Visa Madness

How do I even begin to relay this story? I'll start with dinner.

I found the local expat bar here in Pristina, and got to talking with an older English guy who works as an engineer for the UN. He was meeting friends who were going out for dinner, and I mooched an invitation to go with them. Over dinner they began asking me about my next destination, and I explained how I'd somehow gotten into Serbia without an entry visa, and was a bit concerned about trying to go east from here on my way to Bulgaria.

Unfortunately, they confirmed my fears: I AM SCREWED. The Serbians will not allow me to leave the country, and may even detain me as an 'illegal visitor' for being in the country with no entry visa. Damn that border guard on the way to Novi Pazar! (I think I told the story of the guard who waved his finger at me and said "Ne, Ne, Ne" when I made a stamping motion on my passport).

So, I now have two options. I can try to figure out how to get an entry visa for Macedonia, or I can go back west to Albania, dip down south into Greece and make my way through that country to Bulgaria or all the way to Istanbul. The folks at dinner strongly recommended both Macedonia AND Albania, so it looks like I can't really lose. However, the Albania-Greece route is a bit of the "long way around". The Macedonia route, while more direct, is certainly more expensive (80 Euro visa plus 20 Euro border tax). Also, it requires sorting out the visa, and while there is an official Canadian presence in Pristina, it is not a full embassy due to the fact that Kosovo is not recognized as an independent country.

Where does this leave me? Well, my new friend Don is going to call the Canadian office tomorrow morning. He used to know the guy that ran the office, although that was 6 years ago and he's unlikely to still be there. In any case, he's going to ask them about my situation and see what can be worked out. If I can't get a Macedonian visa, he's offered to drive me to the Albanian border, where I'll walk across and then get a taxi to the nearest town. Should be interesting eh? I've never walked across a border before!

Tomorrow I'll get an email from Don with some news, and I'll probably spend the rest of the day heading out to one of the most important religious sites for the Orthodox Serbians: Gracanica (Grach-a-nitsa). It's nearby and an easy day trip. I'll do a little wandering and picture taking in the afternoon, and then if the visa won't work, Don will drive me on Tuesday morning. Apparently, since he's the regional manager for all the Engineering works in this region, he can just tell his boss that he's off to check on the warehouse near the border and he can drive me in his UN truck. I've GOTTA get a picture of that, somehow!

OK, it's 10:30, I'm a little buzzed on rakja (rah-kia), and it's time to head 'home' and get some sleep. Not sure how to get to Gracanica, so that might take a little detective work in the morning.

cheers,
bms