It's hard to believe that we have been in Bulgaria for 2 whole months already...
July is quickly coming to an end, but our adventures are not. Week 8 might have been the craziest and most adventurous of them all so far.
On Monday, July 19th, we sat on a train to take us to a village far to the east where we would spend the next five days, before returning back to Shipka and getting on with our daily routines. The best thing about this whole thing was, that despite having a general idea about where we were going, we really had no idea of what to expect. I felt like a kid again, that was being woken up in the middle of the night, to go to the seaside.
However, this time it was not the seaside we were getting all hyped up about. It was an amazing off-grid community, called Ura Gora (Hurray for the Forest) that is dedicated to regenerating the exhausted and abused dry land, that was once used for conventional agriculture.
Find Ura Gora here: URA GORA – hurray for the forest (ura-gora.org)
After 2 hours and a half, two train stations, three trains, and one short conversation with the funniest Bulgarian railway worker, we arrived in Jambol. From there we booked two taxies to take us to the village near Elhovo, and from there, Krasi (one of the amazing people from Ura Gora) would come and pick up our bags.
What struck us most, on the way from Jambol to Ura Gora, was the extent to which the land that was now surrounding us, was robbed of its natural diversity, colorfulness, and fertility. Whichever way we looked, the sun reflected golden off of barren land and all we saw were yellow fields, either crowded by sunflowers or completely empty.
In the distance, we could see some hills, greener than the rest of the land, but not many.
It was a sad sight and for me, the irony of it all was, that was I driving here two or three years ago, I would've been charmed and impressed with the view. Little did I know three years ago, how destructive these crowded yellow monoculture fields really are.
After the taxies dropped us off, Krasi came to get our bags. He would've taken us too, but we were too many and the car was just not big and strong enough. So the majority of the group decided to walk the two kilometers path to reach the secluded community of Ura Gora.
And let me tell you, this particular walk might have been one of the most awakening moments of my life.
Under the burning sun, I suddenly realized how important it actually is to preserve the forest.
I was born and raised in the middle of the Slovenian Alps. Forest is all I know. I have never been exposed to the desert-like land for long enough to realize its raw and inhospitable character. I could understand how the sounds of it crying for water could've been misinterpreted and mistaken for aggression and how it would avert most guests... But there were those, who were cut by these cries so deeply into their hearts, that the only thing they could do, was stay.
And these people were going to be our hosts and our family for the next five days.
Here they are:
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| Kosti, Alex, and their beautiful boys <3 |
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| Krasi and Sophie |
These two families have dedicated their whole lives to taking care of this once deserted land and turning it back into a healthy and strong forest that it used to be before humans ever robbed it of life.
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Sophie and Krasi live in this awesome off-grid home, that they built themselves. The cob keeps the temperature steady and pleasant all year round. I don't know what exactly it was, but the house smelled delicious every time we would step inside. It could've been the cob, the clay, the wood, or the herbs that Sophie collected for tinctures, teas, and ointments. Such a magical place...
After our bellies were full, it was time for us to set up our tents...
That night we slept like babies.
The days that followed were intense and labor-intensive, packed with new knowledge, valuable information, and amazing people and stories.
Every day was split into working and resting or creative hours.
We would work from 6.00 until 9.30 or 10.00, and then we would eat, rest, create, learn and play from 10.00 to 16.00, and then it was time to work again until 19.00.
During the working hours, we would split into groups and do all sorts of things, like weeding the meadows and gardens, cutting the grass, tying the tomatoes, mulching the garden beds, and collecting produce from the gardens.
We would also collect hay and store it for the winter, cut and store dried herbs, water the gardens, remove the unwanted thorny bushes, tie the tomatoes, and mulch the garden beds...
During our creative and resting hours, we would prepare food and eat it together, attend workshops, and nap :D
Oh, and poop. Let's not forget about pooping. Pooping at Ura Gora is done the natural way. You poop into one of these guys:
The poop is collected into the compost toilet and will be used to feed the trees.
And after you poop, you're ready to eat :D
One of the coolest traditions of the Ura Gora community is the Watermelon Party.
Every day, around 10.00, after all the morning chores have been completed, the whole community would gather and share a juicy watermelon.
We loved this morning breakfast ritual so much, that we took it on and brought it with us to Shipka.
Another cool thing is that at Ura Gora, every meal is accompanied by a song. So before eating what we have prepared, we would form a circle, hold hands and sing and dance to give thanks.
After the breakfast watermelon, it would soon be time to start preparing lunch. And after lunch, it was time for a short nap and then... tam-tam taaaaam - WORKSHOPS :D
We really enjoyed and loved how willing the people at Ura Gora were to share their knowledge with us.
We were learning how to croche, how to make mandalas and we also learned Kosti's tree grafting techniques and secrets.
The last day came fast.
And to me, it was the most beautiful of all five days.
We gathered for a feast under an old Oak tree, the only tree that managed to survive on the deserted land. It was the only old tree still standing when the founders of Ura Gora first set their foot here.
Goodbye felt bitter-sweet.
It was time to go, but there was still so much to learn and share. So much to see and experience...
But no tears were shed because we knew that we might see each other again soon :)
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If you want to follow our adventures, stay tuned :D
This was brought to you by Tara <3
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