It all happened quite spontaneously. Three years ago, Rhyes Douglas visited Bulgaria’s second largest city Plovdiv on his friend’s recommendation. Rhyes Douglas is a British digital nomad who lives wherever he wants and works remotely. Rhyes said he had travelled across Europe, but when he arrived in Bulgaria for the first time, his life took a 180 degree turn. “I came for a month, fell in love with Bulgaria and I have stayed here since then. And here I am, in Plovdiv, where I have been living with my girlfriend for three years now. And guess what – I am no longer a nomad, because I’ve settled permanently”, says Rhyes Douglas.

However, tens of thousands of people know Rhyes as Jamal. The number of followers of his You Tube channel – Jamal in BG has grown by leaps and bounds. Now he has nearly 28,000 subscribers from around the world. Meanwhile, Rhyes does not tire of sharing his life experience in Bulgaria online.

“I fell in love with the local climate, culture, cuisine and nature immediately”, Jamal contends. His first impressions are from Kapana Fest in Plovdiv. "I liked all these colorful flags, the crowd, the music and the incredible variety of tastes. There I tried the traditional flat sausage and rakia brandy for the first time. It was amazing!”, says Jamal and adds that he stopped feeling like a foreigner in Bulgaria long ago. He speaks some Bulgarian, but complains about the difficult grammar and the masculine and feminine forms, which are not present in the English language.

In his view, Bulgaria is the perfect destination for young people who want to achieve something in life.

Photos: courtesy of Rhyes Douglas