Day 33: Petrich to Sapareva Banya

As I pack the bike I see the dogs from yesterday walk into the car wash place.  The men there pick up large stones and raise them ready to  throw. The dogs run. Rabies is present in Bulgaria and the packs of stray dogs are a danger so I understand the men's actions. I pick up a couple of rocks and place them on my tank bag.

I head North from Petrich and soon, ahead of us, is a large mountain range, snow reflecting the morning sun. It's cooler now. There are a few clouds in the sky. It's a relief after the intense heat of Greece.
The mountains get closer but we turn left before them and follow the weaving course of a wide river.
There's quite a lot of traffic, mostly lorries with long trailers. They pull wide to overtake but I still feel the suck of air as they pass. There's the smell of diesel, rubber and brakes which lingers long after they have carried on into the distance.

The road surface is good and the gentle curves remind me of the French roads from early in my journey.

I stop in a layby to check the map and look at the river - quite dramatic now; fast flowing and tumbling over rocks in the steep valley. I notice a footbridge stretched across the rushing waters below. Two rusting cables with a simple planked walkway suspended beneath.

For a while yesterday, the bike had been running a little 'lumpily' as if it had a slight fuel problem. I thought it was possibly a blocked jet and decided that if it continued, I would strip the carburettor and clean it out. After refuelling however, the problem went away so I've put it down to 'lumpy fuel' bought at the last petrol station.

I can see the Russian influence here. 'Gasprom' petrol stations, Soviet style buildings and murals line the route.

I turn right off the road to Sofia and onto the smaller road heading to hills and Sapareva Banya. I see a man wearing a makeshift hat made of newspaper, working in a field with a hoe. The road is starting to get rough when I turn towards the town... ignoring Satty's advice to turn the opposite direction. The sign says it's two kilometers. The campsite had given no address so I put in the coordinates.  I know that the site is in Sapareva Banya but Satty is trying to make me drive 20 miles North. I ignore her, drive into town and follow signs to the site. Later, I check the settings on Satty. UK grid and WGS84 datum. That'll be the problem. I change it to European settings and she now shows the correct Lat and Long.   Another problem solved.

I'm glad to be pitching my tent again. I'm not made for cities or hotels. I make tea on my little gas stove and listen to the sheep with their bells jingling, a million insects chirruping, birds singing their hearts out and, as the night closes around  me, the distant warbling of a curlew.