The Trip, photos, and reports

[chrispreece1]

Bloody excellent photos, took me right back (shudders)! hahaha. Look at my blog on travelpod, username (chrispreece1). I hope you don't mind if I steal some of your pics to enhance it.
Too flippin' hot here. You have to lie down all the time and get into the sea to cool down. Outrageous!
Hope you both well and not working too hard.
Love C

[maxmataz]

Chrispreece1 - I really enjoyed your blog

[chrispreece1]

I'm chuffed you read it Maxine. Still more to come so tune in again soon )

[tim & angie]

Some more photo's of the trip and bash......

Camping at Veliko Tarnovo


All together for the pollock night at Veliko Tarnovo. Warning, it starts getting messy from here on!


Dmitry and family


Nick & Nicky the campsite owners


Na zdorov'e


The campsite pool, the worlds greatest hangover cure

[tim & angie]

Last batch, the journey home........

A final meal together on Sunday night before we all departed, all bar Chris who had left earlier that morning for Greece


Having made the mistake of travelling on the main roads through Romania on the way down we decided to hit the minor roads for the return journey, slower going but well worth it as you get to see the real Romania!


Strange place Transylvania, spot what's in this cars boot - not sure if it was occupied or not but didn't dare to ask


Lake Vidrara on the Transfagarasan highway


The ultimate Bongo 'been there, done that' photo, top of the Transfagarasan highway, the windy road down awaits!


A final view of Budapest on the leg out of Hungary, then through Germany and Austria into France and finally home


Great trip, would have been easier with a little more time but still fun nevertheless.

[Glenda]

Brilliant trip. The Dmitri family are legends of Bongo Fury. Its great you all met up. Most impressive that you all seem to have drunk more alcohol than the capacity of the swimming pool.

[jonnybongo]

Well hello all

Having finally returned to the UK and gotten around to un-blocking my paypal account, (which I seemed to get locked out of when trying to use it in Bulgaria, to renew my lapsed Bongo Fury membership), and having kind of recovered from our marathon cross Europe romp (5441 miles, in total)... well, here I am updating this thread with some pics of our independent Bulgarian Bongo adventures. Our trip (confirmed at quite late notice) was designed around getting over to Bulgaria, where we have a house, visiting English and Bulgarian friends who live, or holiday there, having a few days holidaying in Greece, and flying two of our sons out for the last couple of weeks, to drive back with us for the camping trip. All in all we were away for about 5 and 1/2 weeks, had a great time, and even made it to the Anglo Russian Bongo Bash where we met some very nice people and had a great time. And acquired formidable hangovers, it must be said. Ours was a bit of a flying visit to the Bongo Bash.. we only made the Saturday evening, but at least we proved our actual existence (which I believe was under some dispute) I'll just apologise now for not having chatted with Helen or Maxine, (though I think Sara did) and for the brevity of our attendance generally.. Also, cheers Chris, just read and enjoyed your travel blog..!

Anyway pictures tell the story better words, so here goes with our travelogue.


Sara at a sunny port of Dover, around 19th July I think..

[jonnybongo]

[jonnybongo]

Well that's annoying. Having been editing that last post for the last couple of hours, including the photobucking, resizing and insertion of about another 15 pics with accompanying dialogue, just as I typed in my final sentence, the forum said 'you can no longer edit or review that post', and ate it. I have no idea why. Computer says no.

For fear of building myself a reputation as a rampant alcoholic, I'm off to The Magnet to drown a sorrow or two.

So I'll post up the pictures now, and probably cram in some abridged narrative later.

grrr


Our first stopover in Gent. Rained like mad, camped under the motorway in the campervan park, resolved to sleep in tent after kipping up top (we usually sleep inside but couldnt on this trip cos of the amount of luggage)


Wurzburg. Having done this trip in 2 days a couple of years ago, we resolved to do it again at a more leisurely pace. So we drove for 4 or 5 hours, then camped up and explored the whereabouts.


Like this in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic


Home of Budweiser Budvar. Cheers !


After Estergom, in Hungary, we stayed at this little site


In Siestra, Romania. It threw it down that night, the bad weather seemed to be following us down from a generally rainy UK.


This bloke helped us when our silencer fell off just north of the Bulgarian Border. Dorel Cultuc, we salute you !


We then made it across the Danube Bridge, athough a little boomy sounding.


Honorary members?! Cheers Dimitri, chocolate, banner, and vodka much appreciated !


Bongo Bash I think, Spike and Dimitris daughter, during part of a general examination of DImitri's swanky bus.


Getting a bit messier here.


Further on our travels, Sara, Leigh and Lee (expats) Svet (Bulgarian mate) and Bertha Bongo, in a wildflower meadow near Slavekovo Bulgaria.


On restsika beach near Thessalonika, Greece, sunbathing


In the shade

Well this motley crew, taken at a fun day at the Stambliski reservoir in Bulgaria, features Louie (my stepson) Paul, me, Dave, William and David.
Dave and Bev drove out in their Bongo a week after the Bash (They have a house in our village and they drove out with foster sons William and brother David). THey came in convoy with another friend in a Bongo. Bev's sister Carol and partner Paul flew out. As did my stepson Louie and son Ewan.
Ewan, being 15 declined to be in this size-ordered photo, but had he not, he would have appeared at the very left, having just overtaken Louie in height.


Having had the silencer replaced with a bastardised Renault one by Bobby (Boris) the local mechanic on entry to Bulgaria, and it perfroming very well, ....as soon as we entered Romania on the return leg, the next section of pipe broke. Sounding like a tank on acceleration, we drove very gently back to Manchester.

[jonnybongo]

[jonnybongo]

[jonnybongo]

[jonnybongo]

sorry have tried as hard as we can to delete extra set of photos but yet again the computer says NO. If anyone knows how to delete a post please let us know!

[helen&tony]

Hi
Johnnybongo....
Done...edited the ones without the titles
Cheers
Helen

[tim & angie]

Great photo's Jonnybongo and Sarah, glad you got back ok, looks like you had a great trip and it was great to meet you both, even if only briefly. you've inspired me to try and get some more photo's uploaded so here goes.....

Tom and Janet glamping it up in Budapest


A happy traffic light on the route through Budapest looking for the road out


Traffic jam in the mountains of Romania


When it rains, it rains!