Rally Macedonia 2008
 

In honor of the Macedonian independence day, every year there is an organized 3-day motorcycle rally throughout Macedonia.
3 days, almost 1000 km., 250 motorcycles from Macedonia and almost 200 from abroad...
On the staring point, the city square in Skopje,

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there were motorcycles from every brand and model, capacity range between 110 and 2000cc... Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, KTM, BMW, Kawasaki, Triumph, Ducati... and one and only JAWA.

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We prepared the motorcycle the previous day, checked every bolt and nut, front and rear brakes and suspension, changed the oil, and pumped some fresh air in the tires. We were concerned about the load of the motorcycle, so in addition to the driver and co driver (around 160 kg.) we only packed 2 light sleeping bags, one rucksack with some clothes and a small tankbag with some necessary stuff for the road (totally ca. 10kg.) it should be enough for the following 3-days adventure...

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After the start of the rally, the "stronger" participants went speeding on the highway, and we didn't even try to keep up with them, since they were driving up to 160-180 km/h. So we formed a small group of riders that wanted to enjoy the ride and sightseeing through Macedonia. A group of riders from abroad were following us, so we were not alone.
With some short breaks on the way trough eastern Macedonia,

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we reached our first destination, the city Makedonska Kamenica.

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Short sightseeing of the city, some photos in front of the new church

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(me, and my friends, activists from the association Guardian Angels, along with our faithfully companions- our wives)...

The next city that we visited was Strumica

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and after a short ride we reached Dojran, where after an excellent dinner, we spent the night.

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The next day we continued our trip trough the southern and central part of Macedonia. The roads were full because of the holiday, so a few times we were waiting in front of a traffic light on the highway

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because there were some bridge sanction and the complete traffic went trough only one column. After a short coffee break before Prilep

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and some sandwiches in Bitola

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we started to climb the mountain Galichica. The road was leading us trough one of the most beautiful regions of Macedonia- the national park Galichica... excellent curves and sights. On the top you can see the two larger lakes in Macedonia, lake Prespa and lake Ohrid.

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Since we arrived in Ohrid and Struga late, and it was already dark, we went for some dinner and then to bed.
Early in the morning, I managed to weak up at sunrise and I went to swim in the lake. Someone was doing the same thing the previous night, but with the socks on, so he used his motorcycle to dry them out.

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The third day we were driving along the river Drim, through western Macedonia. First we visited the springs in Vevchani, a small village and tourist attraction. The biggest spring is inside of a cave and the water is coming out of some cracks in the rocks. It was dark inside the cave, and because of that the photos were lightened from the flash... so this is a scene that everyone should see with their own eyes.

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(in front of the spring park). The only picture that came out from the cave was one of the cave inhabitants, a very sweet lizard.

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All the way we witnessed beautiful scenery's, the river, the artificial lake Globochica, the peaceful surroundings of the road and the beautiful river Iceland's near Debar.

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After Debar, we visited two of the most famous monasteries in this region, the women monastery st. Geog the winner (photo 29) and st. Jovan Bigorski.

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At last, and also as last, we arrived at the end point of the rally, the ski center Mavrovo.

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All other participants in the Rally arrived 2 hours before us, but they didn't stop anywhere and missed all those wonderful sights that we enjoyed... well, there is always next year ;)

And speaking about the motorcycle, Jawa Dandy 125cc, it was great !. We didn't feel tired at all. It was comfortable enough (even with 2 persons on), very reliable, easy and enjoyable on the curves, strong enough to pull uphill... and if you are not in a hurry, it can take you wherever you want, even to the end of the world... I guarantee ! :thumbup1:

Quote: (in front of the spring park). The only picture that came out from the cave was one of the cave inhabitants, a very sweet lizard.Unquote

That's no lizard (reptile) but a land salamander (amphibian).

Nice pics!