. When I leave for a week in January, he will get a great experience of growth being out in the winter. The neighbor girls stopped over twice a day to feed him, and the five year old boy across the street didn't hang little Misty. I don't think the little brat could catch Misty, although he has caught birds and strung them around the neck for a slow death. One aspect about cats, they are incredible survivors in the cold, rain, and snow.

The discrepancies, culturally, between Turkey and Bulgaria is extraordinary, in the context that there is only a minor comparison. The main aspect of Turkey is the dogmatically positioned nature resulting from the powers of programed indoctrination of Islam—the positives and negatives exist. The Turkish people are pleasant and friendly, and Turkey is an easy country to visit compared to Egypt. From my village, Istanbul is only a six-hour bus ride. I did want to return to an area where I visited prior to grasp the perception of familiarity and the dynamics upon return to Bulgaria.

Bulgaria is a strange country in reference to the easy going cultural disposition. Bulgaria is refreshing after ten days among a dogmatically positioned culture. I've adverted to prior that once a person is set-up, and not need to cause a complication by accomplishing a task, or dealing with the bureaucracy of the country; Bulgaria is an amiable place to experience and dwell. I found it refreshing to return. Even my village, with the streets lined with cow shit, and many village dwellers ignorant and negative; the traditional lifestyle and familiarity of my neighbors, and their strange social behavior is a relaxed comical event. Although, after time spent, the atmosphere in Bulgaria transmutes. My English friends in the mountains commented concerning the impression of first arrival, return, or a continued stay. They live 16 kilometers from the town where I house sat for five weeks. When I visited two weeks ago, the beautifully isolated area is extremely refreshing. But, living there an extended time, the area can become oppressive because of its isolation and the dilatory progression of Bulgaria. The dynamic of the dilatory progression in Bulgaria is what causes a burdensome energetic undercurrent. However, the nonchalant mind-set—if balanced—is attractive, suitably, balance is the key, which is not always attained from the locals.

The positive side of the Bulgarian culture in respects to the humor, the friendliness, and lenient perspective stance I experience to be pleasant.

Excellent Cuisine—Konya!

2009-10-16T18:33:00.001+02:00

Yesterday I arrived in Konya enjoying some excellent cuisine. I met a nice guy from Belgian that travels a month at a time to different locations. He traveled Iran and loved it, and interesting enough, visited Somalia aside from other locations.

Taking the tram into town from the bus station, I met a very beautiful Turkish girl, she didn’t speak any English, however, I did say hello and introduced myself. One thing about a Muslim woman, I am convinced that they would make a very good wife and are very good at mothering children. Although, marrying a woman from a traditional culture includes the family. I am meant to live single, but it is just the concept. I have had plenty of opportunities to pursue a relationship with an interested onlooker of the Arab and Turkish cultures. The Muslim women are very loyal, and dedicated in marriage, except for a beauty loss as the age increases and possible weight gain. In contrast, the Eastern European women who can retain their completion as the age increases.

My perception in regards to travel has changed, although it has almost been two years since I departed America; the charm and drive wears off unless a person is trying to become popular or make money from traveling and blogging. This winter I will contemplate the best alternative direction to pursue. The biggest dilemma while traveling is my digestion; my digestion suffers because I am used to eating home cooked fresh food. Also, my writing suffers; this last month at the Bulgarian nest I accomplished much writing, and truly enjoy writing on a spiritual level. To effectively write within a spiritual level requires solitude, a daily routine, a quiet atmosphere. Actively traveling can be energetically depleting, and an exhausted chemistry inhibits effective cogitative thinking and writing.

I am contemplating on a lifestyle/traveling idea that might seem a little out of the ordinary, I will write in more detail this winter.

Tomorrow I am heading back to Istanbul and will be back in Bulgaria soon. I am looking forward to seeing my cat, if he survived the ordeal of staying outside, the girls in the village (I bought gifts for them) and cooking some lentils, rice and oats. The food in Koyna is the best in Turkey, however, to much meat. I am bringing an assortment of seeds (pumpkin and sunflower) and lots apple tea including some Turkish black tea back for the winter. The apple tea might have sugar, but no caffeine.

Traditional Turkish Food!

2009-10-12T11:29:00.002+02:00

Many readers might remember when I was in Urgup last year I posted a review on the Ailanpa Cafe & Wine House. I am back here enjoying grandmas home cooked traditional turkish cuisine.

A Return to Turkey!

2009-10-12T11:12:00.005+02:00

I crossed over the border to Turkey on Wednesday and arrived in Istanbul. I stayed two nights at a very loud hostel and took the 12 hour bus to Cappadocia. The border crossing was comical. The customs decided to check all the bags of the buses, we were held up at the border for two hours. I was very surprised what people pack into their bags. Lots of pork products and whiskey/Rakia the customs officer confiscated from the Bulgarians.

From all the hostels I have experienced from the last two years an interesting dynamic never fails to amaze me: Europeans, Asians, Arabs, and everyone that is non Brit and non-American never snore. The only people that I have experienced in the last two years that snore—loudly like a barking cow—are Americans, what is the emotional dynamic and disposition of this subject? This is not an absolute generality, only my personal experience.

The last six to seven months I have only visited with two different Americans in Bulgaria. I have met a variety of Americans in Istanbul and Cappadocia. A total head rush viewing the obscured disposition of emotional baggage Americans project. The brainwashing that causes fear and ignorance is predominate within the emotional reality and minds of Americans, and, of course, around the world. However, identifying the detrimental disposition of congested emotional baggage that the media is causing is astonishing. The problem is that the false propaganda that is taught, most Americans are stupid enough to believe the garbage—totally remarkable.

This type of experience snuffs out any desire to return to America.

The fearful disposition that is a predominate quality among the masses of humanity is the result of indoctrination of fallacious propaganda. —CE

A Variety Travel Blogs.

2009-09-24T13:20:00.004+03:00

I have been reading a variety of travel blogs since I departed America almost two years ago. There is information about a majority of locations that travelers blog about. However, there are few bloggers, compared to the norm, who will write about the cultural aspects of the country. Within the characteristics of a country, positive and negative exist, and, most bloggers refrain from writing about the negative. Many onlookers abstain to identify the mass negativity within the world because of fear and hopelessness encountering a lack of control over the dynamics of the world that produce a reality of paralyzed will. Some travel blogs are based on teaching or embedded within shallow tourist content, consequently, I speed read though many blogs. Yet, there are a few bloggers that produce excellent content.

One travel blogger that I follow is AndyHoboTraveler, traveling for 12 years, though returning to America on occasion for up to two weeks, his travel writing is realistic. This last spring/early summer Andy traveled a large part of Eastern Africa. Starting in Ethiopia and traveling by land down to Kenya. From reading about his description of reality concerning the level of envy and jealousy and want of heart among this region of Africa, I can say I have no desire to visit this location of the Globe. I think Andy’s blog stands out compared to the norm in relation to the content that he posts, except when he talks about himself. It is kind of comical, his writing skills are slightly poor, which he freely admits; however the realistic context of life situations among the different cultures is superior.

Traveling abroad for a substantial about of time—as a result of reading travel blogs—I can acquire a strong sense of the dynamics of a country. Once a person understands the underlining motivation of the inner heart, comprehending the context of dynamics of a region is not difficult.

Another travel blogger I mentioned prior is Steve is Lost. After motorcycling around India, he flew to Thailand to buy another motorbike and is biking around Asia. The bike “Sasha between his legs” died. Steve bought a another bike to continue the journey. Currently, Steve is enjoying lots of fishing in southeast Asia. The Southeast Asia route for travelers is similar; from the multitudes of blogs I read, most travelers have taken the same route. Steve’s style is a little different than your average traveler which is influencing my perspicacity of traveling Southeast Asia.

My previous strong interest traveling Southeast Asia has dwindled because of the touristic syndrome: the repetitious travel route, locations, and sites perceive as bland, except for the food, or course. Nevertheless, motor-biking around Asia is attractive.

Too add, Otts-world, a woman who left the corporate world to live as a nomad, and has been living in Saigon. She is currently in Mongolia posting excellent pictures. Her motorcycle tales of Saigon are quite comical. As Westerners, we seem to have a positive outlook, only to experience that the power of negativity has engulfed a culture, country, or village/town. Otts-world’s description of the small villages in Mongolia are appealing to read. I can just sense the level of negativity within the isolated villages in Mongolia.

A quote from Otts-World concerning a village in Mongolia: What I thought would be a nice respite from the harshness of ger living turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. However, being a culture junkie, I found the villages fascinating beyond belief. I always had the same thought run through my head, “Who in their right mind would live here?”

A Travel Around the World, a couple from England traveling for a year, finished parts of Southeast Asia, and New Zealand, and now is wrapping up Australia. New Zealand and Australia are popular destinations for the one year travelers. I enjoyed their visitation beach scenes while they were in Thailand, and they post good tips concerning the location and transportation. Looks like they will be visiting America during their around the world travel.

An American couple spent close to six months in New Zealand, in addition to Two Guys Around the World that visited down-under. The context that turns me off from the countries down-under is the peculiar frame of mind concerning alcohol. Ninety percent of people I met from down-under while traveling was preoccupied with a focus (obsession) on alcohol. Yet, the people I did met that refrained from the “party lifestyle” were extremely amiable individuals that possessed a disposition of depth relating to life. My percentage of interest about traveling Australia and New Zealand is a mixed bag. I am sure visiting the locals would have a different mind-set than the travelers.

A Pair of Panties and Boxers is traveling China. The enjoyable posts are insightful for any perspective traveler to China. I do admit, she writes some most comical posts about the dire reality of squat toilets.

“The one thing I absolutely loathe about China is the lack of Western toilets. Those hole-in-the-ground-you-have-to-pee-by-squatting apparatuses make me cringe every time. I’m a girl — how am I supposed to pee that way?” Five hours into the bumpy bus ride and two bottles of water later, I was bursting with thoughts of shiny automatic-flush toilets and marble sinks. Alas, what greeted me at the makeshift rest stop was an outhouse made out of mud and three little children asking for a 50 cents fee for using their “bathroom.”

I hurriedly deposited the coins into their eagerly awaiting palms before standing in line behind my fellow travelers. I held my breath in anticipation of the stench that will inevitably waft up my nostrils. When it was my turn to step behind the tiny cloth drape that doubled as the door, I realized why there was a such a long line to begin with; there were 3 ditches lined up next to one another, with the teeniest of mud walls to separate each one.
We, being Westerners, have an innate sense of privacy that non-Westerners don’t recognize. The shame of seeing each other with our pants down forced us to go in one at a time, while the locals watched us curiously and asked each other in Chinese “How come they can’t see that there are 3 stalls in there?!”

I do have a slight interest in visiting China more than other parts of Asia.

I have been following Intinerant Londoner through Central and South America. Geoff started his one year travels in Mexico and has been heading south this entire summer. He did the incredible Huayhuash circuit hike and posted some truly beautiful pictures. He experienced some disappointment in Bogota, but enjoyed Colombia. Many bloggers rave about Colombia—I have cultivated an interest in visiting Colombia. There are many other bloggers I follow that traveled through South America. My interest in South America has increased, possibly more so than Southeast Asia, maybe because of the Latin Dance scene.

Go See Run Eat Drink is bouncing around Europe including a short jaunt into Russia. She has been active with the Hash Walkers in different locations. You may recall I did a Hash walk when I was in Cairo. A few interesting mishaps have occurred that included her computer screen breaking in Denmark and losing her wallet in Barcelona (I cannot recall how many people lost their wallet in Barcelona). However, she is hanging in there and battling forward, which is admirable. My suggestion is to slow down, visit some small towns and take in some culture and landscapes—avoid the big cities for awhile.

You may be wondering about my future travels. On October 8th I will head to Istanbul to renew my Bulgarian Visa, possibly visit Cappadocia, I might stay two weeks in Turkey. This spring I will be heading to Poland in the car, which will allow me to camp along the way. Mostly what I bought for this house I will pack in my car. Not only for camping, but also if I decide to find a flat in a location of interest. After the summer road trip, I could return to Bulgaria for another winter, or move on and fly someplace—the moment will decided, and certainly within this moment, I will refrain from thinking about any details.

Continued Dynamics with DSL.

2009-09-17T14:09:00.002+03:00

I have inquired about the DSL on several occasions, and it looks as though it is a lost cause. The only company in the country "BTC" (American owned) that provides DSL seems to be changing their system, so even my neighbor that has an installed phone cannot receive a new service currently. I have investigated the mobile internet through the two different phone companies, I could get 12 GB for 60 Lev a month, although that is a costly monthly expense. There is an open wireless connection at the local cafe here in the village, aside from Uncle George’s house. There are also two different open connections in Parvomay. I will refrain from pursuing DSL for the home. In someways, I do prefer not having DSL in the home, I do get more offline work accomplished.

To continue with a few more dynamics of Bulgaria, observing the village is insightful and amusing. The neighbors are very friendly, but nosy based on curiosity. They continually bring over vegetables and fruit from their gardens. They view me as a guest and do observe myself as different, but with a curious outlook, they are perplexed that I will not own a TV. Like any other town or village, the gossip and boredom are at an extremely elevated level. The young kids suffer within the negativity; if they don’t get out of the village after high school they will never change. The negative dynamics of the village will forever keep them stuck within the sticky congested emotional baggage. Some families carry a labeled reputation. Because of the negativity, in addition to the suppression of free expression, the aging process is accelerated on a profound level.

I advert to prior that the progression is dilatory here in Bulgaria. The sluggish motivation of progression is baffled within a catch twenty-two process. Resulting from the fact that accomplishing projects and tasks are an onerous exhausting experience. And, the bureaucracy to accomplish a legal enterprise will instantly accelerate the aging process within an individual—the inner ambition of a new project becomes lethargic. The Bulgarians own their home and are established, starting a new adventure is subdued because of the cognition of the problematic Bulgarian system. Each country is embedded within a tangled confusing level of established bureaucracy or “Bureau-Crazy”. In many countries, this is the reality that the subjects are living under: without free opportunity, corrupted government that creates an entrainment of negativity, and a dominating nature that suppresses freedom of expression—each country experiences these dynamics within a different level.

The difficult nature to fulfill a project suppresses inner motivation and ambition. Thus, a catch twenty-two spiral creates an energy of slothfulness suppressing enthusiasm. Since I am set up for the winter I have no desire to start any other type of project.

I created few friends in Parvomay, one person who speaks good English that lived in London for three years. We meet to visit at the cafe each week. The friendship level in Bulgaria is amiable; getting to know people is kind of easy and sustaining. Parvomay is the medium size town 5 kilometers from the village. It is an amiable town that resides a different type energy that the village.

I will be heading to Istanbul in a couple of weeks for a new visa. I am not too sure if I want to attempt for the long term visa, I am tired of the hassles. However, I can also head out of the country in January in needed. Right now I will be here at the nest for the winter. Come spring, I will decided on the path to pursue.

A Few Dynamics of Bulgaria.

2009-09-14T13:23:00.002+03:00

Mitsy's favorite outside sleeping spot.

After a couple of weeks from being finished with the winter nest except for some small tasks, I cannot help from writing about my realistic view of Bulgaria. I did advert to before that Bulgaria is an easy going country. Indeed, there are laws and rules, but there is no comparison to the western countries. In addition, if an individual seeks to live the traditional life, this type of lifestyle is possible, including living slightly secluded. Taking in consideration the prices is relatively low, in respects to chosen items; Bulgaria may seem like an easy catch, positively, it did and still does to many English people.

Scrutinizing the context that everywhere positive and negative exists, as well to cultural discrepancies—considering the dynamics of the country is crucial before creating roots. Many British people have boughten houses here in Bulgaria and spent thousands of English pounds to experience they couldn’t finish the house, or they finished the house, but could not generate any income being forced to return to England. Moreover, the media in England portrays a picture of fantasy and romance concerning buying a house in Bulgaria. There is a vast contrast from the English cultural way next to the Bulgarian way, likewise, American verses the Bulgarian way—two different styles of life. Clearly, for many foreigners living in Bulgaria is amiable, however, the complaints are similar.

From life experience, and an introspective listing ear—there are a couple of subjects that are predominately negative here in Bulgaria. The first subject is that 75% of the population of workers are shoddy, careless, lazy, irresponsible who continually carry a negative attitude. It is one of the first negative characteristics I noticed here in Bulgaria. It is very difficult to accomplish a building project because the workers that weigh in with integrity are busy. The worthless worker will say he will do the job, but then not appear for a week, or if he does arrive for the job, the quality of work is amateurish. Considering the high level of alcoholism— motivating a person from their TV or morning beer is impossible. One reason for the lackadaisical mind set, all the villagers are established, they all own their home, each family has orchards and small farm animals. The small amounts of money most villagers receive is adequate for food, cigarettes, and booze.

Winter Wood.

Experiencing the “ultra difficult task” of getting this small house ready for the winter—the exceedingly arduous work of restoring or building a home here in Bulgaria would be a fruitless worthless undertaking: financially, emotionally, and most importantly—spiritually. An interesting fact is that the work out here is tough taxing work, people that are in their 70’s look as if they are in their 90’s.

The second subject is the dilatory progressive nature of Bulgaria. Ideas and projects happen slowly out here in Bulgaria, the smallest tasks, such as getting DSL hooked up, can take three or four months. A major dynamic is the negative attitude concerning work, the 75% worthless workers don’t do their job well, the cause and effect create a catch twenty-two problematic atmosphere within the country, although subtle. The slow rhythmic progression of Bulgaria causes an effect of a passive, uninspired, humdrum brain; besides, any slight behavior—out of the ordinary—is viewed as “deranged” within the village—the suppression of free expression is excessive.

The third subject is in respects to the imported goods that Bulgaria purchases—80% of the goods imported are cheaply manufactured garbage from China and Turkey—absolute junk. The quality items are at an inflated price because of the lack of competition. The determination will require spending lots of money to repair a house with quality materials next to cheap stuff that will break in due time and cause a major headache.

A principal positive feature of Bulgaria is that the fear level is low compared to the west, and there is no connection to Israeli propaganda, except within the media, which I avoid.

The Local Anthill.

These three facts of reality of Bulgaria would create gray hair at an accelerated rate by attempting to build or rebuild a house, a venture that is pointless according to my personality. I visited with the cousin of neighborly George who lived in Ireland for six years. They moved back to Bulgaria and built a major greenhouse complex growing cucumbers. They speak fluent Bulgarian, and they experienced a difficult time in the beginning because they didn’t know anyone here in the village. It took two years to build the greenhouse complex with gray hairs added.

A close up of the anthill.

There are other features I will write about at a later time about the dynamics of Bulgaria.

Mouse Hunting, Tile, and Wood.

2009-09-07T10:06:00.002+03:00

Saturday, Sonya’s dad installed the tile in the shower room and entryway; a major help, plus they are selling me a wood stove at a great price. In addition, they are helping me get DSL into the house, possibly through the grandparent’s house across the street since they have a phone. Sonya’s family is very amiable, reliable people. Indeed, the reliable compared to the worthless are a minority, however, the responsible, genuine individuals, even though few, are exemplary.

An interesting concept among the neighborly help is that the neighbor that hooked up the hot water heater and fixed the gate did the work for free, in addition to giving me tomatoes and peppers. And, Sonya’s dad did not charge nor will he accept any money, although I am taking out the family for dinner some night. The plumber and big fat george that never showed saved me some money.

Last Thursday, the task of accomplishing a couple of cubic meters of wood out to the house occurred. The wood is not cut small, it’s cut at a meters length. In addition, they just dumped the wood in front of the house. The kids came through again, and helped move the wood into the yard. I took them out for pizza because they helped paint the windows and moved the wood. Neighborly George said he would help cut the wood with his chainsaw.

It is interesting observing how the kids are easily entertained. The smallest invention, like rolling up the used masking tape into a “baseball” and setting a bucket in the distance and throwing the ball in—exciting stuff. The boredom rules over the villages and towns; individuals do lack creative thought of what to do—television is a major cause, thinking of gathering to play volleyball or softball doesn’t happen; yet, no different from any other town/village around the globe. The kids that have taken a liking to me are positive, and they do avoid the kids that are negative in the village.

There has been a small mouse running around the winter house. His escape routes were under the door, which the newly installed tile closed it off by narrowing the gap, and the shower and sink drains. I knew the mouse was in the house, so I closed off the drains. The kitten (I haven’t decided on a name yet) noticed the little scoundrel, although cute. Totally—the hunt, chase, play, and kill was a scene from Tom & Jerry, except for that Jerry never gets killed in the cartoon. A big addition to the story, another mouse came up from the drain after the first mouse was terminated, and the attack from the kitten was outstanding. My new juvenile kitten is on high mouse alert! I have a few names in mind, snoozer, snuggles, or maybe MT, for “Mouse Terminator”. After this episode of two kills, he caught a moth, too. This night has been an excellent time observing nature in action. Catching the two mice, I notice a soar in confidence in the kitten, he has been sitting at the “kill corner” all night.

A New Kitten—and a Finished Awning!

2009-09-03T10:29:00.006+03:00

From the picture you can observe the awning finished, it turned out OK, this next spring I will reinforce it, however until November it should be a solid structure against the wind. The awning measures somewhat large, at 5.5 by 4 meters. In addition, today it rained and the water drained off of the awning properly.

I decided to just place rugs in the winter house/summer kitchen. Accomplishing things out here has been so difficult that I decided not to install a floor; the rugs will be work well for the winter, and next spring I will decide if I want to install some type of floor. The energy is amiable, and the kitchen house is a great summer nest. I have made some nice friends and they all like the energy of my atmosphere.

The neighbor friends gave me a kitten; a cute little rascal as you can see from the above picture, and young enough to train to ride in the car. Basically, I have become familiar with five different girls and one ten-year old boy. The boy speaks good enough English to translate and many of the girls sought out his assistance for an introduction. There are three girls who are sisters, 14, 16, 18; the 18 year old seems crazy about me. Then another female friend joins along. Then the neighbor across the street, their great granddaughter (Sonya) visits occasionally from Parvomay, she speaks the best English of the bunch and translates. However, the boy who is ten, just stays out in the village with the grandparents during the summer and on the weekends during school, he lives in Plovdiv; once he leaves we will be out of a translator except for when Sonya visits. However, the interactions with the village can be energetically draining; the cold weather and school starting will slow the interaction down. It is very interesting observing the boredom among society. My immediate next door neighbor (George) is a very nice person, he has helped with a few things once he noticed that help from the brother ended, which worked out for the best. I bought an English Bulgarian dictionary, and this book is a great help for translation purposes with the neighbor. This next Saturday, Sonay’s dad will be installing the tile in the shower room and entryway. Big fat George in the village never showed for the tile, similar like the plumber guy. This is one dynamic that makes me ill, people saying they will do something but then avoiding, without any communication. The lack of integrity is pitiful among humanity around the world, although the girls that I have become friends with are reliable. Yesterday, they came over to help paint the windows and have tea, plus they will fed the cat when I head out for a holiday occasionally.

It seems like some people have the impression that I bought a house here in Bulgaria? I have not bought a house or any land, yet. I will be writing about the experience of getting this house set up, and if I will buy a house or some land here in Bulgaria in the future.

Final Phase—Bulgarian Nest.

2009-08-23T14:01:00.001+03:00

I have been working hard accomplishing the task of getting ready for the winter out at the house. This last week I accomplished the pluming in the shower room, the project was kind of difficult; however, the shower completed and I completed the pluming myself without being able to speak the language. The neighbor hooked up the electric to the water heater, the boiler is electric and wood burning.

This week the Rakia is ready to be processed for distillation, and I will finish the awning by the end of this week. The floor will be installed soon. After the floor is in then I will buy this nice wood burning stove that has an oven and install it, and then finish the windows.

This process has been an experience and I have a different perception about buying a house. In addition, the lack of assertiveness among different cultures is astounding. The plumber in the village said he would do the plumbing but never showed, he kept saying “tomorrow”, however he could not express that he did not really want to do the job—I deicide to tackle the job myself.

The different cultural dynamics from cultural to cultural is interesting; however there is always a common level of qualities among humanity.

My neighbors are very nice, there is a constant flow of tomatoes, peppers, onions, and some grapes. Everyone has grape vines in the village, however not for making wine, just for eating.

Still Working—Posting Soon.

2009-08-17T18:03:00.002+03:00

I should be posting soon, I am on one of the final phases at the house.

MoonShining in Bulgaria!

2009-08-11T11:53:00.004+03:00

The last few days we accomplished much out at the house. We hired a friend that works with plaster. He plastered, smoothed, and painted the walls of the winter house. We also got the poles for the shade awning into the ground.

Getting the walls complete was a lot of help and very affordable, it would have cost the same to buy quality tools for the job. After the shower plumbing is installed, we will only need to paint the inner door and frame, and the windows and frames. Then we can focus on the flooring.

We decided to pick all of the plumbs and make Rakia. We picked 15 buckets of plumbs and added 39 kilos of sugar mixed with water which will yield about 50 liters of booze. I am not a big drinker, and Bulgarian rakia is something to be respectful of because of the high alcohol percentage. However, it makes a great bartering item. We might have some mulberry and oak barrels constructed and age the rakia for 3 months for a nice wood barrel flavor. I never thought I would be moonshining in Bulgaria.

We are also contemplating on getting some bees to make honey, two hives would be good to start. We visited a friend in a different town that has a long row of bee hives that produce about three tones of honey a year. Interesting enough this town is where the oldest tree in Europe stands which was planted around 350 BCE.

The winter house/shower room/summer kitchen.

Buying a few sheep to make cheese, and some hens for eggs would be nice, but I don’t want to get in over my head with too many projects, the garden will be plenty or work to maintain next year.

A Relaxed Atmosphere—Bulgaria.

2009-08-02T13:54:00.004+03:00

I bought this 3D map of Bulgaria.

Staying here in Bulgaria there are many aspects I prefer than in my home country. The easy going, relaxed atmosphere is related with non-enforced laws. Jivko asked me if he could drink some beer in the car while driving to the house— I asked it is legal? He said yes, any passenger can drink alcohol in the car. Even the driver may have a beer as long as his or her alcohol blood levels stay under a certain level.

I mentioned the laws in America concerning an "open bottle" in addition, that a person would rather not use a used beer bottle for water in their car because they could be accused for an open bottle of alcohol, and that nobody in the car is allowed to drink. Here in Bulgaria a person can enjoy a beer in a park, beach or wherever. I can produce my own wine or Rakia, which is made from plums and sell it at the local outside market on Saturdays. In America, The UK, and mostly Western Europe these activities are illegal.

These two pictures is of the dog I pet sat along with the parrot.

There are several other aspects I like about Bulgaria, an important aspect is that nobody tries to over charge me compared the countries I traveled including Greece.

The longer I am away from the United States the more I am observing the cultural congested baggage that people are stewing in; setting undo amount of rules and laws upon the populace is causing a repressive nature, which, in turn, causes discontentment and the crime rate to increase.

The crime rate seems kind of low here in Bulgaria, but I certainly don’t pay any attention. The only thing I notice is the police will stop people for speeding and check if the paperwork for the car is up to date. None of the police can speak English so they just let me pass.

Within the villages there is no police force whatsoever.

The Heat is Rising—Bulgaria.

2009-07-31T11:10:00.004+03:00

Here are some pictures of the house. The winter dwelling place with the running water and shower room is the white building with the window, which is detached from the summer house.

The last week I have been slowly working out at the house within the summer heat. Jivko will head out with me on Monday and Tuesday to help paint and get the plumbing up in the shower room. The last week worked out well being at the house alone, I got a good feel of the area and I think I will really enjoy living at the house. On the property there are four different types of plum trees, one apricot tree, one cheery tree, one late peach tree, and two walnut trees. The garden area is well over 200 square meters.

We started painting, so all we will have to do is set up the plumbing in the shower room, lay the tile in the whole house, and then paint the windows.

The Huge Walnut Tree.

In the mean time we are building a wooden shade area which we will plant a grape vine. I will put a tarp over the wooded frame for the time being, or possibly cover it with wood beams.

I will be researching how to preserve the fruits for the winter. I will plant lots of herbs—the first thing is to plant some mint, although there is some low grade wild mint in the year near the ant hill. There is a huge ant hill against the fence. We cleared out a dormant ant hill, which consisted a major amount of sand. As you can see from the pictures the walnut tree is huge.

This is a picture of the Parrot I was pet sitting.

I am contemplating on setting up a process to catch the rain water into a 1000 liter bin and pump it out for the garden including the water from the well. There is really no other way to water the garden. I am not to sure how we are going to plow, we might try to man powered style, if that fails then we might ask the neighbors if they have a horse or donkey to pull the plow.

I should have more pictures posted soon.

Quick Outing Today—Hisar.

2009-07-16T13:35:00.003+03:00

A quick outing today. Zhivko and I went to inquire about the car registration, I guess I need a Bulgarian ID before changing it into my name. So on Monday we will head to Plovdiv, and the lawyer will have ready the paper work for the company and the paper work for the ID. It will be nice to have a Bulgarian ID. We will also inquire about the DLS for the house in Plovdiv. Then we will get the car registered in a few days, most likely in Parvomay, although they said I have until the end of August when the insurance needs to be updated into my name to register the car.

We did get the oil, oil filter, and air filter changed in the car. It is always a good feeling to have clean oil in the car, I insist to run clean oil. However, quality oil is expensive here in Bulgaria.

In September I will inquire about the long term visa in Sofia, and find out if I have to go out of the country to a Bulgarian embassy or not.

This weekend we have some couch surfers staying with us here in Hisar.