After two weeks in Skopje and a further 5 days in Strumica, it was lastly time to depart the Republic of Macedonia.
I cycled east out of Strumica and thru an enormous stretch of farmland and shortly dehydrating greens. Alongside the best way, I handed the doorway to the Kolesino waterfall, which I had heard was fairly spectacular, however didn’t have the time to see for myself.
After what appeared like not more than an hour’s price or driving, I casually pulled as much as the border station that separated me from the good nation of Bulgaria.
As I approached, I may see that the lane hugging the border station was blocked and lined by two painters who had laid out a big brown tarp over the road as they labored to color the overhang of the safety sales space. There have been no different autos on the border station and apart from the painters, who have been busy at work, there was nobody else in sight.
I pulled as much as the border station, simply wanting the brown tarp that was specified by the road, and dismounted my bicycle. I peered contained in the darkish tinted home windows of the guard shack, however couldn’t see a factor.
Out of the blue, two males in darkish uniforms emerged from a small hut behind me. They stated one thing to me in a language I couldn’t perceive, so I held out my passport and eliminated my sun shades.
The lads took my paperwork and returned to their sales space.
“How lengthy have been you right here?” One of many males requested me, as the opposite typed my passport quantity into the pc.
“About three weeks.” I instructed the lads.
“Three weeks!” they stated. “What have been you doing right here this entire time?”
“Simply exploring, I suppose.” I fumbled over the phrases, not realizing that the proper reply may be.
“The place did you keep?” One of many males then requested me?
“I stayed in Skopje and in Strumica.” I responded.
“Do you’ve gotten the paperwork? To show the place you stayed?”
I didn’t! I had rented an condo in Skopje, by means of a private web site I had discovered on the Web and the proprietor had given me no paperwork or receipt of any sort to show I had stayed there.
I did, nevertheless, recall being given a doc by the resort in Strumica, so I instructed the lads that I did certainly have the paperwork, however that it was buried means down deep inside my panniers.
The lads understood and instructed me to step to the facet of the street, simply in case a car have been to return in some unspecified time in the future sooner or later.
For the following 5 minutes, I dug inside my panniers, dripping sweat as I looked for this single piece of paper, which I wasn’t even certain I had held onto. However then, simply as I used to be about to surrender all hope of ever discovering the doc, I discovered it!
I jumped up with the little white piece of paper in my hand and ran it over to the lads.
The tallest of the 2 males checked out it and stated, “That is just for one evening.”
I used to be in hassle! I didn’t have some other paperwork to show the place I had stayed or whether or not I had paid the correct taxes, and so on.
Lastly, the person spoke once more and stated, “Don’t fear about. Go forward.” He then waved me on and stated I used to be free to depart the nation. Whew!
As I returned to my bike and started packing up my issues, the lads walked over to me, clearly bored, and began asking me about my journey. They needed to know the place I had come from and the place I deliberate on going after leaving Bulgaria.
I instructed them that I had began the journey in Switzerland in December and that I had rather less than two months left earlier than I’d fly residence from Athens, Greece.
I then gave them my enterprise card, directed them again to this web site, and promised that I’d someday write a narrative about them. Nicely, right here it’s guys. You’re well-known!
Getting into Bulgaria was a pleasure. It was sizzling, however the land felt peaceable and relaxed.
For the primary ten miles or so, the surroundings was an entire distinction, divided by the street operating proper down the center. To my proper was a heat, swampy mess of timber and bushes – very like that in all of Macedonia. To my left, nevertheless, was a mountainside that made me really feel as if I may be within the hills of Northern Arizona.
After an hour of biking, I got here throughout a shady patch of timber and stopped for a drink and snack.
Minutes later, a tiny crimson automotive pulled up and three of the oddest wanting males you’ve ever seen emerged from it’s tiny doorways.
The lads took a single look at me sitting there on the facet of the street with my bicycle after which processed to concurrently pull down their pants and urinate inside mere toes of me.
After a superb shaking of their you understand whats, the lads climbed again inside their automotive and drove off. I’d see them two extra occasions earlier than I left the nation.
The remainder of the day was spent biking although small Bulgarian cities. I finished to fill my water bottle up in what I consider was a metropolis park and made time to pet a donkey that was casually sitting on the facet of the street, fully unattended.
Within the cities, I spied a number of people hanging out on sunny balconies, fully within the nude. Within the picture beneath you’ll be able to see a big bare man taking within the afternoon solar.
I had been in Bulgaria for little greater than an hour, but I had already seen at the least half-a-dozen bare males.
I finally bumped into the street that might take me south out of Bulgaria and into Greece. The street was a lot bigger than the one I had been driving on all day, however after a brief stint I discovered myself on the border of Bulgaria and Greece.
I had no issues leaving the nation this time and was simply allowed into Greece.
Simply previous the border cease, I met a darkish younger man with dreadlocks (not a lot older than myself), who stated he was from Israel and was touring around the globe with a BMW 1200 bike. We talked for some time and he expressed his frustration at not having the ability to discover a woman who shared in his ardour for world journey. I instructed him I understood… and I actually do.
By this time it had been just some hours since I left Strumica and I had already hit three completely different nations in a single day. I knew that I may relaxation right here, or push exhausting and attain Thessaloniki the next day. With this in thoughts, I rode on and cycled exhausting. The climate was sizzling and I spent lots of time driving on the freeway.
Solely as evening drew nearer did I exit the principle street and begin touring by means of the farmland of northern Greece.
At one level, lined in sweat and affected by one nasty sunburn, I dipped my empty water bottles right into a raging irrigation ditch and lined myself from head to toe with the cool brown water. Mere moments later my garments have been dry and I used to be sweating but once more. It was 104 levels Fahrenheit and I used to be ingesting gallons of water every hour. I’ve by no means drank a lot… and peed so little!
In every city I handed I’d cease and refill my water bottles and purchase an ice cream cone or two in an try to re-energize. I had been in Greece for lower than a day, however already I may inform that the costs have been steep – almost twice what I had grown accustomed to paying in Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania.
That evening, because the solar fell, I pulled my bike onto a dust side-road and lifted it up a steep hillside embankment lined in excessive inexperienced bushes. Right here, I arrange my tent and made camp for the evening. I slept with the rain fly off of the tent and loved a peaceable evening out underneath the celebrities.
Within the morning I shortly packed up my issues and returned to the principle street for an extended and painful journey up a step mountain go.
By this time, I felt sick (doubtless from all of the ice cream I had eaten the day earlier than) and this climb, which I’d have usually tackled with ease, appeared to stretch on eternally.
Nonetheless, I did finally attain the highest… and it was all downhill from there!
Nonetheless driving on the freeway, I anticipated to have a run in with the police at nearly any second. I wasn’t certain if it was authorized to journey on this specific street, however I didn’t appear some other selection, so I simply stored biking.
Finally, the freeway ended and I used to be pushed right into a small hillside city. There was some kind of accident on the street forward and the due to this, the site visitors was at a stand nonetheless. At a police attended intersection, I used to be waved by means of and was compelled to climb (as quick as I probably may) up a steep windy street with little to no shoulder.
On the prime of the hill I used to be compelled again onto the freeway – this one fully full of vehicles, vehicles, and bikes making their means into downtown Thessaloniki.
I almost vomited making my option to the highest of the hill, the entire time attempting to maintain pace with the vehicles round me. From the highest of the hill, I may see what seemed to be straight shot into downtown Thessaloniki, nevertheless it was lots additional than I imagined it might be. Town was big!
If you happen to don’t know, Thessaloniki is Greece’s second largest metropolis (Athens is the primary) with a inhabitants of roughly 1 million residents.
I needed to take the freeway all the best way into city as a result of I knew that was the shortest means there, however I knew the street can be harmful and certain fairly unfriendly for a man on a bicycle. With this in thoughts, I took the very first exit I may discover and began slowly making my means into town by means of a maze of facet streets and thoroughfares.
Like a mirage that magically seems within the desert, I all of a sudden discovered myself on the seashore.
I spent an hour or two in search of a ship that might take me from Thessaloniki to Athens, however quickly thereafter discovered that the boat I had deliberate on taking was not making the journey. After visiting the prepare station, I found that the bus was the one means I’d be capable to transport each myself and my bike to Athens. I wanted to attend a day for the journey south, so I frolicked within the metropolis for the following 36 hours and obtained to know town as finest I may.
Listed below are a few of my highlights from Thessaloniki:
I stayed at a superb little resort just some blocks east of the prepare station. I can’t bear in mind the identify, however I may discover it in a coronary heart beat if I have been ever to return. The person on the desk was extraordinarily good and the room had free Web, which I all the time recognize!
Whereas stopping to examine my e-mail at an Web cafe close to a small indoor shopping center I noticed essentially the most stunning lady I’ve ever seen. I had heard that the ladies in Greece have been stunning, however this lady took the cake. I’ve actually by no means seen anybody so good wanting.
As I walked alongside the shore, I puzzled why there have been no individuals swimming. I then noticed that there have been 1000’s and 1000’s of jellyfish within the water. They ranged in measurement from just some centimeters to some toes in size… they usually ran for miles down the shoreline. I’ve by no means seen so many jellyfish in all my life. No marvel there wasn’t a single particular person within the water!
On the south facet of city I discovered a small outside skate park. I spoke with a number of the youngsters who have been hanging on the market and tried to leap my touring bike on the quarter-pipe. As you’ll be able to inform by the picture beneath, I didn’t get too excessive!
On the best way again into city I finished at a ebook retailer and acquired the primary ebook within the Twilight collection. I had been listening to in regards to the ebook/film for months now through the World Extensive Internet and I had watched the primary movie on a pirated DVD copy in my Skopje, Macedonia condo. The ebook was considered one of just some books within the Greek bookstore that have been written in English, so I grabbed it and instantly started digesting the story of Bella and Edward.
Again close to my resort, close to the prepare station, I got here throughout a crown of males (apparently on strike) who stormed a policeman who was directing site visitors in a crowded intersection. The lads waved indicators, yelled and chanted, and refused any vehicles or autos to make their means by means of. Not capable of perceive what the lads have been saying or what they indicators they have been carrying learn, I retreated again to my resort room, the place I ordered a pizza and waited for evening to fall.
Later that evening, I returned to the ocean entrance and located it crowded with teenagers and {couples} alike. As I’d quickly uncover as soon as I arrived in southern Greece, this nation is a spot the place the individuals actually do come alive at evening – and Thessaloniki was no exception. The shoreline was alive with lights and folks… and the music of town lulled me to sleep, so I may wake the following day and put together myself for the lengthy, in a single day bus journey into southern Greece.
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