Macedonia Revisited

It has been 4 years since I last visited Macedonia (MK), so I thought I’d like to give you my impressions on what is different, and (sadly or predictably) what has remained the same. This list is not meant to be critical of MK, but rather my observations after a 4 year absence.

What is different:

Everybody has a mobile phone, even the dedovci, babi (Grandpas and Grandmas) and that phone is usually glued to their ears.
Police have found hand-held speed guns. I got speed checked twice in the the first two days I was there. Once on the main road north of Prilep on the way to Bitola, and the next day on the way out of Bitola in the 50kmh zone before the turn-off to Mogila. For the record, no they didn’t get me as I’m still driving slowly while get used to driving on the right.
There seems to be more money around. The amount of new or near-new (European) cars is surprising (my son suggests they “all” have been stolen from all over Europe), although there are still plenty of old Yugos and Zastavas to be seen. It would appear that cars never get inspected for roadworthiness as there are some really old rusty jalopies around.
Lots of very nice new houses are being built, both privately and high-rise units. Two very nice apartment buildings going up on Partizanska – where the old army unit was based.
Credit cards are widely accepted, especially at the more progressive establishments, although I was advised to be cautious when using a card – no more so than at home however!
Parking zones and city parking officers (Gradski Parking) have been introduced, which appears to be just a revenue raising exercise on behalf of the local council. Parking is still difficult, in part because people still park anywhere (even on pedestrian crossings), and the parking officers don’t do their job, as they always seem to be just standing around with the obligatory mobile phone stuck to their ear. Upon reflection this point should probably be noted under “what is the same”, LOL!
All the young girls (and some of the older women) are wearing clothing that seems to be two sizes too small; (the tighter, the better?), they all use too much make-up and all chew gum. Did I mention they all have mobile phones glued to their ears?
I went up to Hotel Molika, arguably one of Macedonia’s premier hotels – it was deserted and appeared closed for business. Hotel booking web sites like Expedia still seem to be taking bookings though? Curious!
It seems like Makedonski biznis “love” using English words in the signage of their business. However they always seem to get the spelling and/or context wrong. I went to a coffee shop yesterday, and on the automatic sliding glass door of the shop it said “Activate your ‘sensors’ by tasting our premier ‘caffee’”. I’m still looking for those ‘sensors’. I did pass by this business 4 days later and the sign had been changed to “senses”. ‘Caffee’ had not been changed! Another business offers ‘Suprime’ quality!
Private business people are extremely polite and welcoming when you come to their store. However, don’t ask them to suggest another business where you might get what you want, if they don’t have it! I wanted to buy a 4XL “Makedonija” t-shirt which the trader did not have; but somehow the owner expected me to buy a 2XL instead. Do I fit into a 2XL? No! I did see a 4XL t-shirt somewhere, but do you think I can re-find the store?
There are cafes everywhere. Many of them seem to have no customers at all, so I’m not sure how they survive. Others appear to do very, very well.
A string of betting shops called “Sports Life” has sprung up. They seem to do OK too. I’m not sure how? In a country where the average monthly income is AU$665, and 30.4% of the population living below the poverty line, how can people afford to bet?
Gypsies begging in the city centre seem to have gone! Not sure why – but it was suggested that the council was behind it. When we were here in 2010, you could not move on the Shirok Sokak (Corzo) without being hit on by gypsies begging for money, ostensibly to buy bread, but more likely to go on beer and/or cigarettes!

What is the same:

There seems to be two prices for goods and services. One for the locals and one for tourists. The tourist price can be 25-35% higher. I circumvent this practice by only buying from businesses who display their prices openly. Seeing as MKD1 equals AU$0.02c, the increased margins are not great and won’t break the bank, however this practice is illegal in most other places in the world, and I was later to find out that the practice is illegal in MK, but not policed. The GST/VAT rate varties from 4% to 18% dependent on what it is you are buying. The interesting thing of note here is that most “tourists” in MK are returning ex-patriots with a familial tie to the country, so traders are in effect ripping off their fellow countrymen. True tourists with no family link to the country number only 2% of total visitors to MK.
Policing is non-existent – other than the radar cops – which is not really policing any way, more like revenue raising. Police are seen around the town, they just don’t seem to do anything other than walk around with the obligatory mobile phone stuck to their ear! They do seem to have a fleet of new vehicles which is a change from 2010. Most Macedonians believe that corruption still exists within their police force, and that money fixes everything.
Public officials still excel in avoiding doing their jobs.
Or they are so officious and arrogant, dealing with them is a nightmare. My wife holds a Macedonian passport. She was told by border police on exit that while she might be a citizen, she was not a resident! She reminded him (ever so nicely) that every citizen has the right of residency.
Speed limits are optional.
Driving on the right is also optional.
Taxis appear to be exempt from all road rules, and cause general traffic chaos.
Drivers stopping at pedestrian crossings is to be avoided at all costs.
Drivers pull out to overtake a vehicle as you approach them, causing you to have to take evasive action. Everybody on the road wants to get where they are going as quickly as possible, with scant regard for other road users.
Motor cycles, scooters and bikes are everywhere, but helmets are not used/worn.
Road markings are poor (paint must be expensive), and road signs are contradictory or vague at best.
There seems to be a competition between drivers to see who can recline back the furthest while driving.
The use of mobile phones whilst driving seems acceptable. It might be illegal, but again no policing occurs.
The local council has installed pedestrian crossings everywhere, but you still take your life in your hands trying to use one.
I was surprised at the general level of dilapidation of most public buildings. There seems to have been no repairs or maintenance carried out on them since they were erected back in socialist times.
The state of roads, footpaths, public utilities, driveways, stairways, power poles is dangerous at best.
Macedonia is an electrical nightmare! We were staying in a two-year-old unit. There were bare, exposed wires everywhere, even in the shower cubicle! Another bare wire was in contact with metal towel rail! I don’t know if these wires are live or not, because I can’t test them. However, we lost all power in our unit on day 2, due to a short circuit. I was unable to find the cause. I reset the circuit breakers to restore power, and during our five week stay this occurred 4 times. This is really unacceptable for a new building.
Street light poles often have their access hatches missing with bare wires exposed – not everywhere of course, but all too often.
The aggregate in the road surface is quartz which gets polished as car tyres roll over it, resulting in reduced traction and grip for those tyres, especially when the roads are wet.
EVERYBODY smokes! Considering that cigarettes are AU$2.25 a pack, it’s not surprising! It is illegal to smoke inside in cafes and restaurants, so they cater for smokers by having outside eating areas, to the extent that some restaurants do not like to open their inside (non-smoking) area. Needless to say I won’t eat in those establishments!
Everybody walks to where they want to go, which the makes the streets a very lively and exciting place. Everybody talks to everybody, certainly not like that in the United Kingdom or Australia.