Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:00am

Blog | The Accidental Hitchhiker

I went on a bus journey yesterday. Well, I was supposed to. Buses in Bulgaria are a rather ad hoc affair. They only rarely arrive on time and are not always that recognisable as buses.

The bus was due at midday. Come five past there was still no sign, but then a white van-like vehicle appear over the brow of the hill. Surely this must be the bus, so I waved it down.

The driver beckoned me over and wanted me to sit in the front. Odd, but not that odd. I offered him a few Levs. "No problem", he gestured. Again, not that odd. Some of these rural buses are more of a service than a money making affair.

It wasn't until a minute or so later I realised that I had actually hitchhiked. I wasn't sitting in a bus. This was a brick delivery van.

The driver was really friendly. He couldn't speak English, and my Bulgarian is still poor. But as his heavily laden van squealed around the corners, seemingly on the verge of tipping, he smiled and said "Mr Bean". I knew what he meant and laughed. This was followed by "Mr Pipkin". I looked confused. "Norman Wisdom", he said. Ah, of course, that's what he's known as in the Balkans. He was very big in Albania during the cold war apparently.

Anyway, I soon reached my destination and thanked the driver. As I climbed out of the van I couldn't help thinking that Norman would have appreciated my accidental hitchhike.

Time to come home now.

Author: Sean Clark