Balkans Express

It's 19:30 and I am packing up after a night and a day in Plovdiv and bidding the most relaxing hostel I've ever stayed at my farewell... at 21:30 I catch the Balkans Express from Plovdiv to Istanbul.

Lack of time means I only have time for a braindump for now, I will expand later.

Settled into the Hikers Hostel for my first dorm stay of the trip. A very relaxed and friendly crowd and a great nights sleep.
Rush for the ticket office before sat closing (not open Sunday) no internet no ticket - must buy on train to border then at border to Istanbul, should be interesting
Hikers Hostel on hill in Plovdiv old town great view and very central
Met a Kiwi in Macdonalds (I know, but after my first day of tummy trouble and not wanting to sit in a restaurant it was the only tollerable option) as we exchanged shrugs over the servers questions and how to order sweet and sour sauce
Went for few beers then headed back to hostel
Talked shit with strange American wandering Europe looking for a country that would let him stay, shared a bottle of Macedonian plonk bought in Skopje
Great nights sleep, woke up early at 8
Arranged to meet kiwi at 1 to explore
Explored the old town
Prime real estate abandoned and defaced; Ex Communist Party member's residence?
Bought some souvenirs and Xmas gifts- box fresh
Very chatty whittler obsessed with planes
Woman with portraits of happy pigs and nonchalant sheep
Roof tile artist painting on the street
Gay or European? Italian queens looking very out of place
Romany kids hassle
Dinner and discussion: socialism, Israel, house prices, kids today, photography
Bound for Istanbul...

Deserted socialist train station at 9pm sharing 2L Bulgarian beer
took the chance to get some train grafitti pics before train arrived
Train 20 mins late, made straight for sleeper car
Accosted by man in ble adidas track suit and tash asking for my ticket!
No ticket, ticket office Internet kaput!
'no problem, no problem' he said
I hand over 22 lev (11€) for ticket
10 mins later he takes me to serious looking official who ploughed through teems of papers and came up with a 180 lev fare, What!?
No real solution found, he just scratched his head and I offered him 10 lev to just let me
stay on the train, track suited tash guy thinks I made the right move and much chatter ensues, he takes the money
Much chatter and I pray for a happy conclusion, which came with both the confused conductor and mr tracky tash saying 'no problem, no problem'
Although now I'm headed forsomeplace called Demitiograd instead of Svilengrad- where's my guidebook?
Back in my sleeper I down more beer take my remaining sleeping pill, take out my beloved travel pillow and wait
5 mins later tracky tash arrives with sheets and blankets and turned up the heat to melting point
heating turned down I slept until women by another portly guard asking for ticket - no ticket! - another aside in an empty sleeper, another long episode of head scratching and anothe 30 lev changes hands to get to Svilengrad and something about 'ticket sItanbul no problem'
I turn down the heat and drift back off to sleep on my magic pillow
screeching of wheels knock on door, happy portly conductor delivers ticket to Istanbul covertly while looking around rather nervously and signing to shhhh!
Back off to sleep and knock knock knock passport control which takes all of 5 seconds
Back to sleep only to be woken up again with 'anything to declare?' so I declare I am a wooly wofta, no really I declare my two bottles if macedonian wine which sparks a bag search where the contents were ignored but the linings and padding was put to great scruitiny... Patting and poking done with I do indeed confirm the customs guards assumpion I like wine and it's back to my beer and pharaceutical induced coma.
Next call was for Turkish passport control which involved a dash out into freezing temperatures in only shirt sleeves but luckily over and done in record time, poor American girls had to line up in cold for visas, I was out like a light before passport officers boarded the train to check entry stamps and again before the train made a move... To be continued