65 & 66

Hello everyone. Sorry for the delay in posting - I have literally been TOO HOT to write the blog. I am still too hot now, but it must been done!

 

Last week was Charley's last week with us so we had a bit of a holiday and Maya returned to spend a few more days here. It was so good to have Char here, especially for such a long time as it felt like he really got to experience life here in our village, as well as meet all our friends and explore a bit of Bulgaria too. He was also extremely enthusiastic and helped us a lot with everything - from plumbing to washing up! We miss you already little bro! :(

 

So now we are back to just the two of us after more than two months of having guests here - it seems very quiet. Not for long though! We have our first volunteer arriving at some point next week, so that is exciting.

 

Anyway, onwards with the post before me and my computer melt...

 

Monday 4th

 

For the first half of this week we had planned a 'mini-break' as a reward to the three of us for finishing the toilet block! We wanted to go to The Rhodope mountains as me and Pete had not visited before (but had wanted to for ages) and we all like a good hike in the hills. So, Monday morning we were all up earlyish, packing and getting ready to go. We bought the dog with us and left the cat and the chickens with huge bowls of food and water! After some time faffing about in Chirpan buying food and taking the strimmer in to get serviced, we were finally on the motor towards Plovdiv by about 10.

 

Once through Plovdiv we got to Asenovgrad where we stopped for a wander around Assen's fortress. This was amazing and definitely worth a visit - incredible views as well.

Assen's Fortress

 

 

Inside

 

View to Asenovgrad

 

After about an hour there we carried on on the road towards Smolyan. I had researched a few villages that you could supposedly do walks from, although information online was limited so we were hoping that we could find tourist information somewhere. The road going south passed several pretty towns and followed a stunning mountain river along a deep valley. Our first stop was the small village of Zabardo to look for a guest house and/or information about walking. It was a pretty village but felt quite 'local' (lots of staring) and had no tourist info that we could see. So instead we turned around and followed the road sign for 'The Wonderful Bridges' - an area with naturally formed rock arches that I had read a bit about online. When we got there we were massively impressed as the internet photos do it no justice whatsoever and we spent a few hours exploring these huge formations and the small river that formed them.

 

Zabrado

 

The Wonderful bridges...

 

 

 

 

A very cold dip under the bridges!

 

 

Haha!

 

When we were worn out we stopped in a café for some chips and a beer and then carried on to find a guest house as it was starting to get late now. We first stopped in Hvoyna and Pavelsko, again they were pretty towns but they had nowhere to eat dinner and no guesthouses that appealed (although one lady did try to help us by taking us to the mayors office and getting her to call a hotel owner!) By now it was about 5.30 and was starting to look a bit stormy. The only other village I'd read about was Orihovo, so we headed into the mountains to find it. As we approached the village there were several guesthouse signs, so we followed one and discovered a gorgeous little guesthouse. The owners were very friendly (but spoke no English) and showed us to our rooms - me and Pete were giving a small apartment with kitchenette, sofas and balcony all for 20lev per person! Bargain! We asked the lady if there was a restaurant in town and she said no, only a shop. She then asked if we wanted some of what her and her husband would be eating - pork and cabbage - and we said yes please! We organised to eat at 8.30 and then had showers and went out for a stroll in the village. The village was very friendly - everyone we passed said 'welcome' - and we made friends with a group of kids that were practising their English on us (which was better than our Bulgarian by the way!) We had a beer at the shop and then headed back to the guesthouse just as the clouds opened. Dinner was lovely and then we spent the evening playing cards with a few glasses of wine.

Just moving a fallen tree out the road

Massive leaf!

Quick stop to forage for raspberries

 

Break from driving

Raya guesthouse

 

Coffee in the garden

 

Amazing room...

 

 

Tuesday 5th

 

Amazingly not even our guesthouse owners knew any information on local walks (Bulgaria hasn't quite got this tourist thing down yet) but they did have one flyer that talked about a few sights near the village. The only thing the flyer didn't say was how to get to any of them or how far away they were - hmm useful! Anyway I knew there was a mountain peak nearby - Persenk - so we were up and out the door by 8am to head there. We even managed to find a sign that said it was only 3 hours walk from Orihovo. The walk was gradual at first, following a wide track through beautiful pine forest and following an icy looking stream. It was a hot day but the trees were shady and there were clouds coming and going - the temperatures up here in the mountains are very different from down in the plains and the countryside still looks like ours did over a month ago (lush and green with wild flowers everywhere.)

Start of the walk

Small chapel we passed in the mountains

 

After about an hour an a half of walking the track turned to footpath and became extremely steep - this was very hard going on the legs! It was over an hour going up and up but we took it easy and enjoyed the surroundings. Once at the top the forest opened out and we found an old mountain resort - now all closed down with only a couple of men working up there. We stopped for a packed lunch and chilled out for a while. This wasn't actually the peak of Persenk mountain so I decided to ask the working men how much longer the walk was to the top - they said 2 hours. I then asked how long it was to walk to Kosten Kamuk (a waterfall and canyon that I thought was nearby) and he said it would take 11 hours - so maybe not today then. We decided that we'd walk back down to the village and try to get to Kosten Kanuk from there.

Getting steeper and steeper

The top!

 

We descended the steep path in less than half the time it took us to get up and then once we were on the wide track a man drove past in an old Barkas mini-van that had been pimped with huge 4x4 tyres and he offered to give us a lift to the bottom - result. He actually even did a bit of off-roading - which was absolutely terrifying! Back in the village we got in the van and followed the road as far as we could, in the direction of the Kosten Kamuk, before we narrowly escaped getting stuck on the dodgy mountain track. We decided to park and just follow the footpath instead. Another extremely steep climb up and up before it levelled out and became a pretty walk through forests and meadows. We were quite tired from our 4 and a bit hour hike, but the thought of a waterfall to get in to was enough to keep us going - even though we had no idea how far away it was! We decided that if we walked for an hour and a half and we still hadn't found it we'd have to turn around, as it was gone 3 o'clock already. We walked and walked and then after an hour or so we found a sign that told us we were at the canyon - yay! We scrambled down the rocky side and found the waterfall - not quite the gushing fall and large pool that we were hoping for, but still somewhere to get wet! We all got in and then sat down for a bit, but by now it was getting late and we could hear thunder in the distance so we didn't hang about too long.

Hitchhiking

View to Orihovo village

Enroute to Kosten Kamuk

The canyon

Climbing down the canyon

The waterfall!

 

Another hour walking back to the van and then we drove into the village to stop for a cold beer before heading home. We had another lovely evening in the guesthouse with another delicious home cooked dinner - it was lamb this time, which is so exciting for us as we've only eaten pork or chicken for over a year! We stayed up a little while to have a glass of wine, but we were all feeling pretty knackered so had an early night.

The bar in Orihovo

 

Dinner at the GH

Wednesday 6th

 

It was the last day of our 'holiday' today and we had several things planned, so it was another early start to have coffee before checking out of the guesthouse. The guesthouse, by the way, was called Raya, in the village of Orihovo, and I definitely recommend it if you are in the area. We started the morning by visiting a small waterfall 1km outside the village which was slightly underwhelming but we got into it anyway before heading back to the main road.

Morning waterfall shower

 

The next stop was to a tiny village called Kosovo, which our friend George had recommended. It was an extremely pretty village set right in the mountains and we had a wander around a stop for coffee. We then carried on north and stopped for a look in Bachkovo Monastery - the second biggest in Bulgaria. It was a gorgeous place with an incredible little chapel. We also looked around Bachkovo village where we stopped in a shop for picnic supplies and then went in search for a good spot along the river. We stopped in a few laybys before finding the perfect place - it was a hot day and we spent a couple of hours chilling on and in the river and eating lunch. Lovely. At about 3.30 a huge group of teenagers came and took over our peaceful retreat, so we decided to call it a day and set off for the last couple of hours driving to get home.

 

Kosovo village...

 

Café in Kosovo

Bachkovo Monastery...

 

Inside the chapel was amazing

 

Gorgeous river

Picnic time

We were home before 6 and we spent the evening giving the veg garden a good watering and chilling out in the garden. For dinner we had a selection of salads using veg that needed harvesting and we watched a film before having an early night.

From harvest...

... to dinner.

Thursday 7th

 

The alarm went off at 5.30 and we got up and had a quick coffee before driving to take Charley to Chirpan train station. He was going to Sofia to look around the city for a day with Maya, before coming back and spending his last few days here. We were just in time for the train - it was actually on time for once - and Char had to run to catch it. Once he'd gone me and Pete headed home to spend the day catching up on doing gardening for ourselves and for the friends whose gardens we look after.

The chard has had a hair cut and now all frozen

 

Blooming sunflowers in the garden

Friday 8th

 

Market morning. After shopping we spent the rest of the day again weeding the veggies and generally pottering about and tidying up the house. Charley or Maya didn't have a phone but they planned to get the 4pm bus from Sofia to Chirpan, which we thought would take about two and half hours. We went to Chirpan early to get a few building supplies that we'd forgotten in the morning and then sat and had a beer whilst we waited for the bus to arrive. As it turned out the bus had got stuck in traffic so took three and a half hours and they turned up at about 7.30.
 

Chirpan fresh coffee shop

Making celery salt

Purple runner beans

Waiting for C & M

 

Back at home we showed Maya all the work we'd done since she'd been away and then got a BBQ going to cook dinner. We ate at about half 9 and stayed up for a little while, but they were tired from a long hot day of travelling so we called it a day around midnight.

Welcome back Maya BBQ!

Saturday 9th

 

As C & M were only here for three more days (and they were due to be scorching) we'd decided we would just chill out at our place. I went down the road in the morning to do some gardening whilst Pete got started on connecting a proper pipe to our temporary outside sink - we'd been using a hose until now but anything we cooked in water was tasting hosey, which was not very nice. When I was back I helped Pete with that whilst C & M did a bit of weeding in the veg garden - it needed a lot of work after 3 days away! We successfully plumbed in a new tap and used an old wheelbarrow as the sink because the concrete one was only knee height and was not good on the back! This worked so much better and has made washing up (slightly) less painful.

Plumbing in the temporary outdoor sink

Upcycled broken wheelbarrow!

 

Weeding the veg

Courgette harvest

After doing that me and Charley went up to the toilet block to do a couple of finishing bits and pieces. We successfully fixed a leak on the shower and then we put up some more maps on the walls and got a chair and table in place for our 'information' area. Oh, just to let you all know, the solar shower has been working an absolute treat and so has the compost loo. The toilet doesn't smell (even in this heat) because of the vent and the wood chipping, ash and soil combo we have to put on top once you've used it. This is obviously great news! 

Me hanging out in the information area!

Looking great :)

 

After working and hanging out in the sun for a while we were all very hot and sweaty so decided to go for a swim in the lake. Charley made some sandwiches and we got in the van to drive as far as possible - it is usually an hours walk from our house but we took the van until the track no longer allowed us and then only had to walk 20 minutes. 20 minutes was still too long in this heat and we all got into the water straight away! We spent a couple of hours by the lake reading and swimming, and we were also joined by a local man who was doing some fishing with a small round net. We could have stayed at the lake all evening but at about 6 we decided to pack up and head home for a cold G & T! We got a BBQ going and had, yet another, delicious meal cooked by Pete. We then had a very fun evening chatting away and drinking wine until the early hours.

Afternoon swim

Fisherman

 Sunday 10th

 

There was definitely a lie in in order today, so it was a very lazy morning - only interrupted by making and eating a massive breakfast of eggs and bacon. The day carried on in much the same way with all of us just hanging out in the shade reading our books and relaxing.

 

We did harvest a few vegetables and Pete marinated and smoked a big piece of pork ready for the evening BBQ. In the late afternoon C & M took Lucy out for a wander and once they were back we got the fire going and had another long, summer evening in the garden. We also played the new game, that Maya had bought us from England, called Bananagrams - which is great! :)

Potato flowers

We've grow one cucumber (we're not doing so well on the cucumber front!)

Smoker in action

Everyone peeling the aubergines

BBQ

Monday 11th

 

C & M's last day! :( We planned to go back to the waterfall near SZ so got up at a reasonable time and got ready to go. We stopped in Chirpan to buy food supplies and ended up getting to the waterfall by about midday. This time we knew exactly where to find the waterfall without walking down the river! We were quite surprised to find that waterfall had less than half the water in it and was no where near as raging as it had been just less than a month ago. This actually made it much safer to plunge into and also meant that the water in the small pools was completely clear - which it wasn't before. In fact we could see two spots where there were bubbles rising from the bottom - actual mineral springs - so that was pretty cool. We had another lovely, relaxing day reading, eating and getting in and out of the ice cold water. Me and Charley went for an explore down the river, which was very pretty but couldn't beat our waterfall spot.

Waterfall...

 

At about 3.30 a group of boys turned up (again!) so after one more dunk under the waterfall we decided to pack up and head home. In the evening we went to the village bar to see S & G so they could say goodbye to Charley. It was a lovely evening, but an early one as me and Pete had a very early start in the morning. Back home we had one last night cap before going to bed.

 

Tuesday 12th

 

Me and Pete have been asked, by a friend in the next village, to water their garden twice a week whilst they are away. We are more than happy to do this but because it is far too hot after 9/10am we have to go as early as possible. This morning we got to the garden by 8 and stayed there for about two and a half hours. When we were back home we made a big brekkie as C & M's last meal here. They planned to get the 2 o'clock train to Sofia so we spent the rest of the morning lounging around and they packed their bags.

 

We head out to Chirpan just after one - we didn't want to be late for the last goodbye! But when we got to the train station they said the train was delayed by two hours - uh oh. The train can take up to 5 hours so this was way too late and they would miss their flight. We had seen a sign at the offie in Chirpan for a 4.10 bus, so we decided to go and enquire about that - this worked out perfectly as the bus should take maximum 3.5 hours and their flight wasn't until 10. So we got an extra two hours to hang out with C & M! We sat in a café and chilled out until their bus came and we said our goodbyes. Thanks again both of you for coming! :D

 

Once they'd gone me and Pete did a quick shop for a few bits and then headed home. We've decided to have a detox week as we've drank far too much over the last couple of months! We had a mellow evening - after dinner we just watched some TV and had an early night.

 

Wednesday 13th

 

It was soo hot today - it is getting hotter an hotter with tomorrow set to be the hottest yet - not sure how it can get much more than this!? We did a few bits and bobs in the morning including cutting down more lower braches off the walnut trees, making a communal fire pit with seats for the campsite and finishing off the wooden fence. I also want to make a screen to hide the tub of the compost toilet which I thought I'd try to make using the old mulberry canes we've got lying around. It took me a good hour to make a simple rectangular frame and then when I came to weaving the mulberry canes I found they'd dried out too much and weren't flexible anymore. At this point I gave up and went to sit inside with the fan on! The heat is now actually unbearable - I know we shouldn't moan but it is just TOO HOT.

Camp fire

Fence finished

Failed attempt at a screen

LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THIS BUG!

 

In the evening I went down the road to water the garden for a couple of hours whilst Pete cooked dinner. We then sat up playing Bananagrams until it got dark!

 

Thursday 14th

 

We were going to our friends again this morning so the alarm went off at 6 and we were at her house by 7 o'clock. It was great going earlier as we were finished before 10 and went home to have breakfast with the whole day ahead of us! As today was even hotter than yesterday we thought we weren't going to do much work so we decided to go to SZ to do a big food shop and get two spare tubs for the compost toilet (the first in nearly full so this was quite urgent!) We spent a few hours in Stara and got everything we needed before heading home.

 

By the time we were home it was about 3 o'clock and still unbearably hot so we just chilled out for a couple hours - inside, with the fan on. I did start to do a bit of drawing as I want to make a map of the village, with a few walking tracks, for the campsite. At about half five it was very slightly cooler so I went to make a start on cutting up and clearing the braches we'd cut off the walnut trees whilst Pete went to make another amazing dinner with courgettes from the garden - he does enjoy cooking by the way, I don't force him to do it!!

 

Lucy has the right idea!

 

Drawing a map of Izvorovo

 

Many piles of branches to clear

 

We Skyped Pete's dad for an hour and then, just before we ate, I drove down the road to turn the sprinklers on at a friends garden. Lucy usually tries to chase the van whenever we drive out, but when I called her this time she didn't come. We didn't think much of it as she occasionally escapes through the hole in the wall and is usually back quite quickly. When I came back from the garden we ate dinner and Lucy still wasn't back, so once we'd eaten we went for a quick walk around the block to look for her. When we still couldn't find her we got in the van and drove around the village calling her name but by now it was dark and we still couldn't find her. We were worried that something had happened to her, but we knew if nothing had happened then she would come back to the house, so all we could do was sit at home and wait. Eventually she did come home and we were very thankful! (We found out the next day that Hristo had fed her some left over fish and she had gone to sleep in his garden! - Bloody dog!!)  

 

Sunset in the orchard

 Friday 15th

 

Market day so of course we spent the morning in Chirpan. Our veg shopping is getting less now we're growing our own, but sadly we're still very far away from being self sufficient - hopefully it will happen with time! :) When we got home we had a quick lie down in front of the fan and a cold shower and then Pete went upstairs to make peach jam and quiches for freezing whilst I sat in the garden and wrote the blog. At about 4ish Hristo came over and asked if it was okay if his daughter and grand-daughter came round to practice their English with us - which we of course sais it was! They came and sat with us for an hour or so and we chatted in a mixture of English and Bulgarian. The girls were going home to Chirpan this evening but Hristo asked us if he could stay for some rakia and cucumbers and could we cook him chips if he brings the potatoes! So there went our detox - not very strong willed are we!? It ended up being a fun evening though and we learnt several new Bulgarian words, which is always good.

Musician in Chirpan

More peach jam on the go

Dinner with H

 Saturday 16th

 

I got up early to water the vg as we hadn't done it yesterday and then I went back to bed and we had a cup of tea and did the crossword. We were up and about again by 9 and I went straight up into the walnut orchard to carry on sorting out the cut down branches whilst it was still cool(ish). This is quite a time consuming job as I want to collect kindling as well as bigger branches and the sort a pile of leaves for burning. I wanted to make a fire today but it was too hot and with quite a strong breeze I thought it would be too dangerous. Whist I was doing that Pete got started on digging two holes for posts where we want to put a gate to the veg garden - we need this done asap as the chickens keep escaping and eating our ripe tomatoes! He managed to dig (very hard in the heat) and get the two posts in but had to stop there as he needed bolts to carry on. Also it was getting way too hot and the shade had gone from where he was working. I also only carried on a little longer before the heat became too much and there wasn't enough shade, even under the trees!

Nearly cleared now

Loads of leaves to burn on a cooler day

Stocking up on kindling

Posts for gate

After some lunch we had a look at the spray tank we'd bought to apply Borax (protection) to the wooden toilet block. It turned out you had to assemble it yourself, which took a good half an hour using the awful instructions they supply! 

Who you gonna call!?

 

Since then I have been finishing the blog whilst Pete is staying cool inside the house. We'll hopefully get a bit more work done after 5 o'clock when it is slightly more manageable - I might even finish collecting these sticks!

Thanks for reading everyone! Chao x