7th of December, 2022.
A cool BMW, just like the one Sandra Bullock drives in The Blind Side, passes by. I wish that just like her in the movie, that person would like to help people and help me per se. They turn around and come back. A lovely lady comes to talk with me. She explains that this is not a very good spot to stay, I think what she means is that some “ladies” stay usually here. Laugh. I definitely don’t look like a lady looking for “company”. She suggests I spend the night in town and try it again tomorrow, I am hoping she offers for me to come to her home, I would if she had, but she doesn’t.
After a while, a very cool guy called Martin stops his working truck and tells me he will drive me to a better place. According to him, it is a place where usually the police checks speed limit, so people are passing by slower plus it is after town. Martin resemble the Irish people to me. Maybe also because he is super nice.
The place where Martin drops me is cool and soon enough a funny guy in a funny car stops. There is a lady with him and they are going to Sofia. By the way, I have no clue how far is Sofia and how long it will take for me to get in there.
G. And her brother are kind people but they don’t speak English. We pass by a sign which shows that Sofia is over 300 kilometres away. Fuck! No way I can get to Saparevo, the village where my hosts live, today.
We drop G. off in her house and drive to Sofia. It is around 7 p.m. I call my host and explain to him where I am. He is surprised I didn’t get his last email, where he is saying they are in Sofia today, but leaving tomorrow to Saparevo, so it would be better if I arrive tomorrow in Sofia. Great! Why they didn’t offer for me to stay with them in Sofia? I have no clue.
Using a friend as translator, the funny driver drops me in the centre of Sofia, just by a McDonald’s.
Because my hosts are leaving Sofia tomorrow only around 8 p.m., I decide to make it easy and find a cheap hostel nearby, go around Sofia tomorrow and meet them at night.
When I ask these guy and girl if I can use their mobile phone to call my host, the guy immediately refuses and say he thinks his phone is too personal. Uhum, yeah, that’s what you think. But the girl is super cool and immediately after the guy’s cowardice, she tells me I can use hers. Funny fact is that they are playing a board game and they both seem like relax and “cool” people. Well, she is.
At the hostel I feel slightly bad because there are quite a few young people around. I don’t go to by food because when I check the kitchen I see they have pasta and some spices so that is what I cook for myself for dinner. After planing where I go tomorrow I go to bed.
Soon enough one of the other ladies start to cough. And cough, and cough. Fuck! I am super crossed with the receptionist! Why the hell she didn’t warn me? It was her responsibility to do that! And she is a volunteer! The name of the hostel is Smart Hostel Sofia. Think twice before staying there. Anyway, I cannot remain in the room because I am afraid of getting Covid (if I haven’t got yet!) so I take my stuff and my computer and go outside of the room, where there are some armchairs. I plan to watch a movie or do something until I get real tired (even more) so I can pass out in the armchair.
There is a German guy, but with Asian features, already sitting there. His reason to be there is because his room has some bad smelly guys. But he tells me he heard the lady and that she has been coughing for the last few days. Fuck!
He soon leaves to the airport and another lady from my room comes also outside with her stuff. She is from Italy and we chat for a while. She is lovely and later on she even gives me some traveler size body lotion.
I think we both manage to catch some sleep in the armchairs. Well, she is actually lying in the couch.
Next morning, I buy some yogurt, one fruit and one pastry and go back to the hostel to have breakfast with coffee! At least that they have. The kitchen is a mess though, almost nothing to use for cooking and preparing the meals. Showers are also not so good and toilets smell at pee. Rooms are not so bad but in mine, a 4 shared dorm, there is one lady living on it. I fucking hate people living in hostels! And she is actually the lady who was coughing. And she works at the hostel!
OK, Sofia. Nhé… Really I don’t even feel I am in a capital. The buildings they suggest you to see it are so simple and not attractive. It is true I visit only a few of them. It is very cold and there is a lot of ice and snow. So I planned to go back to the hostel early and watch a movie there until the time I have to meet my host.
I actually watch two movies. Lovely! I arrive in time to meet N., V. and K. Here we go again…
P.S.: Who got nostalgic with the Chupa Chups picture raise your hands!! \õ/