46 drivers, 7 countries, $70, and 5 couch surfing hosts.
Those were the numbers from our hitch-hiking trip around South-Eastern Europe. **Scroll to the bottom to see a list of all
the drivers (with all the stops we made) and hosts.**
“Hey Jenny, let’s hitch-hike through a bunch of countries”
“Okay.”
And that was how our journey came to be. Summer time is a
little boring in Albania. School is out, the weather is hot, and everybody
leaves town to go to the beach. I spent my whole summer last year integrating
into my community, and as a result this summer has been filled with weddings on
weddings. I like Albanian weddings, but you know…a little moderation always
does a person good. It was time for me to leave Albania. The only issues:
1) Super broke from losing my things in a river and then
getting $100stolen from me at a gym in Tirana.
2) Oh wait yeah…that was the only issue.
So I didn’t have much money to spend which meant I was going
to need to hitch-hike and couch surf/camp out. This trip didn’t need to be
about luxury anyway, it was more of a search for adventure, new experiences,
and well…getting out of Albania for a while.
I have to say that I felt it was necessary for me to do this
kind of trip now while I’m young and a volunteer because I don’t know how
likely or appropriate it will be for me to do this later in my life. Even if hitch-hiking adventures somehow do
find me in my future, well why not now anyway?
I keep on saying “I” but it is important that I mention that
this journey was not just me; I had companions. For the first half of
the trip I had Jenny alongside, and for the 2nd half I had both
Jenny and Ian. Having them along the way definitely made the trip feel safer
and added an element of comfort to the excursion.
To get into the very details of this journey, you’d probably
have to sit me down and swap some stories, but to keep this blog interesting, I
suppose I’ll share some highlights. For example, we were picked up by a driver
who was paralyzed from the waist down. We also got picked up by a cop, a man who
was driving home to get married, a dude whose house was just struck by
lightning, the president of the Bulgarian Ski Federation, and quite a few other
special characters. Our drivers ranged from early 20s to possibly 80s and while
most of them were men, we did have a few couples pick us up and even one
awesome Bulgarian woman.
Driving through countries with locals is an experience in
itself. They often told us of historical moments that conflicted with the
stories of other drivers’ recounts of history i.e. “Alexander the Great was
obviously Greek” “Alexander the Great was clearly Macedonian”. We had very
talented drivers who could manipulate a semi truck like it was tiny sports car
to horrible drivers who couldn’t even handle a brand new Mercedes. The views
were magnificent and it was cool to see the local drivers’ reactions to our awe
of their land. We scored free coffees, snickers, snacks, and even meals along
with our rides and the entire time I couldn’t help but think “How are these
people so generous and trusting of strangers?!” Even when we arrived to the
border of Romania and Serbia we were pleasantly surprised by a smiling border
patrolman who asked us if we needed help. When we responded yes, and that we
were looking for a car to take us across the border, he replied “I know. I
assumed that and already found you one!” It was kind of an amazing feeling,
especially because we thought crossing into Serbia would be the most difficult
seeing as we have so many Kosovo stamps on our passports. Perhaps it’s the
cultural difference between Americans and Europeans or perhaps it’s something
else. All I know is that I want to be like that. I want to show kindness to
others just to show them that it exists.
I took note of every drivers name and tried to jot down
something interesting about them (if they spoke enough English for me to learn
something about them). We also took a photo with every driver that picked us
up. It was a great thing because every person who picked us up seemed really
flattered that we would want a photo with them. There were only a few
exceptions of people we didn’t even ask to take photos with because they were
either in a rush or a little bit weird/creepy.
Our hosts were to thank just as much as our drivers. They
not only gave us a place to stay, but went the extra mile to feed us, take us
to parties, teach us to salsa dance, show us the sites, and really get to know
us as friends. Along with our hosts, we met some other pretty special people.
One man that we met at a gas station café invited us to his home to meet his
wife and children. They made us a home-cooked Bosnian meal and gave us some
homemade jam. More importantly they shared some real time with us and really
gave us some insight to what living in Bosnia as a Muslim was like. Another man
pulled us off the road in Serbia to give us some watermelon. He then introduced
us to his friends who took us onto their boat on the Danube River and fed us a
wild mushroom risotto. They also gave us plants to take home and a kind of wood
you can put in your tea or raki. They shared with us stories of Serbian
hardship and still treated us with incredible hospitality even though we were
American living in Albania. One truck
driver had a truck full of gadgets, such as a lap top with internet, an on-road
camera, and speaker system. He also has drawings made by his son and a lot of
photos of his family. He, along with many other truck drivers made us realize
that for a truck driver, the truck becomes a 2nd home. He told us
that he had to be kind to us because, we were guests in his home.
The other experience that stands out in my mind was of
meeting Jenny’s ‘cousin’ in Bosnia. She showed us around and explained in great
detail the history of Bosnia and its hardships. It made me feel so much more
connected with the country. It made me wish I knew more about Albania’s
history.
Oh yeah, and one night we also slept in a public park
because it was too late to try and find a host and the hostels were all too
expensive. Hah.
I wish I could share more, but I worry about posts getting
to be too long. I’d like to end this post with my thoughts on the journey
overall. It was the trip of a lifetime. I got to meet people I never would
have. I trusted in myself, my drivers, my hosts, and in everything turning out
okay. Jenny was an incredible travel buddy from beginning to end and Ian added
a whole other dimension to the trip. Most importantly, and I can’t say this
enough: There are kind people out there. Kind, courageous, and spontaneous
people who are willing to help out a stranger just to be nice or to make their
day more interesting. I am so thankful and grateful for every single character
that played a part on this journey. Every country was beautiful, interesting,
and unique.
Here is a list of all the drivers (and the places they took us) and hosts who helped us on our journey with some interesting fun facts that I jotted down along the way!
1) Bilisht - Thessaloniki (Erion: Jewish Albanian!)
2) Thessaloniki outskirts to center (Jonis)
**Host-Nik**
3) Thessaloniki to Serres (Dimitris: horse back rider)
4) Serres to Bulgaria border (Olina and Gena) and (Numi--we couldn't pronounce his name so we called him this)
5) Bulgaria border towards Sofia- (Miroslav)
**Host: Shenol 2 nights**
6) Sofia to Plovdiv- (Amiana: The only single woman to pick us up!)
7) Plovdiv to Istanbul exit- (Diakus)
8) Istanbul exit to Stara Zagora (Marian)
9) Stara Zagora to Bourgas (Valentin: president of BG ski federation, former politician, had a Beatles playlist)
10) Burgas to Veliko Tarnovo (Ivano: "Catastrophe and da" were his favorite words)
11) Veliko Tărnovo to Bucharest (Andre)
12) Host and driver to Bucharest, Vama Veche, Vadu, Mamaya
Bucharest: (Filip)
13) Bucharest to Pitesti (Tibi: A Romanian policeman)
14) Pitesti to Craiova (Andres/Andi: Dual citizen, okay with gay people because he thinks it's a medical problem)
15) Craiova-Filliasi (Adi)
16) Filliasi to Drobeta Turnu Severin (Nikolai: Drove a pick up truck)
**The Serbian border cross police helped us to find our next car**
17) Severin to Serbia border(Draga)
18) Border to Tekija (Misha)
**Enjoyed Watermelon, berries and a nice convo with Bojana Serjan, Steven, and Bratislav (made a cook book) who live on a boat in Tekija**
19) Tekija to Belgrade (Predrag: paralyzed from waste down from falling off rocks when he was 25)
**Host: Daniel (beekeeper and massage therapist)**
20) Belgrade to outside city (Miki)
21) Outside city to Dobanovci (Dushk)
22) Dobanovci to Ruma (Zdravko)
23) Ruma to Nova Gradiska (Tomo: Was getting married in 3 days)
24) Nova Gradiska to Okucani (Mario: Works for Mazda, and his house was hit by lightening the day before)
25) Okucani to Banja Luka (Gorad: Owns chicken farms, daughter is on scholarship for swimming in England)
**Host: Marko**
26) Banja Luka to Jajce (Vlado)
27) Jajce to Bugojno (Oslo: Invited us to have lunch in his home with his family. Lived in US and has parked Oprah Winfrey's car!)
28) Bugojno To Novi Tranik (Emir and Šulo)
29) Novi Tranik to Vitez (Jaravo)
30) Vitez to Sarajevo (Avdo)
31) Sarajevo to Pazaric (Sakib)
32) Pazaric to Tarcin (Odakle)
33) Tarcin to Mostar (Azer) --Ian got a bee sting in this vehicle!
34) Mostar to Buna (Ivica)
35) Buna to Dubrovnik (Eddie: Bosnian living in Germany-- drives a nice Mercedes)
36) To Dubrovnik center (Bosco: had a dog named Osho in car)
37) Dubrovnik to Cilipi (Dario: has friend in Mountain View, California!)
38) Cilipi to Budva (Suzannah and Roman: A couple from from Slovakia and Bordeux)
39) Kotor to close to Budva (Philip: from Crimea)
40) Close to Budva To Budva (Lena and Sasha: from Moscow)
41) Budva to Bar (Mile: Very old guy who told us he had a water bottle full if vodka in his trunk)
42) Bar to Dobra Voda (Sead)
43) Dobra Voda to Ulcinj (Halil)
44) Ulcinj to Zogaj (Masi)
45) Zogaj to Supinë (Samen an Kamplen)
46) border to Shkoder(Çimi and Suela)
2) Thessaloniki outskirts to center (Jonis)
**Host-Nik**
3) Thessaloniki to Serres (Dimitris: horse back rider)
4) Serres to Bulgaria border (Olina and Gena) and (Numi--we couldn't pronounce his name so we called him this)
5) Bulgaria border towards Sofia- (Miroslav)
**Host: Shenol 2 nights**
6) Sofia to Plovdiv- (Amiana: The only single woman to pick us up!)
7) Plovdiv to Istanbul exit- (Diakus)
8) Istanbul exit to Stara Zagora (Marian)
9) Stara Zagora to Bourgas (Valentin: president of BG ski federation, former politician, had a Beatles playlist)
10) Burgas to Veliko Tarnovo (Ivano: "Catastrophe and da" were his favorite words)
11) Veliko Tărnovo to Bucharest (Andre)
12) Host and driver to Bucharest, Vama Veche, Vadu, Mamaya
Bucharest: (Filip)
13) Bucharest to Pitesti (Tibi: A Romanian policeman)
14) Pitesti to Craiova (Andres/Andi: Dual citizen, okay with gay people because he thinks it's a medical problem)
15) Craiova-Filliasi (Adi)
16) Filliasi to Drobeta Turnu Severin (Nikolai: Drove a pick up truck)
**The Serbian border cross police helped us to find our next car**
17) Severin to Serbia border(Draga)
18) Border to Tekija (Misha)
**Enjoyed Watermelon, berries and a nice convo with Bojana Serjan, Steven, and Bratislav (made a cook book) who live on a boat in Tekija**
19) Tekija to Belgrade (Predrag: paralyzed from waste down from falling off rocks when he was 25)
**Host: Daniel (beekeeper and massage therapist)**
20) Belgrade to outside city (Miki)
21) Outside city to Dobanovci (Dushk)
22) Dobanovci to Ruma (Zdravko)
23) Ruma to Nova Gradiska (Tomo: Was getting married in 3 days)
24) Nova Gradiska to Okucani (Mario: Works for Mazda, and his house was hit by lightening the day before)
25) Okucani to Banja Luka (Gorad: Owns chicken farms, daughter is on scholarship for swimming in England)
**Host: Marko**
26) Banja Luka to Jajce (Vlado)
27) Jajce to Bugojno (Oslo: Invited us to have lunch in his home with his family. Lived in US and has parked Oprah Winfrey's car!)
28) Bugojno To Novi Tranik (Emir and Šulo)
29) Novi Tranik to Vitez (Jaravo)
30) Vitez to Sarajevo (Avdo)
31) Sarajevo to Pazaric (Sakib)
32) Pazaric to Tarcin (Odakle)
33) Tarcin to Mostar (Azer) --Ian got a bee sting in this vehicle!
34) Mostar to Buna (Ivica)
35) Buna to Dubrovnik (Eddie: Bosnian living in Germany-- drives a nice Mercedes)
36) To Dubrovnik center (Bosco: had a dog named Osho in car)
37) Dubrovnik to Cilipi (Dario: has friend in Mountain View, California!)
38) Cilipi to Budva (Suzannah and Roman: A couple from from Slovakia and Bordeux)
39) Kotor to close to Budva (Philip: from Crimea)
40) Close to Budva To Budva (Lena and Sasha: from Moscow)
41) Budva to Bar (Mile: Very old guy who told us he had a water bottle full if vodka in his trunk)
42) Bar to Dobra Voda (Sead)
43) Dobra Voda to Ulcinj (Halil)
44) Ulcinj to Zogaj (Masi)
45) Zogaj to Supinë (Samen an Kamplen)
46) border to Shkoder(Çimi and Suela)