Bus Ride from Skopje to Dihovo and Pelister National Park

Monday June 4 – Day 10 of the Intrepid Trip

Our local bus left from the bus station at 9:00 a.m. and because it was Monday, and rush hour, we left the hotel at 8. Standing waiting for the taxis we were amused at the drivers stuck in traffic blasting their horns furiously. You could see anger and frustration written all over their faces and their stressed energy straining to get out of the cars. Despite all of that, they inched along the road.

Our 4.5 hr journey took us through some beautiful scenery. At first along a river through lushly vegetated mountains; then past the markets in the town of Veles, an industrial town I believe. Then back out into the country and through a rich farming area. Roads are busy, and our bus driver is trying hard to compete with the racing driver taxi experience Robin and I had in Orangeville when we did our Bruce Trail hike!! Only thing is, the roads are narrow, and windy, and bumpy, and he is driving a bus!!

Instead of going on the highway, we were taking back roads through the little towns. We also drove through the main wine region of Macedonia. The last part of the journey was through the pretty mountain region of Macedonia with snow caps and bowls visible in the distance.

Once at the Villa Dihova  (http://villadihovo.com/), we settled in and ate a delicious lunch of salads and fresh bread. Then four of us plus our guide Peter set out on an exhilarating 11k 3.5 hr hike through the mountains. We climbed up to the top of the ski hill from the drop off point 4/5 th of the way up and the rest of the journey was mainly down hill, or flat, with only little sections of up. The views over the mountains, valleys, and the town of Bitola below were stunning. The path was marked for most of the way, rooty, rocky, typical sort of mountainous hiking trail; through stunning tall pines, boulder fields, along the side of the mountain on a narrow one man path with drops to the valleys far below on one side; at a couple of times it seemed we were trailing blazing; through ferns as tall and taller as me; over streams; and finishing with a mud patch at the bottom, then about another kilometre through the little windy roads, stone houses, floral gardens, and back to the Villa just after 6:30 p.m.

It was wonderful to be out in the forest after so many days of being in the cities, and our hearts were singing when we arrived back at the house.

At 7:15 there was a wine tasting session. Pece introduced us to 3 wines, and his wine cellar containing over 2000 bottles of wine ….and Raika, a rather potent liqueur guaranteed to prevent headaches and hangovers from all the wine drunk with dinner!!! Then dinner with more salad and sausage and a delicious cherry desert similar to baklava but made with cherries.

It had been a fabulous day, and we sank into our beds in the quaint Macedonian home, and dreamed of the songs of the forest.