Hanging with Fellow Travellers

Had a great last nite at the campground.
After spending a couple of days with Scott from the conference and Mark & Lorna, from England, who we met for the first time in Morocco, outside of Gouillmime. Can you believe it! We were so surprised when they drove into the campground.
Andrew spent some time on the last day hanging with some Macedonian truckers.
On our last evening in Macedonia and into the nite we hung out with a swiss couple, a danish family, a New Zealand/Belgian couple and a Dutch man. All adventurous travelers braving the balkans. It is funny, you get to places where most travellers won’t go. Where simple tourists will never brave and all of the sudden you are part of a brotherhood. You need each other and are there for each other. I missed this all terribly when we were in Western Europe.
We sat around sharing stories, treasures, exotic food and drinks. The Swiss couple are wanting to go to Morocco. The Dutch man found a new country, supported by the Russians and nestled in a little corner of Kosovo. He has come from Serbia, just like the Danish family. They have travelled alot and are thinking of doing it full-time. They enjoyed looking around our truck and our kids had a great time playing together. The New Zealand/Belgian couple have been all over the world. As a matter of fact they met in Tanzania.

One fact we all agreed on. In order to survive with travel is to be patient and flexible. If you don’t know how to find and adapt to the rhythm of the local culture and slow down you have a miserable time and miss out on so much of the beauty. What a great time. We strongly feel that we will find some of them again and again. We decided that this was the secret to driving on the roads around here.

Oh yeah, we still haven’t gotten pulled over by the police in the Balkans. This is a common problem. There are 2 things to watch out for that foreigners seem to always get pulled over. The first is that you must keep your headlights on all the time you drive. Our truck does this all the time so it is no problem for us. The second is to watch the speed limit. I mean really watch it! Sometimes a little tiny sign on the side of a major highway in Albania will say 20km. Yes 20km on a major road! Nothing changes on the side of the road. It is still agricultural land with a few dotted houses. After about 2 km you see a policeman waiting on the side of the road. After that the speed limit returns to 80km. Some people might call that a speed trap. Just keep your eyes open.Technorati Tags: , ,

June 16th, 2010 | Tags: , | Category: Macedonia | Leave a comment

Smelling the World Differently From Here and Forever More.

Errrmmm…. I dont think i have done a post in a while so…..
Hi, My name is Abi (which i am sure most of you know) and i have wanted a nose piercing for quite a while…….. Ok only a few months. The first day we arrived in Ohrid (a little more that a week ago) i saw two ‘Tattoo & Piercing’ Shops. So that day we waited until they would open (which was at 6 ‘oclock). We went into the first place (The SCARIEST looking place) i went in with: Hannah, Tj and Mum. The man there was big muscular covered in Tattoos, Piercing and looked very much like he didnt want to be known for giving little girls piercing or pretty butterflies or anything like that but to be known as the scary skull and cross bones and scary dragons sort of guy, and he was in a very scary looking place. I asked if he would do my nose piercing, he looked at me and asked me what age i am, i said i was Fourteen but going to be Fifteen soon. But unfortunately he said i had to be at least sixteen if i had my parents permission. So we left.  
                           
(This picture doesn’t fit here but I just liked it so I put it in to break things up a bit.)
We walked around town for a little while, then instead of the sunny hot day it was, all the sudden started to rain and pour with lightning and really loud thunder. So we went into a small shopping complex and went into an ice-cream shop which we thought, would have some hot chocolate but they didnt have any. We walked around inside the mini mall looking for a place to sit down for something hot to drink, we went into a pub and asked for some Hot chocolate. Not only did we get hot chocolate but (This is for you Cindy to drool over. You know that hot chocolate you told us about when you were in Portugal near us well it was that) The hot chocolate we got you had to eat with a spoon it was incredible, here are some words i would use to explain it: Creamy, rich, thick, have to eat with a spoon, not too sweet and not too bitter. So as we were eating hot chocolate (not drinking) i went to the other shop which was less scary but still a Tattoo and piercing shop and he was closed. :(   we waited for a while eating our chocolate then checking again but he was still closed:(
                               
(Ok, i admit it……..This photo totally doesn’t fit either. But i think it needs a photo right here).
So, yesterday when me and mum went into town for grocerries we were eating our ice-creams. And thought well maybe we should try the second tattoo & piercing place so we looked in some shops downstairs while i ate my ice-cream (well mum did. I was still eating my ice-cream). Then we went upstairs to the shop. We knocked on the door and a guy opened up. Yayy…….. i asked if he could do a nose piercing for me and he said yes and went back behind the curtain to get some stuff ready. He came back with some studs to put in my nose and gave me an option of three: one was a huge silver spike- errrrrr NO, one was a red diamond- ok i guess, and the last was a a silver star with a green diamond- yayy that one wohoo… So we went behind the curtain. He pulled out: a needle, recieving tube, gloves, put the stud in a sterile solution and took out some other stuff. he asked me if i was was scared and i said no (which was the truth i mean i stick needles into me all day so no big deal). and he pierced my nose YAYY……. It hurt but not as much as i thought it would. My eyes watered a lot so i had to close my eyes. But it was worth it and now…. I have an awesome nose piercing.
                        
So unfortunately, we are on an idyllic lake and i cannot put my head under the water because of the… Piercing. But that doesn’t mean i cant lounge on my inner tube all day..:D
                                
Abi :D

June 15th, 2010 | Tags: , | Category: Macedonia | One comment

Party at the Truck in Ohrid

After 3 days of being away Andrew came back to the truck this morning with 3 dozen eggs, milk and 25 of his closest friends from the conference. It was a great day of


eating crepes,


hanging about


chatting


and boating.


Hannah had the great idea of renting one of the slide boats for an hour to accompany our canoe. As inevitably happens when you get a group of energetic young people together on a hot day in Macedonia. A splash war!

A great day with new and old friends from all over the world.

June 13th, 2010 | Tags: , , , | Category: Macedonia | Leave a comment

Spring Cleaning and Conference

Normal day today. Andrew in town for a 3 day conference. Kids working in their schoolbooks. Followed by extensive time in the lake with their tyre tubes. Just like what I used to spend days doing when I was a kid, so long ago. Amazing how a bit of old black rubber can make water so much more fun.

Andrew is in town having a great time, seeing old friends, making new ones, hearing stories and telling some.


Abi is customizing a t-shirt – again.


Hannah is reading – again.

TJ is orgainizing her locker – again. You can tell organization is not as big of a priority with Abi, who has the neighbouring locker.

Me, I foolishly woke up in a spring cleaning mood. I decided to do all the sheets and rugs today. WITHOUT A MACHINE! Oh yeah! Woke up feeling a bit like superwoman. Armed with running water into a trough, a bar of soap, a scrubbing brush, a board, a wringer (mangle) and buckets of dirty sheets, rugs and clothes. Unfortunately, we do not have spare sheets, so when I dumped the sheets in the buckets of water there was no turning back. Dang! Unknown to me, Our rug seemed to have been held together by the flood of dirt that emerged and has now sprouted many holes in one side. So, something will need to happen. One end will become a dog rug. What about the other end? A small rug in front of the sink? A decorative piece for the front dash? Perhaps a carpet bag? Just like Mary Poppins. I have always wanted a carpet back – but, honestly, don’t need one.

I now feel a bit less like superwoman and a bit more like Old Mother Hubbard. I am scruffy and sweaty but my sheets are clean and my rug has new possibilities.

Got the kids some inner tubes at a car shop. Just like I used to have when I was a kid. When it got just too hot for old mother hubbard I went in the water with my girls and the inner tubes of my youth and I am a kid again.

June 11th, 2010 | Tags: , , | Category: Macedonia | Leave a comment

Macedonia – take 2

We ended up behind a bus at the Macedonian border. The bus was having problems getting through and angry bus passengers were everywhere. We showed our updated car documents in a fancy plastic folder. Andrew noted before that the truckers show a plastic sleeve with insurance documents, listing the names of the countries, showing on one side and ownership papers showing his name on the other. Andrew organized his paperwork accordingly and handed over the car documents and passports, including the dog passport. We got through the border without being asked to pay anything extra – including the special truck insurance they were asking for at the other border. I think we have been going through too many borders lately.

We have finally made it to Macedonia. Andrew will have his meeting and we can slow down the pace a bit.

His meeting is at Lake Ohrid. We spent the day in the town of Ohrid. Food is cheap here – even restaurants.

Saw some fun signs. Should we show it to Sam or do you think it will go to his head?

All the locals recommended staying at camp Gradiste about 30 km from the town. WOW!

Not too shabby of a campsite eh? When we came into the campsite we asked how much. He said he normally charges 10 euro for 2 people and a camping car. Andrew said, “we also have children and a dog.”

“Ahhhh, that’s ok, 10 euro”.

Oh yeah! 10 euro for this!

The facilities are pretty basic. We have electicity, washing up facilities, squat toilets, hot shower (notice I say singular hot shower, there are also 2 cold showers and 3 non-functioning showers). As we have noticed this seems typical for the post-communist world – the facilities can be a bit old-fashioned and run-down but it is very clean, inexpensive and run by people who are friendly and wonderful.

Had an amazing day. Taking out our little blow up boat on the lake and hiking around the coast.

There are these small areas along the coast connected by small, rickety bridges. In these little areas We found such great treasures.

There are clubs in some that open up for 2 months in the summer. If I was in my 20s I would love to discover such hidden clubs for hanging out with the locals. These clubs will start opening up in about a week. The only access to these clubs is the rickety bridges or the narrow stone steps leading up the cliff.

It was great going across these little walkways around the rocks. At one we found an old chapel. How old? Oh, only 1500s!!!

We lit some candles in there. Andrew said that he was lighting his for peace among religious people around the world.

The girls have spent alot of time by the edge of the lake.

and in the lake.

We have also spent alot of time in our little blow up boat. Even Inigo has gone out with us in the boat.

This morning me and Abi got up around 7 and took the boat to the town about 2 km away for groceries. Tomorrow it is Hannah and TJs turn with dad.

What a great place to spend a bit of time. It is beautiful, inexpensive, a bit rough and reasonably undiscovered.

June 8th, 2010 | Tags: , , , | Category: Macedonia | One comment