Yesterday was a cloudy cold day in Skopje, and I didn't feel like doing too much. Being Monday, most museums we're closed (i think-I didn't check).
After waking up, I walked back to the bus station to get on the same bus I took to the park. Why-I didn't want to go back to the park-particularly on this cold, clammy, day-but it passed by a shopping mall with a Carrefour (a large chain, sort of a European Wal-Mart) where maybe I could get a new lens cap and other stuff for my camera. It turns out Carrefour was mainly a supermarket selling food and other supplies. But I did buy a jacket there. (This will be my third jacket for this trip-the first was a good leather coat I took from home but left back in Spain, the second was a camouflage army-like jacket I bought in a thrift store in Brussels-I hated that jacket and didn't mind losing it)
I also wanted to figure out where to go from here. I really want to go to Sophia, Bulgaria, and I will-but the question was weather to go to Lake Ohird, Maceonia first-which a lot of people recommend and seems to be one of the oldest settlements on earth, and like quite picturesque and interesting. The only issue was going to Lake Ohrid was about a 4 hour bus ride, and to go to Sophia, I would have to go back through Skopje, which would be about 10 hours on the bus. And since the weather turned colder-how nice would a town by the lake be? But in the end I decided that I would leave tomorrow for Lake Ohrid to check it out.
For the rest of the day, I wasn't expecting much. I napped in the afternoon, and went to a nearby supermarket for dinner of salmon and peppers-(again tired of few fish restaurants in the Balkins-I ate it in the food court of the small mall where the supermarket was). I then went for one last walk downtown.
By the time I got back, it was roughly 10:00 pm. I figured it would be a nice uneventful night like the last few, to sit by the flat screen-tv and turn alternatively between CNN, MTV Dance and MTV Hits-a diet of Donald Trump, Carly Fiorina, Ellie Goulding and Avicii before going to bed-but that wasn't to be.
When I got to my room-someone new checked in-a 20 something girl from Toronto who just graduated from a Masters program in the UK, and was now travelling through the Balkins as a graduation trip. We talked for a while-she was travelling with her male friend who she used to date but was now just a travel-buddy who was out running.
Originally, the girl from the room mentioned she loved watching the Republican candidates in action, so I convinced her to go downstairs where we can watch TV. Walking downstairs, we ran into her male friend-a 20 something from Teaneck, New Jersey who she want to college with (at McGill University in Montreal), and we decided to take a walk downtown-which was good for them since they just arrived.
We walked downtown, past the many statues and classic looking buildings built in the past few years, and we talked-things went great. We we're all Jewish and from North America so it was a nice time. Eventually, we walked up to the old town-bazaar. We found a bar serving nachos, with a band singing pop hits.
I think it was during the band's medley of Sweet Home Alabama and All Summer Long that things went south. The girl decided she wanted to leave, and asked her ex-boyfriend travel-partner for some money. It turns out he didn't have any money. After she paid both her and her ex's part (and I paid mine), we walked out, and they had a big fight. I decided to walk in a separate direction and let them fight. I took the long way. The guy caught up to me after a while, and apologized for putting me in the middle, but then he stopped at the bank and we again went separate ways.
When I got back to the hostel, I found her sitting on the bed, crying- According to her-he always forgets his wallet, letting her pay-and he is working full time and has lots of money, and she just graduated and doesn't have any money. And she is sick of it, and that is why they broke up a long time ago.
A little later, he came into the room, but went back into the courtyard, and they kept fighting (by text message-she was still in the room).
At around 1:00 am, she decided to leave and find a new hostel-I tried to convince her that it might be best to just stay there and leave in the morning, but she was insistent that she didn't want to wake up near her ex. So she said goodbye and left. (After months of staying in hostels, I knew that many do not have a 24-hour front desk, so I was concerned she wouldn't find anywhere else).
After roughly 45 minutes-she did come back, her ex came back to the room from the courtyard as well, and I finally went to sleep.
