Jees wrote:Thank you IIYI for portraying your country so beautifully.
Watched all the links you gave and it is indeed a magic landscape, very pristine.
The kukeri are impressive, must be loud with all those bells.
About this vid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr-ms3aBrUYis that Bulgarian music? Possible references?
Any important tips to know for tourists to come to Bulgaria, for people not speaking the native language?
I'm very impressed for sure
I'm glad I'm useful as long as I exist.
The sound of the bells is incredible. Strong sound, but I personally get crazed (the hairs on my body react and the body gets a cold wave) of some sounds. It's like I'm starting to vibrate myself. Sometimes I get into the rhythm of certain sounds. as if it made me start to sing myself.
Definitely, the kukeri motivated me and I'm about to make my own suit, starting with the mask. Actually, I'll try to trip with the mask. I will try to connect with Ayahuka when i drink Ayahuaska and be with my mask in this time. This idea came from inside me.
The interesting thing is that my mask when I put it even without being under the influence of something (sumbstance) just for a minute I'm beginning to feel a lot of things like energy and rhythm. (perhaps placebo but maybe magic) Who knows?
Yes this is bulgarian music but mixt with modern.
The music is from "Kayno Yesno Slonce Live in Plovdiv" :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMuEPxzYcSEofficial youtube chanel: youtube chanel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvXLNU8-il83JWmjKgdYgxA
the song official website:
https://kaynoyesnoslonce.bandcamp.com/releasesThe name of the band Кайно Йесно Слонце (bulgarian) / Kayno Yesno Slonce is related both with the musical traditions imbedded in its music and those further explored by the musicians. It means literary “like a bright shining sun” or “like a serene sun”, a line from the traditional song Възпело е пиле / Vazpelo e pile / Singing Bird. The comparison in the lyrics of that song is related with the shine of the swards of a group of Bulgarian rebels on the march.
Although touring and recording have been sometimes interrupted, the group managed to preserve its characteristic style. The band blends traditional Bulgarian music and instruments, mostly from the
Rhodopes region, with other mainly Eastern styles. It also draws on folklore of different Balkan countries but brings it closer to modernity. Some of the elements in it also suggest the tradition of countries in the Middle East, along with Church Slavonic motives and Medieval European music.
The drum driven polyrhythm melody line is accompanied by chanting, singing, howling and occasional yelling. Another feature is the nostalgic feeling of searching, somehow out of time and place, rarely in response to man's desires. In this music the quest for a personal truth and realization is revealed and sometimes interpreted as a symbolic journey, a lonely one, intimate, thoroughly lived and passionate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr-ms3aBrUYThe song name "Пиленце, постро славейче" / "Chick (Chicken), just a nightingale"
By the way, the video that you like starts with the words of a Bulgarian poet and freedom fighter Иван Вазов/ Ivan Vazov, and the words at the beginning of the video say " Който не е видял Родопите през живота си, той не е видял България." /
"Who has not seen the Rhodopes in his life, he has not seen Bulgaria".
Jees wrote:
Any important tips to know for tourists to come to Bulgaria, for people not speaking the native language?
In my opinion, it is best to visit the mountains. For example, the
Rhodopes and
Strandja. Incredibly beautiful places and nature protected areas. Although the gov. began cutting forests there.
Мистериите на Странджа (The mysteries of Strandja Mountain):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RSKswWg8fYRodopes (sorry for bulgarian audio but it have nice pictures):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySq6joyt81QThere is a lot of growth among nature Psilocybe semilanceata, commonly known as the liberty cap. But if you do not recognize them, I advise you not to eat mushrooms to avoid poisoning.
Will you travel alone or with a friend or a friend? You can rent a mountain guide. I advise you to hire a female mountain guide. Your mountain guide will take responsibility for you and will keep you out of trouble. At the same time it will show you incredibly beautiful mountain patches, taking into account your options (whether you want a light trail, medium or exotic on goat trails). It will show you good places to sleep and some nice restaurant to eat with local food and nice local vine.
Very nice and amazing professional. They usually know Bulgarian (local because they are native), English, and another language like German, Russian or Spanish. They usually do not take a lot of money, because they enjoy these trips to visit the mountain themselves. They love the mountain and usually take a small amount (about 100 euros) with this money they will pay for their sleeping, transport, food and little tipping costs. Actually you have a chance to visit the mountain. But the price depends on the group, the guide and the route.
Do not expect anything more than their professional looks and courtesy.
It is quite possible that you fall in love with Bulgaria and your mountain guide.Believe, they will earn their money by translating you through incredibly beautiful places, and will save you a lot of trouble. They are women, but they know how to protect you.
You can finally give her a tip that is not in the arrangement. Or a souvenir from your country. It is good to take a few souvenirs from your country (a few small ones and a few bigger ones), because you will surely want to give something to someone, and that will be an incredible gesture to enjoy.
For the mountain you will need food, water, lighter, 2 sets of dry clothes, including thick and short (2 sets), because the time in the mountains is unpredictable, raincoat, headlamp (flashlight), sunscreen against burning. If you sleep in a hut (ask what the hut is, whether there is if you sleep in a hut (ask what the hut is, whether there is food and beds). It's always nice to wear your shawl. If you are not sleeping in a hut you will need a tent. There are many mosquitoes in some places, so repellent is always useful. Watch out for a tick. There are inexpensive ticks for ticking for 1 euro (extremely healthy, light and cheap)food and beds). It's always nice to wear your shawl. If you are not sleeping in a hut you will need a tent. There are many mosquitoes in some places, so repellent is always useful. Watch out for a tick (Ixodes ricinus). There are inexpensive ticks for ticking for 1 euro (extremely usful, light and cheap). You an find it in vet store. It is very usful for you and for your pets (dogs or so on) .
It have hut or guest house that are very nice and cheap (around 10 euro per night per person on some places are even cheaper).
Do not buy food from the shops. The food in the shops is of very poor quality full of "poison" (GMO, E, sodium glutamate, aspartame, palm oil, old meat from years and so on). Amazing food quality is produced, but it is exported to abroad. Do not buy vegetables from the shops because they grow them very badly. Buy vegetables from local producers (grandparents or young people), because it is much tastier, much more quality, much cheaper and you do some good to old man (gardener).
If you're a man who ate meat. You can buy meat from the local because it is homemade produced without hormones. This meat has not passed quality control and hygienic control, but believe me it will be better than what you will buy from the store.
If you're on the Danube or another river, you can buy live fish from the fishermen.
Do not buy fish from Black Sea! If you like animal products. I advise you to try homemade cows, goats, sheep and buffalo cheese and milk. We have 2 different types of cheese, but I do not know the English words ( сирене and кашкавал )
Try milk or yogurt (кисело мляко ) from domestic cow's or buffalo yogurt. You will be involved in the yogurt. Yogurt is traditional bulgarian food made from bacillus bulgaricus. Just buy it from the local grandmother, but not from the local market or from the shop! In the shop is fake! From the grandmother is made from milk... and money go in to the pocket of grand mother.
I do not eat animal products anymore, but sometimes I'm thinking about cheese and yogurt. With my wife in our vegetarian period we maded an incredible homemade cheese and yogurt. We bought the milk from friends who grow and take care for they are cows and sell us the milk at ridiculous prices. (35 cent per 1 liter milk ). Normal old people sell it for 1-1.5 leva per liter of milk (50-75 cents per 1 liter milk) If you will use the milk for drinking Boil the milk before to drink it.
Someone can even give you something for free. For true Bulgarians it is a matter of honor and tradition to be good and hospitable to guests. They can literally give you to sleep, try for free food or alcohol. This will be honor for them to try they are food and alcohol.
In this situation, souvenirs from your native country will be very nice gift for the locals who will not want to accept money. They will not expect gift from you and will enjoy even more.
Stay away from the big cities. Stay away from the discos. In discos sell fake alcohol.
Stay away from city Vratsa. (there the affinity of local youth man is to behave like a macho and are aggressive) Not all people are same but it have place with strange behavior.
Pay in tiny money. Stay with a low profile. Do not show fuss or prosperity.
Do not carry big amount of money in you.Keep your money in your debit card. The bad thing is that in the mountains in few places you can pay with a debit card. (only in a restaurant in the village or in a guest house and not in any house but in very few... very very few)
Get money in 2 different places. A smaller amount in your wallet and some other bigger amount hidden in you. (not in your luggage)
Do not pick up a taxi from the airport or from the bus station. There is only one licensed and honest taxi company on the airport and bus station (usually called Ok Taxes). Because all the other taxis are scammers.
The usual normal taxi rate is just under 1 leva per kilometer (under 50 euro cent). With just as much initial/starting price 1 leva/ 50 euro cent. With a stay rate of about 10 cents per minute (20 bulgarian coins 20 стотинки).
It have other honest licensed taxi company but they do not have license to work on the airport and bus station. They have license to work only around city area.
You can order a taxi with an application. Look for a taxi application that you like. So you will avoid the cheaters.
Normal taxi price from airport to bus station is around 15 leva (7 euro or less). More than 20 leva (10 euro) is a big insult and lie.
There is public transport (bus) from airport to bus station. The price of the public transport ticket in Sofia (capital) is 1.60 leva (0.8 euro) in other city are around 1 lev (50 cents). In some places, the control sells the ticket and perforates it, others must perforate the ticket itself (by yourself), because if it passes a check from controla (and there are always checks around the airport and the bus station for foreigners), the fine is
40 leva (20 euro).
Do not drink too much alcohol. Local people make very strong alcohol and have a tradition making and drinking alcohol from generations. Even local women will be able to withstand more alcohol than you. Do not compete with them.
Do not fight with locals.
You can taste homemade wines. (if you are a wines person) Bulgarians have a tradition in the production of wine and brandy (Ракия / Rakia ). There are also several good wine producers like the Mavrud from Asenovgrad and Muscat.
Do not talk about drugs with locals. This will make them uncomfortable. The drugs in Bulgaria are extremely banned in the state. (Everything is in scheme 1) Even the ganja. The ganja are sells from mafia (very poor quality and very expensive). Because of this many young people grow ganja for themself because do not want to buy poor poisoned quality, on expensive price, do not want to have common with mafia, and to support mafia. Young people grow it for them and not sell it. They just do not want to buy trash and do not want to support mafia. Mafia control ganja and enteogens to be banned to have a high price and as well as not expand people's awareness and so on...
All cocaine here is fake and other drugs too. Here trafficking goes abroad (here are the drug channels from Asia and South America to Europe) and come staff with big purity, but everyone on the market is mixed and fake this is extremely dangerous for your health and freedom. Because mafia mix it to sell bigger amount. And if you buy any drugs you will support mafia.
If you buy drugs from mafia You will also be spotted by the Mafia, and they may think you have money and can try rob you. Please do not buy drugs from Bulgaria.But still my advice is to stay with a low profile and not to search for drugs.Stay away from prostitutes because they are held by the mafia. The mafia is dangerous for you too, so you better not get in the eyes and get into the field. Poor women are subjected to severe physical and mental stress, and the worst is that mafia men take their money and beat them. The gov. does not want to do anything about the safety of these women for the health of these women. They can do educational courses so that women, if they want a craft, to do something else and stop to be a prostitutes, gov. can do something for their health research, to make laws against the pimps. But they do not want to interfere because mafia hold the gov., and the mafia does not want to pay taxes and fees. Even recently, there were several cases of prostitutes not from the mafia who went and paid a taxi, and the gov. were shocked from the precedent.
Having sex with the prostitute will support the mafia.
But still my advice is to stay with a low profile and not to search for sex with prostitutes.Better be polite, be gentleman and good and you will have the opportunity if you have a desire to make love with a Bulgarian girl who will do it because she liked you and will do it for free. Which is a very different experience.
Most likely you will not come for sex, but for nature, but I decided to mention it for you to be informed you. I do not want to offended you in any way.The mafia is starting to become weaker because people are awakening and changing the situation. New time is coming for Bulgaria. A time when the spirit of good will triumph and Bulgaria will blossom like a rose.
Visit the country because of nature (there are amazing protected areas where you can enjoy watching wild birds, animals, bugs and plants), try local food, listen to live music ( Gaida ), try to dance traditional dance horo
traditional dance (Хоро / horo ) and music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5byq5RAU-_w
Stay away from the Black Sea...
Stay away from Sunny Beach, Golden Sands and other resorts on the Sea. At sea you will find only concrete, pollution, commerce, crime, mafia, thieves, synthetic drugs, fake alcohol, bad food and sad prostitution. The Mafia destroyed our beautiful Black Sea and Nature.
Although if you do not listen to me and want to go to the Black Sea anyway. Go to Синеморец/ Sinemoretz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIhOACGXNl4Or visit the northern part of the Sea in Дуранкулак / Durankulak
in a few years, and it will be concreted
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDtvz6qYnsEVisit Magurata cave... A great trip to Magura cave near Vidin in Bulgaria. Magura cave is 15 million years old and the paintings on the walls are from 12,000 years ago (and even more ). When you visit Magura cave, make sure to wear hiking shoes as the floor of the cave is wet and make sure to bring warm clothes because the temperature, even in the summer, can drop below 10 degrees C. To enter the Magura cave you have to be in a guided group with the first tour starting at 10 am. The tour lasts about 1 hour and 15 minutes. There is a restaurant, pool and bungalows just outside the cave for those who wish to spend more than a day there. Also, there is a free wi fi. Make sure to bring a very good camera as the inside the Magura cave is quite dark.:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qaWzU1K450The local people in the villages and in the small place are very kind, good, friendly, hospitable, smiling and will try to help and entertain you. Avoid the cities.
Rent a mountain guide that will protect you and show you incredibly beautiful places in nature, nice eating places and she will make your trip enjoyment as pleasant as possible. If you are a group of several people, the fee will look funny to you.
A hospitable and fertile land, soaked with mystical Thracian legends, with stories of worthy and hardworking Bulgarians, and for a precious gift given above ... May is early in the morning, with the breakthrough of the first colors starting the rose-buck. It is a sacrament, an occasion for work, but also for joy and pride ... The traditions of the past are kept / respected and every little detail is important .... The white shirt is hand-made by the girl, ornaments in embroidery express its unique soul. The soukman is in a red festive color. The apron - green ... on the sails a bird is depicted ... all the symbols glorify the spring and the new beginning! The day is awakened by a gentle maiden song and a seductive scent. He barely opened his eyes, and the morning was stretching out under the sound of the early rose-pickers. And when the first sun rays kiss the earth, it reveals the true magic and fragrance of the place called Rose Valley! Here, under the strong shoulders of the Balkan, a gentle and humble form of life is born - the oil-bearing rose - a symbol of Bulgaria! She captivates anyone who comes close to her Fragrance and with unreserved, dedicated love ... So much color, so much beauty, so much life ... There is reason to call the fragrance of the oil-bearing Bulgarian rose - divine. It is so mystical the power of this little flower that, like a miracle around the relics and icons of saints and saints, the aroma of Rose oil has been passing through the days of their celebration ... Yes, the Creator has given us this precious gift in His perfect form, the Bulgarians ... Let's use it worthy and take care of it responsibly ... And let's learn to give ... beauty, tenderness, joy and life ... like them ... roses ... And they will always do it for us.
The magic of the Bulgarian rose (nice video):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G800ugZgqE
Rose Valley - Bulgaria
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCFeECFrF1EThe Valley of the Roses and the Thracian Kings (english subs):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRELMpIazsEThe Roses valley is from Karlovo to Kazanlak.
National video catalogue "This is Bulgaria" - Official Trailer English:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcyWiNAnNiIFor a souvenir for you can bought a folk linen shirt with hand-embossed fractal symbols that, besides being beautiful, have energy-defensive properties. Even if you do not believe it, they will act. These are extremely old signs found all over the world, not just in Bulgaria. This is an ancient archaic code.
And a wooden bottle with rose oil. Be careful that many places have fake rose oil. Rose oil is extremely expensive. If it's cheap, then 90% is fake.
If you have more questions, I'd be happy to help with whatever I can.
Be well
Phylogeny repeats Ontogeny - IIYI