recently spent a little over a week in Bulgaria, visiting Sofia, Veliko Tarnova, and Plovdiv.

I am going to try to avoid judgements and just address behaviors but I have to say that I've never been treated so rudely in my life. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I was treated in a hostile manner many times as well. Everywhere I went, any backpackers I meant made the same remarks.

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't expect people to fall over their feet for me, or even to go out of their way. Also, I live in a tourist area and get pretty irritated with tourists as well. However, I am talking about simple courtesy. If I smiled, no one smiled back. If I said hello, they wouldn't say hello back either(and yes, I said it in Bulgarian.) In fact, there was more than one occasion that people flat out refused to do business with me. A fellow traveler and I at one point were trapped in a bus station for an hour because the woman selling tickets refused to sell them to us and no one else would help us. We finally found a sympathetic woman who bought the tickets for us as everyone watched, knowing the tickets were for us!

Of course there were exceptions to this, of course there were nice people. However, I was really struck by how unwelcome I was made to feel. As well, in Veliko Tarnovo, I felt pretty unsafe as well as many different men attempted to instigate me into arguments by running into me as they walked by in clubs.

Any ideas why this is? I asked some Bulgarians and they seemed bewildered and said it was because Bulgarians felt "shy" around tourists and that Southern Bulgarians were nicer than Northern ones( I have to say people were nicer in Plovdiv than elsewhere)

Any comments are welcome. I realize I may have been doing something to provoke, or that I may have been misinterpreting something and that is why I'm asking. It is unfortunate because it is a nice country that I would otherwise recommend to visit. Thanks.

Редактирано от ivx на 07.09.04 00:51.

Дай линк, че ме мързи търся в yahoo.

зощо ти е?

Както нещо не ми се спи, взех че намерих темата във форума на Lonley Planet, за да установя че тя е една от малкото, на която са отговорили 39 човека. Но ти нарочно пропусна техните отговори, защото си един боклук и такъв ще си умреш!

pLEASE, LOOK AT YOUR SELFTS IN THE MIRROR, MAY BE THE PROBLEM IS IN YOUR BRAIN MORE THAN IN THE REALITY, BECAUSE EVERIBODY CAN NOT BE SO BAD , I AM JUST TRAVELLING ACROSS BULGARIA AND I FOUNDED A LOT OF NICE PEAOPLE WHO ONLY DESERVES MY GRATITUDE AND I WILL STAY HIER UNTIL THE 30 TH AUGUST SO PLEASE, SIMPLY I AM THINKINKING YOU ARE WRONG
ANDREWS, MADRID WRITING FROM PLOWDIV

This can't be the same Bulgaria that I visited.

I have been several times to Bulgaria, including some of the parts you mention. I found locals to be both friendly and helpful. I never had any of the problems you mention.

I don't know if there's something about your manner or if you were very unlucky. Either way, I'm baffled. I don't recognise your description of Bulgarians at all.

-------------------------
Andrew Smith

I bet the reason the ticket lady refused to sell you a ticket is because you asked her in English and she didn't understand. I have a hard time believing anyone would refuse to sell you a ticket.

You obviously must stand out, and that is why you had problems. Just curious, are you blonde?

anyway, why do you dwell on the negative. why don't you write a post like "My recent trip to Bulgaria - I met some really helpful people, including a woman who went out of her way to help me". There must be something positive you can say

-------------------------
- ignorance is bliss -

In about six visits over a decade I have found no such thing in Bulgaria.

-------------------------
Ben Haines, London
ben.haines@btinternet.com

Good thing is you're not seen as walking wallet, when people wish you a nice day they mean it ... and they take their time to check you out before they smile.

In my experience (albeit not of Bulgaria) many people in Eastern Europe are very friendly - when you try to fit in and make an effort towards them ... I had teas paid for me in trains by people who had told me they made 25 $ a months ...

-------------------------
Harry, hol' den Wagen.

My impression of Bulgaria was much closer to Andrew's than yours. I can only remember one incident of rudeness (a hotel receptionist in the most expensive hotel I went into) - I'd say that's pretty good for a two week trip.

I did get the impression that a lot of people weren't used to dealing with foreign tourists, and particularly independent travellers. That sometimes meant there were more minor practical frustrations than in other European countries. But I always found that people tried to be helpful in these situations.

Given that you were only there for a week, do you think that maybe you were just unlucky? There are unfriendly people in every country, and people who are just having a really bad day - perhaps you just happened to run into a few of them at random, which may have coloured your feelings about the country in general. But I don't think it's correct to conclude that Bulgarians in general are hostile to foreigners,

I wouldn't let your experiences put you off. I didn't find the people who worked in the service industry in Bulgaria either better or worse than any other country in central Europe (there's good and bad, rude and respectful everywhere). As a matter of interest though, you might want to read 'Cafe Europa' by Slavenka Drakulic. There's a chapter in that called 'A Smile in Sofia' and she talks about similar stuff to what what you're mentioning. She wasn't so impressed either

I'm really fascinated by the woman refusing to sell tickets though. I don't think I've ever come across a similar story. In fact, at the main station in Sofia I had to resort to inventing a language to stop people trying to do it for me (for a small "tip", of course). Where were you at the time? And, did you actually get on the next train? I'm not entirely confident with this as an explanation, but is it possible that the woman just didn't have any tickets to sell on the next train, and didn't have the language to explain it?


Има само 3-4 негативни мнения, и то с 99% вероятност от теб самия под различни никове!

напротив, пуснах темата, за да се видите, че вие сте боклуци, напълно споделям мнението на Сам.

чакам с нетърпение момента когато нацията ни ще се затрие

Ivx, ти наистина си много зле!

Съдържаниет е скрито
Влезте за да го видите

защо? само защото ми е писнало от простотията в тази държава?

Нека ти разкажа нещо. Като млад емигрант работих една година продавач в един магазин. Мисля, че всички купувачи бяха много доволни или поне над средното доволни от мен, много от тях ме поздравяваха в метрото, без аз самият да съм ги запомнил. Като си намерих по-добра работа, се разделихме с шефа като приятели, а последния месец обучавах новия работник.

И въпреки всичко за тази 1 година дойдоха да пазаруват на 2-3 пъти такива лайна, че не знам какъв ангел ме сдържа не да ги изгоня, ами директно да ги трупирам с един парен чук и после да ги въргалям с шутове до паркинга. Може това да са били много свестни хора в ежедневието си, но при мен нещо не се разбрахме с тях. Стават такива неща, но другото е било О.К.

Затова, когато ми постна темата, веднага се сетих за магазина, в който продавах аз - младия емигрант - и си казах, дали случаят не е същият?

ЧЕТОХ МУ И ДРУГИТЕ МНЕНИЯ, ТОВА Е ЧОВЕК С НЯКАКВИ ЛИЧНИ ПРОБЛЕМИ