The town where my husband works is called Kocani. Pronounced  ko-ch-an-i

Kocani is a small town in the East of North Macedonia in the Region of Bregalnica.

This region consists of 14 municipalities with many small villages and settlements and is named after the second largest river in North Macedonia which runs from the city of Berovo and passes through the region where is joins the rivier Vardar and eventually joins the Aegean Sea.

The area has an abundance of forest which play an important part in water retention and erosion reduction. The Nature Conservation Program in North Macedonia aims to increase public awareness regarding nature conservation in addition to the promotion of new agricultural practices and sustainable forest management.

If you are interested you can read more about the  Municipalities
in Bregalnica Region or check out my Blogs: Freedom Monument Kochani; Walks around Kocani; Cycling around Kocani; Cycling around Kocani

You will also find information about the Flora and Fauna of this area.

Kocani

Is situated 120 kilometers van Skopje, the roads from Skopje have improved in the last years and now instead of driving around the mountain there is a motorway which reduces the travel time which for the likes of my husband who travels up and down to the airport on a near weekly basis, is great. However, you miss out on so much scenery driving along the mountain roads that to me it seems a crying shame. Okay, so there are toll roads on the way but hey ho, at the cost of 1 euro 50 cents who’s counting?

Driving

The roads are very quiet, I have yet to encounter a traffic jam. Macedonians are either very careful drivers or complete maniac’s.

Whilst driving there are a number of things to be aware of;

1. Rounding a corner it is not unheard of to have to slam the brakes on when you meet donkey and cart taking the farmer home after a hard days work on the land.
2. When cars coming the other way start flashing their lights, this is not because your wheel is half hanging off (well, it could be I guess), its because a little further along the police are out with their laser guns. This happens often in the weekend and always be aware in the villages that the speed limit goes down to 50 km/hr.
3. Fines.  The police may ask you to pay a cash fine on the spot, this is as in all countries not the correct way to pay a fine.

Kocani has a population nearing the 40.000, it has a small town with local shops selling everything from clothes to the latest smartphone. Electrical goods are no cheaper than in Western Europe but household goods and clothes are priced much lower. The shops do not generally have a large stock and sell only what is on show in the shop. The quality of goods is generally poor.

In the shops there are a few people who speak English as is the case in the bars and restaurants. On the whole the people are honest and will try to communicate with you.

The Macedonians use both the Cyrillic and Latin alphabet, in most places the Latin alphabet is used, in more remote villages you may find signposts and  restaurants which only use the Cyrillic alphabet. 

Useful words:

• Hallo = Zdravo
• Yes = da
• No = ne
• Please = Molam
• Thanks = Fala
• Good = Dobro
• Beer = pivo
• Red wine = crveno vino
• Dry White Wine = suvo  belo vino

A word often used is: moze (mo-sh-é) – and means, okay, it is possible, that’s fine.

Ciao is used in general for goodbye.

When leaving a shop or restaurant for instance you
can say; Fala, Ciao!

In the center of Kocani you will find a lot of bars and restaurants. In the evening the bars are full of young adults enjoying a drink. It is not common to see drunken or unruly behavior. If you watch closely you will see that people nurse one drink for the whole evening.

Kocani is known as the City of Rice and when travelling outside the city you will see lush green patches which are the rice fields. You will also see local people working on their rice field.

The problem with rice fields are that they are submersed in water, and with warm weather and water its an ideal breeding ground for the dreaded mosquito!  There is no malaria in Macedonia, but you can expect the mosquito’s to feast on any bare flesh they can find and will ensure you spend the next few days scratching like a cat with flea’s .

The general rule is:

• Stay indoors around twilight as that is the moment the mosquito’s emerge and are hungry!
• When going out in the evening wear long trousers and if possible long sleeved cardigans.
• Cover yourself in anti-mosquito spray.
• When choosing a place to sit outside go for the draught! Mosquito’s don’t generally like draughts.
• Come prepared with insect bite cream.