Something quite difficult when I consider travelling abroad is to find a friend: (1) interested in going to the same place I want to go; (2) available to travel in the same period I am free. In one of the few times these conditions were in place, I spent a great three weeks on the beach near Salvador and Praia do Forte and in Jericoacoara. A lot of time just chilling out, sunbathing, drinking caipirinhas, unaware of good or bad news, no TV, no newspapers, limited time over the cell phone. A short spell in a small version of paradise and not as boring as heaven probably is.
But travelling alone, and the world being so big, I leave no time for contemplation. I'm constantly on the move, trying to see as much as I can in as little time as possible. It's a
travelling style (a friend called it Japanese tourist style) that doesn't befit everyone. But being as energetic as I am, walking 8 or 10 hours a day or taking 5 or 6 different means of transport in 16 hours is part of the fun. The main drawback, besides having to carry my backpack for long hours in a row, is the overload of experiences and information, which I am only able to digest completely a few weeks after the trip's end.
An ambitious itinerary coupled with a tight schedule means a lot of time on the road, and, in the Balkans, it meant more time in buses, trains and cars than actually strolling streets and sightseeing. It is not as bad as it may look like. I read a lot of those interesting, deep - and long - "The New Yorker" articles, I finished a book, I made friends with locals who showed me their cities, I enjoyed the scenery and I even rested a little. Sometimes I made several stops along the way, frantically visiting 3 or 4 different attractions in one day. Two samples from my travelling schedule in the Balkans:
March, 23, 2008 - Sunday - objective: leave Bucharest to Brasov and see 3 castles and fortresses - these are approximate times:
5:30 am - wake up;
6:00 am - taxi to train station;
7:00 am - train to Brasov;
8:30 am - stop at Sinaia for a visit to Peles Castle;
11:00 am - back to the train to Brasov;
12:00 pm - arrival at Brasov's train station; local bus to bus station (it's always fun to try and find out how to use the local public transport, beginning by finding someone who speaks English and gives you information on what bus to take, where to buy the ticket and where to get off);
1:00 pm - bus to Bran;
1:30 pm - visit Bran castle (allegedly but mistakenly regarded as Dracula's castle);
3:30 pm - bus to Rasnov castle/fortress;
4:00 pm - visit Rasnov;
6:00 pm - taxi to Brasov;
6:20 pm - another taxi to Brasov's city center;
6:30 pm - look for and check in a hotel (leave the backpack that was hurting my shoulders after climbing all these hillocks and castles); shower and rest;
8:30 pm - visit Brasov old city; dinner;
11:30 pm - back to hotel and sleep.
March 29, 2008, Saturday - objective: seeing Rila Monastery and proceed to Macedonia:7:30 am - wake up;
8:15 am - taxi to bus station;
8:30 am - bus to Blagoevgrad;
11:00 am - bus to Rila;
12:40 pm - bus to Rila Monastery;
1:20 pm - visit Rila;
5:00 pm - bus back to Rila;
5:40 pm - hired private car back to Blagoevgrad;
6:20 pm - bus to Kiustendil;
8:15 pm - bus to Skopje/Macedonia;
12:20 am - arrival in Skopje; check-in at the hotel
It would have been impossible to visit the impressive Rila monastery, nestled in the mountains close to Sofia, in just one day unless I had booked a group tour (which I hadn't) or relied on a Bulgarian friend (which I fortunately could). Upon arriving in Rila, we found out that the bus times to and from the city would either make it impossible to visit the monastery or to come back in time for the bus back to Blagoevgrad and from there to Kiustendil in time to catch the en-route bus to Skopje.
But I had a friend with me who managed, with the aid of the cleaning lady of the tiny bus station at Rila, to find a way out. She managed to arrange us a private car so that I could be in time for my bus in Blagoevgrad. Wanda was so nice! She didn't accept any sort of compensation. Well, to be true, she asked for something: that we sent her a letter, which would be a change in her rather uneventful routine in the small city.
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