Magical Mystery Tour(ism)

Clinging steadfastly to the cliff on which I’m perched, I daringly peer over my shoulder, little trusting the pieces of wood that hold my life in their hands. Should I fall, there’s a deadly waterslide waiting to catch me, a thrilling but perilous ride that would dash my body numerous times against piercing rocks as I was swept downstream in a churning foam of bruised water. Without warning, a large block of snow slides off the platform upon which I’m standing and, without waiting the customary time that cartoons make things hang in mid-air, plummets immediately to its doom. I try to trace its path underwater, waiting to see whether it emerges intact, but the thirsty dragon below devours it. A deep laughter coming from beside me completes the illusion of devilry, and in imagining my assailant images of animalistic ritual costumes spring to mind. As I speculate that perhaps the paw print I saw may have been that of a monster far worse than a bear, I consider making a personal sacrifice by throwing myself into the abyss.On glancing nervously in the direction from which the laughter came, I embarrassedly observe some human features in the face I’m looking at, and realise the perpetrator is actually my tour guide, Georgi Hristov. As he dusts snow off his boot, he soothingly suggests that my alarm is understandable, for indeed the area has some mystique about it, furthered by the insidious manner in which nature has carved its way through stone to form a canyon of twisted beauty.I’m very literally overlooking the Tran Gorge, yet another of Bulgaria’s natural wonders. Below me, water is cascading out of control, twirling in this direction and that in a torturous path carved through high-standing cliffs. The interaction of opposing forces is glaringly obvious as nature’s elements do battle - the water’s direction is channelled by the rocks through which it flows, in the process carving into the rock fractal fronds in similar shape to those of ink dropped into water. Mini-oases of peace occur in harbours, sheltered from the torrential force of spring snowmelt. The water cascades through numerous stages before finally emptying itself into a large pool. The pool seems ideal for a summer swim, but is less enticing in this last week of winter. The canyon may look fantastic from the relative peace of this pool, but it overwhelmingly explodes in your face upon deeper penetration.It’s an incredible rush to stand in the midst of the canyon, access to which would be impossible without special equipment were it not for the activities of PHARE. Though a visit is not for the faint-hearted, the environmentally sensitive construction principles employed in the ecotrail creation enable everyday people to benefit from Bulgaria’s beauty, without harming the environment they came to see. Wooden ladders ascend sheer verticals, wooden bridges span chasms between the 30-metre high cliffs, and the onward path is provided by wooden platforms clinging to the rock, the stuff of mountain goat envy. The Tran ecotrail also accesses a cave complete with wooden seats and an impressive view, where you may sit and observe rounded ice sculptures forming from water dripping off the cave ceiling. On the 30-minute walk from the village, there was also vast evidence of animal life - disturbed patches of leaves attested to the presence of wild pigs, and fox paw prints chased rabbit trails through the snow. It seemed that even bears were making use of the ecotrail, as the footprint in snow on one wooden platform would suggest.Unfortunately, there is evidence of human’s unsightly footprint too. A sign protesting “if you throw your rubbish here, what will you find when you come back?” seems unable to prevent water bottles from floating about the pools, nor do makeshift rubbish bins look like they have been emptied for some time. At the journey’s end lies a water bottling plant being hastily erected with scant regard to the ecotrail, obscuring sight of the PHARE sign stating intent of “Formation of a regional tourist product - a step to revival of sustainable development of Tran Municipality”. It’s another distasteful reminder of Bulgaria’s lack of cohesive environmental planning. Georgi laments that the lack of attention, observation, and awareness of environmental sensitivity and consequential tourist impressions may prevent him from bringing other tourists here.Because Tran is close to the Serbian border, for a long time access was strictly controlled, keeping this site of beauty under wraps and thus preventing it from Melnik-style development, Georgi explains. This region is full of wonder, he relates, and I nod my agreement, remembering my envious landscape survey as I previously passed on the bus from Belgrade. These off-the-map places that avoid the tourist radar and are unknown to most Bulgarians are precisely the types of places Georgi enjoys taking people. Because of their hidden nature, they often lack the infrastructure of more developed resorts, as attested to by the road conditions en-route. “The places I’m interested in are not for pretentious tourists. There are no facilities like en-suite bathroom, there are guesthouses with common bathroom - but the rooms are clean, the people are very nice and polite and friendly. These trips are for people who are not only interested to see the nature, beauty and cultural heritage but to feel the Bulgarian spirit in guesthouses and talk with people.” In return for bearing less luxurious conditions, Georgi will take you to lesser-known places of natural beauty, cultural importance, and spiritual phenomenon.We talk en route to our next destination, the Zemen monastery. His love affair with Bulgaria solidified when, while working for a Bulgarian travel magazine, the Bulgarian Association for Alternative Tourism invited him on an eight-day trip around Bulgaria. “I saw things... I was amazed... I fell in love with Bulgaria absolutely.” A period of research and travel was rewarded by a prize from Odessey magazine for finding the best sacred place in Bulgaria. “I wrote about a monastery in Strandja Mountain which was absolutely unknown for anyone. Its really a magical place with strong positive energy, with water that heals... the air is healing too.” His work has culminated in contribution to a book “The Insider’s Guide to Sofia and Beyond”, which looks at long-term foreigner’s views of Bulgaria, views that Georgi believe reveal many truths about Bulgaria that Bulgarians themselves can’t see.We arrived at the Zemen monastery with just enough time to take a quick tour before it closed for the night. The church contained therein is one of the oldest monuments of Bulgarian architecture and painting, to survive Ottoman invasion. A unique cross-dome church built entirely of stone, its simple form is nonetheless enticing, with a pleasing symmetry and regular appearance that grows on you as viewed from various angles. The interior of the church is likewise quite basic, the frescos inside realistically un-ecstatic and contain an early portrayal of honoured Bulgarian saint Ivan Rilski. Guidebooks laud the frescos, the sign at the monastery entrance suggesting they indicate development of an independent Bulgarian Renaissance style, though personally I found them mostly of interest because of their age, originating in 1354. Set on a hill overlooking a pleasant valley, the monastery itself is of little visual interest, but it enjoys an enviable view which we lapped up while we enjoyed a picnic dinner in the adjacent gardens.We travelled on the day of forgiveness, supposedly an opportunity to make up with friends and family, though for me merely a pleasing opportunity to join children in leaping through flames, and to pay a visit to my girlfriend’s grandmother for some scrumptious home-made Banitsa. I was told tales of Orpheus, fire-walking rituals in Nestinari, brightly coloured Kukeri festivals marking the end of winter, and was enlightened about a unique village where Christian, Muslim, and Jew unify to celebrate each other’s traditions and observe holy days. Georgi’s companionship presented an opportunity to have many questions answered. I returned home with a deeper understanding of Bulgaria, and now see a new, more magic Bulgaria with fresh eyes, contributing to a more vivid experience in my daily life.Georgi may be contacted via roxolan@abv.bgFor more information on possible activities: http://sofia.gayguide.net/Gay_Guide/Guided_Tours/http://art-hostel.com/cgi-bin/arthostel.pl?page=TripFullView&tid=1Ecotrails run through the canyon of Negovanka River from Emen (near Veliko Tarnovo), the 15km long Kopilovska River (near the town of Montana), Krushuna, the village of Zgorigrad nearVratza, to Drianovo Monastery near Veliko Tarnovo, along the gorge of Bujnovska in near the village of Iagodina in Rhodope, and Erma River near Tran.http://www.naturalworldtours.co.uk/tours/hiking/ecopaths.htm