Burgas, Bulgaria

I finally made it to the Black Sea! Warm waters, sandy beaches, and absolutely no tourists! Tourist season for Germans and other western Europeans is over so the east coast of Bulgaria is pretty deserted. Right now I'm sitting out on my balcony looking at the Black Sea and there's just resort after resort that stretches for miles down the beach.

I'm staying at the Festa Hotel via Pontica in Burgas, Bulgaria. Supposedly it's a 5-star resort, but eastern European standards and a bit different than others--no offense Bulgarians. Don't get me wrong, growing up in rural Michigantown had its benefits, but this hotel is on another level. My suite has more rooms than I know what to do with and even 2 separate bathrooms. I thought about renting out the other rooms to some local gypsies to make a few extra levs (bucks). But I don't know where I would put their donkey or cart.

Work is so much better here because the people are much more friendly. It just goes to show, the closer you are to water and sun, the people become nicer and less suicidal. The two port cities are Burgas and Varna, both significant players in the Black Sea trade and infrastructure. Upon Bulgaria's EU membership, there's been a ton of customs reforms and policies so trade has somewhat been rejuvenated. But that's my business talk coming out, I'll leave that for the conference room.

On a side note, the highway between Sofia (the capital) and Burgas does not really have mandated speed limits. So while I was driving our little 5-speed manual Renault, I noticed a green reflective vest walking out towards the road. Now see, the cops here in Bulgaria are a bit different. They don't hide in their cars waiting to pull someone over. Instead, they sit on the hood of their cars with a wand in their hand that has a red dot at the end. If they think you're going too fast, they simply stand up and stick the wand out towards your car.

I somewhat knew this as I was speeding by the officer, but then realized the most important thing in the entire world: I'm American. After realizing the cops here do not pursue anyone, I chose to simply keep driving on. Saying that I "ran from the cops" would definitely be an exaggeration; however, I did not respect his authority (said in Cartman's voice).

Alas, speeding past cops and swimming in the Black Sea is quite enjoyable, but I do work mind you! It's tough to talk fancy all day in boardrooms and do research on companies to see if they are still receiving money from commies.

A few pictures are updated as well! Cheers.

Wyatt