I visited Skopje in Macedonia. My main reason for visiting this place was to go to Pristina in Kosovo. When I planned this trip I didn’t realize that Kosovo was about to be independent so it actually worked out quite well. I was there in the aftermath of the celebrations and what is the beginning of Serbian backlash towards this independence.
I met a very nice man at Pristina bus station; he was just finishing his shift when he spotted me. He called out to me and asked if I need help. I said yes and he spent 2 hours showing me around Pristina. He was Albanian and of course he warned me off meeting Serbs in other parts of Kosovo. He was such a nice guy but at first was a little apprehensive going off with him. His driving was atrocious…I thought if this guy is some mass murdering nut job he won’t kill me by raping me or strangling me, he’ll kill me with his driving.
I spent most of my time in Mitrovice which is the border town north of Kosovo and South of Serbia which is where most of the riots are taking place mainly from the Serbian side. I went as far as the bridge which divides this town and was met with NATO and Kfor military. I felt quite safe at all times as the Albanian Kosovans were very civilized and very friendly. Although at times they were throwing stones at the press and cameramen. They were still celebrating their independence but some Serbs were keen to disrupt any of their celebrations. It was not the Albanians who were demonstrating as they told me that they were not allowed to demonstrate, in fact they are not even allowed to vote. So basically the Albanians of which 90% live in Kosovo hate the Serbs and vice versa. Most of what I heard came from the Albanians so I only got one side of the story and I’m not taking any sides, this is just what I witnessed on this trip.
I spent so long trying to get out of Mitrovice that I missed my bus from Pristina to Skopje. I eventually got back to Pristina and found the guy who had shown me around before at the bus station. He told me that the only way to get to Skopje was to get on a bus that was headed for Tirana in Albania as the bus was going through Macedonia. He spoke to the driver and the driver said that he would be driving through Skopje and he would let me off there. Phew I thought what a bit of luck. Unfortunately the driver did not stop at any place I recognized like the bus station or a main street and it was very dark. Luckily I saw in the distance the giant cross on the hill lit up like a Xmas tree and knew where I was. I managed to flag down a taxi and with a lot of shouting and different pronunciations of the name of my hotel I got back in one piece. That was a pretty wild day.
Kosovo wasn’t the only place I visited. I took a gander around Skopje for what it’s worth, not much to say really, a little bit disappointing. I went in search of Mother Theresa’s memorial, museum and statue. What a complete let down. Firstly nobody I asked knew where it was and some of them didn’t even know what it was. Finally found the statue and her memorial museum was behind in an old tower in the basement. Obviously it was closed but I peered through the window and saw a dank, dark crypt with her images on the walls. The posters were old and faded and the building covered in graffiti. In fact the whole area was surrounded by randy teenagers doing god knows what. I felt like some perv in a park.
I also visited a little town outside Skopje called Sutka. It is full of Romany Gypsy people who settled there after being kicked out from other regions. It’s just like a shanty town in India, same atmosphere, colours and liveliness. The only problem is I felt safer in amidst the riots in Kosovo. I took the bus and was regretting getting off. I did a quick 2 minute tour before legging it. I was either going to be mugged or fleeced for all my money. It wasn’t even night time – the guys were leering and lurking about and the kids were just like wild animals. It was nothing like what I saw on Michael Palin's trip to Sutke; I guess because he had a guide and a driver he was safe.
All in all another memorable trip even though it was a little dodgy at times.
PLEASE NOTE THE FIRST TEN PHOTOS ARE NOT MINE - I BORROWED THEM OF WIKEPEDIA AND OTHER SITES ON NET. I DIDN'T TAKE MANY PHOTOS.
