Bulgaria (days 12, 13)

We woke in Medgidia, and made a bee-line for Constanta. After a typically cursory look around, and a bite to eat near Constanta's bustling port, we took off or the Bulgarian border across Romania's flat coastal region. The ride as dull, if fast, and we made Bulgaria before noon. Bypassing the line, we pushed through the border with relative ease, and drove along the coast to Varna.

The coastal regions of Romania and Bulgaria were as different as night and day. Where Romania was flat, Bulgaria was hilly, verdant, and on a tourist-powered roll. We drove along winding roads which hugged the sides of cliffs as they fell away to the Black Sea below. Resort towns dotted the landscape - almost anywhere a building could fit there either was one, or would be one shortly. Real-estate offices were everywhere, and investment was pouring in.

I was truly surprised by Bulgaria. I had expected living standards to slide as we travelled through Eastern Europe, but Bulgaria was a marked upswing after Romania. It was neat, the drivers were (more or less) orderly, and the roads were modern, wide, and twisty.

We found a nice spot to camp on the Black Sea just outside of Burgas, and settled in for the night. I woke up early and grabbed a quick dip in the sea - no ill effects yet, some 12 days later - and headed off for Turkey. Our goal was Istanbul (an ambitious goal, by our standards, but a doable one). Tom had a plane to catch in Antalya, a town some 750 km south of Istanbul, in 2 days, and time was of the essence. Given Tom's undestandable anxiety over this schedule, the events that followed are predictable. He sped along the winding Bulgarian roads, and soon a gap had formed between us (Tom, Ted, and I) and Tyson - aided abd abetted by the slow-moving semis which often clogged up the hairpin turns. Tyson wasn't sure where the appropriate turn-off was, and ahd stopped at a gas station some miles back from us... it was some time before he finally realized his mistake, and made his way up to the rest of the team, waiting at the turn-off. And then nature intervened. Just as quick as in Hungary a few short days ago, the heavens just opened up. We sped to the gas station to suit up... and here, our frustrations came to a boil. Tyson just told Tom to boot it to Istanbul... which is exactly what he did. He sped off, the sheets of rain enfolding him... closing around him...

We waited until the rain had stopped some 20 minutes later, then followed after him. Our route took us through a protected natural and cultural district - more twisty roads, more spectacular scenery... but you've heard it all before. This stretch of road was another of Bulgaria's many surprises - it was an absolute joy to ride. The road was still slick in parts, and where the sun peirced the forest to hit the tarmac, it steamed - an amazing effect as we tore through the mountainous, forested countryside.