Another day in Paradise Special !

[Di & Sean]

A brief interlude of Sean's business trip to Pamporovo.

Project: 2 Apartments to have kitchens in Stoikite - Pamporovo .
Asked 2 weeks before Christmas if we could get 2 kitchens made and fitted by January 2012, Yes should be ok, no problem. Drive to job, taking 5.30 hours to do measuring up and take a look. Find accommodation for the night in the town of CHEPELARE- HOTEL METEOR good food and atmosphere, but rooms full this night but assured rooms available early January, so find a room at HOTEL FENIX. 16Lev B&B, warm, but that's about it. Measure and quote accordingly. Quote and design accepted, materials get ordered, we begin cutting and making over Christmas period.Taking into consideration of the roads up the mountains, thought it would be a good idea to get new front brake pads ,winter tyres and all antifreeze stocked up.

OK Jan 3rd car loaded with kitchen doors,tools,ironmongery,clothing etc. Leave Elenite approx 7.30am pick Dexter [electrician]up at 7.45. Head off towards STOIKITE 440kms via BOURGAS,KARNOBAT. All going good, get to STARA ZAGORA roundabout, which before there was a roundabout ! but with new road works taking place, the roundabout had gone, so take wrong turn, resolve issue, only lost 10 mins. Head off towards PLOVDIV 110 kms, stop at services, treat ourselves to fresh sandwich for me, roll for Dex. Not too bad for me, Dex on the other hand took one big bite only to find it was frozen. Ok, march on,head of towards STOIKITE all up hill from PLOVDIV, arrive at apts 1 ish ,unload car,then head of to CHEPELARE go and get room at HOTEL METEOR so we thought ; can we have a twin room please ? not tonight was the answer, fully booked for 1 week ,but you said it was not a problem 3 weeks ago ? yes I know but we did not have snow then. OK lets move on, walked around CHEPELARE looked around but everywhere full, found 1 hotel called BELONA. Popped in, bar man was there so we asked in pigeon Bulgarian have you a room for a few nights? I will ring my boss and ask. ,Dex points out that he does not come from BG,excuse me mate where you from? oh I'm from Glouster my name is Kevin but everybody in CHEPELARE calls me LUCKY. One of the owners turns up ,a young woman called Vessi,sorry guys we have no rooms at moment,the only place with rooms will be (yep you got it )HOTEL FENIX.(NOW THEIRS A SURPRISE). OH well of we go ,get to some kind of reception ,have you any rooms ? Yes the reply ,oh good (TONGUE IN CHEEK) well can we have a twin room for 4 nights ?yes that will be 200lv! but it was only 16lv pp per night 3 weeks ago (yep did not have any snow then). Get checked in, head of to METEOR for some food and a couple of beers, leave there, head up high street ,find a nice little bar. 2 bottles of beer ,price on fridge door 2lv per bottle ,get bill 3lv per bottle (yep you got it ),head of to HOTEL BELONA for a night cap go in meet up with co-owner and husband of Vessi called Nasser ,really nice genuine people ,sat down with them, Lucky doing drinks,another xpat from VARNA called Richard was there and put right of do;s and don't;s of CHEPELARE. HOTEL BELONA for us was the place, after 1 hour we felt we new Vessi and Nasser for years ,back to FENIX bed time, it has been along day.
WEDS 4th
Get up nice and early, weather good, go down stairs to see what breakfast has in store for us,2 cups of coffee please?yep we get 2 cups of coffee, and a bill for them ! but we are staying here, surely this comes with the b&b? No the reply.Grab coats, drink our coffees ,walked out saying we would not spend another Lev here again. Head of to STOIKITE to meet clients at apts,run through a few finer details,then off to PLOVDIV to source appliances and get them delivered.Take wrong turning and nearly end up in SMOLYAN, turn back round. we lost 1.30 hrs. On approach to PLOVDIV we get a call that the van bringing rest of materials has broken down. We try and arrange for another van or form of transport but no luck! Looks like I have to go and pick it all up in car. 2hrs each way, but we get all the materials in car just! Worktop sticking out tailgate ! off we go to PLOVDIV order and pay for appliances, treated myself to a new Sony camera ,head off back to CHEPELARE. Appliances getting delivered tomorrow. Arrive back at CHEPELARE at 9.30pm, ask Nasser if we could park outside his hotel,yep ,no problem. Reversed car up to a truck so nobody can get in rear of car.Go into BELONA cold and hungry ,no tables free so stood at bar (not a bad place to be) Vessi's dad got 2 bar stools from somewhere and kindly offered them to me and Dex.Vessi asks if we are hungry ,yes we reply ,next thing we are getting bowls of homemade lasagna put in front of us, just perfect. A couple more beers then of to FENIX. Both of us totally knackered, long day, bed time.
Thurs 5th
Get up have a shower , I will have let owner of FENIX know that there should be drainage in a wet room? argh no let him find out himself. Nasser said if you want breakfast in the mornings come to his hotel on way to work no problem ,so that is what we were doing. Head off to STIOKITE to unload car and get cracking on with kitchens. Had a really good day, plenty done, now getting dark so decide to get a move on. Our Clients Andrew and Jo turn up for a painting party,and said they would take delivery of appliances. We head of back to CHEPELARE. Good days work done,shower and off to BELONA for dinner. Marinated pork steaks melted in your mouth top food, Nasser said if we want to eat their tomorrow(Friday) He will make a curry for us,yes we are up for that, so a few drinks then back to hotel.

Fri 6th
Up nice and early, breakfast at BELONA off to work, in for a busy one. All appliances are there, so in for a good day only to find 2 doors had got damaged. Our clients turn up and very are impressed with the work so far. Ok getting dark now we decide to call it a day and head off to CHEPELARE, Andrew and Jo to go to SMOLYAN ......We get back to BELONA a couple of cheeky after work beers (being a Friday ) then back to FENIX were Dex reminds me its our last night at this hotel, where are we going sleep tomorrow night? worry about that tomorrow!....get all washed up and we head up to BELONA for our curry night ! well Nasser made a homemade chicken curry ,basmati rice and bombay potatoes. Me Dex and Richard all agreed it was the best curry ever just top notch. A few beers later Vessi comes and joins us, lets us know that they have a room for Saturday and Sunday night. Things are looking up ! Yep our luck has changed, we will fetch our bags in the morning. We all look out of window and the snow is coming down thick and fast everybody seemed happy, fresh snow in a ski resort. So off back to FENIX for the last time, bedtime.....
Sat 7th
Wake up nice and early, look out of window nice and bright ,when I say bright I meant white very very white. OK go to put bathroom light on, no power, Dex, come on mate lets get bags packed and head off to BELONA. Leave key at reception, if you could call it a reception ! Off we go, open front door to be confronted with about a foot (30CM) of the white stuff snow. Dex goes to get key for our new room at the BELONA, while I try to find which pile of snow my car is under.Well I will it on a second attempt. Grab a bit of breakfast while somebody else is digging their car out.!!!!! Inside the BELONA they have no power, infact the whole of CHEPELARE is now out of power, later find out the whole region is out of power. So we have a bit of breakfast , then grab hold of snow shovel and start digging,,being careful not damage wipers etc. 1 hour later were on our way, 5 people pushing the car but we get out. We need to look for petrol but pumps are not working without power.Vessi's father says the one up the hill on the way to STOIKITE has its own generator. So off we go slip sliding, we get by petrol station and Police are sending everybody back that didn't have snow chains on. No problem, we have got snow chains in car. Go back to CHEPELARE find somewhere clear and flat to put chains on. Park up outside BOLENA. A few people there that were guests said we know how to put the chains on don't worry ! 9 people trying to fit chains. (well when I bought the chains, I got 1 set for the car and 1 for the van) guess which ones I had ? Get car out of way for others to pass and got well and truly stuck. Had to get towed out.Went on a little further and the snow that was on the roof of my car decided to slide down the windscreen and take out the wiper blade.Off to shop, new wiper blades and some more snow chains,,,,,,,,ring Andrew and explain situation we wont be able to get to work today ,oh that's nothing he says we got caught in a blizzard into a snow drift ,trees falling down and had to get rescued by mountain recue, and we don't have power. No problem, will talk tomorrow. Getting on now, early afternoon and now we have got no water. New chains on car for the morning. So going to get my new camera out and take some classic pictures of all the snow. Yes I had done a few photo's, camera froze and packed in. Vessi 2 beers please, it is now evening.Logs on the fire ,Vessi, Nasser, Nasgo,(son) and LUCKY pulled out all the stops that night. Everybody was well fed ,watered , entertained and most of all warm........right bedtime , can't get any worse tomorrow?
Sun 8th
Wake up Sunday morning feeling rather delicate as one would imagine, bit of a lye in (no choice) ...Me and Dex get going. Late morning to STOIKITE to collect tools and sort a few things out. Still no electric or water. Driving up we got were able to get petrol, but we could not believe the damage. Trees down all over, we would not of got there the day before. I ring Andrew and they were at airport ready for home. I get call from Nasser, there coming to his house in the same village to get petrol generator could we give him a hand.Yes no problem, we will meet you down hill. We get to his house, we have to dig down clearing the snow for garage door, Dex by accident got down there first, we drag generator out, yes you got it, the generator does not work. !! He had brought lots of empty water bottles so we filled them up for the hotel, so of we go. Hearing Nasser shouting to us, we stop, and the starter motor jambs his car wont start. After a while it started. Get back BOLENA, park the car up. Vessi, 2 beers please. Most of the holiday makers were still there so we had a little party down stairs in the tavern at the BOLENA .Vessi cooked us some more wonderful food, Dex got his iplayer out so we all sat playing name that tune. Power was on and off from 8 pm ish, so a few good byes and bed time. We are driving home in morning, so glad this ordeal is behind us. Or is it.
Mon 9th
Electric and water back on, nice hot shower go down stairs and Vessi, once again rustles us some breakfast (that woman does not no the word stop ) load bags into car say a few good byes and off we go 9.30am. First port of call when safe enough, take chains off . 2nd fill up. Plenty of ice coming down mountain, eventually got chains off, filled up with petrol and gas. Now going into Plovdiv and drop camera off from where I bought it. No joy there ! Ok then lets head home. Miss turning going out of Plovdiv, turn back on myself. Approaching the roundabout two policemen jump out STOP. So it's just another day. ! So we leave that little situation, head off, not long now as we now join the slip road for the motorway. BANG, the are is pulling me into the first lane of the motorway, I manage to over steer back on to the hard shoulder. We get out of car , to find the steering has completely gone on my side. If we were going any faster or had happened coming down the mountain I cant imagine the outcome. This happened midday ish. Luckily another car pulls up a man gets out his name Dimitar, me and Dex still well shocked this man just cannot believe it.Dimitar rings a friend who he uses in Stara Zagora 110 km away. His friend inurn rings a another friend in Plovdiv and tell us someone will be here in 1hr. Dimitar has to go to a meeting, but keeps in contact. Me and Dex, trying to get our heads around the situation, warning triangle comes out,now its a waiting game. Baring in mind the temperatures are freezing.2hrs later, Emil and friend turn up in a car (we thought we were going to get towed) I speak to Emil who speaks perfect English, where is the towing trailer ?,the wheel come off so what you suggest we do.Emil replies, well were going to fix it here. (ME AND DEX CANT BELIEVE THIS)
So start stripping all the bent bits, tyre needs replacing etc. So Emil puts all the bits in his car and of he goes, Backs up the same side of the motorway he just came down ,in reverse,, while we wait. Somebody in another car who's watching us, rather than the road,hits another car, minor damage. Well he returns 2 and half hours later. Now we are losing daylight fast. Emil and his mate are going like the clappers. We are starting to feel really cold now, so we sit in Emir's car and warm up, it is now dark. Emil is laying on the road when a car comes down the slip and only see's him at last minute. so Emil gets in his car, turns it around on the motorway and faces it up the oncoming slip road with lights and hazards.So our car now fixed. So we have got to follow him back up the motorway the same .Emil you drive !! as the shepherd said lets get the flock out of here. We now go back to his garage get the car up in the air make sure all bolts done up etc and check for any other damage. We get all clear, it's now7.30pm. Now the nitty gritty MONEY. So I know the tyre is 120lv because I only bought it two weeks ago, two mechanics 6hrs each,spare parts ,call out oh and I am English.To be fare Emil could have turned me right over, but he didn't, he's a right honest business man 467.15 LV All in.
Anybody driving down, his number is worth having, he was very good to us. 0899997650 NEMOCAR@ABV.BG He is linked up with garages all over.
So a hotel for the night in Plovdiv, 70 lev for evening meal, breakfast and a few beers to celebrate being alive. Bedtime
TUES 10TH
Wake up, there's a bonus straight away. Nice hot shower, breakfast of ham, eggs on toast. Bags into the car, depart for home 8.30 am. A nice gentle drive home, still in shock of what happened yesterday. Dex informs me he is still in shock of the whole week, not just yesterday, when you get home Sean you will have to do a blog on this one. So here it is. I finally arrive home in 1 piece around 12.30 pm, where my darling wife thinks I have been on a weeks Jolly. So back to work here, a few more bits to get for Pamporovo and heading back Friday. The 13th !!!!!
Part two to follow.

[Charlie&Elaine]

Hi Di and Sean
Well what an adventure felt exhausted reading about it. At least you live to tell the tale.
Good Luck
Charlie and Elaine