So having reached Istanbul (which surely cannot be more than a mere stones throw away from home) I ambled in a North West direction in an effort to find my way back to London ...
First stop - Bulgaria - When I arrived in Turkey I realised for the first time in 2 months that women had bums - those in Pakistan and Iran were always well covered up with something loose - then when I arrived in Bulgaria I found out how they were meant to be wiggled : excessively, and always in tight denim!
And then there was the food... There are two types of mass Bulgarian fodder - Pizza and kebab! There was other decent fare though, not all western stuff but delicious and very cheap (and it is great to have chips once in a while); and mounds of delicious ice cream; and very cheap beer which for the first in time this year wasnt just wishy washy lager, no, they were good dark beers just a little like english beer. It was almost like coming home - if I wasnt so tired I might have stayed longer and enjoyed more of the other attractions like majestic castles, everlasting evergreen forests and loads of Roman ruins ...
According to the locals, Soviet Communism was accepted without a whimper, many people were sad to see it start to collapse in 1989, and many now mourn its passing. Unemployment rules, and the evidence in the form of discarded factories, is scattered everywhere. The Soviet era huge 'motivational' statues still govern the country(side) - the people here didnt rush to pull them down; there must a reason for that - reminders of better times perhaps?
Romania - was a bit similar to Bulgaria except that here just about everyone seemed obsessed with making money - ok so they dont have much but the attitude seems so 'desperate' and the people have a sense of sadness about them.
Fashion - In both these countries the peasant look is still very much 'in' as is working huge fields by hand - the occasional tractor is a real luxury in these parts.
Castles - Fairytale stuff - surrounded by a small Medieval village and a huge amount of forest.
But here they also have:
Transalvania - Home of fairytale castles (yes more of them) and Vlad the Impaler who became Count Dracula (in literature at least).
Pickpockets - When I arrived in Brasov by train I was warned 3 times before I even managed to get off the station platform not to take the bus cos there were pickpockets (so of course I took the bus). It wasnt until I was on the same bus a couple of days later that anyone tried to slip his hand into my pocket. So I got up and yelled at him - unfortunately the bus was too packed for me to move but he got off a couple of stops later. Cant say I wasnt warned.
Free beer - some hostels give you free beer every night you stay there - and free laundry too (I'm not sure if these two are connected).
Hungary
A bit richer than the first two countries - I could tell that as soon as I crossed the border by the sudden and excessive increase in the size of the women - not many hungry people here.
Budapest is a great place though - spacious, full of interesting things and easy to get about. Cheap food (fatty and unhealthy though) including goulash which aint all that - and cheap beer (difficult to escape in this part of the world).
Slovakia
Mmmmm - seems like a spare bit of Europe which nobody knew what to do with - so they made it independent. Poor. Unfortunately at the weekends the pocket hankerchief size old town in Bratislava gets overrun with English stag nights - cos the beers cheap - I cant imagine the intruders know or care where they really are:
'Where are we going?'
'The continent.'
'Where abouts?'
'The beers cheap!'
'OK.'
Czech (Republic)
Endless Everlasting Evergreen forests.
Fairytale castles.
Cheap Beer.
Is it all beginning to sound a bit familiar. Surely it will get a bit tiring travelling through places where the beer is cheaper than cola and almost as cheap as water. Certainly the quality of sleep has gone down as a result.
Since Czech was relatively unravaged by war (at least physically) the ancient towns and castles are almost perfect in their prettyvalleys albeit now surrounded by Soviet era housing blocs (sic) - the associated statues have long since been tumbled. And Prague is the jewel: but it is now packed with zillions of tourists as a result - glad I am not here in high season. Time to leave I think.
As I have headed further west the prices have risen, the quality has got better (no squat toilets here) and the number of dormitories increased. And the average age of those sharing the dormitory has tumbled ... such is life in Europe.
AT the start I did mutter that I would be back by the end of May so I am heading home. Kathmandu to London overland - well to here at least. Yes, it would have been quicker and cheaper by plane but then I would have missed the chance to be bundled into a Police station, had a gun pointed at me by a terrorist demanding money, have my daysac slashed and somebody try to pick my pocket! At least I have avoided the airline food.
Every country this trip has challenged my preconceptions. It is all too easy to soak up the media image of what is just a gaudily coloured blob on a map surrounded by a thick black line. Talking to the locals reveals a different and inevitably more hospitable angle. People were friendliest where I expected them to challenge me. Each country offered up the unexpected. And dull moments? A rarity.
And just for the sake of it - some awards the those most/least deserving:
Most hospitable people - Iran and Pakistan - impossible to split them.
Worst driving - Iran (although India and Pakistan made a decent effort)
Most dangerous activity - Crossing the road in Tehran (although sleeping in bus stations in Iran wasnt far behind)
Most dangerous moment - Either
A Nepali Maoist pulling out a gun when I declined to contribute to his cause - 'I was only joking mate - here's some cash.'
Or
The remnants of the December Tsunami invading a restaurant where we were eating dinner in Goa.
Or
Every time I ventured out to cross the road in Tehran.
Luckiest location - Goa being on the West side of India rather than the east.
Most Amazing Occurance - Being given a free lift out of the desert for 4 hours - by a TAXI DRIVER.
Most stupid thought - thinking it wouldnt be cold once I left the Himalayas. Wrong it was bloody freezing in loads of places!
Best discovery - A shop selling Weetabix in Pakistan.
Best Food - India! Curry night is every night!
Worst Food - Having to survive on disgustingly sweet cream filled sandwich biscuits for 24 hours when I ran out of food on the 'should have been one day but took two' train across the desert in Pakistan (and of course nowhere to buy food).
Longest wait - The Iran visa aside - 18 hours for a train in India.
Most stupid assumption - That the train would be on time
Most photogenic people - Natives of Western Nepal.
Most Life Changing Experience - the ashram in India.
And that's about it - back home by the end of May (just) - see you soon... Anyone want any travel tips?
Love
Pete
Wednesday 1 June 2005
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