The Sweet Escape Tour: Seventh Leg

Monday, 9 May 2011
Hakuna Matata

Rain? Fine. I come from a country where we have rain and shine throughout the year anyway (but still... I prefer a rain-free holiday of course)

It rained overnight and was still raining when I woke at 6. I somehow survived the night without any frost bite but was reluctant to leave the sanctuary of my bed. After all, it’d be some time until I next lay in one.

I finally left to explore the city after 10 am after the rain showed no sign of relenting. I walked Gazi Isa-Begova Mosque and the Clock Tower across the River Vardar. Then I walked by Bit Pazar (a wet market) and the adjoining Old Bazaar. I also climbed up to Kale Fortress but unfortunately it was closed. Disappointed, I climbed back down and continued exploring the Old Bazaar. I noticed a lot of shops selling gold jewellery and wedding attire. Hmmm. You can also spot mosque, Islamic school and Turkish baths (hammam) which have been turned into art galleries. I must have spent hours at the Old Bazaar alone. A lot of restaurants sell kebab and burek so you don’t have to worry (unless you’re a vegetarian because they sure eat a lot of meat there).

Finally I bade a silent farewell to the Old Bazaar and crossed the Stone Bridge back to the other side of the city (the Stone Bridge is the landmark of the city). The city is developing the area around the Stone Bridge with construction works going on, even in the river, and new buildings erected. Unfortunately this also meant that the road around leading to the Stone Bridge from the Old Bazaar was muddy where the sand used for construction works mixed with rain water.

I was taking pictures of the Stone Bridge when I was accosted by a Roma kid. I managed to shake him off; unfortunately, suddenly there were four of them surrounding me and they got so aggressive, they even pulled at my handbag. I screamed and a local man came to my rescue. That was shocking. To be ‘attacked’ in broad daylight like that. They will never endear themselves to the locals or visitors if they act like that.

I walked past Macedonia Square and headed back to the hostel, stopping en route at a shopping mall next to the City Museum (previously the railway station). I changed back my remaining Macedonian dinar into € and Bulgarian lev, leaving just enough for the taxi fare back to the bus station later that evening.

Back at the hostel, I waited for my midnight bus out of the city. Had a long chat with a fellow Swede lodger before he left for Serbia and then with a Singaporean girl also travelling solo. At 2315, the taxi arrived and I reached the station at 2330. I immediately hopped on the waiting bus and settled down for the ride.

Tuesday, 10 May 2011
SOF-BGY, BGY-NRN
Woke up at least twice at both sides of the border crossings. Slept a bit better - probably because I chose my seat well (one next to the middle bus door so no one could sit behind me) and because the bus was so much better than those I’d travelled in thus far.

We arrived in Sofia at 0545 local time (Sofia is an hour ahead of Skopje). I made my way to the hostel I stayed at previously because I known from there, it’s only a short walk to the bus stop for the bus to the airport. Thank God I had visited the city before Sofia was undergoing a major facelift.

I reached the bus stop just as bus #84 pulled up. Paid the driver 2 Lev, the only Bulgarian money I had (bus fare costs 1 Lev but if you have a big bag, you must pay for it too). We reached Terminal 1 about 35 minutes later and I was disappointed that we weren’t flying out of Terminal 2 instead as it was bigger and looked more modern.

Our flight out was on time at 11 am and we landed at Milan Orio al Serio aka Milan Bergamo after 12. I had initially toyed with the idea of going to the city but the journey would take an hour each way, not to mention cost me €15 return. It didn’t take me long to decide to check out Orio Centre across the highway instead so I followed the pedestrian walkway to the shopping mall. Bought some groceries (1/2 kg of strawberries cost only €0.99!) and had dinner before returning to the airport for my next flight out.

There were quite a few Dutch travellers on the same flight; see, Weeze Airport is quite near the border to the Netherlands. I was amazed as always to see how even the Europeans will avoid paying for their checked in bag. No wonder all the overhead compartments are always full.

We landed at Weeze Airport at almost 10 pm and I settled down for the night. Spending time in three different airports in three different cities/countries today...

To be continued