Welcome to Macedonia

The sign at Ohrid airport says welcome to Macedonia, in Latin and Cyrillic signs. Arriving the first time in the Balkans, I don’t know what to expect. Are those stories about mafia, ethnic problems and under-developed economics true? A sign forbidding guns is worrying me.

Outside the airport I’m looking for a bus, to get to Skopje. Anybody speaking English here? Not a chance… but a Dutch guy from Sunweb and GoGo-tours helps me out. Not a chance to get a bus to Skopje from the airport, not even to Ohrid, a eight kilometre ride. “You better take a taxi to the city”, the guy advise me. Directly a taxidriver offers me a ride: “10 euro’s to Ohrid”. Quite expensive, but the normal price, according to the Dutch guy.

Zoran, my taxi driver, takes me to his old Mercedes. He opens the window, ask if he can smoke and puts the car in reverse. An extreme noise, but the car starts to drive. Directly he starts to tell me about the lake, the city and the ancient road of Alexander the Great, which is just next to the road we are driving.

Entering the city Zoran insist that we first have to see the city. He drives me to the harbour, from where you have a great view on the old city and the lake. “Ohrid got 365 churches, for every day one”, he tells during our walk on the pier. He points out the two most beautiful churches, give some historical details of the fort and make sure that I will visit Ohrid on my way back. Not that I have much of a choice, my plane will leave from here in three weeks.

Now we can go to the bus station located at Patrizanska street, named after the Sovjet soldiers that fight the Germans during World War II. At the station Zoran says hi to a dozen of people, every time I got introduced as the Dutch journalist that is here for the elections. After shaking hands and saying goodbye again he finds a driver that goes to Skopje. Not with a normal bus, but with a mini-van. Much more comfortable, air-condition, quicker and for the same price. Only 400 Denar, 6,50 euro, for a trip 170 kilometre trip. That makes up the expensive trip from the airport. I agree to join him at 11 o’clock.

One problem: I only got Euros. “A problem”, Zoran asks. “We will go to an ATM around the corner.” But the machine isn’t working. Still not a problem, Zoran knows an other one. Before leaving I doubted about the possibility to get money, are there bankomats? Or do I have to get Euros and exchange? Getting money is not a problem here in Macedonia, everywhere you can find ATMs.

Now we can go back to the bus, but Zoran want’s to show me more of the city and have a coffee. I agree and off we go to the Holland House. A coffeehouse, which also houses the GoGo and Sunweb office. We have a coffee with the manager/owner and some of the workers.

“You will monitor the elections”, one of them asks. “You want to buy a gun? You will need that” and starts laughing. The elections won’t be really exciting they expect. Maybe some problems with the Albanian minority, but not with the Macedonian. The Albanian community can be divided into two parts. One that agrees on violence, which they learned from in Kosovo. And the other part that disagrees.

We finish our coffee and go back to the bus station. I meet my new driver, say goodbye to Zoran, which turn out to be more of a guide than a taxi driver. I agree to call him when I get back in Ohrid and see more of the city. And off I go to Skopje, the capital of Macedonia.