The Long-term Play on Macedonia is all about water

I was having trouble understanding why neighbours of Macedonia gave it no peace during the 20th century. Why was such a pretty little country so friendless? Today, four of our group toured Ohrid Lake under the care of our guide, Mr Zoran Zafir. His primary job is with the Macedonian's Dept of Biological Research with a focus on Ohrid Lake... what he doesn't know about the lake is not worth knowing! Like most people in Macedonia he works two jobs... for him, it's running a tour boat on the lake.

"Its all about water ", said Zoran. Macedonia owns most of the mountain tops that feed the major rivers of the Balkans. At some future time, access to water could be of strategic importance. Zoran's real excitement came when talking of the potential of Ohrid Lake. Here are some facts about the lake (courtesy of Zoran) ...

80 percent of the water entering the Lake comes from springs at the bottom of the lake.

This spring water is germ free.

The volume of this water is staggering... enough to support a population of 20 million people.

The Lake has an altitude of 750 meters... gravity feed (no pumping power needed) to reach all the major cities of the Balkans... indeed hydro-electricity could be generated as part of the distribution.

The fresh water in the Lake exceeds 6 cubic kilometres... a gigantic volume.

Macedonia 'owns' 70 percent of the Lake... and Albania owns the balance... any future use of the Lake will need to be a joint venture between the two nations.

There are no immediate plans to develop the water business... but other Balkan nations are making projections regarding the adequacy of existing sources... and acknowledge problems will arise in a couple of decades.

The spring water at the bottom of the Lake emerges at a constant temperature of 11 degrees (centigrade)... and keeps the minimum temperature of the Lake above 4 degrees... resulting in the lake never freezing... not even in the worst of the ice ages. Consequently, sediments continued to be deposited in the Lake during the ice ages. Lake sediments are a valuable source of scientific data related to climate change and evolution. Zoran pointed out a rig being worked by EU countries who are drilling the sediments of Ohrid Lake.

The Lake has been overfished and endangered the Ohrid Trout... Zoran's 'day job' is breeding 2 million Ohrid Trout hatchings each year for release into the Lake. The fish take seven years to reach maturity. He expects it will take 20 years for the program to take the fish off the endangered species list... much of Zoran's disappointment, you can still order Ohrid Trout in the local restaurants.

Zoran took us to Bones Bay, to show us archaeological work replicating the civilisation of mystery people who lived in the period from C1200BC to C700BC (late bronze age) only 35 klms from Ohrid township. These people built a large town on stilts over the Lake... with a drawbridge that was retracted whenever the city was attacked by wild animals or other people. A small part of the ancient town is being replicated... but you are able to take a guided scuba diving excursion and examine the bottom of the bay.

If you are interested in rocks and pots and lakes, and you are passing by Ohrid, you may wish to call on Zoran and learn some facts you will find in no other place. He places unusual faith in the medicinal qualities of Raki (double fermented wine product) and you will be pressured to share his faith at the start of his boat excursion. He is a great entertainer... and kept us laughing for 5 hours... here is an instance where embarrassment was turned into ten minutes of uncontrolled laughter...

Joye had a bag of peanuts (coated with a sesame seeds toffee paste) and offered some around. Zoran and the suave looking Captain declined... Joye thought they were just being polite so pressed the invitation... both took one. Zoran has an extroverted nature and with great drama showed how he had to eat peanuts when he is missing most of his top teeth. He's a born comedian... everyone had a good laugh. Joye expressed her regrets for offering the troublesome treat... and fetched a box of biscuits from her bag to offer in its place. Zoran was delighted and took three biscuits. When the Captain was offered the biscuits, he said nothing." What is your problem ", Zoran said to the Captain," If you don't want a biscuit, just say so." The Captain spat out the peanut and said, "It's all right for you to speak... you have one tooth to eat the peanut... I have none. I was waiting for the peanut to dissolve!" Zoran thought this was hilarious. He spent the next ten minutes joking with the suave looking Captain about his immaculate appearance that was covering a body that was in ruin. "What other parts of you are missing or not working?" asked Zoran. At the end of the boat trip, I was convinced we Australians do not laugh enough.

By the way, to contact Zoran and get a ride in his boat, contact him on:

zoran_zafir@hotmail.com

Ohrid - Undiscovered until Right Now

UNESCO has given a World Heritage listing to Ohrid on two separate categories... historical importance and natural beauty. That's where we are spending today and tomorrow... some 166 klms south-east of Skopje in Macedonia. The photos should tell the story of natural beauty... the history follows a familiar pattern... with ruins discovered from all the major periods from Neolithic, Macedonia, Roman, Byzantine, Ottomans and, of course, the crazy hotch-potch of activities inflicted upon Macedonia during the 20th century.

UNESCO has found Ohrid, but tourists appear to be somewhat slower. The Macedonian citizens love the place... they are here in large numbers... but overweight Germans, Englishmen and Parisians are very hard to find. Accommodation, food and drink are priced at give-away bargains. The place seems purpose built for Aussie backpackers... but they have been slow on the uptake. Once they build a decent road into the town... backpackers will crowd out the place.

Tomorrow, we will take a boat ride on the lake to a Neolithic site to look at old bones. We will boat past the palace used by Major Teto to entertain his extensive network of lady friends. We also plan to call in at some remote monastery... perhaps finding the meaning of life... and there are some isolated fishing villages that are supposed to reflect 19th century village life. It should be a good day.

We have spent the last two days in a group of nine on a package taking us through the Balkans. We chose the package option for this part of the trip because we had concerns regarding security. We need not have worried. Macedonia appears safer than Chatswood on a Friday night. There are some interesting characters in our group... but it's taking time to get used to the group dynamics. Everything takes so much longer... every choice is a compromise. A couple of the guys are talented comedians... genuinely funny in a 'campish' sort of way. The ladies are about our age. Two of them are from Tasmania... and have interesting stories to tell. The third lady is from Brazil... limited English language skills and limited mobility. We'll all get along just fine for the next week. By then, we will be ready to revert back to solo travel.

Human Spirit - on Steroids

We have arrived in Skopje, capital of Macedonia... population of 2.5 million... independent nation since 1991... conspicuously friendless during the 20 century. The story tonight is how a fierce human spirit (perhaps national spirit) can survive healthy and positive after a century of abuse where every nation on earth has turned its back on injustice and persecution of a small nation.

Another history lesson is unavoidable at this time... so let's make it quick. The ethnic group of Macedonian people occupied the Balkan peninsula in Neolithic times. Very early in time, Slavic peoples moved into the peninsula and have assimilated with Macedonian people. Macedonian people claim a heroic ancient history... culminating in Alexander the Great's domination of the known world around 400 BC. Of course, the Greeks will claim ownership of Alexander... after all, he was born in Pella, now part of Greece. The Macedonian people retort that if you asked Alexander who he was, he would reply that he was King of Macedonia... a kingdom with most of its land mass contained within the current boundaries of Macedonia. But 20th century history has not been kind to Macedonia... in fact it has been given the rough end of the stick with each 'real-political' carve-up that occurred in that century.

Please stick with the history for just a little longer. During the long Otterman occupation, Macedonia struggled to free its larger historic borders... and received retribution for its efforts. When the Ottomans walked away from the Balkan Peninsula in 1912, the world powers wanted to establish a Greek nation that was durable. They achieved this result by taking from Macedonia a sea port and its richest agricultural areas. Why did they do this? Who knows... perhaps they thought the Greek history more romantic than the Macedonian history. But this decision has given Macedonia a century of grief. It was left in a weakened (perhaps unsustainable) state. All its neighbours sniped at its boundaries... trying to sneak a bit of extra territory while no one was watching. Neighbours could smell 'blood in the water' and wanted their share of the spoils.

Enough of history... history that doesn't show any of the major powers of the 20th century in a good light.

I'm worked up about this history because Joye and I have just returned from visiting the Museum of Macedonian Independence... a purpose built showcase that the Macedonian people have constructed to ensure the world does not forget their history. It's a museum like no other we have visited. Entry is available with an escorting guide. Each room is spotlighted. On the floor stand wax figures (think of Madame Tussaud but more life like) in scenes depicting historical meetings, massacres, battles, etc. You walk between the figures. They are so life-like that they catch you unawares. Wall-size paintings have been commissioned from the same group of artists... the effect is stunning. There is enough factual evidence shown with each scene to open your mind to the possibility of its accuracy. The whole story has so many chapters all illustrating how neighbours and world powers just abused Macedonia... the poor country has been friendless for a century.

There is no happy ending so far. However, recent history is promising. Since it was given its independence in 1991, the number of deaths from military action has been very small. (No one has counted that number for the 20th century... but our guide guessed it would likely exceed one-million.

An earthquake levelled the middle of Skopje in 1963, and the Tito's communist regime didn't restore the area. Upon independence in 1991, the Macedonians designed a central area for Skopje that displayed its glorious history. In 2013, the city centre is now taking shape and it's most impressive.

Macedonia's agonising history may have caused many other people to give up. The period of suffering is so long and the proportion of the population killed is so high. But the Macedonians are a determined lot. They have satisfied the requirements set by the EU for membership... but Greece continues to object to the country being named 'Macedonia'. Before they agreed not to veto the application for membership, they wanted agreement that it will be called 'FYROM' namely, Former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia. What a joke! I love the Greeks... but this demand is ridiculous!

Cheque Mate - Come On - Where's the Cheque?

Here is another career option for the grandchildren... hustling for money playing chess in the park each weekend. You think this is not big business? Come to Sophia and think again. Playing chess is about humiliating your opponent through better strategy... but equally important is the panache and raw ego you lay on the line. You must not appear to be thinking about your move. Immediately your opponent moves his piece, you instantaneously make your move and slap the timing clock with aggressive force... hard... I emphasise, your move must be lightening fast... and you must be conducting a casual conversation with a friend simultaneously. The effect is to convey that your opponent does not have to be taken seriously... you are so much smarter than him. Chess playing is very much a spectator sport. Crowds of young men would hasten from game to game whenever news spread of an upset result or an unusual move being employed.

Joye and I observed these dynamics while having coffee in a park close to the Concert Hall in Sophia. We seated ourselves next to two guys who looked like body builders... great advertisements for anabolic steroids. We didn't pay them any attention... fortunately no eye contact. When they were ready to leave, one of them gave a nod to other guys sitting on the other side of the cafe. Six of them (all avid users of the same anabolic steroids) walked over and made a grid formation and got their walkie-talkies out and working. The bosses sheltered inside the grid and the eight of them wandered off through the park. William and Kate would not have received so much protection. We speculated who they might be... but our knowledge of Russian mafia is very limited.

But the real action was away from the cafe at the chess tables. Perhaps our Russian mafia guy was trying to figure out how to get a protection racket rigged up... provide immediate cash advances for players down on their luck... who knows!

Bulgarian Politics

Who knows their World War II history? Which country declared war on both the Allies and the Axis Powers? You guessed it... Bulgaria! Just to play it safe, it declared war on every country it could think of... not all at the same time. You want an explanation? Well...

Before fighting started in WWII, Hitler smooched up to Bulgaria and said, in exchange for allowing German troupes to pass freely through Bulgarian territory, it would make Bulgaria the boss of the whole Balkan peninsula when the war ended. Given its history, this was Bulgaria's rightful role... so the deal made perfect sense. Without bothering with too much of the detail, Bulgaria signed up.

Sorry, but you need a little bit of history... about Bulgaria's minority communities. Before WWII, Bulgaria had some 50,000 Jewish citizens and a much bigger Moslem population. After signing the Axis agreement, it was required by Germany to reduce the civil rights of its Jewish and Moslem citizens. They became second class citizens. Coincidentally, each stormy night in Sophia, a number of synagogues and mosques were struck by lightning... decimating the number of places of worship... leaving vapours that smelt vaguely of gunpowder. Enough of history... as usual, it's very complicated... but (overall) this history shows Bulgaria in a very positive light.

Here is the story. Hitler wanted Bulgarian Jews shipped to his concentration camps. Bulgaria did not have the authority to stop such movements in the Baltic states over which it had been given some administration authority. As a result, the Jewish population of Greece, Romania and other Balkan nations suffered terribly. However, for its own citizens, Bulgaria played a delicate defensive manoeuvre that eventually saved the lives of most of its Jewish citizens. They didn't fight Hitler's orders... they simply found administrative obstacles to delay the delivery. Bulgaria couldn't deport its Jewish citizens because they were needed to repair the roads ruined by the German troops movements... then Bulgaria couldn't deport its Jewish citizens because they were needed for agricultural work so that German soldiers in the Balkan peninsula could be fed... etc, etc. Bulgaria knew more about bureaucratic obfuscation than the Germans and used its knowledge to telling effect.

During the war, Bulgaria had a growing number of its citizens attracted to the communist ideology. This group caused problems within Bulgaria, resulting in the country not being vigorous in its occupation of other Balkan nations (There were exceptions as you would expect.) Bulgaria did not supply troops for Hitler's invasion of Russia. In fact, the Bulgarian government was forced to resign during that period... and was replaced by a government of communist persuasion. Just in time, you might say since Russia had advanced quickly. Bulgaria allowed Russian occupation without resistance... in fact, successive communist governments recorded the event as releasing brotherly love between the two nations that was euphoric and unbounded... leading Bulgaria to sign up with the Allied forces as fast as possible. The love affair with communism lasted half a century... whereupon, the new democratic government tore down the soviet monuments. Fortunately, many of the monuments have been saved and stored in a special park.

How clever are these people? Bulgaria was the only Axis participant that walked from the peace settlement negotiations with more territory than it had before the start of the war. Bulgaria is the only Axis participant (to my knowledge) who received a letter of thanks from Israel for the assistance it gave to Jewish people during the war.

Today's message is heavy going... apologies for that. But on discovering this history today, I thought it so interesting, I just had to share it with you.

Free Entertainment

This afternoon, we caught the bus from Thessaloniki to Sophia (Bulgaria). Buses are big business in Greece, and the bus terminal was noisy, busy and confusing. Our bus finally pulled in from its drive up from Athens... with a scheduled 4 minutes break to load us all in Thessaloniki. Passengers from Athens disembarked for a toilet break while they loaded our luggage. The Thessaloniki passengers took the seats being used by the Athens passengers. Upon returning, the Athens passengers demanded their seats back. A few passengers expressed their reluctance to move... and the bus driver showed his Bulgarian negotiating skills to sort out the situation. It left a couple of passengers with scores to settle with the bus driver (let's call them the rebel section)... which led to some great theatre later in the trip.

We boarded the bus... the day was warm (28 degrees)... but the temperature in the bus was mid-thirties... uncomfortable but bearable. Joye and I assumed that air-conditioning was not part of the deal... and apparently, so did the other passengers. We were stoic in accepting the temperature up to the Bulgarian border. On the Greece side, Joye and I had to abandon our passports (temporarily) into the hands of the Greece border control police. We adjourned to a roadside cafe while they did their checks and stamp our passports. "That wasn't too bad" we thought.

We changed our minds 50 metres up the road when the Bulgarians had their turn. Being mutual Schengen countries, the bus is usually waved straight through. However, today there was a new officer in charge who decided that all tour buses would be searched in an effort to stamp out cigarette smuggling into Bulgaria. This may well have been a good idea... except he had no facilities or trained staff to carry out such a search. Everyone was instructed to get off the bus and take their luggage out of the hull. This we did and waited on the roadside for further instructions. The leader was keen on inspecting the bus facility. His offsiders gradually worked their way through inspecting the passengers' luggage... shoving their hands into the suitcases in search for big boxes of cigarettes. The passengers were all cleared... but the leader had found a stash of 10 bottles of cocacola in a recess of the bus. (There was unsubstantiated talk of them finding a couple of packets of cigarettes that couldn't be accounted for.) But there was one luggage compartment that wouldn't open. It had rusted shut! This bus wasn't going anywhere until that door was opened. They tried kicking it... jemmying it.. trying any key that anyone had... all to no avail... that door would not budge! Finally, the young fellow helping the driver jemmied open the side of the on-board toilet... thereby allowing the customs leader to shine his torch inside and see there were no mountains of illicit cigarettes. Passengers had been standing in the hot sun for 30 minutes and were delighted when the leader waved his arms at us signalling to get on board.

This is where things started to get interesting. As we stepped on board, someone turned the air conditioning on... a cheer went up from the rebel section of passengers. When the driver started the engine, he turned the air conditioning off! This was not a popular move amongst the passengers... particularly amongst the rebels. The driver took to the road... clearing the customs area before they took an interest. The howls of protest grew louder. One rebel lady pretended to faint... another prompted her daughter to start bawling at top volume. The rebel man was shouting and waving his arms. Those of us up the back of the bus tried hard to suppress our giggles... never had tragic opera been performed with such enthusiasm.

The driver ignored the performance for a couple of kilometres... but eventually couldn't take it any more. He stopped the bus with the engine running. Joye and I had the benefit of an interpreter (a Bulkanese returning from working in Athens). He recounted the conversation as follows.

The driver said, "Is there a problem with the air conditioning?" The guy was dripping with perspiration from his efforts to open the compartment door for the customs official. "Is there a problem with the air conditioning?" he repeated. This brought increased excitement from the rebels. With a face portraying disbelief, he walked down the aisle testing the outlets. He scratched his head. The rebels were at fever pitch. "Why don't you turn the air conditioning one?", they demand. "It worked at the customs station." "The air conditioning seems to be broken. What can we do? We can wait here and telephone Sophia and have a replacement bus arrive here in 2 hours... or we can continue to Sophia without air conditioning." The driver knew he held the winning hand. The rebel lady pretended another fainting episode so she was not called upon to comment. The daughter stopped bawling. The rebel man busied himself with drinking more water. There was a deadly quiet. "OK", said the driver, "We'll push on." That wasn't the end of proceedings. There was punishment to be handed to the rebels... and if there was some collateral damage by punishing the other passengers as well... so be it! He driver stopped 5 kilometres further down the road for an unscheduled gas fill. We all sweltered waiting for the tank to be filled. Not a peep was heard from the rebels.

Within 15 minutes of restarting, the road took us to a mountain pass just below the snow line. Those in the back of the bus had one more laugh when the rebel lady left her seat to retrieve her leather coat... complaining about the cold.