One thing volunteers usually ask me when they see me is, "Rachel, how are your feet today?" If you hang out with me often, you know that I complain about my feet..a lot. Almost one year of service in and many volunteers know this. Whether it's breaking in new shoes, my flat feet, blisters, hammer toes, or my lovely bunions, there's always something. Yet, these can't stop me from hiking. And with hiking comes blisters of course.
When locals ask me how I like living in Macedonia I always say how much I enjoy living here, but especially because of the mountains. I include how there are no mountains in Ohio, but you can see mountains almost anywhere in Macedonia. This is one of my favorite things about living here. So, this means that there are plenty of opportunities to hike. Unfortunately, hiking is not as popular here as other mountainous regions, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t trails or places to hike. Luckily, the past two weekends, I have traveled to two different mountain ranges in country to visit other PCVs and explore nature together.
I’m going to start with this past weekend because it has been one of the best weekends I’ve had in awhile. I traveled to Ohrid, about a 6 hour bus ride and then another 30 minute bus ride to Struga where we began our hike. We crammed the five of us into a taxi after bargaining with one guy to take all of us in one car. He left us in a tiny mountain village called Gorna Belica where we began our incline to a lake in the Jablanica Mountains that Kait, Alex, and Sarah had been to already. Only this time we were camping for two nights and three days.
From left to right, meet some of my great friends and volunteers here: Sarah, Katie, Kait, and Alex.
When locals ask me how I like living in Macedonia I always say how much I enjoy living here, but especially because of the mountains. I include how there are no mountains in Ohio, but you can see mountains almost anywhere in Macedonia. This is one of my favorite things about living here. So, this means that there are plenty of opportunities to hike. Unfortunately, hiking is not as popular here as other mountainous regions, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t trails or places to hike. Luckily, the past two weekends, I have traveled to two different mountain ranges in country to visit other PCVs and explore nature together.
I’m going to start with this past weekend because it has been one of the best weekends I’ve had in awhile. I traveled to Ohrid, about a 6 hour bus ride and then another 30 minute bus ride to Struga where we began our hike. We crammed the five of us into a taxi after bargaining with one guy to take all of us in one car. He left us in a tiny mountain village called Gorna Belica where we began our incline to a lake in the Jablanica Mountains that Kait, Alex, and Sarah had been to already. Only this time we were camping for two nights and three days.
From left to right, meet some of my great friends and volunteers here: Sarah, Katie, Kait, and Alex.
We all brought food for one or two meals to share, so needless to say we ate well. Both nights we enjoyed dessert and rakija, Macedonia’s traditional liquor that I’ve mentioned before. Maybe the rakija was to help us sleep or maybe it was for taste…who am I kidding it was definitely to help us sleep. We camped on the flattest surface we could find by the water yet we were still on a slight slope with rocks poking out, but it’s all part of the experience, right? And I took full advantage of the mountain lake. I proudly admit that I can cross skinny dipping off my bucket list! (Mom, aren’t you proud?!) It couldn’t have been a better experience in the ice cold mountain water. Walking around in our hiking boots and bikinis definitely proved that a calendar displaying girls in this attire would be a hit...unfortunately we're Peace Corps volunteers and aren't allowed to invest in anything where we will make a profit.
On Saturday, Katie and I ventured up even higher to summit the mountain, only a little over a kilometer away. (The others had climbed it the last time they were there). After a few stops and chats along the way, Katie and I reached Tzrn Kamen, the name of the mountain. We could see both Albania and Macedonia since where we hiked was on the border. There is something about being so high up and looking down at what you’ve climbed; something more than satisfaction that makes you think about how far you’ve come and it definitely parallels the struggles I’ve had here and the ones yet to come. But I know that it’s all part of the journey and eventually you take a step at a time, and before you know it, you’ve summited a mountain. | |
Also, we enjoyed a shepherd with his sheep who were stopped by the water to freshen up and drink some water. The sound of their bells filled the valley and kept us laughing. You can see them along the lake on the bottom right side-the slight white line. We were definitely living in the moment and felt appreciative of the life we have in Macedonia to be experiencing that. And here are our attempts at group shots: |
And on Sunday morning, I got my butt out of the cold bed, meaning sleeping bag and rocky terrain, to watch the sunrise at 5:42am. It was definitely worth it:
Hiking in Tetovo:
Going back a little in time, two weekends ago I traveled to the Tetovo region where I hiked in the Shar Mountains. One of my favorite parts of the hike was when our group split and myself along with three other volunteers, kept stopping along the way to pick mountain blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries-some of the best I've ever had. We didn't care that it was chilly and raining, the fruit was too good to be true!
We hiked all morning to reach a small waterfall inside a cave. It was freezing and way too cold to swim, yet two of my friends/volunteers were brave enough! We were with three Albanian friends and locals who brought us warm palachinki (Macedonian pancakes which are like crepes) and kifli (similar to small crescent rolls). And of course, us being Americans, we piled these with peanut butter, snickers, pretzels, chips, and any sweet salty combination we could with the food selection. The Albanians laughed and stared, but did not dare venture into the American way of eating. Another great weekend to remember spent with good friends, food, and venturing off in nature.
Going back a little in time, two weekends ago I traveled to the Tetovo region where I hiked in the Shar Mountains. One of my favorite parts of the hike was when our group split and myself along with three other volunteers, kept stopping along the way to pick mountain blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries-some of the best I've ever had. We didn't care that it was chilly and raining, the fruit was too good to be true!
We hiked all morning to reach a small waterfall inside a cave. It was freezing and way too cold to swim, yet two of my friends/volunteers were brave enough! We were with three Albanian friends and locals who brought us warm palachinki (Macedonian pancakes which are like crepes) and kifli (similar to small crescent rolls). And of course, us being Americans, we piled these with peanut butter, snickers, pretzels, chips, and any sweet salty combination we could with the food selection. The Albanians laughed and stared, but did not dare venture into the American way of eating. Another great weekend to remember spent with good friends, food, and venturing off in nature.
Thanks for reading!
XOXO
-R
XOXO
-R