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Fairly regular buses run from Smolyan to Kardzhali, passing Pomak and Turkish villages and the entrance to the Arda Gorge (a lovely spot for walking and picnicking if you have your own transport), en route to the mainly Turkish mining town of ARDINO . A few kilometres further on, the Belite Brezi hotel (US$9-18) and campsite is the starting-point for many fine hikes , including a seven-hour trail to the 90-metre-high Ardino waterfall on the River Arda. From there, it's only another hour or so walk to the Devil's Bridge ( Dyavolskiyat Most ), one of the humpbacked bridges built by the Turks on the Arda's tributaries along the route from Plovdiv to the Aegean. Though you wouldn't think so from its meagre source near Mogilitsa, the Arda is vital to the region, flowing through serpentine gorges to feed the reservoirs and power stations near Kardzhali, Madzharovo and Ivailovgrad. Another road from Smolyan approaches Kardzhali by way of Momchilgrad, running closer to the Greek border, through the mining centres of MADAN (from the Arabic word for "ore") and ZLATOGRAD (Gold Town). Like RUDOZEM , nearer Smolyan, they did well under Communism, but the 1990s saw the mining industry crippled by spiralling energy costs and the collapse of the Lev and the price of non-ferrous metals on the world market. The last mines closed in 1999, while plans to kick-start trade with Greece by opening a new border crossing near Rudozem have been in the pipeline for years, but have so far come to nothing.
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