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| Rebuilt in 2004, the 'Stari Most' is the symbol of Mostar. |
After months of frantic preparations, we went to bed on the night of August 14 looking forward to waking up the next morning and beginning our hitchhiking tour of the Balkans. Our route would take us through Skopje, Belgrade and Sarajevo. Our first stop was Thessaloniki, which we had already visited last year. A couple picked us up in Keşan and took us to Thessaloniki, showing us the towns of Fanari and Kavala on the way. The next day, we set off for new pastures. Although we weren't very far away from Skopje, we had to wait for hours by the side of the road before a kind Macedonian picked us up and dropped us at the bus station at a village called Negotino. We took the bus for Skopje, where we were met by Ardian, an Albanian, who introduced us to the city.
Plan B
Although Belgrade was meant to be the next stop on our itinerary, the Serbian police would not let us cross the border, so we decided to change our course for Albania. By the next afternoon, we had already got a visa for Montenegro in Tirana. Since public transport in Albania was so cheap (it costs 1 dollar to travel 100 km), we decided to take a minibus to the town of Shkoder near the Montenegrin border rather than hitchhike. When we arrived, we discovered that we had missed the last bus over the border! Rather than spend an astronomical sum to take a taxi, we decided to hitch a ride. Contrary to our expectations, hitchhiking in Albania was completely safe; we were amazed to hear the drivers apologising that they weren't going in our direction. Could it be that Albania is a paradise for hitchhikers?
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Bajram from the Balkans
We were picked up by a man named Bajram Şabanev, who told us that he worked in Greece, was born in Albania but that his mother lived over the border in Montenegro. When we got to the border, he chatted to the security guards and we found ourselves in Montenegro in no time at all.We didn't have a lot of time to spend in Montenegro, but the little that we saw of it made it clear that this is a place worth visiting. In the capital, Podgorica, we hitched a ride to the town of Niksic. We thought about spending the night in the town, but the only hotel was a monolith dating from the Communist era with appropriately stellar prices. A kind Serbian girl tried to help us find an affordable room, but to no avail. Nevertheless, trying to have a conversation in two completely different languages was an extremely entertaining experience! After spending the evening wandering around Niksic, we headed out of the town. At around one o'clock in the morning we flagged down the bus for Sarajevo that was passing by. We were on the road again.
Wounded but alive
It was around 4 o'clock in the morning when we arrived in Sarajevo. In a few hours, we were ready to discover the city. As the sun rose, we realised that many of the buildings that line the streets of the city were pockmarked with bullet holes that served as a reminder of the painful times Sarajevo lived through 10 years ago. Nevertheless, Sarajevo is a resilient city, and its cafes are filled to overflowing with laughing customers. Despite its wounds, Sarajevo is a thriving European city.We had just managed to make it to the city to catch the end of the Sarajevo Film Festival. From Sarajevo, we decided to head to Mostar to see its famous bridge that had been rebuilt last year. A French driver stopped to pick us up and asked us if we were going to the party in Mostar. We had no idea what he was talking about, but that didn't stop us from crashing what turned out to be an amazing party just outside Mostar!
As we flew back from Sarajevo to Istanbul, we felt like we were emerging from an exciting, unforgettable dream. 16 days had passed like lightning, and we had made so many new friends and learned so much about life in the Balkans. A final note: we recommend that you travel in the summer, which gives you a year to plan ahead! See http://nix.puiy.com/05 for more information about, photos and videos of our trip.
| Helpful hints... |
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* The first rule of hitchhiking is to smile and be ready to chat. Most drivers pick up hitchhikers to enjoy a good conversation. Not to mention the fact that this is a great way to meet a lot of interesting people. A good and amusing way to attract attention as a hitchhiker is to make a giant thumb out of cardboard. It is also a good idea to write the name of your destination on a piece of paper in the local language and hold it out to drivers. * Enjoy a glass of Skopsko beer at one of the many cafes that line the Vardar river in Skopje. For the best 'Cevapcici' (Sarajevo-style meatballs) in Sarajevo, head to Cevapdzinica Petica in Bascarsija. * If you want to meet a friend in every city plus enjoy free accommodation, visit www.hospitalityclub.org and www.couchsurfing.com. |
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