Bulgaria Ski discussion board

Hello all. Sorry for the delay, but I have carried my Bulgaria flu back to England and took a week out to hibernate while it improved. Still got chest infection, but here is the beauty of a keyboard! Ok, here goes. Don't take any whinges too seriously, it was a great holiday.

Sunday 3am
Arrived Perelik hotel. Coach didn't go round back, so had to climb the 365 steps to the top in trainers and 2" ice on steps with 3 large suitcases (inc. 2 pairs ski boots). At the reception door, a bell boy came running over and tried to prise my fingers from the case. Not only were they frozen on, but I made it clear to him I wanted help at the BOTTOM of the f***ing steps, not while I was planting the flag at the TOP. Still, they followed us all the way to our room, where I parted with a £5 just to get rid of them and get to my bed. Then looked at the bed! This was not a refurbished room, and hardly warranted the word furbished at all. Bed unmade, stains all over the carpet, heating like a sauna. Then the bathroom... No shower cubicle, tiles missing from the floor and the shower was about 6" from the wall with electric wires hanging out of it. Called reception who said to be downstairs at 8am to see the manager who MAY be able to help. I asked for a call at 7:45 to make sure I was there first. Went to bed approx. 4am. At 6:45, the phone rang! Jumping out of bed, I started getting ready to confront the manager. Then realised it was an hour early!! Ok, no problem, went to breakfast at 7:30am, very surprised how nice that was. Got to reception at 8am to be told by 2 very miserable young ladies that the manager won't be there until later. What time? Maybe 9, maybe 11. What? Ok, will return to the room and get ready for skiing and then speak to Balkan rep. At 8:15am the phone rang. I answered 'hello'. The receptionist said 'It is 7:45' and promptly put the phone down. WTF??? Lucky it wasn't a call to turn my pacemaker on, which I was fast beginning to think I would need before too long. Right, spoke to the Balkan rep (Dionis), who was fantastic and said he would do everything he could but it would cost. To cut it short, we moved the next day at a cost of £40 (5 nights) and it was worth every penny. I have NEVER complained about anything before, and probably never will again, but this room really was a danger, even to the most adaptable of Lizards. Ok, onto our first day on the slopes......
There seemed the usual queues to get the ski gear, wo we did our normal trick of going round the back, up to the door and stating 'ah there he is' and walking in. And there he was! Our man Angel, who arranged everything in minutes and off we went. The snow was absolutely fantastic. Of course the first thing we did was stop at the noisy little bar first right for a beer and brandy chocolate, just to relax the nerves, you know! We had the most tremendous day's skiing and I had got so excited that I didn't want to go in. Now, a piece of ADVICE. No matter how excited you get, DO NOT do what I did, which hopefully explains to all those I promised to meet in the Whit Hart for the Man. Utd. game why I wasn't there!...
Just before 4:30, our gang gave up for the day and all advised me I should do the same as it is not good to ski too much on the first day. B**ox, I have been to the gym for 2 months, I can take it!!! So, off I went back up the lift, just me! No-one else in sight. And it was fantastic! Worth every bit of hassle on its way! Ok, I got to the top and saw a group of skiers in front of me blocking the green run, which I had intended to stroll down for my last run. Ah well, I know from my desktop map that there is a blue run just to the right that will bring me back onto the green. Won't it? Nope. It took me down to the blue run button-seat lift with the little hairpin bend into it. Well, hang on, I don't want to go back up. I want to go to Markony for my apres-ski and onto the pub for footy. So go straight past the lift and eventually it will join up with the green run. BIG MISTAKE!! Off I went on this new run to me. And it was fantastic!! Got a little steep at times and I had to do at least 3 walks of 50 metres or more due to my apprehension, but it was newly pisted and there was no-one on it. Had I found a secret paradise?? I couldn't wait to tell the gang about it tomorrow. Any moment now, of course, I would join up with the green run. Wouldn't I ! After approx. 20 minutes I bumped into humanity. Two burly Bulgarians stood at the lift base, looking at me very strangely. They indicated the lift was closed, but that didn't matter because I wanted to go down, not up. I asked the direction to Markony. After picking themselves off the floor laughing, they showed me. UP and OVER. I HAD COME DOWN THE WRONG SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN!! After a bit of sign language, they urged me to get into their van and give me a lift for 20 levs. This seemed a bit steep, but they also indicated it was a 40KM trip back around the base!! So, I jumped into the beat up van, and just as we were about to pull of, another Bulgarian appeared jumped in the van alongside me. So, here I was, in the middle of nowhere with two burly Bulgarians either side of me, travelling through a forest with nobody around for miles and nobody knowing I was even there!! Uh oh. So, you can imagine my heart rate, when climbing a mildly steep hill, the engine suddenly went splut splut stop. Here we go! As I clenched my fists and tried to remember evrey Aikido move I know, the driver got out and lifted the bonnet. smoke everywhere! The other guy disappeared. Trying in vain to start the thing, the driver gave up and phoned a mate. He then decided to free-wheel backwards down the side of the mountain at 30 mph as oncoming traffic were nose to nose with us and other traffic going past, too. When we finally parked up, the jeep that we had been kissing for 10 minutes stopped and gave our driver some grief. He opened their door, and they were pushing and shoving and their passenger joined in. Do I join in?? LMAO. It was nothing short of a Peter Sellers movie scene! Eventually another car came along and I was so shattered and cold, I said forget Markony. Get me home! I didn't bother trying to knock the fare down!!
So, all those I promised to meet in the White Hart... Sorry, but !!

Christ, don't I dribble on. Ok, the rest of the week was great, if not overshadowed somewhat by the first day's activities! So I will start a new thread to try and get the attention of all those who are currently asleep!

LIZARD