Some more odd things about Bulgaria, Budget, Bargains, Bargaining, and Sofia

First you need an international driving license to drive. A Singaporean license was not accepted by Hertz/Thrifty. However, another friend from Singapore and Indonesia said he had no trouble getting his non European non International license accepted by a different hire car company.

At the aiport you can see the OK taxis which seem to have a monopoly, and yellow cabs are lined up outside stations and main buildings.

No Tipping
Bulgaria, being a former communist country, has a no tipping culture, so what you lose on being cheated you gain on not giving a tip.

Try Bargaining
Taxis tend to ask for double the fare instead of turning on the meter. Try quering the price or asking them to set the meter. You never know.

In Borovets, south of Sofia, a ski area in winter, a walking area in summer, many of the shops and hotels were boarded up and closed in summer. I looked at a hat on a rack of summer hats outside the doorway. The assistant came to help. The hat rack was labelled 12 leva. I turned over the ticket and read aloud, Twelve leva. I stepped back.

She quickly said, "Ten leva!"

Breakfast Buns
The breakfast offerings are strange. What looks like a straightened out croissant, or a muffin, turns out to have a white cream cheese filling.



Juices
A plus is the freshly squeezed juices. My favourite was grapefruit.

In Borovets outside a restaurant I stopped to look at the pictures and translations, chicken soup, as well as omelette, and local specialities. The owner came out to chat me up.
"Where are you from? You want lunch?"
I prevaricated, "Not yet. I'm waiting for a group who went walking."
She beckoned me in, "Just look. Just look." She enthused, "For your group, I offer ten per cent reduction!"

In the capital, Sofia, I had asked if there were any budget stores. In London we have Poundland. And charity shops such as Oxfam, Barnados, St Luke's, selling mostly second hand goods donated.

In Asia in Japan and Singapore you have the Japanese Daeso, everything two dollars, as well as Value Store.

"No such things in Bulgaria," I was told.

However, Lidl offered good prices. Lidl is everywhere in Bulgaria. We saw several in Sofia and more in Plovdiv.

Another bargain shop is Mercari. We found them in Sofia and Plovdiv.

Useful Websites
www.mercari.bg


About the author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.