Some of you asked me to keep you posted, others, to let you know
but I now can't remember who asked what. To my friends and Pipe
Band buddies, just so I don't have to repeat myself.
This is it; I finally made it home, hooray! I'm also sad in a
way as I got used to being on the road. After eleven months, I
now know I can hang out anywhere I want in this world, but without
someone, it was very inefficient, no one to share anything with.
I have also earned the right to brag and embellish my travels
as I see fit but this is not what it is about. later though.
The worst has been on this eleven month adventure. An attempt
at picking my pockets in Budapest on the tail end of the trip
by two jokers as they made me laugh so much, that I forgot to
get upset. Then, leaving my shampoo bottle behind and probably
in some run down shower stall. The thing that annoyed me the most.
being short changed everywhere. (Taxis are the worst) It was safe
in all places, more so than in Western Europe. I won't talk about
Africa as on my previous adventure, I got mugged in my first week
in daylight with a second attempt later on. This was much safer.
I did what I set up to do and more. Damn it! I hate it when I
get lost though!!! It's easy, you meet decent and interesting
people and they lead you astray and or they send you all over
the place. I just hate that. when it happens.
I must also admit that, this part about being retired, not having
a second career, it just goes to show, how life can be so unfair.
I did try to find some work, join your club. I even applied for
some volunteer work abroad with some of the big Int. outfits.
Cause of my work background, I was simply turned down or ignored.
It seems that we are all painted with the same brush since Police
/ Military personnel are the evil one around the world causing
grief and mischief about.
I first started my travels as a "Bloody Tourist" with
some organized tours. The first one was from Vancouver to Beijing
and overland to Shanghai. From there I flew to Hong Kong where
I started my second organized tour, from Hong Kong to Beijing.
I then spent a couple days in Beijing waiting for my other organized
tour to debut. This one was from Beijing to St Petersburg, Russia
with a stop in Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia with an overnight in a GER.
I met some interesting people, mostly Aussies. They sure can be
a lot of fun. Even when they fall off horses. or take mom with
them.. This tour included Mongolia being the "Trans Mongolian
Railroad tour which turned, sort of, into the Trans Siberian Railroad
going across Russia. From St Petersburg I then flew to Warsaw
in Poland.
At that moment, I became a "Visitor". There's a big
difference between a Tourist and a Visitor. The Tourist. "If
it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium" (Like the movie?) and the
Visitor. "If it's Tuesday, where the hell am I?" If
I like the place, I'll stay a few days. If I don't, I won't even
unpack.
From Warsaw up to Gdansk then back to Warsaw. I took the overnight
train to Kiev in the Ukraine and then to Lviv. From there it was
back into Poland to Krakow and on to Prague in the Czech Rep.
This was the first time I got lost and somehow, one morning, from
Prague, I ended up in Newcastle, in the UK of all places. Damn
it! I hate that, it makes me look like a fool. getting lost like
this. I'm working my way down with the autumn season as the weather
is nice and cool and now I'm going north, cold and raining.
Back in the Czech Rep. from Prague, I dropped down to Cesky Krumlov
for a few days and doing some hiking. Then it's over to Brno to
drop down to Bratislava in the Slovak Rep. Too easy and simple
to just drop down to Budapest, I go across the country to have
a look. Banska Bystrica and Kosice. Now it's time to enter Hungary.
Eger is the first town out east and then Budapest for my second
time. Sort of can't recognize the town as it has changed a lot
since my last visit under the commie system.
From there it's time to enter Romania. I read and heard all sort
of things about Romania, but what a surprise, as none were true.
I went all over the place in Romania, up down and sideways. I
met the Dracula family, lost some blood, which I replaced profusely
with some wine and supplemented it with some cheap vodka, just
in case. I learned to abuse all them substances with my Aussies
friends on the train in Russia, and let's not talk about the beer.
at 50 cents for .5 L. First city was Oradea, then Cluj Napoca,
Maramures area with its "Merry Cemetery" Targu Mures,
Sighisoara, Brasov. Bran, Sinaia, Sibiu, Timisoara, and the Southern
Carpathian Mts and finally Bucharest, which is very south in the
country. By then it was winter as it took me too long to get out
of Romania. There's snow and it's cold. It was time to acquire
some gloves and warmer pants. Where ever I stop for the night,
I now ask if they have HEAT. I'm hoping that it will be warmer
south.
In Bucharest I met a middle age American going into the Republic
of Moldova, which was not on my itinerary. Getting lost again.
We discussed traveling together, he agrees, visas are obtained
and we take the train into the Rep. Not only did we make it into
the Rep. city of Chisinau, we ended up in the city of Tiraspol
in the unrecognized Transdniester Republic. A want to be Republic
lost between the Ukraine and Romania, which is part of Moldova
but they want to be independent. I really don't know why, the
monthly income is 30 USD. It is heavily subsidized by Russia.
They have their own Gov. money, passport and some excellent wine.
They are more advanced than Romania, figure that one out???? They
certainly could use some tourists and or visitors. From there
I returned to Bucharest.
From Bucharest down to Sofia in Bulgaria and then down to Rila
and Biazgoevgrad. I made an attempt to get into Macedonia cause
the book said that I don't need a visa. wrong, my mistake and
I simply have to turn back. Canadians do need a visa probably
cause our Gov, won't recognize Macedonia as an independent country.
(Former Yugoslavia) Also, my Gov. has nothing good to say. about
it. If one was to listen to what is said. I would still be home.
It is time to get lost again as I had NOT planned to get into
Greece. So down to Greece into Thessaloniki where I'm looking
for that sun. That is not the case. Well! The sun is now showing,
no snow but it's not warm as it is not south far enough. But Athens
is just beautiful, worth a few days for the visitor. me. Unfortunately
it is not so nice I hear in the summer. Actually, all of Europe
should be avoided in the summer, like July and August. You come
in the summer and you will find out why in a real hurray.
I'm still looking for some warm weather so let's try Malta. I
already got lost here and there so, why stop now. Very nice place,
I must admit but mainly a summer destination when the weather
in hot and so is the ocean. In Malta, 25 cents is worth about
4 $ CAD while in Romania they still have 1,000,000 notes worth
approx. 40 $ CAD from one extreme to the other, let's get that
calculator out. It gets confusing and I lose track of my change.
and they all, I mean ALL know how to take advantage of it. Romania
is removing four zeros as of July and Malta hopes to go to the
Euro soon. I spent a week in Malta doing both islands. Very nice
and they do drive on the wrong side of the road.
I'm still looking for warmth so, let's move on to Tunisia. Hey!
I'm really lost now, what the hell! Someone is bound to ship me
home at one point, why worry??? Again, it's a summer destination.
I could have used my gloves a couple times but I had already unloaded
them. I had kept my pants though. I spent a month going all over
the place and making a big circle around the country including
the odd camel ride and the overnight Bedouin tent. I guess we
are a lot luckier than Europe when it comes to escaping the winter
blues, as we can go south and find that warmth. Europe has to
wait for summer to get out of town, which they all do, whereas
we stay home, cause it's nice and warm. We also have lakes and
rivers which we can swim in, they don't anymore.
I have to get out of Tunisia but I now have a new passport. Mine
was full of stamps and visas. I can only stay 30 days without
a visa so; I fly to Roma, Italy. Rome, what a place as it is full
of tourist already in mid March. Wall to wall people, get me out
of here. I took the train down south to Bari. Finally I'm not
so lost anymore; I can almost see Albania. Well! At least I know
in which direction it is. I'm getting back onto my original trip
destination, Eastern Europe. Ferry over to Albania with the bus
over to Tirana where I get my visa for Macedonia. If you ever
hear me complain about the roads in Canada, just hit me but please,
remind me as to why you hit me... and not too hard... I have taken
Tai Chi to defend myself; I would not want to hurt you. This has
to be the worst of it when it comes to roadways. (Romania must
be second then...) I can see the train taking five hours to do
a couple of Ks because it stops at all places, but the busses???
It is that bad so, one cannot be in a hurry. I go down south as
I want to get in Macedonia from around Lake Ohrid. This is just
a beautiful place. It is surrounded by mountains, which still
has snow on top and it looks just gorgeous. As a visitor, I can
then linger and I do. From there it's up to Skopje. (Skopia) A
bit of a nightmare as it is all of a sudden expensive, more like
price fixing with nothing to see. Main industry, the foreign armed
forces and the hotels have learned to inflate their prices.
I do one overnight and then up to Kosovo and to Belgrade, Serbia.
What a neat place is Belgrade and a few things to visit, not like
Pristina in Kosovo, which is mainly soldiers or so it seems, to
keep the peace.
From Belgrade it's over to Sarajevo. Again, what a surprise,
neat place and one can see all the bullet holes and the damage
done from the war. If there was tension in the air, I certainly
missed it. I would certainly have taken a UN posting there knowing
what I know now...
I now go up to Zagreb in Croatia where it looks more and more
like Western Europe and just beautiful country site. People are
friendly and helpful.
Time to get to Ljubljana (lubiana) in Slovenia; it is my last
commie country to visit in Eastern Europe. Now I wish I had more
time to hang around. Just gorgeous around here, green with rolling
hills and lot's of trees, clean water and a lot less garbage floating
on the rivers...
It is time to get to Budapest to fly the UK so I can get closer
to home. I stopped in Newcastle to visit some friends. Should
I get lost again, just before I get home? Why not hey! So, a quick
ride gets me over to the ferry to get to Belfast. Neat place and
it is busy and booming, no pun intended here. Then it's over to
London Derry with a cross over to Ireland visiting Cork down south
and Dublin. I got to go home now; I'm running out of time but
not really as time I have and some money too.
This is it for me re: Europe. NO more churches, monasteries,
museums etc. as I have seen one too many. The only places, (Bragging
part.) which I have not visited in Europe are: Andorra, (didn't
know it existed) Iceland, Liechtenstein, and San Marino. I may
have blinked when I went through?? It is possible though, they
are so small.
My next adventure.. Could it be the Islands in the Atlantic??
(Not much of a sailor though) OR South America?? I hear that Chile
is nice and now there's access to Antarctica... Or will it be
Asia that I have not visited yet?? (Vietnam, Laos etc.) All I
know for sure. is that someone sure missed out on a hell of a
good adventure, any takers for the next one?? Drop me a line then.
Denis H.
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