Bulgaria appealed to me in a few ways. It’s an obscure destination which always offers surprises for those looking for new adventures, and it’s cheap (Beer price gauge; $1 dollar. Turkey was about $5). Upon crossing the border I saw some really cheap accommodations but opted out because the vehicles looking for the parking space almost drove over the tenant three times in five minutes.
After crossing the border I was pleasantly surprised with the modern facilities of the Bulgarian border patrol and further surprised once I was put into a cage and realized that I had just gone through the Turkish border crossing and not the Bulgarian.
Even though my immediate instinct was to run, something, call it intuition, told me I was on the right path.