For years we have been saying that we must experience a train ride in North Macedonia.
There is a one-track train line which runs from Kocani to Skopje, it takes 4 hours (driving is around 1 hour) and runs once a day. It leaves Kocani at 05.00 hours and returns to Kocani at 20.00 hours.
Anyway one Sunday afternoon when all the visitors had gone we were wondering what to do and decided to drive to Stip to pick up the train to Kocani, this is a 20 minute drive and the train journey is 50 minutes. (What you do in the name of nostalgia!)
Arriving in Stip, Johan went to the ticket office and bought 2 tickets, he also got a timetable.
We took our seat in the ‘waiting area’, it was 18.25 and according to the timetable the train would arrive at 18.36. The station master said to Johan, just ignore the timetable the train comes when it comes. Its always at least half an hour late. It is as it is.
Johan started talking to the station master. He joked that not only was the building from 1936 but the train also, he was curious to know what we were doing and also why we were taking the train as there is a notable absence of tourists here. Johan explained and the man asked about life in the Netherlands. He said that everyone wants to leave for a better life but he earns 270 euro per month and his wife works and earns the same. He said that he is more than satisfied with this, his life is good. What more could he wish for?
They discussed wages and lifestyle and the man nearly fell off his rickety bench when Johan told him how much child care costs in the Netherlands.
After about half an hour the other gentleman, who turned out to be the guard, put his cap on and walked down the railway line.
About 2 km further along was a railway crossing and he was off to close the barriers.
At 19.07 the train came into view. Believe me we were like excited children.
Once on the train the train conductor came and stamped our tickets. He wasn’t run off his feet as we were the only passengers so he sat down for a chat. He told us (Read: Johan, I didn’t understand a word of course!) that on average 160 passengers a week travel up and down from Kocani to Skopje. He had never seen tourists on the train before. There is talk of modernising and there is a newer train which they run occasionally, if you look up the train timetable on internet you will only see photos of the newer trains however this train passes our house and we have seen the newer train only once.
Rice Fields 
We spent the whole journey hanging out the window like excited schoolkids. As dusk fell the views over the mountains were amazing.
One more passenger got on the train, we sped along at 50 km an hour, people waved, the train blew its horn at every crossing and dogs ran alongside barking for their life.
All too soon the journey came to an end. We stepped off in Kocani where the train would stay until 05.00 hours the next morning.
Wanderings in North Macedonia 