Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. Helen Keller
Eschewing the gauntlet of cruise tour operators along the river, for my last day in Ohrid, I opted to hike as far as possible along the beach in the opposite direction, away from the popular old town, tourists and souvenir shops. Backpack ready, I headed south, pleased to discover the sophistication of a paved pathway affording views of the river on the right, juxtaposted with vegetable fields and farmers on the left. Having overcome my emotions towards the ubiquitous stray dogs in Macedonia, I became aware that the two dogs walking ahead of me actually looked quite healthy, like they had been fed and brushed. Fortunate to have learnt that there are some volunteer groups helping out Macedonia’s strays, I took heart that these ones may have been fortunate recipients of care and sustenance. As the paved pathway came to an end, with workmen, still paving to extend it, the dogs looked towards me and gestured towards a bush pathway. I followed, and after stepping over a small creek, ended up back on track. This navigation continued for about the next half hour with the dogs patiently waiting for me and then leading me along appropriate pathways.
Wondering if maybe they had been trained to lead naïve Australian tourists into the bush so that they could be bludgeoned or robbed I was delighted at their altruistic nature. I clearly had no food to give them but they were quite content to walk along ahead of me. Eventually, they must have decided I could manage on my own and they headed back. From then on, scenery along the tracks varied from picture postcard lake views peppered with flowers to gigantic eerily empty hotels, hidden in overgrown grass, some approximating the Overlook Hotel from The Shining film. Although it was June, it seemed that tourism had still not yet hit fully. At times the silence was like nothing experienced anywhere in Ohrid and I again felt privileged to have discovered such beautiful walking trails without having to compete with others.
Upon return, and a 35 minute walk to the bus station to facilitate my ticket to Skopje, I was reminded of another common sight in Ohrid, and I don’t mean the ubiquitous monasteries. Ohrid is full of old cars. Worn and rusty, these are still (mostly) functioning cars from the 1980s. Most are European and one noteworthy brand is the Yugo. A bit slow off the mark, I eventually realised that Yugo is short for Yugoslavia (d’uh). Apparently, they were exported to America in the 80s and one could acquire one for just $4,000, but they were consequently snubbed as being poorly engineered and ugly. I compared our Australian standards and how easily insurance companies write off cars once it costs more than $1,000 to fix them; these ones had huge holes, rust and huge chunks of metal missing. None would pass roadworthy tests in Australia but they were still getting around.
Read about how an American nearly caused a war with Serbia through his criticism of his Yugo: https://balkaninsight.com/2011/01/22/on-hold-for-a-sec-yugo/
Beauty and intrigue comes in all forms and stimulating all senses in Ohrid, if you just let it in.