Bears, hiking and table tennis

---

28 OCTOBER - TRAVEL TO BANSKO

This morning we were all up early to get some breakfast from the local shop before heading to Bansko via the Rila Monastery. We had private transport organised which we all squished into. Ended up being quite a long day though.

The Rila Monastery where we stopped for about an hour was quite pretty. Up at the top of a huge mountain (read = bumpy long and winding drive) which was very scenic, again, the autumn colours make the mountains and the trees spectacular. Despite the sun and blue skies, by the time we got to the top of the mountain it was quite chilly. The story with the monastery is that the man who set it up locked himself into a cave for seven years to find religion. How he survived I have no idea - winter with no heating up that high in the mountains would be freezing.

We arrived in Bansko late in the afternoon and after checking into our hotel we all went for a walking tour of the city. First stop was the local mini market where everyone stocked up on food for lunch the following day and snacks as well. Then it was a brief look around town before being lured into a restauarant where the food didnt really resemble the menu. For example, I ordered risotto with vegetables - what I got was rice with the peas/carrot/corn mix plus broccoli and a mushroom. Still, it was cheap and there was nothing really wrong with it. Back at the hotel a few of us went down to the restaurant for a beer before having an early night in preparation for the following days activities.

29 OCTOBER - BEAR SANCTUARY AND HIKING

Breakfast this morning at the hotel - back to bread and jam, coffee, meat and cheese, but this time also cereal and hot milk or yoghurt.

First stop was the Belitsa Dancing Bear Sanctuary which we all visited.. The idea behind the sanctuary is that they rescue the bears from gipsys who make them dance to get money. The bears are usually poorly treated, so the sanctuary buys them from the gipsies and gives them a 'better life.' At least, that is the idea. I completely agree that the bears are better off and are treated a lot better than they would usually be, I am just not convinced that buying them is the best idea after what we were told in Thailand/Vietnam. One of the things that they tell tourists there is that they should never purchase a bear/monkey/etc from anyone. A lot of tourists do and then hand them into authorities because they think that they are doing the right thing. In fact, what they are doing in encouraging those people to go out and get more because they earnt money from it. Yet this sanctuary buys bears from people with the aim of giving them money so that they don't do that... go figure? I don't know whats right and wrong - but at least the bears themselves are better off! Some of them are in pretty bad shape as well.

After that it was a quick drop off of three people to the hotel before the rest of us went for another harrowing drive up another mountain to go hiking. We had all brought food and snacks as it was largely going to be uphill. After about a half hour of going up one hill, I decided to fall back from the group (it was an open area Mum so no danger!!). They were keeping a pretty fast pace and I had already said I might not do the full three or four hour hike but would do some of it and see how far I wanted to go. After eating my lunch, I set off at my own pace and funnily enough, ended up pretty much catching up to the group at the lake. They had decided to go to the top of the next mountain but I sat next to the lake while they did that - it was further than I had originally planned to start off with anyway!!

We got back to the hotel at about 5pm or so and played uno and had a few beers before dinner. Dinner was about a two hour process as nothing ever comes fast!! Then some of us discovered a pool and table tennis table so we ended up playing that until pretty late. Lots of fun though - good way to fill in time.

---