Any suggestions for a destination? or maybe a career-change?

People, I am getting tired of this travelling business. Seriously..for the past 7 years I've been constantly travelling all over Europe and Asia. Mostly for business of course but still when does this drudgery end? For how many hours do I have to get this exposure of airplane radiation? Pack and unpack the freaking luggages..wait at the passport cue..pass through security check..uurggghhh..(and this is not Ronaldo's victory roar..!!)

Well, unless I start a different career, I am afraid I have to endure this until my retirement, which is still 15-20 years away..just to give you a hint what is ahead of me for the coming months..Utrecht, Rotterdam, Frankfurt, London (twice!!), Zagreb, Llubljana, Skopje, Belgrade, Sarajevo..that is 8 countries in 4 months..and then..we're still discussing about Barcelona, Johannesburg (really?? freakin' South Africa??). 

Seriously, I am not braggin or anything..I'm just tired.. tired of doing all the same chit-chat with different persons..talking about the same shit..it's the weather, the market, the economy, the crisis or whatever...staying at the same hotel rooms..you get the idea!

But I shouldn't complain..this is what I deserve..I opted for this..when I graduated from University I didn't want to end up as a translator..speaking so many languages and translating one stupid manual after another..no, no..I wanted to see the world. Interact with people..get to know different cultures..to have that savoir faire..yeah..there you have it.
Anyways, let's talk about something else..I will leave this travelling thing to another day..I bought a new camera recently..nothing too expensive..just one I could carry around easily..not too heavy..it's a Samsung NX300 and I must say I'm quite happy with it. It came with a 20-55 mm lens kit and Adobe Lightroom software..which was a pretty good deal I think. What I likemost  about it, is that it takes great pictures and supports wifi so you can e-mail or send them directly..one thing I could bitch about is that it doesn't have the viewfinder..but what the heck..the Rolling Stones knew that already..you can't always get what you want..

Have you watched 'Whiplash'?..well, if you're into music, you should definitely check it out..it was very entertaining and that dude can really play the drums..I mean, sure he's not a jazz drummer but still..an OK drummer..the music and acting wasn't always in sync but I didn't mind..I like underdog stories..you should check it out.

I like jazz..lot of good music out there..one of the best jazz documentaries is 'let's get lost'..it is about the faboulous Chet Baker and to me that documentary is the mother of all music documentaries. It's shot in black and white but you get to see how destructive drugs can be..Chet Baker was a real addict but also one of the best jazz musicians..check out his '56 record 'chet baker sings'...brilliant..

So, no travel stories this time..just some gibberish..next time I will write you from Rotterdam..stay safe everybody!

I just want to sit on my couch like a boss and sip on my tea!! 

It's been a while..

Destination:Skopje

Airline:Turkish Airlines

First time going to Macedonia and I am impressed by the airport. It was even better than the airport in Belgrade and this is a smaller country. I met some interesting people in Skopje and the city is culturally diversified due to the ethnic mixture. But I was positively surprised. It is a small city with nice cafes and big statues. They are definitely proud of their Macedonian hero Alexander the Great because there is a huge statue in the middle of the plaza....wasn't he Greek? I thought he was Greek..hmm.. OK, let us not delve into sensible and deep waters here..since this is a very touchy subject for both countries. So as you will understand I was also in Belgrade but due to the laziness factor I didn't blog from there. Kerouac would definitely be proud of me. 

I am staying at the Hotel Arka, which is situated next to the old Ottoman Bazaar. The bazaar consists mostly of Albanian and Turkish minorities. First day I was there the receptionist advised me not to stroll around at night in this area, which of course sounds very inviting for a hotel claiming to be 5 stars. Naturally, I didn't listen to her and it turned out that walking alone in such alleys at night was no problem, however it is not recommendable indeed. It didn't look safe because it was dark and 2-3 youngsters were staring at me meanly and saying something, that I didn't understand. Everybody was really friendly here but there is always one jackass who spoils the whole bunch. But the old bazaar itself was quite interesting since it still looks ancient. I believe, if I had encountered this place some 2-3 centuries ago it would looked the exact same way. The bazaar leads straight to the old Ottoman castle which is impressively overlooking the city. But it was not open for a visit. Although a sign says it was closed due to repairs a friend told me that this was not true. There were some ethnical clashes because the government wanted to build a church inside this old Ottoman relic and the Albanian opposed to it strongly so it resulted in some dispute between Christian and Muslim minorities. They clearly considered it as a provocation. I don't know if that was true but hey..just chill everybody. Religion is a one big fat lie! There you have it.
Anyways, the city itself bears these old Ottoman marks practically everywhere. There is a Hamam or a Medrese or some other building. When I listened to street talk I could clearly hear people speaking in Turkish. Different accent but still Turkish. So I guess the Ottoman is still present here one way or another. 

The food is typical Balkan food. It is quite delicious and I didn't think it was very expensive. I mean I ate a lot and they charged me 10 Euros only. Taxis are also very cheap. Skopje is a small city so anyway you go they  charge you something between 4-5 Euros maximum. 

So what else can I write..hotel was good, food was good, people are friendly. Almost everyone speaks English. I enjoyed it and will definitely come back.