Day 80 - Sopotnica, Macedonia

We rolled into Skopje at 6.15am (a little early) bleary eyed. We immediately purchased our tickets to Bitola and exchanged currency for Denars. Things are really cheap here. For example breakfast was 280 MKD ($AU6.67) and the three hour bus fare for the four of us was 490 MKD ($AU11.67).

9.00am the Bitola bus was here and three hours later we were there - that is Bitola. Sneza, Vele and their friend Mile were waiting for us. It is a further half an hour to Sopotnica so on the way we stopped for lunch. Sopotnica is a small rural village where the population is constantly declining as life gets too difficult for some and they move to the city or other countries. The average wage is $AU8 for a 12hour day if one is lucky enough to find a job. What small business there was has almost gone. There are many deserted commercial and residential buildings. Many of these are hundreds of years old and made of stone. It is a shame to see them crumbling and falling down through lack of use.

The people here are amazingly friendly and will offer food and drinks despite having little. There is no social welfare so people grow their own fruit and veggies but dry them as well as a food supply over winter as the snow prevents any growing. They have chooks for eggs and pigs they slaughter for meat. Boris, one of the older neighbour's offered to kill a pig and BBQ it for us. After looking at them - I kindly declined.

Everyone we met insisted on showing us their crops and animals and asked us to have drinks with them. There were so many requests we just had to keep saying no. The kids played with other kids - neither understood each other but they played universal games such as hide and seek and climbing on the garage roof.

Another neighbour is Albanian and was bought by her Macedonian husband for a few hundred euros. We spoke to her using Sneza and Vele as interpreters. She can speak Macedonian and she told us that life here is much better than Albania as it is very poor.

It has been a very interesting day. Sneza and Vele took us for a drive to see some sights and will do the same tomorrow. They have been wonderful hosts and as Vele's ancestral roots are here it's great to hear some of the history. Having a magic time.