Sixty by 50

 

What an interesting day of travel yesterday the 20th of September was. I decided to leave late because well Skopje, North Macedonia, is actually quite a lovely city and I’m glad I went there as opposed to staying in Pristine which I found a bit too chaotic when I got there. The drive was just a little under two hours, well worth it. The drive from Skopje to Sofia was supposed to take 3 1/2 hours or so I gave myself five hours just in case and wow what a drive for some reason my GPS was taking me through little towns where the speed limit varies from 90 to 30 in batting of an eyelid. It was only the last 70 kilometres or so that i managed to to get a highway where I could cruise at 120+. But that is not the story.

I was making good pace, I got the border between North Macedonia and Bulgaria I crossed the north Macedonia side perfectly, I get to the Bulgarian side which is 100 m away and they wanted the original car papers, mind you I am driving a rental, I have paid for cross-border fees so I would assume that I have everything that I would need to cross borders. Nope, they refused me entry, meaning I had to turn to turn back and head back towards North Macedonia. Then I thought let me try the Serbian border and enter Bulgaria through that side. So detour, of I don’t know, another hundred Kms, maybe more, get to the border, cross on the North Macedonia side get to the Serbian side same story sorry for you no entry but they let me through. im like whew. I drive on and start my way towards Sofia.

I am actually taking this quite seriously because this is the third time I have been denied access but managed to make it through just by sheer humanitym I guess smiling I could have been upset, but i guess excepting and accepting what will be will be but I think I might be at the end of my lives so I’m healing his request and I will continue straight home from Sofia. So i get to the border between Serbia and Bulgaria. Exit Serbia, easy enter Bulgaria...car papers, now this is late, circa 7 or 8pm, im thinking jusus i must drive back in this dark? to parts unknown, moer... at this time I just smiled rest my head on my hand and just shook my head and smiled that customs official, who was adamant that he can’t do anything for me but for some reason took my passport and my EU permit and 20 minutes later he came back saying you can go but you can’t or you have to make me a promise that you won’t leave the area again on your way home.

This day was indeed a highlight of my trip thus far hence why i thought id start with it. I don’t like driving at night for example there was an antelope that had a death wish. Fortunately I saw its eyes on the side before I was able to take evasive action before it committed harakiri. imagine more delays on a secluded road. I was getting tired but thought i am almost there push through. I reached the point where I was told by the GPS to follow a parallel road I mean it’s a normal road and there’s one to the left there one to right left follow the parallel road I follow the road and for some reason it pulls me off into a parking lot of a nearly built shopping mall and I thought perhaps this is a sign, switched off my engine drop the seat and had a nice hour long siesta which is great for my concentration I managed to get to Sophia around about 330am unfortunately my hotel wouldn’t let me check in neither with a couple in the neighbourhood so I found a parking lot outside the grand hotel, dropped my seat and proceeded to get some shuteye until the morning where I came back to the hotel, had a work out, ate brekfast and then let me check in but earlier around 1 o’clock.

Why it started

Before i get into it, the photo, meet Rosetta, a big data specialist who is a vegan, demisexual, ENM, spiritual but not religious yogi with whom i connected on the apps and nearly put a spanner in the works :) fun spanner, but spanner nonetheless.

I have started working with an organisation in Luxembourg but i haven't met many of the team in person yet, so i thought let me drive because airports are a bit of a thing and it would take me more or less the same time anyway. Then, a few years ago i was catching up with a good mate and we were speaking about life (one life to be exact) and travel, a few days later he went out travelling with some mates and our maker called him. Also a few years ago, i also had a bright idea that i want to travel 60 countries before i turn 50 years old. Travel includes at least 1 night, but if it is what i consider a random country like Liechtenstein a few hrs will do :) As much as COVID was a disruption and a killer, it also allowed us to work remotely if we are still able to to be productive, so i guess if not why not right?  

I went online found a car and locked it in for 3 weeks, mind you i haven't driven since Feb, nor much in Europe. The first part of the trip was a bit of a hack just getting used to it all again but it was a few short trips which started off as a tour de friend, stopped just outside of Brussels to catch up with Marlon and Josh who i dont think i have seen since their wedding. They have since had 2 lovely young humans who i got to meet for the first time. Then got ot Luxemourg for 2 nights, then off to Zurich for a few nights, then Liechtenstein then i was graciously offered styling visit to the famous Lake Como, what a lovely place and wow how fortunate was i to get the digs that i got :)

The road in and out of there though Laaaawwwdddd have mercy!!! How it happened was so random too, I thought of a mate i hadnt spoken to in a while and sent my usual random howdee, and he said he was in Como i said till when, he gave me a date i was like i am planning a road trip and it could cross there as i need to head south he said well then let me know and pull in, i was like sweet as. RIPPERRRR End of part one... "Tour de Friend"

How it's going

Enter trip to parts unknown. What started off as a work trip became an elongated road trip. The plan was to Over the past few years i have tried to convince myself that there is no use in stressing so why stress, UNTIL i got behind the wheel of someone else's car, driving through some narrow streets of Europe. Not just that, everyone is driving at a considerable pace, and I am crawling through through these street, so much so that i often pull over to let everyone pass. To compound matters, my previous car was an old Ford Fiesta from 2004, these new cars, make such a racquet for the slightest thing to alert you of danger, it is all highly stressful i tell ya, but then i guess we get used to what the sounds mean over time. My journey was to take me to the following new Balkan states, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Bulgaria and finishing off in Moldova before heading on home, back to Amsterdam. What a beautiful part of the world some of these places are. I ended up visiting Sarajevo, Tivat, Pristine, Skopje and Sofia with an initial stop in Zagreb, Croatia to break the trip to Montenegro from Lake Como.. There are some similarities between these parts and some African countries, but the main difference i picked up is that people are more friendly in the African countries and younger, muuuch younger, they preserve their buildings well here and it is so much cleaner than some of the countries i visit in Africa. I guess i should also caveat the age thing. Western Europe is aging. Over here in Sofia, where i am it is quite old too but there are a sprinkling of youth, who i believe are just waiting to complete their education to seek better opportunities elsewhere because things are rough economically here, in terms of cost of goods v earning potential but i guess that is the matter the world over not so? Another observation is that homes and building structures are all at least double storey which i found intersting. I would definitely recommend visiting these parts if you have an opportunity. It is madness to believe that people went through what they went through because in most of these parts you see Churches, Mosques and Synagogues in close proximity to each other, you dont really feel a sense of friction or animosity towards each other, but then agian i am only passing through but when one reads and watches things about the former Yugoslavia etc, one can only feel conjure up in one's mind that the streets are filled with hate. There is a strong(er) police presence in these parts i felt it in Bosnia, but i have never felt threatened or unsafe, but mind you one more week to go so let me not jinx it :). I have also not seen one black person in the last week, i tell no lie, NOT ONE!! i have been waiting to do my black person nod but alas sorry for me.

On a personal note

So far what a trip it has been,,,,i don't want to use the word cathartic, even though i have before, but it has been a bit of a mental shift and also an affirmation that someone walks with me. One of my biggest learnings however has been to plan a little better than flying off the seat of my pants as it were thinking everything will be ok it has been in the end but man it has cost me so much time. A few examples are making sure of where i am staying before i get there. Id expect the GPS to take me to the door, the place would be well marked and voila, oh no no no. I'd be there, ring bells, etc, no one answers, GPS would send me elsewhere only to tell me where i was was the right place. Check with car hire companies what else is needed to cross borders with their vehicles before leaving, dont just assume because you paid for it they will give you the right documents. Oh and data, make sure you have data and the data works. I had and e-sim via Airalo and in some parts that mudafada faded on my ass and so my help with traffic cameras was gone, Speaking of which that was another stress with the car, you are driving at 90 on these damn country roads because that is the route GPS maps out for you and then in a blink of an eye the limit is 30km then 50 then the car is making all kinds of sounds cos someone is too close, and you are watching for stray dogs crossing....willllddddd!!!!

A great quality that i need to learn to hold onto is a positive mindset and treating others with respect even when it is hard. I have had such a random experience in Zagreb, where a lady is accusing me of not paying for the accomodation, calling me a scammer etc. I asked to pay with a card she said no card but ETF. i paid and sent through the POP. later that eve she sent her colleague to say that it hasnt been paid, i opened the bank app to show her that it was done, thinking it was the end of it, i'm getting messages up until a few days ago saying i deserve an oscar for trying to convince them that i have paid. I went into the payment to get help and it shows that hopefully it should reflect today. Secondly at the border. I had 4 incidents where the customs officials were adamant that i couldnt proceed with the car. I didnt fight, i asked politely and looked crestfallen, on 3 of those occasions i was let through kidnly after a bit of a delay, i had accepted my fate, i had a full tank of petrol, i had enough money to pay for a place to stay, i would look for another border post (funny story at one post, cant remember which one, the customs guy said dude there is another post which is busier than we are they will let you through :))

Shout out to my bro Nana who suggested i listen to a podcast regarding finances

https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/the-diary-of-a-ceo-with-steven-bartlett/id1291423644?i=1000726852324

I then went on to listen to another which made a lot of what i have been going through physically over the past few weeks make so much sense. not so long ago i weighed 105kgs and i wanted to drop to 95 then in a few days i dropped to 84 because of medication and i panicked and started feasting like i have never before and now i cant stop eating crap!! and couple that with the fact that i stopped my regular weight training to give my tendons and muscles a break....fine potbelly mess i tell ya

https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/the-diary-of-a-ceo-with-steven-bartlett/id1291423644?i=1000725468298

Next shout out to Ladislas for suggesting i go to Tivat, good call and then to Dessislava for all the Bulgaria tips.

On a more sombre note, farewell my twin Gareth Pritchard, one minute life is dandy the next aggressive brain cancer then the maker calls. It was indeed a pleasure and many thank you for the job opportunities you facilitated, yours was a journey well lived i believe.....

OH AND BEFORE I FORGET, THE APPS REFERRED TO AND ROSETTA ARE CHAT GPT!! Thanks to my good man Ingo who always seems to have my back. i sent him a photo of the view from my bed in Lake Como and he thought an AI generated, fine lass would be a great addition so he superimposed one :)

Be well all