Britanski turisti...

Jeste malo duze, ali je meni bilo jako zabavno!!! :D

Utisci iz Banskog (nekih Britanaca; original (bez skracivanja) na http://www.bulgariaski.com/cm_en.php...0in%20Bulgaria )


britanski turista br. 1.

The only bad thing about the slopes are:
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2: Russians and the other people from the Balkan regions push and shove like you never believe. They even push in front of you then stand and wait for their friends to catch up, while causing a nuisance to very one else. They will walk every where with their skies or board on the shoulder and be happy to nearly take your eye out at every possible moment.
3. you have to get a bus from the hotel to the gondola station (although you only wait a couple of minutes as long as the Russians don’t push in front of you, trust me they will try).


britanski turista br. 2.

We were a party of 4, two couples with skiing experience in France, Italy, Austria, Swizerland, Andorra, Bulgaria and USA.
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The coach gave us a stark reminder of Bulgaria’s recent history – very old and in a poor state of repair. The roads also were in such a poor state the driver kept to 30-40Mph for the entire journey. Don’t be fooled by the seeming small 150Km – this journey took us over 3.5 hours.
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If there is any criticism it centres around the noise and the staff.

I found the hotel very noisy – you can clearly hear the use of showers and toilets in rooms adjacent and above, as well as banging of drawers and wardrobe doors. Inevitably there are guests who come in late, and others who rise early, so don’t expect an unbroken night’s sleep.

The final criticism is of the staff. We were appalled by the attitude of the bar staff in particular. We can live with the fact that they don’t smile, they won’t take your drinks order unless you go up to the bar (unless you are Bulgarian), but we often stood at the bar to be ignored by bar staff. Bar staff would regularly serve Bulgarians before us, leading us to wonder whether we were invisible.
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We found that these shuttle busses arrived on time each time, although we never found a driver that would actually smile, or acknowledge the polite British ‘thank you’.
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If you are a first time skier, think carefully about buying in the UK. You really can pick up a branded jacket & trousers for £100. Take the first morning off, go shopping and save yourself a few hundred quid.
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The next morning, a number of other lifts were opened but we were astonished to be skiing down to find piste bashers coming up the piste grooming whilst slopes were open. There was no warning, no skidoo convoy. Accidents waiting to happen. And they did. This is seriously dangerous and I am still amazed by such stupidity.
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We were concerned about the lack of netting around any of the runs. The pistes are mainly cut through dense pine forest with no netting. Most are sufficiently wide to allow descent giving plenty of room either side, but we saw plenty of spots where there is an accident waiting to happen. There were also large holes and tree branches in the piste which were unmarked.
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We also observed a complete lack of discipline by Bulgarian skiers. The pistes were very crowded with many low level intermediates, and yet there were countless Bulgarian skiers charging down the mountain at full tilt missing (and occasionally hitting) less able skiers. In other resorts those skiers would have been taken off the mountain, and in one case of a serious collision, arrested. We saw no evidence of the FIS skiers code being advertised, endorsed or enforced.
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We did experience a lot of lift stoppages even with the express lifts, and although each station was well manned, there was much confusion and shouting between staff. We all got the impression that although the lift manufacturers had installed the lifts beautifully, the staff really didn’t have much of a clue of how to operate them efficiently.

There were quite a lot of signs and notices put up in the lift station cabins, unfortunately in Cyrillic. This makes translation even more difficult as this is an alphabet unfamiliar to western Europeans. If Bansko wants to attract more English, it needs to make much more of an effort.
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The resort of Bansko is a reminder of Bulgaria’s communist past. It can by no means be described as quaint, alpine or even purpose built. Parts look like a bomb has gone off, and yet small parts of new builds look smart and attractive. Building work is going on everywhere, new Hotels and apartments which are aimed at Bulgarians and Brits alike. I overheard a comment which was ‘it’ll be quite nice when it’s finished’ and this probably sums the place up.

It was also difficult to miss the polarisation of wealth. There is no middle class. We were told that the average wage in Bulgaria was around £150 per month, yet we saw many Bulgarians with the latest cars and ski gear. The Sunday market resembled a really shabby car boot sale including people selling second hand boots and shoes. We also saw people begging for money. The rich Bulgarians had a complete disregard for those less fortunate and were clearly revelling in their newfound wealth. This didn’t sit comfortably with me.
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The coach back to Sofia took over 4 hours. The driver drove so slowly it became a real grind. We were late to check in, and the flight was delayed by one hour. Once the Balkan holiday rep had received a couple of complaints by angry passengers he made himself scarce.

The plane back was an antique Russian Tupolev 154. A plane in real need of replacement. The hand painted interior, ill-fitting carpets, broken window blinds, wobbly and well-worn seats did not inspire confidence. When you travel in something so old, you realise just how civilised and comfortable a modern western jet really is. Again, we got what we paid for.

So how would we summarise Bansko? It’s different, very different. It will indeed be nice when it’s finished. The people? Rude, and few smile. You need to go with an open mind. It is a cheap holiday, yes, but it’s not a bargain – you get what you pay for. If you are a first timer and have no preconceived ideas you should thoroughly enjoy it. Would I pay the extra and go to the Alps, or USA? Probably.