This is probably one of the coolest things I have ever done.
Two days ago someone told me that there was an abandoned “UFO” in Bulgaria – 2 hours away from where I was. Out of curiosity, I decided to go check it out.
The entire experience was so surreal that it felt like I was in another planet.
An UFO was crash-landed in the middle of the Balkan Mountains in 1974. To avoid widespread panic, the Bulgarian government secretly relocated the aliens from the UFO to a remote district (similar to District 9 in Johannesburg, South Africa). The government later reconstructed the UFO so that they could use it as a meeting place for their secret annual conference about extraterrestrials.
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Just kidding.
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The Buzludzha Monument was built on the peak by the Bulgarian communist regime in 1974. It has fallen into disuse since 1989 and has since stood abandoned and vandalized. Due to the danger of collapsing metal pieces from the roof, the building has been closed to the public.
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(During the initial construction, one of the Bulgarian communist activists became an alien himself…)
@Buzludzha
After a 2-hour drive from the hostel, my driver dropped me off at the bottom of the hill, then pointed to the direction of the monument. My driver didn’t speak any English so I wasn’t sure what he was trying to have me do. I looked up the snowy hill and realized that it was quite a long walk. After a 45-minute uphill hike toward the monument (which could not be seen most of the time because of fog), I somehow found my way to it.
@Buzludzha
The only entrance to the UFO: A hole in the ground.
It’s about time that the aliens invent something… called a door.”
@Buzludzha
I was warned not to enter the monument by myself, because it was pitch dark inside and without companion one could be stuck there for hours (or for days, or for-ever).
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There was no one around during the entire uphill hike toward the monument. Luckily I met a couple of Poland backpackers just outside the monument, and we decided to enter as a team.
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After entering the hole, we were to descend using a 3-meter long rope. Going down was not too bad (gravity was our friend). Going up was quite a challenge when everything we touched or stepped on was slippery – We were stuck there for a while trying to figure out a strategy (which we had none) to go back up.
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After descending, the entire floor was pitch dark. Fortunately I was semi-prepared and got myself some cheap equipment the day before (flashlight, scarf, beanie). We navigated in the dark through countless rooms and compartments. After getting lost for a while, we found some stairs to go up two floors and arrived at the main floor of the monument.
@Buzludzha
The environment was extremely surreal: My brain was having hard time finding a point of reference, other than something from a science fiction movie.
@Buzludzha
The environment was extremely surreal: My brain was having hard time finding a point of reference, other than something from a science fiction movie.
@Buzludzha
The environment was extremely surreal: My brain was having hard time finding a point of reference, other than something from a science fiction movie.
@Buzludzha
Time for a selfie.
@Buzludzha
The environment was extremely surreal: My brain was having hard time finding a point of reference, other than something from a science fiction movie.
@Buzludzha
The environment was extremely surreal: My brain was having hard time finding a point of reference, other than something from a science fiction movie.
@Buzludzha
Looking out the windows: There was zero visibility.
@Buzludzha
Looking out the windows: There was zero visibility.
@Buzludzha
Looking out the windows: There was zero visibility.
@Buzludzha
@Buzludzha
@Buzludzha
@Buzludzha
@Buzludzha
Time to head back down the hill.
@Buzludzha
Time to head back down the hill.
@Buzludzha
There was no visible road: We just kept hiking downhill and hoped that we would somehow hit the main road.
Hiked with them for a while before we parted ways.
@Buzludzha
My driver, who drove 2 hours and dropped me off at the bottom of the hill – He spoke absolutely no English.
His little sedan was really not built for this kind of road condition.
@Buzludzha
Bulgarian pork belly soup and salad.
@VelikoTarnovo
Hill city.
@VelikoTarnovo
Rila Monastery – The largest Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria.
@RilaMonastery
Rila Monastery – The largest Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria.
@RilaMonastery
Rila Monastery – The largest Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria.
@RilaMonastery
Village cheese, paired with stuffed grape leaves with rice.
@Sofia
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral – One of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world.
@Sofia
One of the very few Asians I met during my time in Eastern Europe. They took me to visit their Chinese school, watched a Bulgarian opera, and took me to try local Bulgarian food – They are so nice I am not sure what I did to deserve their hospitality.
@Sofia
