Krika Palanka

We drove North from Kocani to the Region of Kumanovo. We passed through Probistip and Kratovo and many small rural villages.

In many of the villages it feels like time has stood still. Narrow cobbled streets, houses which either are falling down or being renovated, all still lived in so its hard to tell the difference.

Delipidated houses are seemingly not demolished but left proudly standing whilst new houses are built next to them. 

Mortgages are something for the very wealthy in Macedonia and the banks seldom offer credit to buy a house, this means that hard work and savings are put into building houses, it also explains why houses are very often not finished, as long as there is running water and windows on at least one floor then the house is deemed livable. 

We drove on to Krika Palanka, a small down with a picturesque river flowing through it, 3 km outside the town is the famous Monastery Sveti Joakim Osogovski. This is probably the most visited monastery in Macedonia, there is a restaurant serving typical Macedonian food, we ordered coffee and Monastery Cake, expecting this to be a sober affair we were presented with a very large slab of chocolate cake dripping in fudge icing accompanied with a generous helping of cream. Obviously the monks here know how to live!

Sitting next to us were a Macedonian couple of around our age. The man was conducting a video call, he turned in his chair and pointed the phone at us, I thought it strange but decided to wave politely to the caller when Johan suddenly started talking to the man, at which point the man looked incredibly embarrassed and quickly turned  away.

Apparently he had
said to his caller: " the foreigners have arrived" and Johan had
replied in Macedonians', yes mate we've arrived! 

Monastery Sveti Joakim Osogovski

The monastery is well worth a visit, it is a village in itself, and the little shop sells most amazing Ajvar. Along with other locally produced jams and relishes.