The cave rescuers of ECRA handling the strechers.
I love it when photography takes my places. And when that place happens to be a place like Bulgaria, I love it even more. I have actually been there before. When I was 8 years old and my parents thought it was a good idea to take a family of five through eastern Europe when, well, it wasn't considered an ideal vacation spot for western european families. And I wander where I got my need for adventure from. How times are different there now. Even though they still have massive problems and a long way to go, when viewed in the rearview mirror, they have come a long way from essentially being a prison for the entire population.
I was welcomed by members of ECRA, The European Cave Rescue association, who were having their annual meeting in Bulgaria and a joint training excercise for it’s members. I was picked up near my hotel in Sofia by Vladimir, a local Bulgarian, caver, rescue volunteer and an IT specialist. As we raced the pothole
We stayed in the camp for for three nights and two days we spent in the caves and while I had some interesting problems with lighting, conditions were sometimes very narrow, wet and dirty and my gear got quita a beating, I got out of it with a few frames I am happy with. To the people I was there with, who welcomed me and and took such good care of me, feeding me, arranging transport, tent, cave clothing and whatnot, I am most grateful. It was a great experince and an important addition to my SAR Europe project.
Next stop FINLAND...
