Well, time has certainly flown by since I parted ways with Tim in
Turkey. Over 4 weeks has gone and there is plenty to write about. Tim has
always written the blog in the past, and I can now appreciate how much work
there is too it! Given the rate at which we are doing things, I can see that it
will be difficult to decide which stories to put in and which to leave out.
However, I will endeavor to keep it fairly short and succinct whist describing
my journey. For ease of writing, I will break it up into chapters. So far there
are two that I have called; In a Frog’s
Shadow and Patience is a virtue.
CHAPTER 1 - IN A FROG’S SHADOW
Whilst Tim was bound for the western side of Europe by plane, it was
my intention to continue travelling westward by land. The first country I was therefore
to pass through was Bulgaria, a country that I knew next to nothing about. Having
no real plan prior to leaving Tim in Turkey, and figuring that I could use an
extended period in one spot to collect my thoughts; at the last minute I teed
up a Work-Away farming experience in rural Bulgaria. Work-Away is a concept
that I had recently heard about were you offer to work at a place for food and
board. Not a bad idea for me, given I was money conscious, in need of stability
and had no idea where I was going!
So with something of a plan in my mind, I departed Turkey for
Burgas, on the coast of Bulgaria to kill a couple of days before heading to the
farm. Burgas was a nice enough coastal town, but not worth spending too much
time mulling over. It was a shocking introduction to Eastern Europe however,
with 2.5L bottles of beer for $2, drugs readily flowing at my hostel and dogs
eating out of bins. I couldn’t help but ask myself if I was safe travelling
alone. Regardless, I moved on after a couple of days, and after riding through
some gypsy slums contrasted against beautiful countryside, I arrived in the
small town of Ovchi Kladenets and made my way to Frog Shadow Farm.
I find it hard to describe my time at Frog Shadow farm. The only
real adjective that comes to mind is “unforgettable”. Run by Steff and Baz, a
young British couple, the farm is a work in progress and a labour of love. There
is no end to the number of jobs that require doing, from tending to crops,
building the extension, looking after the animals or just making the place
homely. Needless to say the guys kept me busy, but I loved every minute of it. Jobs
that I had a hand in were; weeding crops, securing a pig pen, plastering,
fixing cladding, killing a chicken, painting a thunderbox and that’s just to
name a few!
Each morning would start early at 7:30 (which was a crude shock from
the midday rises I was used to) with a strong pot of coffee and fresh goats
cheese or homemade jam on toast. From there, whatever work for the day would be
allocated and done during the day, with breaks for morning tea, lunch etc. of
course! Each evening we would relax with a beer, wine or rakia. Rakia, is a
hellish drink made of anything with sugar (at our farm, plums and apricots) and
is anywhere between 40 and 70% alcohol. By the end of my time in Bulgaria, I
was actually developing a taste for it!
Looking back, I relished the opportunity to have some form of
schedule, and to have some sort of purpose to each day. My time at the farm was
the perfect break from living out of a pack and being on the road. More than the schedule however it was most
definitely the people with whom I was staying that made the experience. Steff
and Baz were absolutely lovely and their passion for what they were doing in
the heart of Bulgaria was contagious. Steff made the most amazing food and Baz,
whilst being quite modest about it, was one of the most travelled and
interesting characters that I have met so far. Mention must also be made of
Malte, my partner in the “Great Genocide of Colorado Beetles, 2013”. Another
work-awayer, Malte was a constant source of laughs and it wouldn’t have been
the same without him. Many thanks to all
three of you for the time we shared together.
In total, I spent only 12 days at Frog Shadow Farm, but I could’ve
spent plenty more and I was very sad to leave. However, time was pressing and I
had finally worked out the next part of my journey – hitchhiking to Prague.
CHAPTER 2 - PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE
I made this decision very lightly and maybe that was the only way to
do it. Thinking about the wakkos, nutjobs and psychopaths that could have
picked me up would definitely have made me catch the bus like a normal person. But
any thought of Ivan Milat, or a certain Quentin Tarrantino movie was quickly
repressed and I pushed on. And so, after 1,876km, I successfully did it, I
managed to hitchhike solo from Frog Shadow Farm, in the middle of Bulgaria to
Prague, the bustling metropolis in the Czech Republic! It was an adventure in
its own right and taught me a great deal, especially the value of patience…
Now, I am not new to hitching, having done a little bit of it with
Tim in Mongolia. But this was certainly the first time that I was doing it
solo, and relying on it as my sole method of transportation. The idea was
daunting, especially when I set of from the farm along an old country road with
my 30kg pack. So, without going into each hitch individually, and being personally
somewhat interested in statistics, I will display of my journey in terms of
numbers. I think that they show a pretty decent picture of my time;
Number of hitches:
29
Average waiting
time: 38 mins
Times less than 10
min: 11
Times more than 1
hr: 7
Max waiting time: 3
hours
Times
propositioned: 0
Countries
traversed: Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, and Czech Republic
As you can imagine, each hitch was an experience in itself, and the
stats show the amount of time by the side of the road. But what might be hard
for the observer to realize is how much you can get out of hitching. I’ve
learnt that through hitching, you get a fantastic chance to engage with locals,
you are (if they speak even a tiny amount of English – which an alarming number
did) often a guest in their country and they feel compelled to teach you all
about it. I have, as a result, learnt a tiny bit of numerous languages, been
given local foods and drinks, offered advice and invited to numerous
gatherings. Also, I must note, that I was told by no less than 10 people, that
whilst they are not racist, to watch out for gypsies! And so, throughout the
journey, I learnt a great deal more than I would have should I have been
sitting on a bus.
Hitching was of course, only my method of transport. The sights and
places that I saw during this chapter were breathtaking. From the beauty that
was the region of Transylvania, filled with castles and Dracula souvenirs, to
the architectural elegance and history of any capital city, each place has
filled me with awe. Also, as photography is something of a hobby, it was a
delight for me to wander around with earphones in and camera in hand and just go
berserk! A handful of the hundreds of photos I have taken are on the page
“Casey’s Europe”.
Given the rate of my travel, I was only able to stay a maximum of 3
nights in a place, which was regrettably only sufficient to give me a glimpse.
But one place that I dug a little deeper and will always remember fondly is
Bucharest, the capital of Romania. The reason for my affection is mainly
attributable to the people that I stayed with, as Bucharest was my first
couchsurfing experience. Here I had the pleasure of staying with two
26-year-old locals - Alex and Vlad. Both guys were a lot of fun and together they
made my stay a delight. After giving me a guided tour of the city, explaining
the interesting history of still recent socialist rule, we went out and delved
into the city nightlife. Being taken to local places and being introduced to
the other locals was a great way to feel like a guest instead of a tourist. I
will be couchsurfing a lot more in the future as a result, and many thanks to them
both for their generous hospitality!
Reading back over what I have written, I can see that I have only
scratched the surface. There have been many interactions and stories that I have
left out. So, instead of writing them all here and making what has already
become a long blog, even longer, I will offer to tell them in return for beers
at a future date. To spark your interest, I can give you the titles;
1.
My frightening hitch with The
Hulk
2.
The time I serenaded drunk, Polish
truck drivers with my amazing harmonica skills
3.
My journey to Jebuc, the tiny
Hungarian village in Romanian Transylvania
4.
How I learned how “Do you speak
English?” is not an effective pick up line
5.
The night I slept in a park like a bum
6. How to choose a hitchhiking spot – Casey’s Five Point Plan
Well, I hope that you have enjoyed my narrative of my life over the
last month. I hope that the next month will continue to provide me with many
experiences, lessons and anecdotes. To finish, I would like to use a quote. Whilst I don't agree with it, I can tell you that after a couple of hours waiting by the side of the road, your mind will start to think it!
"The
good thing about hitchhiking is that the assholes drive right on by" - Unknown
