Dear reader:

Thanks for visiting my page and I hope that you find this information helpful.

My name is Rami Elias Kremesti, I am half Lebanese, half Bulgarian and after living 20 years in Lebanon and 8 in the USA, I have made Bulgaria/the UK my home. I did my M.Sc. in Industrial Chemistry in the USA and I work as a water treatment specialist in the UK these days where the money/services are better and I have a better chance of meeting intellectual people which is very important for me. I am chartered in the UK with CIWEM. Bulgaria for me is for enjoying my time off... I have a posh apartment in the Maritza Gardens gated community in Plovdiv and I also love spending time in my village home of Trankovo between Stara Zagora and Radnevo (Home of Geo Milev amazing one-eyed Communist Poet). I am the founder of the NGO BONKA.BG through which I aim to help Bulgarians to improve their lives and country. I am also the founder of AMALID.ORG which us about the Middle East. I am a published author. My first book is about the Rumi interpretation of Islam and is titled The Other Cheek of Islam. I am getting my second book For Love of the Sacred Awe published soon. 

1. If you want to move to Bulgaria, make sure that you have a local trusted connection. Some people, like everywhere, will try to take you for a ride here if they sense that you are gullible. 

2. Be relaxed. Be natural. Smile. Look people in the eye. Do not be afraid, there is nothing to be afraid of.

3. Explore Bulgaria a little before you decide where to settle, if you have a choice. Explore the large cities, explore also the villages those are the true hidden treasures. Explore areas: by the Black sea, in the Rhodope mountains, by the Danube, or in the Thracian Plains as in Plovdiv.

4. Learn Bulgarian. This will help you to get by easier in a lot of day to day situations.

5. For exploring business opportunities, I am not the businessman but I will give you some logical common sense tips:

a. Labor and Land in Bulgaria is cheap especially in the suburbs, therefore all manufacturing business plans with a Europe wide market will be successful as the overhead costs will be kept low.
b. Ethnic food restaurants in the larger cities will be successful as the emerging middle class in Bulgaria is hungry for something new. Case in point: Sombrero Mexican Restaurant in Plovdiv is a hit. There is the Happy chain of restaurants also which is a country wide success story with their Fusion cuisine. There are a couple of very good Turkish restaurants: Antik, Brazilia and Pasa. Gyroland make a delicious Greek gyro. 
c. Agricultural land in Bulgaria is inexpensive. Scale is important to compete locally. Niche markets are the way to go to compete globally. Organic farming has a bright future according to all indicators.
d. NGOs for developing social, economic, environmental and educational standards are much in need.
e. The food industry in Bulgaria has a deep rooted history. Bulgaria used to be called the garden of the Soviet Union. There are universities like Plovdiv's University of Food Technology that train specialists in food technology. Many people in Bulgaria still make their own preserves. 
f. Tour operator companies will be high in demand in Bulgaria as the rest of Europe continues to discover the hidden treasures of Bulgaria.
g. Boutique cheeses and salamis can be made in Bulgaria at a low cost and overhead and exported in Europe. Bulgaria has excellent sources of fresh milk and meat.
h. Good beef for steaks is hard to find in Bulgaria. Most cows and bulls are raised for milk and mince beef.
i. The Average IQ in Bulgaria is 93 which is on the higher side of the Bell Curve. If you need to hire/train young intelligent engineers, mathematicians, programmers, scientists you might be able to find some interesting young candidates....
j. Call centers are becoming a hot thing in Plovdiv. Lotta bilingual youths in Plovdiv with Russian or English as a second language.
k. IT jobs are hot in Bulgaria and they pay very well.

6. Buy an inexpensive car, don't flash the cash, blend in. I used to own an S55 AMG they broke into it for no apparent reason. All they found was a beautiful hand made silver cross and a multi-functional Swiss knife. Practical cars are the small ones: The Opel Corsa/Astra, the VW Golf, the Scoda Octavia. Don't leave any precious belongings in the car overnight. My previous car was broken into because I forgot my wallet in it.

7. About corruption: Public salaries are really low so some public officials out of financial need will seek to make an extra buck under the table. Same with medical doctors: i had to pay 200 euros twice for extra care in the delivery of my two girls in Plovdiv. The healthcare system, the media, the government institutions, private business, EVERYTHING is CORRUPT in BULGARIA. Even the taxi driver will try to take you for a ride... However, intelligent Bulgarians vote for Da Bulgaria which is a political party run by smart people and we hope that we can bring change to the political class in Bulgaria.

8. There are a lot of Ethnic Turks in Bulgaria especially in the South and South-East. If you know a little Turkish in those regions, it will go a long way. 

9. Explore life in the village... this is where time has frozen. This is where people live off the land. This is where you will find the real good hearts and large souls. This is where people have learned to solve their own problems and help each other out. This is where a whole lamb will set you off just 50 Euros. This is where the word organic food has no meaning because they have been eating organic for centuries. This is where you will meet characters like straight out of books. This is where you will see gypsies riding a donkey carriage and you will wonder if you're in the middle of a movie set... This is where you will taste the tastiest fruit and veg, home made salamis, eggs, milk, duck, goose, etc etc. For off grid living, this is a place to fulfill your dream. Land is cheap. The land is fertile and there is plenty of water. Solar panel installation fees are inexpensive. 

10. Explore the Rhodope mountains. This is where the mountain people live. And some of them have souls as large as mountains. You must read the book Vreme Razdelno or watch the movie based on the novel subtitled in English called Time of Violence. Personnaly I used to go fishing in Lake Batak which is gorgeous. There is a place called Tsigov Chark close by with nice restaurants and to die for views. Belintash is a mystical place they say people there can feel a strong ancient mystical energy. It's a pre-historic worship place. 

11. Explore the Orthodox Church. I think most of the priests have lost touch with the times but there are few good priests out there... Go to the Orthodox Monasteries. Try to find a local saint, this will be your greatest lifetime achievement.... Bachkovo Monastery is famous and has a miracle working icon of Mary the Theotokos, i.e. Mother of God. Personally I think the Holy Spirit, one of the persons of the Trinity was re-incarnated in the Mother of God. It makes sense. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, or Father, Mother and Son !!! I have a page about Orthodox Christianity which I highly respect please visit my page: https://kremesti.com/amalid/orthodoxy/ . Toward the end of the page you can see a compilation of the Saints of the Church who go back all the way to the time of Jesus. This is missing in the Protestant church. Our Jewish brethren have a concept of the Shekhina or the Female Face of God. 

12. Explore the Black Sea... Sozopol and Nessebar are a must sea. Ahtopol down south. Avoid the tourist fly-magnets of Sunny Beach and Golden Sands (loud music, cheap alcohol, crooks and hookers). Avoid the 5 star all inclusive hotels they have no soul and are probably owned by the mafia. 

13. Explore the local cuisine and ethnic Turkish cuisine. A lot of Greek restaurants are popping up in the large cities too. The Shopska salad is to die for. Tarator or cold yoghurt soup with cucumbers is sooo delicious. You must try the Princessa or mince meat/kashkaval on toast. Many delicious local salamis and hams. 

14. If you want to buy a property, you must make sure that the deed is clean by checking with a local Notarius (Notary). You can also visit the "Obshtina" (Municipality) and check with the land registry that all is in order. For paying taxes, visit nap.bg. Use an established real estate agent. 

15. Explore the local music: Bulgarian folk music is unique. Listen to these breath taking songs to get a taste: Pritori Se Planinata by Stefka Sabotinova, Dvama by Maria Neykova. Da Te Zhaduvam Az is an amazing song for the guitar. Cherno Feredje are very funny. Ofcourse needless to mention is the Gaida or bag pipe music of the mountains which is hair raising...

16. About one of the most important topics on guys' mind: women. Bulgarian women are generally very beautiful and natural. There is unfortunately a "Chalga" phenomenon of feigning extravagant external appearances (fake tits, lips, expensive clothes, cars). We call these women "kifli"which translates literally to a muffin, in other words a gold digger. Real Bulgarian women have a strong ethic of working and supporting the family which comes from socialist times. There aren't many families that can afford to have a "daddy's"girl. For some photos that I have made of Bulgarian women, please visit my website: htp://kremesti.com/krasiva. I personally know some tough Bulgarian women that are lawyers, judges, engineers, architects and business owners. I once married a Bulgarian girl and we have two wonderful, beautiful girls together. 

17. About Bureaucracy and Customer Service: both are a disaster in Bulgaria. The actual institutions in Bulgaria like NAP (Equivalent to HMRC in the UK), the electric company, the police they will try to SKIN YOU ALIVE. For example I have an EOOD or Ltd company in Bulgaria. I was not making any money from that company but still NAP will threaten you with HUGE fines if you dont file forms on time. EVN uninstalled a 3-phase meter from one of my houses in Bulgaria and then wanted me to pay 400 Lev to re-install it. The police will try their best to give youa hefty fine for whatever minor violation or try to scare you into paying a bribe. There are many corrupt policemen in Bulgaria and officials in high public positions too. If your house gets broken into, it's useless to call the police. They show up and ASK YOU what is to be done. They are too lazy to launch an investigation. 

17. About Racism in Bulgaria: it is rampant especially towards gypsies and Arabs/Muslims. I have personally been called a goat fucker because I wore Arab headgear on one of my Facebook posts. 

18. About Jealousy and Envy in Bulgaria: the average Bulgarian is very ignorant, uncultured and has a massive inferiority complex, hence he or she is jealous/envious of those that are better off then them. Watch out for the neighbours there is always that evil one that will stab you in the back it happened to me in 2020 around the COVID19 crisis. Bulgarians are very good at singing their own praises about how courageous they were in historic battles and how kind they are to the less fortunate and how they put the SpaceX rocket on the moon... its like perfume that masks the stink underneath. For example, an Invest in Bulgaria video that was launched in 2020 claimed that Bulgaria was third in Europe in terms of cultural heritage... Say France and Italy are top two. So the Bulgarians basically claimed that they beat Greece, Spain, Holland to third place... In 2020 my neighbour called the police on me for going out on a walk by myself during my COVID19 quarantine and I ended up in court with a HUGE fine. 

19. About Legal Advice in Bulgaria: it's shit ! there are a lot of idiotic stupid lawyers out there that will take your money and take you for a ride. The big question is do you know the judge/DA or some politician to influence your case. I have been through a divorce in Bulgaria and it was all a farce in favor of my ex wife who has connections in the legal system. I have been through about 5 lawyers in Plovdiv and I am still looking for a good one. Don't pay the lawyer before the case is closed. If they ask for money in advance KNOW they are a crook. 

20. Studying Medicine in Bulgaria: there are a couple of Medical Universities in Bulgaria such as the one in Plovdiv that cater to foreigners who pay hard cash. Bulgaria is not the best place to study medicine for obvious reasons - corruption and lack of research funding. However, books are books and basic medicine is basic medicine which is taught at the Medical Universities. So my advice, get your MD degree and go specialize elsewhere. Doctors in Bulgaria are leaving in hordes because of the low salaries.

21. About hunting and fishing in Bulgaria: these are a national pastime. Lots of lakes and rivers and mountains and plains too. In my village of Trankovo, there is a hunting club and even a hunting lodge where Hristo Stoichkov himself once came to shoot game and birds.   

22. Biker Culture: there are a lot of bikers in Bulgaria and "Biker" culture runs deep. Many of them tend to be old kind souls of the Rock and Heavy Metal kind. Every March 22 in Plovdiv a large gathering of bikers forms on Danail Nikolaev Street and Boulevard Russki and hundreds of bikers ride out to Bachkovo Monastery for a blessing by the priest. 

23. Exploring Art: Plovdiv is the place to be... there are a lot of local maestros and galleries and museums. A lot of wanna be's too so be careful and choose carefully. Anastas Gallery for me is at the highest level of Modern Art. Needless to mention the Kapana Creative District in Plovdiv is a very interesting place both for its restaurants and cafes as well as the many artisan shops. Theater and Opera are big in Bulgaria and there is a lot of tradition. Old Communist era movies are a time machine if you get the chance watch this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpbIisMg1vE  . 

Finally I hope I have piqued your imagination.

Best regards and I wish you an exciting journey in Bulgaria!

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Rami E. Kremesti M.Sc., CSci, CEnv, CWEM

Founder BONKA.BG
 

Last updated: October 13, 2021