What a week

I have had a good time here in Skopje, the capital city of Macedonia. I am looking forward to vising a town known as Ohrid -- I recommend you look at the pictures of it. It is supposed to be a beautiful, beautiful place.

I even met some ladies last night that are from the Warsaw area in Poland. One lady's hometown is about 30k - 20 miles from where I will be staying during my week at Angloville, in Poland. I will not be looking forward to the weather there, but I will be prepared for it.

Now to reflect on the last few days in some more posts. Gotta have some more pictures too.

Hole in my tummy

It looks like I can not eat those hot peppers that I loved in Korea so much anymore. Tonight I could barely walk home after eating one at a little Turkish style restaurant here in the Old Bazaar area. So it looks like the next few posts will come a little later than expected :(. The stomach is feeling a little better, but I helped a guest here at this hostel with a presentation she is giving at a conference. So that took up a lot of the time.

Good news though, I will be home between November 26th, and January 16th or so.

It is getting a little cool here too.

Hello from . . . .

Skopje, Macedonia.

I arrived here at 3 am, after what I thought was going to be a six hour bus ride -- which was actually only a four hour ride. I spent a few hours sleeping and reading at the bus station, before trying, and trying my darnedest to find my hostel. I ended up getting a taxi to get to the hostel (incredible experience), and was able to start with some coffee and breakfast before going out into the city.

Anyway, I will upload a few pictures, and then tomorrow sometime in the evening, I will post like crazy. In other words, I will add three-five posts in one hour -- that will be the goal.

Tomorrow morning's agenda -- Go to the Holocaust Museum, and sit in a park and read a book.

                                                This guy was a well known revolutionary in the 19th century

                                                   Gate of Macedonia

                                              These next few I will get exact names for tomorrow (oops!)

                                                   Fallen Heroes Memorial

                                             St. Cyril and St. Methodius

                                             Lunch (all for under five bucks)

           These next two are the same (day and night), in Macedonia Square - maybe Alexander the Great?

                                             Warrior on Horse (aka Alexander the Great)

                                                   Skopsco Beer is good beer

Ethiopian Proverbs

My good friend Sileshi decided to share these with me recently. 

Here are some Ethiopian Proverbs.

1. "O, sheep if I do not eat you, you will eat me," said the hyena.

2. A belt fastened while running will come undone while running.. Ethiopian Proverb.

3. A bird hanging between two branches will get bitten on both wings.. Ethiopian Proverb.

4. A blade won't cut another blade; a cheat won't cheat another cheat.. Ethiopian Proverb.

5. A bleating sheep loses a bite.. Ethiopian Proverb.

6. A cat may go to a monastery, but she still remains a cat.. Ethiopian Proverb.

7. A close friend can become a close enemy.. Ethiopian Proverb.

8. A cow gave birth to a fire: she wanted to lick it, but it burned; she wanted to leave it, but she could not because it was her own child.. Ethiopian Proverb..

9. A fool and water will go the way they are diverted.. Ethiopian Proverb.

Update on Hostel Life

In another element of life, I am super ready to get out of this hostel for a week or two. I have decided I need to visit some lesser known countries such Kosovo (where Bill Clinton is loved), Macedonia, Serbia, and Montenegro. I may throw Albania and Croatia in there too - plans are undecided right now. I was gonna catch a midnight bus into Skopje (capital of Macedonia) tomorrow, but it seems that the Saints vs. Bucs game is at that time. So instead I may head out Tuesday at 12 am instead.

We have a staff of five here at the moment. Marc from Luxembourg is still here. We also have Axel, a little guy from France, who rode here from Normandy with his girlfriend from Argentina. They rode a tandem bike here actually. Quite an impressive bike. We also have a 25 year old hard worker from Slovakia too. He's spending time here working and improving his Bulgarian speaking skills. My paperwork is getting really close to being ready in Washington D.C., but it still seems that February will be the time that I start school instead of October.

There are a few plans in the works between now and Thanksgiving, but I will update you all as these things unfold.

A few more pictures will come tomorrow.

What I'm training for at the moment

Marathon

So I had a little epiphany when I was back in Memphis a few months ago. It seems that the St. Jude Marathon in Memphis, is full, registration-wise. So I'll travel to College Station, TX, where my old man went to school, and run one of the top marathons in the state of Texas.

I've been training officially for about three weeks now. My metabolism is starting to sky-rocket and I am sure my weight may go down for a few months. No doubt I will hit the weights hard again back in December when this race is finished. 

Something to Share

These are two websites that I have recently joined. It is amazing to think that the possibilities are endless when it comes to traveling these days.

I am not sure how beneficial either site would be, but I wanted to share with others out there.

Couchsurfing

Be Welcome

Enjoy These

Updates from Sofia to come soon.