Ivan Vasovo and Dio

So the first thing that came to my mind when seeing this place was, "What?"

To begin, the sign entering the town looks like it's written instead of printed - but I assume that's pretty normal or my eyes trick me.  You look left and right, and there are decrepid houses and buildings.  Also to mention is the random trash alongside of the roads.  Then the people.  The people like to look at you - at least me, but are rather friendly when you tell them "Zdraviehte." And once that begins, they start talking to you as if you understand them; they're so innocent and lovely.


I get to the town square, which is really just a small bust of someone, two shops, and a big empty building - did I mention the population count was 280?  I pull my laptop out to read the directions given to me by Nasko, "left, right, left, walnut, house with metal garage door and new wooden door, address XVI No. 5."

Shit.

What?

I need more specifics!  Tell me there's an orange rock on the side of the road or something! So I start asking the locals, get pointed in the wrong direction, and call Nasko.

He arrives at the "town square" with his Subaru station wagon, if I may.  And the ungodly voice of James Dio is playing.  Having seen his face from Couchsurfing already, he looked nothing nearly like that in reality - this dudes got longer, curlier hair!  He steps out, and with a limp (he had broken his leg from falling into a hall when bailing out on a wire), he walks over to me, shakes my hand, and introduces himself.  With a huge grimace on my face, I put my backpack, John Lennon, into the car.  And climb on in. He waves to one of the locals I had asked and tells me.

"He' a crazy guy.  The directions said left, right, left" To which he proceeded to say outloud while taking the respective directions. "Uh-huh"
"Then a metal garage door and a new wooden door"
"Cool"
"Let's go get a beer"

We get to the ever-so-famous Kings bar in Ivan Vasovo and chat a bit.  He tells me about how the village needs a sufficient water system and a lot about his beliefs about energies and so and I call him crazy.  Then I call everyone crazy, including myself.  Gergana, a good friend of mine, messaged me prior to leaving Sofia, that I should plan to stay elsewhere just in case because the people of Plovdiv are crazy.  With that in my mind, I took pre-caution.  At the same time, I realized why I picked to stay with Nasko; everything based the reviews people gave him made it seem like a unique experience and hey, his profile gave a positive vibe to it.  I also used the subject of his outdoor toilet as a basis of my request.

He shows me around, his ExtremeBulgaria equipment: ATVs, Equipment, and so on.  There I see it, the hole. "Just like Vietnam", I say.

I get settled into the room and we start assembling the fireplace.

At this moment, I'm freezing my ass off and shivering.  I ask Nasko how he can stand the cold, he tells me you get used to it.  The fire is started and I take a rather odd position over the fire place - almost like I'm straddling it.  The fire starts dying and I go out to get more wood... then the power temporarily goes out.

Afterwards, I try to console Boyan a bit, but he doesn't seem too open about, and the power comes back on.  The fire is roaring and the grown ups are inside the room I'm lodging in.  Naska - Nasko's wife and I get into a deep conversation about relationships, love, life, expressionism, corporate greed, the cosmos, and society.  She loves dancing, had been in a deep relationship with a dancer, but she felt like he was empty, just a shell - just a good dancer, but with Nasko - despite his dislike for dancing - the two vibe.  She tells me that everything in life is essentially the same; only to realize this after having studied Psychology and Physics.  We give energy, everything is made of energy, and everything is alive in its own sense.  She related the existence in the universe to a computer - we are here for a reason, just like if you take one small part out of a computer, the rest fails to work as designed (especially for macs, cause everything is built together - they suck).  Our lives are controlled by the media; she used the example of her friends with huge wardrobes that continue to consume.

"I ask my friends why the buy so much stuff, and they tell me, 'because it makes me happy', and then afterwards they continue to buy more.  We are told that we will be happy after we have a house, a dog, and a car, but in the end we are not.  What happens afterwards when we have those belongings?  We really are not happy.  Even with people, so you get into a relationship, what happens afterwards?  Are you happy because of it?  What should happen if you lose that person?  Should you then become unhappy?"

She explained to me that she had three miscarriages, got through them, saw the positive aspects in them - apparently something was unhealthy with the baby.  And she didn't let it affect her, by all means was she incredibly sad because of it, but she grew through it and has the strength to talk about it.

We get into a talk about Paul Coelho's The Zahir and she tells me that people are always looking to fill in a void and never accept things or agree - like bad habits or faults in a relationship.  That two people in a relationship can be seen as two railroads heading towards the same destination, but are always separated.  And the less we compromise or agree, the bigger that distance between the railroads becomes.  Thus inspiring me to read the book.

I draw the conclusion from our talk, that one must truly be able to be happy with oneself alone, before seeking love in the world.

I freeze my ass off and write my entry prior to this one.  I read about 40 pages of The Zahir, find out that it's incredibly similar to what I'm experiencing, I talk to a few people online, and decide to go to bed.  It would be the first time I ever go to sleep with a scarf on.  I wake up the next morning cold and full of mucus... I retreat under the covers and am on my computer until Nasko knocks and tells me that in a half hour the lunch will be ready - I write my blog for an hour and notice that everyone is gone.  Time to explore.

Two cocks, face to face

Trash filled stream

Cowpie

I get back to the house after receiving a text from Nasko that the food is ready, and he picks me up.  "Did you get my text?"  We drive to his other house where the lunch is prepared.  We arrive and everyone is already at the table, which is on the ground, and everyone is seated on top of a comforter.  The children are already feasting.  I take place.  Nasko breaks the bread - as the oldest person of the house does, and it occurs to me that although I'm eating with a family as if I'm part of it, I'm still incredibly different.  First of all, I'm the only one with a plate; everyone else is eating off the table, and second of all, I'm the only one chewing with a closed mouth.  I think to myself whether or not I should take up the "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" philosophy.  Then I think about how we might consider this "open-mouthed" eating as a lack of manners, but in this world where it's just family - no one is judging and no one needs to be judged.  So I take comfort in seeing such a difference from the world I've been used to - without crayons etched into the wall.     

 Afterwards Nasko shows me how to hand-open walnuts - I immediately felt mannlier.  His son, Boyan, shows me the words frogs and fish in Bulgarian, жъби and риба.  After about 20 walnuts later, we head to a town called "Hisarya."  We tour the town, talk about the history - a former Thracian town, which was undertaken by the Romans, then turned into a "resort" for its hotsprings.  People come from all over to fill up their plastic jugs with the water - lukewarm- that flows from them.  

Tomb-like baths

The man wouldn't stop talking to us, so Nasko hands him a few coins, "He didn't want to say what he wanted, so I gave him some money."

Ruins

Kein Trinkwasser

Yum

The wall around the city was about 2 miles around, as time passed, villagers used the wall as a quarry, using whatever stones.

This water is said to aid the kidneys

Chinese Restaurant - for mom

We start driving more into the countryside - which by the way, I must say would have Germany beat hands down if it weren't for litter - past the scenery, Nasko tells me a story about how he as a former jet pilot, he needs to speed; hence the radar detector.  We start going deeper into the mountains and the fog gets heavier, and I have no idea where we are going, until I see a booth.  Starosel, a temple of the Thracians, with the tomb of a king outside was where we had ended up at.

Part of the former gate door, which when was all together, was incredibly heavy.

Vineyard

Ancient Thracian Garage Door

No one knows what this area was for, and while they'd like to reconstruct it, they have no idea how.

We then head to a mineral bath.  "Okay Nasko, I'll go to this mineral bath, and later we'll go to the wild mineral bath - yes both."

The Complex

About an hour later of sitting inside a bathtub of warm mineral water and neglecting my netbook - I had planned to read The Zahir further while boiling inside the bathtub, I rode together with Naska - Nasko was at home preparing things and a fire in my room - and the children, who were eating some type of soup in the back seat.  Along with us was Levan, a friend or so, assumably drunk.  The car-ride was rather uncomfortable with him, as he seemed rather forward and touchy with just about everyone.  He insisted on speaking English, which he wasn't all too great at, so when I started speaking Bulgarian, he started giving me constant high fives.  He then insisted that I take "just a sip" of Rakia, to which I said thanks, but constantly refused to.  After the car ride and the leaving of Levan, everyone complimented me for my Bulgarian and the children, Boyan and Siyana, started making gestures indicating that Levan was either crazy or drunk.  I secretly think that everyone was thankful for becoming the target of Levan's undying affection, thus being able to avoid his stupor, but that's just my opinion :)

I go upstairs to my cold dwelling, to read more of The Zahir and receive updates from lives that aren't mine.  After seeing that my ex is super excited to go to London and Morocco, I say to myself congratulations, and remind myself to look for couches in Morocco.  Nasko comes up and gets on his computer, we chat for a bit, he sees the fire has died and restarts it, we take the conversation down to the kitchen over some honey, bread, and tea.  

"This honey is good."

"It's fantastic."

I forgot to mention that Nasko is part of WOOFing, which is a program dedicated to organic farming, and people can live on farms to take care of such projects, he also has a few bee hives, which explains the honey.  He asks me about Levan, and I tell him that Levan may have been drunk... By this point I have devoured a huge spoon of honey and at least six slices of bread - my tea is long gone.  An older lady comes in and I greet her, she sits down next to us and assumably starts complaining about back ache.  I go up to wash my spoon, and Nasko starts massaging her and puts her in a what-seems-to-be an arm lock, raises her up, and she moans.  I guess it helped.  The two start talking in Bulgarian and I hear the name Levan, I figure it's my signal to leave the conversation to the two, so I head up and continue reading about The Zahir - only this time the room has been warming up for me.  

Nasko comes back up and I ask him about the wild spring/spa/fountain.  I stop everything I'm doing and get ready, as does he.  As we get outside I ask him about some Rakia, and he goes into the kitchen and retrieves some, and limps towards the car.  Then he says to me "we usually drink pickle juice when drinking Rakia", then he goes back and gets the pickle jar.  

We drive for about five minutes, he then tells me, "we can follow the road or go off-road".  Off-road.  With Bulgarian music, Demi Roussus, and Dio blaring, we make way towards the spot, in full speed, dodging puddles of water.  At the same time, he is on his phone.  

We reach it and he gets naked.  I'm thinking to myself, "man, I haven't done this in a long time", and think to the first time I went to a Therme back in October.  "Let's do this!" I think to myself and I get naked as well.  It's cold as hell, but I'm looking forward.  He grabs the chairs and pipes, I get the Rakia and pickles. 

"When you enter, go left, otherwise you'll break your foot because of a pipe."  I do just that and the water is incredibly hot.  The small circular room is incredibly dark, but Nasko has fixed two seats and the split pipe.  I go into the water head first.  First a burning sensation, then bliss.  Just like in the Therme, except from a 80 degree Celcius Sauna into cold waterfall, it's only into the warmth.  My body turns into jello and it's almost as if I'm asleep but awake, the inviting water just feels so incredibly tranquil.  Nasko pops open the Rakia, tells me "Na Zhraveh" and hands me the bottle.  I follow suite, then eat a pickle.  

All of a sudden, Nasko unleashes a loud bellow and begins to sing in Bulgarian.  I have no idea what he is saying, but it's comforting.  I sit back in my mind, let the Rakia hit me, and let the water continue to boil away my thoughts.  Nasko then tells me what he's singing about.  

"A man finds this woman and wants to bring her to the woods, but she says no because she does not have a veil to cover her face.  Do you know what he says next?"

"No"

"I'll tell you", he begins to unleash more lyrics. "What he said was, I have brought you this veil, now come into the woods."  Do you know what the woman says then?

"What's she say", I inquire enthusiastically.

 Another wave of lyrics, and Nasko tells me "The woman says no, she needs a girdle for her back." So the man says..."I have brought you a girdle, now come into the woods."  

"Alright, what happens next?"

He sings. "The woman says, I have this ring on my finger, I cannot go with you", then asks me "do you know what the man does?"

"What?"

Nasko sings, then tells me, "he says, give me the ring, I will break it into two - and then they go into the woods and get married."

"Awesome story." I think to myself, "how pleasant..."

The night goes on like this, with many more songs and attempts.  He tells me to let my voice build its way up.  I take a break, go outside, walk into a few puddles of water and almost trip.   I feel free and realize that this is what I had been searching for, a unique experience... No doubt afterwards I felt like a king.  And for a second, I'm thinking about fully emerging myself in some mud because it would feel good, but I think about the surroundings - there was afterall, some trash.  I go back inside, and after a few minutes, the botle of Rakia falls onto the ground.  The "hut" immediately reeks of Rakia and we look to pick up the pieces.  Nasko tells me to throw the bottle remains into the water outside, and I tell him "no, that's dangerous, I've been walking out there."  I think to myself how lucky I am to have not been injured when walking into those puddles, and from that point on, I won't walk into any more- unless I have my Vibrams on.  We spend another 30 minutes in there, til he tells me it's not healthy to stay so long despite how good it feels.  

        

I spend the car ride in my underwear, while more music is blaring.  I go home, stay up for a few hours writing this entry and reading more of The Zahir and slept like I haven't in a long time.

The next day we head to Plovdiv.