OK, here's the latest update...

I am still in Bulgaria. I should be leaving very soon, as there is less than 2 months left in my journey, and I have a lot of ground to cover as of yet. I am planning to leave for Greece in about 10 days, and from there on to Israel etc.

Here's a brief recap of the past month here, or better, a short list of some interesting things I have done in the past month...

I went to Berkfest with Titko. It's an outdoor music festival in a town named Berkovitsa close to the northern border of Bulgaria. We picked up a few hitchhikers on the way, which is always an interesting experience, even if you can't really communicate with them very well. We saw a bunch of rock/metal bands playing during the day, which seems to be the most popular form of music here next to the ultra popular pop/folk music you hear all the time. Bulgaria has a decidedly 80s feel to it. Leather jackets, black jeans and tshirts and heavy metal hair bands. :-) It was strange at first, but now I think it's kinda cute. The last band that started to play was an excellent Bulgarian group called Gravity Co. They're more modern and have some rock and dance music type influences. They only made it through 2 songs before the community shut off the electricity and would not allow the concert to continue. We spent the rest of the night sitting around someone's tent, and later around a campfire where I had a reasonably interesting conversation with one of the hitch-hikers we picked up, and otherwise, listened and observed the young Bulgarians around the fire.

I went to the zoo in Sofia with Mia. The condition of the cages where the animals were kept was horrifying, but we managed to have a good time anyway, goofing off, drinking wine and taking silly pictures.

I finally made it to the European Rainbow Gathering which was held in Bulgaria this year. The gathering itself was a bit disappointing, but the drive there and the surrounding area was gorgeous. The people there seemed a bit uptight and confused, I was surprised how insensitive and unagreeable they were to the Bulgarian culture they had descended upon. I realize their intentions may have been good, but, if they were a bit more aware and acceptant of the country they chose to have their festival in, they would have realized that expecting some young Bulgarians to sit out in the woods for a few days and not drink alcohol is absurd. This is only a small example of what bothered me there, and a terrible one at that, but I don't really want to get into it here as I could go on for days, and I don't have the time or energy for that right now. Suffice it to say that I felt a sort of "We need to teach these young Bulgarians a little bit about behavior and ecological awareness" attitude, and although that may be in good intention, it comes off a bit condescending I think.

I like to drive, and Titko is usually more than willing to allow me to, so... the drive there and back was quite nice, winding through villages, mountains, valleys and such... it's a very beautiful country.

I went to Kamen Briag, a small village on the coast in the North to meet a friend I met in Veliko Turnovo in my first few weeks here in Bulgaria. Tsvetana and some of her friends were hanging out there for vacation. We did some swimming and walking on various beaches and coasts.... some with sand, some with stones, some with huge boulders and others with huge cliffs. Spent a few nights sitting around eating home cooked food, drinking, listening to them carry on for hours about whatever and trying my hardest to understand as much as possible. hehe Even though I rarely understood much, it's still fun to sit around good people having a good time.... and Tsvetana tried to translate various bits and pieces as much as possible. All in all, nearly every one I have met here speaks at the very least a tiny bit of English, but I sometimes feel like a burden requiring them to speak my language.... and anyway, it's quite interesting sometimes to just sit and watch and see how people interact with each other. You'd be surprised how much you can pick up and understand just by watching.

After Kamen Briag, I came back to Veliko Turnovo with Tsvetana and ended up staying here for a week or more. I met a few of her friends and family and basically relaxed some more. We went out a few times with various people and I also met up with another girl I met here when I first came to this town a few months ago. The European rock climbing competition was here for 3 days, and we went and watched a bit of climbing each day. Some of her friends had a bungee jump set up on a prominent bridge here, and I eventually succumbed to the temptation and jumped.

Tonight I leave for Sofia once again. I will visit my friends, probably for the last time, collect some of my things which I left there, visit my embassy to see what to expect when I cross the border after over staying my visa by more than 2 months, and then head South. It will be sad to leave here, but the time has come.... adventure awaits me! ;-) It'll be good to be back in the saddle.