The Balkan's continued - Day 3 - Crossing from Albania to Macedonia on foot (nearly)

After an evening with food, I wanted to eat something light for the morning, as I was 30 mins away from taking the bus. “It’s just 5 mins by taxi, the bus station” said the mother, as she got the big veggie omelette to my table. Later I would thank her around noon, silently, for not letting me leave on a bread and honey breakfast. I was heading to a town in the east of Albania from where I was told ‘a transport’ would be available to the border. I was waiting for a similar shout of ‘last stop’ from the conductor but he looked at me and said “Macedonia, Here”. The bus dropped me in the middle of an intersection well before the last stop. I think he just told someone on the road that I need to cross the border. I had to pee and as I asked for permission to enter a ‘closed for business’ cafe, the woman said “yes” and when I came out “Macedonia, wait”. The Albanian kindness continued. 

On the intersection again, a bystander approached me and said “Macedonia, come”. Not knowing where he was taking me my feet followed him hesitantly. I only picked up some pace when the same man to whom the conductor had spoken earlier and had gone missing since, appeared from nowhere and he too went “Macedonia, go”. Like two was better than one, I followed the man with the ‘come’ as he was seconded by ‘go’. The man turned out to be a driver who helped me with he luggage into the back of his van pulling out 2000 Likas from his wallet. 

It was a fare amount i thought for a lone passenger to be had for 40 kms. But like the bus from Tirana, this was a ‘mini bus’ to the border town and not some taxi that I could stop in between to take some picture. The road did get scenic as we left this dusty town and we enjoyed the company of an unused railway line and the river flowing completing the trio of modes of transport.  The van was soon filled with random people who were going to different places on the Albanian side of the border. 

As the vehicle scaled a new mountain road, the driver simply uttered the word ‘Macedonia’ with a finger pointing out to the border control. A nice wind made the flag of Macedonia flutter with grace,  on the other side of the Red with eagles Albanian Flag. It seemed that both the flags were in Sync, forgetting how their countries have always had a unsteady relationship. 

Sometime later I was told that if you wanted to cross the border from Russia into Norway, it was ok to enter Norway on foot but it was not allowed to cross Russia without your limbs stepping on at least a paddle if not an accelerator. Russian Cycles were being sold to or rented to refugees to cross over from Russia and they would just lie there in the no mans land as they preferred to walk to Norway. If I knew this at my border crossing from Albania to Macedonia, I would've certainly answered the call of the elderly taxi man while still in Albania. I missed the opportunity of crossing my first border on two feet, as I simply took the taxi into Macedonia. “A good deal to Ohrid” he had said. The long line of four wheels at the control and then seeing passerby’s actually crossing over by foot, made me kind of hate the ‘lets play it safe’ guy in me. 

It was another 40 kms drive to the town of Ohrid in Macedonia.  I never mentioned the Macedonian Border police being thrilled and a little doubtful at the fact of an Indian going into Macedonia from Albania. “So you will show Macedonia to Indians” were the first words that came with a smile from him, after the initial, “you go, Macedonia?!! Why?!” with raised eyebrows. 

I have to confess that I over expected from Ohrid. My friends in the neighbouring countries had spoken highly about it. The town to my shock was even touristy in winter. The lake was covered in the winter haze and the food over priced. I think it was the combination of the over expectation and the central street being crowded on a regular winter day that made me think, “what would this be in the season”. I had checked in but not pre paid at the hotel booking website, through which I had booked the hotel. Like in Berat I had gone for a walk after throwing my bag in the room and like Berat I had expected it would stretch to at least 2 - 3 hours. But, I was back in the hotel after a short 90 mins, in which the stale fish served to me over a wonderful bread and local butter ruled for 30 mins.

The only bright spot in Ohrid - Not even the Fish but the Bread. 

“I would like to pay”, came my words to the lady at the reception. “Well you could do it tomorrow when you leave” was reply. When I told her that I was leaving ‘now’, she couldn't hide the disappointment. “Did you have any problem with our hotel”, said the lady  and then I said something which I don't like if I come to think of it today. “No, its just Ohrid”

Without Ohrid, I was lost not knowing what can Macedonia hold for the 3 nights I had in my mind for the country, which was to be a major attraction in the Balkan itinerary. On the bus back to the nation’s capital Skopje, I was thinking, should I just take a bus to Kosovo on arrival. 

I ended up staying for two nights in Skopje, and thankfully I chose a hostel, where the woman made it her goal to make me fall in love with the country everyone talks about, Macedonia. 

Thanks to her and her talks about the east of Macedonia, I actually started to think of a possibility of not doing Slovenia and Croatia in the tour and entering and exiting through Greece to make it a more rustic tour. Keeping it more towards the east rather than a east to west tour. 

I know I would have to travel back to Macedonia to find what I did not in my first visit. I hope I find my Macedonia then.