magazine ICES

Be a Volunteer, make a Difference!!!

VEco Tourism

in Macedonia

FROM THE MACEDONIAN FOLK TV STORIES

Couch Surfing orCheap travel

volunteer during the summer in Macedonia!

Discover

JABLANCI - VILLAGE

Take the challenge

Dear readers and respected volunteers,

I will start this editorial with the simple motto:

Be a Volunteer!!! Use the following months, where you will have more free time school, uni-versity and etc., and do something which can make a difference to the society.In this voluntary spirit, we decided to make small changes in the VOICES Magazine for the months of July and August. So, the magazine will more look like a pocket edition, containing interesting and useful information, so you can take it with you where ever

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you decide to spend the next 2 months. The beach, the mountain, some lakes or rivers, visiting your grandparents and relatives and etc… Or maybe take it with you, while you are doing some voluntary action for the summer.Be good, responsible, have fun, enjoy and don’t forget about us… See you all back in August.

gjoko vukanovski

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

“Volunteers Centre Skopje” (VCS) is a non-govern-mental youth organization created in 2005 by former EVS volunteers. The main goal of the organization is to give non-formal educational possibilities to the young people, in different fields, on local and interna-tional level; to promote the idea of volunteerism and to connect young people without reference to their nationality, religion, political, economical or social status. We are putting effort to develop a multicul-tural civil society, to reinforce the existing democratic structure, to enhance the affirmation of young people through their individual abilities and skills, and to connect the young people with the purpose of their closer cooperation.

Postal address: Sava Kovacevik 47-4/6 Skopje 1000, Republic of Macedonia

Office address: Emil Zola 3-2/3 vcs_contact@yahoo.com

+389 2 277 20 95+389 2 277 20 95www.vcs.org.mk

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

ContributorsAgaAnouk Blandine BiljanaDragan SanjaCharlieGjokoSofiaKoen Cover ImageSinisa DavcevskiDesign By Sinisa DavcevskiPublish By Volunteers Centre Skopje

Voices Magazine is a project of VCS and it is cre-ated to provide more opportunities for young peo-ple to get to know other countries and cultures, as well to promote volunterism, non-formal educa-tion programs and active involment.

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VILLAGE FROM THE MACEDONIAN FOLK TV STORIES

ohrid summer fest

picnic time

macedonia Hiking paradise!

DiscoverECO TOURISM

Couch Surfing orCheap travel

Share your adventures - Way 2 A

BOOK REVIEW: EAT, PRAY, LOVE

Memories of Guca - Guca delirium

Climbing in Macedonia

Another proposal where and how to

spend your free summer afternoon!

How to get to your dream holidaydes-tination without getting broke?

Take the challenge: volun-teer during the summer!

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1. Hitchhiking The cheapest possible way to travel is always hitchhiking. You simply go on the road, put your thumb up and patiently wait for a friendly car that would offer you a ride. Sometimes the driver is not going to drive you all the way to your final destination but at least is able to give you a lift in the right direction. That is already something. Just remember to be patient- you will always find people going your way, but in some places this way of travelling is more common than in others. The crucial component to your success is standing on the right road, I cannot stress enough the importance of this detail. So, before hitting the road make sure to consult hitchhiking forums or www.hitchwiki.org

2. CarpoolingAs great as hitchhiking can be for practicing the language and getting to know the real local culture, it is not for everybody. It is impossible to predict how much time will you wait for the car or how many lifts will it take to

You have read all year long in VOICES about interesting places to see and our journalists have been giving you tips on how to save money on accommodation. So now when your summer holi-days are actually starting, your head is full of ideas where to go. The only remaining question is – how to get there cheaply?

How to get to your dream holiday destination without getting broke?

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get to the final destination. Plus, some people, especially single woman, are uncomfortable or even afraid to get into an unknown vehicle. For those a great alternative is carpooling (also known as ride-share) – sharing a car and the cost of travelling with other people who happen to go the same direction as you do. Whether you are looking for a ride or offering a place in your vehicle check out www.carpool-ing.com . Once you find online a per-son that travels to the same destination as you do, use the contact information to agree on the costs of the ride as well as the exact time and place of pick up.

3.Hitchiking boatWhile many people are familiar with the concept of hitchhiking on the road, the idea of doing the same on the sea causes a frown of bewilder-ment; however it is possible. If you need just a short boat ride (eg. from Greek or Croatian mainland to one of the islands) and prices of the ferry are way too high for you, you can go to a fisherman’s port and ask around. If you are lucky, you will find a fish-erman or local resident who is head-ing towards the same island as you and who is willing to give you a lift for couple of Euros. If you plan a longer sea journey (eg. to Asia or America) you can find a job on a boat. Not only will you get a ride for free but, if you are lucky enough, you will earn some extra cash on the way too. Ships and cruise boats are constantly looking for crew; not only skilled mechanic but

also animators, cooks, waiters, maids, cleaners etc. Simply google the phrase „ship crew“ or „ship crew wanted“ and take your pick.

4. TrainsI believe that trains are well known mean of transport and do not need to be introduced to anybody. Slower than the buses, but much much cheaper and scenic, they provide a good alter-native for travelers on a budget. There are good international railway con-nections from Belgrade, which you can reach easily from Skopje (frequent bus and train connections). If you plan to move around Balkans a lot and you are looking for a good value for money check out the Balkan Flexipass. This train pass allows unlimited rail travel for 5, 10, 15 days ( not necessarily con-secutive ) in a 1 month period in the following countries: Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Turkey. You can buy it on-line (more expensive) or in interna-tional ticket offices in the above-men-tioned countries.

5. AirplanesIf none of the above appeals to you and you still prefer to save your time travelling by air, don’t get discouraged. Of course airplanes would never be as cheap as trains, but if you search for the connection wisely you can still save some money. First of all, do not limit yourself to airline websites while looking for the connection. Use browsers that combine the offers from

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all airlines and segregate them accord-ing to the price range (eg.skyscanner.com or momondo.com). Secondly, check out the connection from nearby cities and countries. Sometimes it is cheaper to take the bus to another city and fly from there. When flying from Macedonia always check connections from Tirana, Pristina, Belgrad, Sofia and Thessaloniki (especially from So-fia, because lowcost airlines fly there). Just remember to add the costs of the ride to the price of the plane ticket and only then see which connection is the cheapest one. Thirdly, plan your trip smartly using all information avail-able online. If EasyJet or Ryanair does not fly from your hometown it does not mean that you cannot use it. Find out where they fly from and try to get there as cheaply as possible. Some-times booking two flights, from two different companies gives you a better deal.

6 Aga Krawczyk

Have a great summer, travel light and

BON VOYAGE!!!!!

Take the challenge: volunteer during the summer!

The end of the exams is within sight; the summer can finally start! Maybe you have planned trips abroad or you want to relax near the Ohrid Lake and read your favourite book in the park. But maybe you did not make a lot of plans and you do not re-ally know what you are going to do with all that free time.

In that case, you can always vol-unteer during the summer. There are plenty of organizations that are looking for people who can help a hand. Occasionally check the web-sites of what is happening in Mac-edonia, because a lot of summer festivals, concerts and happenings can use your help!If you are an animal lover, you can always volunteer in the Zoo of Skopje. On January 26 Skopje Zoo launched an appeal for volunteers. The volunteers would be included in the further development of the

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m Zoo. They preferred volunteers who had a prior knowledge of bi-ology or veterinary medicine, but this was not obligatory. The vol-unteers would mostly be used as eco-patrols that would inform the visitors about what is allowed and what is not allowed in the Zoo.With the arrival of new animals during the last few months (in-cluding an anaconda, a crocodile, camels, buffalos and a bison) and the increasing amount of visitors of the Zoo during the upcoming months more volunteers will be needed during the summer. For more information you can contact Miloshevski Jordancho, Tatiana Stamenov or Levajkovik Vesna, the respectable curator, educator and responsible of the Zoo. Other places and organizations are also welcoming volunteers. The Red Cross is an international hu-manitarian movement with a very large worldwide group of volun-teers. The organization is protect-ing human life and health. They are a neutral and independent organi-zation that is active in 186 coun-tries around the world.As a volunteer for the Red Cross in Macedonia you can join differ-ent programs, according to your interests: Health-prevention ac-tivities, Disaster Preparedness and

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Response, Promotion of blood donation, First AID, Youth Red Cross, Social welfare, Tracing Ser-vice and Restoring family links, Information, Dissemination, and many other project activities that are being realized in the Red Cross Branch. As a volunteer you may join the activities of the Red Cross and to volunteer in the nearest Red Cross Branch (total of 34 Branches and the City Red Cross of Skopje) according to your time and desires.

More information http://www.ckrm.org.mk/Joi-nUs/JoinUs.aspx?path=Volunteers

The society for the protection of animals and the environment

‘unicornis’ from Bitola is also searching for volunteers. The or-ganisation was established in july 2010 by people who care about ani-mals and the environment and who want to fight for animal rights. The main goals of the organisation are to spread public awareness about homeless animals and their rights, rescue the homeless animals in the way of finding homes for street ani-mals and improve the conditions for the dog shelters around the country.

UNICRONIS activists should be enthusiastic people who have a

great love for ani-mals. To become a volunteer in the or-ganisation you may contact unicornisbt@yahoo.com. You should send your CV and give some basic in-formation. The team of UNICORNIS will review your applica-tion and quickly re-spond to it.

More information http://www.unicornis-associa-

tion.com/.

v o l u n t e e r i s m

Anouk Craps8

Be a Volunteer, Daily centre for social care for the kids from the street - Avtokomanda

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make a difference!!!

EU Info day - City Park, Skopje

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MATKA - (Skopje)

Climbing in Macedonia !Macedonia has perfect conditions for rock climbing. Here two popular spots to enjoy this sport in a wonderful landscape.

Alpine sport climbing locality “Matka” is located in the of river, at about 15 km, southwest of Skopje. You can come to Matka, by car or city bus n.2 and n.12 to Saraj village and fromthere you take the minibus n.60. The minibus departs every 100 minutes from Saraj village. By car you can come to the parking place above the kayak path and you continue to the mountain house “Matka”. There is a good path of 10 minute walk to get there from the parking place, the last bus stop. Matka is one of the mots popular climing spot for climbers around Skopje. The view is really great, you can either camp close to the St Nikola Monasteri or find accomodation by asking where the touristic boats are.

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DEMIR KAPIJA

CONTACTSPORTSKO KACUVACKA ASOCIJACIJA PHONEPhone/Fax: ++ 389 (2) 3165 540;E-mailcontact@climbing.org.mk

guide pdf : www.climbing.mk

This place is located in the central part of Republic of Macedonia, 100km south away from Capitol city Skopje under the Cliffs on Demir Kapija passing the highway Skopje-Gevgelija-Thessaloniki (M24). Right after Demir Kapija village, there is a tunnel. When the first part of the tunnel ends (500 meters), there is a small parking place, with a bridge. You can access to

the canyon with a small via ferrata.

Then follow the river for few minutes and you are there ! There are many sectors on both side. This place is really quiet, and the canyon provides some shadows, than you may appreciate in summer under the hot sun of Macedonia

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Another proposal where and how to spend your free summer Afternoon!

Another proposal where and how to spend your free summer afternoon. Attrac-tive new cable car leading to the Millennium Cross. Millennium Cross is 66 meters high, it is situ-ated on top of the mountain Vodno and it is the larg-est cross in the world. It was built in 2002. In order to make it even a bigger tour-ist attraction, from June 3 a new cable car from Sredno Vodno to Mil-lennium Cross has been in use . The route is 1,750 me-ters long and the ride takes about six to eight minutes.So the visitors are given the opportunity to enjoy the beau-tiful landscape of Vodno and the panorama of the city Skopje. Promotional tickets till July 1 will cost 50 denars for adults. Children and pensioners will go for free.

Biljana Bozhinovska13

Vodno

Vodno offers amazing views to every side of Skopje. Its the perfect get away card from city dust to pure nature. Dis-cover Vodno by hiking, mount biking, or enjoying the views from a car. theIn 2002, the biggest Christian Cross on earth, was build on the top the of the highest point of the mountain, Krsto-var peak, on 1066 metres. Cross is called Millennium Cross. The cross was con-structed to commemorate 2,000 years of Christianity in Macedonia and in the world.

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sofia sormunen

VILLAGE FROM THE MACEDONIAN FOLK TV STORIES

Everybody knows well the Mac-edonian folk stories which for long time has been shown on TV. From them we nave learned a lot for macedonian folklore, macedonian customs, tradition, handcrafts and many other use-ful advices about Macedonian daily life. We could never forget our greatest actors like Gjorgi and Shenka Kolozov, Goce To-dorovski, Vancho Petrushevski, Lazar Barakov, Goce Vlahov and many other who brought to us on the small screens the macedonian daily life from ot-

toman empire until second world war on very authentic and more original way. On our big

surprise nowadays this tradi-tion has been over taken by the new generation of Macedonian actors to thread pearls on the necklace so-called Macedonian folk stories, so the Macedonian people for many years more will have the great honor and pleas-ure to watch them.For sure so far many people asked themselves where, on which locations these folk sto-ries have been filmed. Mostly, the biggest parts of the episodes were filmed and still are filming in village Jabolci. The village Ja-bolci is 12 kilometers away from Skopje and is located in munici-pality Sopishte. Although very little but it is still very important in the occurrence of these mag-nificent works. It is surrounded by the mountains Kitka and Suva

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Gora. This village has only 68 inhabitants, 42 are Macedonians and the other 25 are Albanians. The life in this village is tradi-tional. The inhabitants mainly are engaged in agriculture, live-stock farming and harvesting trees. The food is preparing also traditionally in traditional pot (kotle) and under the stove (vr-shnik) and water for drinking and for the domestic animals is taken from natural wells. The reason that the folk sto-ries are filmed precisely in this village is because of the old way of building of the houses from Ottoman em-pire and the traditional way of life. Houses are built on two floors; the ground floor is used for storing goods and for the domestic animals (mainly sheep, goats cattle because this village is mountain village), and the first floor serves for living of the hosts. On the front side of the house there is loggia made of wood. On the loggia along the fence there are beautiful tradi-tional sofas for sitting and tak-ing rest, where the hosts can take some rest and enjoy in the sharp

fresh morning mountain air. On the left side of the loggia there is foursquare small place very good built to serve as small kitchen. In the middle of this kitchen there is traditional fire place and tra-ditional pot and stove where women from this village prepare different Macedonian national specialites like: tavche gravche,

kolpite, kachamak, sukanica pie and many others.This village is full with visitors during the labor day because this village has plenty of picnic places such as: Lokva, Jasen, Su-shica, Karazhica, Kitka and so on. As much more interesting places for visiting are: hristija-nova cave, church Saint Mina and podishte. Hristijanova cave is one kilometer away from vil-

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lage Jabolci on the right side of the Suva reka river at an altitude of 600 meters. The total length of the cave together with all cave’s channels and extensions is 84 meters. Today it is a fossil cave with significant occurrence of cave decorations. The saint Mina church in village Jabolci was founded in 1938. The most sig-nificant thing about this church is that from its inception was not consecrated, so that’s why the inhabitants couldn’t get married in it and also couldn’t baptize

children. In 2009 this church was consecrated so nowadays it is big attraction for the young couples to get married in this church and also for many for-eigners because of its architec-ture. Podishte is historic location from hellenic time where has been found bronze head which is part of some sculpture. the head is with natural size and it is presupposed that it is the head of dionysius mitrefuros taurus from the second half of the first century b. c.

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Village Jabolci really is golden grain from the necklace of the Macedonian villages. After I vis-it it i was very satisfied and full of happiness. So I warmly rec-ommend to everybody to visit this village, to see its natural beauties, to enjoy in the kind-ness, hospitality of the villagers, to taste the home made bread or pie baked under the traditional

stove together with home made sour milk, to experience the macedonian village life as same as Macedonian folk stories.

18 Dragan Lazeski

Where to go this summer?For sure you are wondering where to go this summer? If you have already decided to pass your va-cation outside the country think again, because this summer our small country for sure has what to offer.

If you enjoy cultural events and classical music, this summer you can visit the festival “Ohrid Sum-mer”, which for 50 years is held in Ohrid. The beginning of “Ohrid Summer” will be marked the world premiere performance of the op-era “Trilogy novel of Otorino Res-pigi which will be held on 12 July 2011th. This creation offers a dis-tinctive stage set for its distinctive urban theater performance with the use of unusual settings not so familiar to the Macedonian pub-lic. If you are ready for your own cultural upbringing and expanding your horizons, this cultural chal-lenge is just for you. Certainly it wouldn’t be Ohrid summer with-out the concert of the Macedonian Opera and Ballet as well as Mac-edonians famous guitarist Vlatko Stefanovski and violinist Stefan Milenkovic who will held a concert at the Antique Theatre in Ohrid on Aug. 1, in the framework of the Ohrid Summer Festival.

On 07.06.2011 the fans of folk music and dances will have the opportunity to be part of Balcan Dolni Saraj festival where the ensemble of folk dances and songs Tanec will have performance. For all others who want the Macedo-nian pop music, all summer you can enjoy music from different bands and musicians such as Beni Shaqiri, Karo-lina Goceva, Toni Zen Slatkaristika and many others. Lovers of good beer this year may also join the second beer festival Ohrid 2011 in Ohrid. The event will feature several well-known Macedonian bands as Su-perhiks, Partybrakers well known ex Yugoslavian bands and many other. Fans of techno, electronic and house music will be able to share new and guaranteed unforgettable experience with world known DJ David Guetta on 1 August in Ohrid. Wherever you choose to spend this summer have unforgettable and unique moments filled with happiness and pleasure.

19 Gordana Klimoska

Picnic time!More than 300 years ago the French word ‘pique-nique’ (to choose a little something) meant a group of people who were eat-ing together in a restaurant and who brought their own wine. Later the term implied that all the guests contributed to the meal. Books, paintings, films and musi-cal pieces have eagerly been using the theme of enjoying an outdoor meal in the woods, in a park or on the beach. And so the tradition continued; Australians picnic for Christmas, Italians for Easter. But what are the perfect ingredients for a successful picnic?

1. PlanningHaving a spontaneous picnic is al-ways fun, but it is nicer and more relax if you can plan what to bring. It is easy to divide types of foods, drinks and other useful items among each other. Listening to the weather forecast is also not a bad idea! If you have no idea about the weather, take an umbrella (that can also be used against the sun) and a hat. 2. PlaceThe place also makes the picnic! Macedonia offers a tremendous va-riety of beautiful places, so choos-ing one of them should not be a

problem. In and near Skopje, the City Park, the grass field around the City Fortress, Matka Canyon and the grass field next to Markov Monastery are the best options. Of course any garden or terrace can fit as well. 3. BlanketTo make it a bit more comfortable, bringing a blanket or cushions is always a good idea. It can be an old blanket from your sofa, a quilt or a plastic tablecloth. Remember that colourful motives make people happy!

4. CutleryForks and knives are handy, but not obligatory. Bottle openers on the contrary are a must and also cups and plates make your picnic more comfortable. Put everything in a classic basket and off you go!

5. Foods and drinksSalads, cakes, fruits, homemade lemonades, beer, wine, etc. A pic-nic requires variation. Make some-thing original and use a lot of fresh ingredients. Let yourself be in-spired by the recipes on the follow-ing page!

20 Anouk Craps

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Be a Volunteer,

“Shortcut to happiness”, Youth Exchange, Struga, 2010

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make a difference!!!

“Faces behind masks”, Youth Exchange, Struga, 2011

Discover ecotourism! We have all heard about ecotour-ism, but do we know what it ac-tually means? According to the site of The International Ecotour-ism Society (TIES) ecotourism

is “Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environ-ment and improves the well-being of local people.” The participants of ecotourism should therefore minimize their impact, build envi-ronmental and cultural awareness and respect, create a positive expe-

rience and raise sensitivity to the countries’ environmental and so-cial climate. The financial benefits should go to the local people.When taking a closer look at eco-tourism in Macedonia we find out that mainly 3 southwestern Mac-edonian villages are connected to ecotourism: Vevchani, Brajchino

and Elshani. Vevchani is located at the foot of the Jablanica mountain range and close to the town of Struga and Ohrid Lake. With its 2500 inhabit-ants it is the biggest village of the mentioned ecotourism destina-tions. It is easy to find accommoda-

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tion in people’s houses. Apart from the yearly carnival on the 14th of

January the village is also famous for its own passport and curren-cy! Regarding the nature of the area, one must go to the Vevchani springs. They are situated on the eastern side of the Jablanica moun-tain range. Near to the springs one can also find many caves. The springs are located at different al-titudes. Close to Vevchani one can discover glacial lakes, from which the highest lake is situated at an al-titude of 2000 metres.6 km from the Prespa Lake one can find the village Brajchino.

It is situated in the National Park of Pelister. This small village with only

150 inhabitants can host tourists in families. In 2005 the path “Bra-jchino-Big Lake” was promoted. It is the first mountain path along which panels with detailed infor-mation were placed. The trail links the region around the Prespa Lake with the National Park of Pelister. In the park one can find a rich flora and fauna, of which wolves, bears, boars and other. A big part of the products of the local market are produced by the people of Brajchi-no. Tourists can try the local cui-sine in people’s homes.

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Vevcani

Elshani is also situated in a na-tional park, the one of Galichica, near the Ohrid Lake. During the summer about 400 tourists join the 680 local inhabitants of the rural mountain village. Throughout the village around 200 beds are avail-able in family houses. The people of Elshani are very hospitable and want to share their style of living. Elshani is a good starting point for

walks and climbing in the nearby national park. There are 5 walking tours that start from the village. By the lake is a camping site is located that only works during the sum-mer. The whole area is also very suitable for cycling.

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Elshani

Anouk Craps

MACEDONIA: HIKING PARADISE

With more or less 80 % of the territory covered by hills and mountains, 3 national parks, a rich fauna and flora, many marked paths and almost no tourist, Macedonia can be called a hiking paradise…

Here you are two hikes to try this summer to escape Macedonia’s heat!

Galičica national park - Magaro peak

Pelister national park - The Rocky Trail

Galičica national park - Magaro peakThe Galičica national park is lo-cated between the lakes Ohrid and Prespa. There are many routes there and they are mainly leading to the Magaro peak which stands at 2265 meters. One way to climb this summit :From Ohrid reach the village of Peštani where the marked path starts. You will walk in the forest until a place called ‘Ajdučka cešma’. From there you take the asphalt road until a saddle. From this point you can start the climb of the sum-mit. From the top you’ll have a per-fect view on the two lakes, Ohrid and Prespa. The part until the sad-dle will take you more or less 3h30 and the climb of the top 1h30.

Pelister national park - The Rocky TrailPelister is the second biggest natu-ral park after Mavrovo. The Rocky Trail is a good way to discover it : it will lead you to the highest peak, the Mount Pelister on the Moun-tain Baba, which stands at 2601 meters, via the two glacial lakes, ‘malo ezero and ‘golemo ezero’, called the Mountain’s Eyes.

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Lake Matka

Popular way to spend your weekend is to go Lake Matka, a half-hour drive from Skopje. Taxi from the centre costs about 300 MKD. There is a city bus (number 60) that drives there every day. Lake Matka offers amazing wvews and fresh air, churches, monaster-ies, dozens of caves and la arge num-ber of endemic plants and animals. Here is great opportunity to try hik-ing, boating, or climbing. Lake Matka takes care of visitors needs - if you get hungry or thirsty, there are couple of restaurants to satisfy these needs.

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Sofia Sormuenen

The way we advice :From Bitola go to the Holel Molika, at the very entrance of the park. From there take the marked path. You’ll need around 4h30 to reach the first lake, ‘Golemo ezero’. There, there is a mountain house where you can spend the night. From this place you can reach the second lake and then climb the summit in more or less 2h30 hours of walking.The path is marked from the begin-ning to the end.

Blandine Charreau

Biljana Bozhinovska

Each year from June 21, the first day of summer and the “World Day of Music” until July 31 Skopje is the rhythm of the culture. The Skopje summer festival has offered an ex-ceptionally rich and various pro-gram including concerts, theatre plays, painting and photograph ex-hibitions, multimedia projects, op-era and ballet performances, and se-lected film projections. During the hottest summer months, Skopje is an open city hosting various events on its open stages, such as the Skop-je Kale Fortress, the River Vardar Wharf, the mystical surroundings of Kapan An and Suli An in the Skop-

je Old Bazaar, and the city park. Some events take place in museums, city gal-leries, and theatres.

This year Grande оpening will take place at 20.00 p.m. with exhibition “Love it or Leave it” and the next 40 days residents and visitors will enjoy Skopje’s stunning multimedia projects, exhibitions, theat-rical performances. July 4 and 5 are re-served for Blues & Soul Festival, fromJuly 11 Nescafe cinema begins to work. This is only part of the rich program that Skopje Summer Festival offers this year and you can be a part of this event.

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SKOPJE SUMMER FESTIVAL

If you have VOICES in your hands and you are a traveler, or at least you are interested in traveling, es-pecially cheap traveling - you are in the right “place”. I’m not going to tell you how to spend your vacation, nei-ther where and how to travel. I have the pleasure to introduce to you the beauty of CouchSurfing (CS). But have you ever heard of CouchSurf-ing? No? Yes? You are already a couch-s u r f e r ? That’s great, feel free to write to us and share some of your adven-tures with our readers. Or you still don’t know what the CouchSurfing is? Here you will have the answer.Officially, it is a non-profit organiza-tion with web site, open to everyone, where people can search for a couch to surf, or a place to sleep for free. If you ask me, CS is a worldwide network where people from all over the world can get in touch, become friends, share experiences, learn from each other about different cultures, tradi-tions, habits and help each other to travel very cheaply by offering a place to stay. You think it is too good to be

true? I thought the same. Probably you have the same questions as I had in the beginning…How to use this “service”? Is it safe? Should I pay to be a couch surfer? First of all, it’s free, you register on the web site, create your profile, describe everything about yourself that you want to share and start searching for your couch. There is a guide on the site that will guide you

how to find a host, how to host travelers, even how to get involved in your lo-cal CS com-munity, and get in touch with other c o u c h s u r f -ers from your city. And it is totally safe.

Just think that everyone was on your place, as a new couchsurfer, hesitating, asking the same questions, and they decided to do it. You can always read the comments and references about other members. If you don’t like his/hers characteristics - you don’t accept to host/surf to that person. You don’t have to let everyone stay in your home, as well as you don’t have to host some-one first in order to surf. Try it, you’re going to love it.Feel free to register, become a CS member and enjoy the “beauty” of

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Couch Surfing or Cheap Travel

CouchSurfing: www.couchsurfing.org Airport SurfingIf in case you cannot find a host on CS (it can happen if you search it last minute), or you’re still not a couchsurfer, you can always try airport surfing…and sleep on the bench at the airport, listening the sound of the cleaning machines, open-ing door, the security guards walking around and looking at you suspiciously. Sounds a bit funny, but it is not so bad,; it’s just another option for cheap trave-ling. It is for free. OK, it is not very comfortable, but it is air-conditioned, and it is safe (maybe not very much for your luggage, but every travel is a risk and adventure, isn’t it?).The choice is yours.Enjoy your travel!

What does some of th

e couch

surfers say about CS:

“Couch surfing is not only a web site where finding a host. It is a very large group of people having the same mission: creating a better world. Couch surfing enables anyone traveling to know new places and meet new people. Both of these two things help to achieve this mission, since mutual knowledge surely clears the way for peace. :)”

Francesca (Italy)

“There are no words to describe this amazing community. Couch surfing changed my life totally and it made me who I am. It opened my eyes and taught me how amazing it is to share, to care and to help out. I’m not a tourist, I’m a COUCHSURFER!”

Josh Cahill (United Arab Emirates)

30 Sanja Paunovska

Dear reader! Do you have an account on Facebook or other web site where you can share information, photos, music with your friends, to see what your friends are up to, etc…? I guess everyone keeps in touch with their friends in a way they want or can do. But you, as a reader of VOICES, you are not just an ordinary reader, are you? Maybe you are a traveler who likes adventures…Let me start over…

Dear Traveler! Do you have an ac-count on Way2A where you can share information about your adventures, photos of your travels, to see where were did your friends go last month and how to get there, etc…? You don’t know about this yet?

Way2A or Your Way To Adventure (www.way2a.com), is an interactive social networking platform for peo-ple with passion for traveling, and all those who like to explore new direc-tions and share experiences with oth-ers. This web site is based on modern technologies. Includes GPS navigation systems and mapping routes on the map, it gives opportunities for micro

blogs and travel journals. With this new service, all travel enthusiasts are able to: share their escapades; review and assess the adventures of other us-ers; meet interesting people with simi-lar experiences and sharing the same passions.

How does it work? First of all, is free of charge. Everyone can sign up and add routes by hand adding some points or import it directly from the GPS device. Trough Way2A you can also down-load a route to your GPS device. The 3D view gives you the opportunity to view the route in three-dimensional, very precise picture of the terrain. Also there are topographic maps (for hiking), street maps or satellite views which might be useful for your travel.

So far, the web site is in English and Polish, but soon will be available in 4 other languages.

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Share your adventures - Way 2 A

BOOK REVIEW: EAT, PRAY, LOVE (author: Elizabeth Gilbert)

Summer and books! A perfect combina-tion to relax after the hard working days. The summer is already here, all you need is to take a book and choose your fa-vorite place for reading - on the beach, in your yard, in the park, wherever you feel comfortable ... so you can enjoy

reading and relaxing.

Still hesitating about choosing the right book for your vacation? The choice is huge, and the right one can be any book you chose. At least we can recommend you one, one that you should not miss it, really worth to read:

EAT, PRAY, LOVE: One Woman’s Search for everything across Italy, India and Indonesia.

A book full of joy, happiness, emo-tions, spirituality, mystic and fun. The best tourist guide you want to have for your travel. Memoirs about journey for search of hap-piness. Four months in Italy, eat-ing and enjoying life (“Eat”). Three months in India, finding the spir-ituality (“Pray”) and the rest of the year in Bali, Indonesia, looking for “balance” of the two and found love (“Love”). Approximately 500 pages of pleasure very easy to read. Words that will feed your eyes with curios-ity and make your mind insatiable for exploring.

As Elizabeth wrote in the book: “We search for happiness every-where, but we are like Tolstoy’s fa-bled beggar who spent his life sit-ting on a pot of gold, under him the whole time. Your treasure–your perfection–is within you already. But to claim it, you must leave the buy commotion of the mind and abandon the desires of the ego and enter into the silence of the heart.”

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From the moment the can-nons on the hill across the city are fired – at some pretty unholy time in the morn-ing – you are indulged in an all-out trumpet extravagan-za, that’ll make you beg for mercy and scream for more simultaneously.

I remember standing in a discotheque in Groningen (The Netherlands) when two over-muscular, dodgy look-ing tracksuit meathead types were pointing and looking at me suspiciously. Trying to mind my own business I saw them coming towards me.

“You were at Guca? “ - Yes. Hence the t-shirt.“That’s awesome… we are from Serbia by the way”.In 2005 and 2006 we drove to Central Serbia with a group of friends from the Netherlands. At that time we were or-ganizing small and bigger parties in

Groningen, thematically linked to South-Eastern Europe. So that basi-cally meant wild dancing, rakija and Balkan Brass DJing by yours truly: DJ Folkoteka Spartak aka DJ Vulkanizer. Balkan brass or trubaci music has a long tradition in the region, not just in Ex-Yugoslavia. The style of playing is a descendent of the music played by Ottoman army bands and mostly brought by Roma musicians at occa-sions like weddings and/or funerals. The instruments are passed on from father to son and the travelling band is highly important for the family or village income. Today still, some of the most famous fanfares that tour the world support their community with their fees.Forget Shantel or any other Western-European DJ that prospered during

Memories of Guca - Guca delirium

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the Balkan Beats hype in Western Europe, replacing complex tradi-

tional rhythms, song structure and tempo with boring dance floor-friendly reggae; these here are the ‘trubaci’ that were born with a trumpet, sousaphone or tuba in their hand. And whether they wanted or not made responsible for a part of the family income. You might’ve heard of Kočani Orke-star (MK), Fanfare Ciocarlia (Ro), Taraf de Haidouks (Ro) and Boban i Marko Markovic Orchestar (Srb). Boban Markovic is also honorary mayor of Guca.In South Serbia there are different styles of playing, different rhythms and different (song) traditions in

almost every Roma community or village; truly an El Dorado for (eth-

no-) musicologists and music lov-ers. In the period before Guca there a preliminary rounds and smaller festivals to decide which group will represent their village on the Guca Festival, competing for the title of best fanfare and the ‘Golden Trum-pet’-trophy.From the moment the cannons on the hill across the city are fired – at some pretty unholy time every morning – you are indulged in an all-out trumpet extravaganza, that’ll make you beg for mercy and scream for more simultaneously. And that for four days.At daytime Guca is turned into one

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big market selling everything from toy Kalashnikovs to hats. A true meat-eaters Walhalla, since there is a whole pig roasted around every corner. There is a campsite where you can camp if you make an deal with the owner of the meadow. During the evening the streets of the (small) village are flooded with large groups of (mostly) men and in the stadium there are concerts and the official competition program. Some of the stadium program may have an entrance fee. Check the website below for more informa-tion (also in English).Taking token pictures of you hug-ging, climbing, kissing or imper-sonating the statue of the man with the trumpet… Dancing on tables... Perfecting your ‘kolo’ [ basic tradi-tional dance that gets more compli-cated with excessive alcohol con-sumption]… watching the parade that include all bands and visiting foreign groups…

Although the festival, especially during the 90’s and early 00’s, was also frequented by large groups of Serbian nationalists – I reckon they still sell plenty of ‘četnik’ hats on the markets – nowadays there’s plenty of tourists coming to enjoy the ‘best drinking party in the world’. Be-cause if there is one thing besides

trubaci music that I remember, or hardly remember, it is the absurd quantities of alcohol – beer, rakija and whatnot – consumed in the streets of Guca. If you look at the groups of Serbians it almost seems like some sort of rite of passage in a village that for couple of days turns into an anachronism, con-sidered by romantics the Serbia as it used to be.

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Recommended listeningFanfare Ciocarlia – Gili Garabdi

Kočani Orkestar – L’Orient est Rougehttp://www.guca.rs/eng/

3 Guca survival tips:- Go with the flow; everyone is drinking so you might as well; - Some bars are ‘reserved’ for larger groups; go into the café’s, walk upstairs: the bands will also pass by there and play for your party (if paid);- Don’t stay on the festival area all the time, or accept the fact that you’ll overdose on trumpets. The nearby region around Di-vcibare is beautiful and great for walking.

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Cry for help

My Kingdom

Photos by Martin Stojanovski

Volunteers CentreSkopjewww.vcs.org.mk

Pelister Eye, Baba Mountain 2280m