Sweet Rides of Macedonia - Mr. July - Manly Trucks

Sweet Rides - Trucks Edition

No review of MAK vehicles would be complete without mention of the truck.  These vehicles come in all sizes and styles, commensurate with their use and origin.  MAK trucks are numerous, varied, and pressed into service in ways not usually seen by those in the pampered West.  So, here is a sampling of those manly vehicles no country can do without - the sturdy truck!

Here is a sweet green  Zastava stake body truck.  This Serbian automaker made every kind of vehicle imaginable back in the day, including a variety of trucks.  Like anything useful, these trucks still run the roads, park as they wish, and haul stuff.  Very often these older types haul firewood to home yards.  Many,  perhaps most homes still use wood as the heat source, so a lot of haulage occurs.  This ride appears to be from the early 60's, and still comands respect from adjacent Yugos and Fiats as well as any pedestrian.



Also common is the TAM sweet ride.  This stands for Tovarna Avtomobilov Maribor, the name of the manufacturer and the city in Slovenia.  This factory was established by the Germans in WWII to make aircraft parts, but switched to vehicles after things quieted down.  The results can still be seen on roadways across the Balkans and apparently aerodynamics did not carry over to the design.  Below is a TAM 80, I'd guess, maybe from the late '70s.  TAMs are easily identified by their grill medallion in the shape of a clover with a star.  These very large medallions no doubt provide front grill protection, along with stylish branding.  I am partial to TAMs but unfortunately production became erratic in 1996  and they went kaput in 2011.  No one has told the 1000's still on the roads, however!

You can always tell a TAM by the clover-shaped medallion.  Better paint next time!  

Right here is Gevgelija is another most excellent representation of manly automotive excess, the FAP.  "FAP" stands for Fabrika Automotiv Priboj, which I know you will be shocked, shocked to  learn that it is located in Priboj, Serbia.  This company was founded in 1952 and may still be Fabrika-i-zing away. The vehicles were all heavy duty and can still be seen grinding up steep slopes delivering firewood and gravel.  Below is one of two FABs at the local fire department ready to do various manly things.  The FD trucks look like early 60's models and, unlike their snowflake US counterparts, are still in service. 

The Chief's car sits indoors.  The fire truck door is open, ready for any emergency.  

Leading the way to any emergency is this LADA Chief's car.  It is an SUV, but hangs out with trucks so here you go.  LADA is a Russian brand and this model, the Niva is extremely common.  LADA Nivas still dominate the SUV market event though most are 20 years old or so.   

Below and left is another Niva keeping its section of road secure, while still looking sweet.  It will be ready for action when the brake job is finished in the next few years. 

No discussion of sweet rides would be complete without mention of another Russian import - the UAZ.  True connoisseurs of truck manliness may recognise this brand from watching u-tube videos of crazy big Russian trucks slogging through mud, snow and across rivers.  Go on, admit that you do it !  I do not know what UAZ stands for, but I'd guess that is is the sound people make when one of the larger versions are spotted.  Here, Mr. July brings you a couple of the more pedestrian models.  The first one is from right here in Gevgelija.  This truck-like SUV may be from the 70's, and has the distinctive UAZ medallion on the front.  This medallion looks like the hands of a clock marking 10-after-9, or maybe 10-to-2.   I don't know what this rather enigmatic insignia means, but it gets cool points from me.  This ride gets some extra coolness by including the horseshoe on the grill.  So far, its luck seems to be holding.

Now, for the other and admittedly more manly UAZ.  The one below was spotted in Ohrid, Macedonia, where it garnered many "Uh-azz" exclamations.  This version looks to be from the mid-to-late 1940s and still looks ready for conflict.  It gets points for the full size hood brush guard, probably original paint, and the extra cool rear tarp with the rakish tilt.  All important features for a manly ride.  

I'd seen this truck parked down by the lake before.  Its purpose now is probably to get tourists to stop, and maybe buy some trinkets after Uh-azzing this sweet ride.  We resisted the trinkets, but the pizza was good. 

Finally, here is Gus getting in some practice on being manly with a small electric truck.  Note the 10-and-2 hand position and the laser-like focus. He is no doubt prepping for the day when his Daddy buys him a UAZ.  Until then, he and a million other small kids run these battery powered vehicles around the city centers on hot summer evenings.  Gus, as always, is dressed for the part.

We thank Mr. July for bringing us closer to our manly selves with the coolest trucks around.  Let me know if you need a load of oak - we'll send one your way.  

Sweet Rides of Macedonia - June

Sweet Rides - Mrs June Non-Motorized Transport

Looking back on the last couple years one of the common forms of MAK sweet rides must include non-motorized transport.  And, one of the most common in this catergory is the bike.  Most bikes here are city bikes - fat tires, a few gears, baskets, some lights and maybe the optional rack.  Many of these bikes look quite old and have been kept on the road in spite of age, condition, or unsuitable terrain.   Here is my esteemed spouse taking her city bike cross country.  Below is a typical old reliable bike patiently awaiting its owner to travel to the next village or market.  These do hard duty hauling their riders and market goods, or a couple kids; hence the need for baskets and rack.

Bikes in villages and towns compete well with other traffic, except maybe tractors.  Virtually no one (except PC volunteers), wears a helmet as they confidently weave among traffic in all weather.  I am very impressed with their multiple and determined abilities.

Here is a plastic bottle recycle cart.  These are common, cleverly constructed, and quite useful

Here on the right is another version of the custom bike cart.  Careful observers will note that this is front-wheel steering model.  The human engine cranks the rear wheel and the operator steers the front side to side to turn.  It is not much on cornering, but good in navigating big loads thru the twisting streets in the Skopje Old Bazaar.

The top-of-the-line sweet ride is the horse cart.  These are everywhere in rural areas; which is pretty much all of this country.  Horse power is used a lot to jauntily take their owners to town, haul produce, move household goods, and plow fields.  The carts are invariably made of wood and, built on a metal frame with rubber tires.  The one horsepower version is the only type I have seen.

Horse carts act exactly like cars and travel on roads, park on sidewalks and are in every town.  Even major cities have horse carts which are usually used for picking up paper/plastic for recycling.  These city carts can haul enormous loads, and large families.

There are other animal carts as well that use donkeys or even the occasional goat.  Since speed, load and just plain good looks are valued, the horse is the most common power plant.

Here is a cart in Negotino parked out front of the tire store.  

Here is a fine country sweet ride with the owner allowing the power plant to take a break.  You can tell this is a high class horse due to the blinders.  Looks like a quick wash is needed to restore the original white luster however.

No discussion of the non-motorized sweet ride would be complete without a description of the wheeled mule.  This kid carrier jogging stroller is proudly being shown off by Henry Eisenbarth in DiHovo.  The stroller, which actually was called the "wheeled mule," was an Eisenbarth mainstay for hauling kids (all 3), luggage, groceries, clothes, pretty much anything that needed to be schlepped along during a walk, and thru airports.  This thing travelled the world and logged many miles here in Macedonia.  I don't know the make, but it kept going on replaced tires, taped nylon top, and plenty of spare inner tubes.  Sadly, it met an untimely demise on a trip from Macedonia to Rome when it was delivered to the luggage carousel with one of the front tires Sheared. Right. Off.  It probably got caught in a conveyor.  Liz ran it on 3 wheels in Rome, and it still traveled on to Madrid.  There, in Spain, it was stolen, recognised as a sweet ride even with only 3 legs.  

We applaud non-motorized transport in its many forms.  Travelling this way makes you better every time you use it.  For all this and more, we thank you, MRS JUNE!

Sweet Rides of Macedonia - May

MS MAY - Sturdy Tractors

One of the more durable sweet rides in Macedonia is the tractor.  As much of Macedonia is rural, the tractor is found everywhere, doing things that tractors do - plowing, cultivating, and hauling Baba to town.  Tractors appear to have all the same rights to roads and sidewalks as cars - plus they are uncaring to any physical damage that might result from a quarrel with a car for a prime spot.  I am very impressed by tractors that abound in small towns.  They are rugged, perform all the essential services a tractor is designed to do, and are driven by usually cheerful people.

Most of the tractors that I see look pretty old, a testament to their solid design and the back-yard mechanic skills of their owners.  One very common type is the IMT, which I believe the one below represents.  IMT (Industrial Machine and Tractor) is Serbian and may still be in production.

 Here is an IMT on the way to the fields in Bogdanci, Macedonia.  Passengers often sit on the fenders, just like farm kids used to do in the US  until farm-wives put a stop to this fun but otherwise risky practice.  Baba usually sits in the trailer scowling at the indignity of having to share the ride with onions.

Here is another IMT in Negotino.  This one was wired together and leaked oil like a North Sea drilling platform, but had the best view of the city of any other tractor around.  

This blue sweet ride below is a bit of a rather rare beast.  The nameplate identifies it as a "Fordson Super Dexta" which were made in England for just 4 years in the mid 1960's.  I really like the fender seats on this model, so Baba can ride up front in the sweet style she deserves.  The little rusty white tool box (I think) on the deck is a nice touch, but probably useless.  

Front view of the Fordson, with an IMT behind it.

Here, (below) is another Fordson in the parking lot of a food market.  This one has a much more manly tool box.  Tractors just run the streets like cars, park where they wish, and don't need no dang seat belts.  Plus, they sound a lot cooler than any other car, except maybe the Yugos.

 Now, for the sweetest ride in tractor-land.  I do not know the make, but these small yellow tractors are everywhere.  They are used to cultivate the grape  and vegetable fields as they fit between the rows perfectly.  They are all-wheel drive so they seldom bog down in the soft soil common to this country, and they are all engine.   As far as I can tell these tractors consist of a 2-cyclinder engine, and a couple gear boxes connected to the wheel drive shaft.  No lights, sometimes no seat, no worries.  This one gets the job done and from the looks of most of them have been doing said job for a long, long time.

We thank the tractors of Macedonia for giving us the best fruits and vegetables imaginable.  We also are thankful that Baba gets a stately ride into town.  For all this, Ms May has a special place in our hearts, and we gladly donate gear oil to keep them running long into the future.  

Thank you, Ms. MAY!!

Meteoric Meteora Greece

Over this past Easter Holiday my wife and I, and Tyrone a fellow Peace Corp volunteer travelled to Kalampaka, Greece.  This is a town in north, central Greece - and a bit off the usual tourist trail.  This area is famous for ancient monasteries built upon towering rock columns.  This World Heritage Site is well worth a visit for its testimony to human accomplishment, religious dedication, and just plain awe.  The food is pretty good as well.  First, no description is complete without a bit of geology.  For you non-geologists, this is your cue to go let the cat out.

This unique region in Greece sits on a broad river plain; and in the uplands are towering rock formations, hundreds to almost 1000 feet tall.  These rock towers are made up of sedimentary conglomerates, indicating that they were formerly part of deep river bed deposits, or possibly a sea bed.  At some point, even before I was born, the surface was pushed upward, then eroded by huge water flows, wind and rain.  These forces created huge stone columns standing in isolation at the edge of the plain.   Here is what it looks like now  - cool, huh?

People generally believe that around 700 - 900 AD, hermit Christian monks used the area as secluded housing,  living in the many eroded caves in the columns.  Being monks, and probably consumed by the desire to outdo their fellow monk, they began to construct  bigger domiciles and even churches at the tops of some of the columns.  The construction phase really took hold in the 14th and 15th centuries, when the area became a center of religious monastic study, and there was plenty of free real estate to choose from.  This also coincided with periods of invasion for that area, and the lower-level monks headed to safer and much, much higher ground.

Given that the consolidated sedimentary rock is not good for building or supporting large structures, the monks hauled every bit of construction material up the towers.  They used ladders, ropes, and their backs.  They also had to haul up all food, water, tools, wood for building and fuel and probably pizza.  The level of effort to achieve the result cannot be guessed.   Eventually, 23 monasteries were constructed, but only 6 remain today.  Over time, the size of several of these expanded to consume all available space on the top of the column, and create a large enough structure to hold a whole community of monks all doing monkish things like creating manuscripts, making extraordinary religious articles, embroidering detailed vestments in gold and silver, and my own personal favourite - building a wine barrel the size of a bus.   They also constructed all the things needed to support their community for cooking, working, creating ground level gardens, clothing, rope and on and on.  Not bad for a bunch of bearded guys that looked like lost members of the band ZZ Top.  But, with a single-minded purpose, anything is possible.

Here is Kathy walking the 70 story hike up to one site.  She is smiling, I was not.

Here is a shot of other stairs.  Most were pretty good and allowed for many tourists to make the otherwise near impossible trek.

This is the Holy Trinity monastery.  We liked this a lot as it was small, beautiful, and set on a solitary rock tower. 

 Here to the left is a cable car leaving a monastery.  It is that grey box.  It carried a single woman, dressed for Easter.  We never did figure out how to get the monks on the other end to give us a lift, so we walked.

 Here is a large complex, the Saint Stephen's monastery I think.  They all followed a common theme with an incredible ornate church with beautiful frescoes.  Living areas were along the outer courtyards, with a whole internal area given to the needs for daily living and contemplation.  Every room had a fantastic view and you could see why the way of life was special.  Even more amazing is that each of these only has a handful of monks living there today.  When we were there they mostly kept a wary eye on the waves of tourists.

Here is the Grand Meteora Monastery, the largest.  This one is reached through a cave cut through the stone.  A great  defensive touch and also kept the busloads of Bulgarian tourists to a single file line for a change.

 Some monasteries had bone relics of famous Byzantine patrons or those of particular high religious status.  These were in fancy silver boxes.  The guys that did the work hauling stuff got to have their bones put on a rack in the cellar.  Seems like a bit of inequality, but more people were interested in these hauler guys than the elite bones of the silver box set.  I don't know what is stored in the 2 lock-boxes, but I'd guess it is the latest crop of haulers discovered in parts of the monastery still being restored.

 You are probably getting the idea that this is a really cool place, which it is.  Here is one more picture of a monastery.  This one had the bridge option - another fine defensive touch.  We visited all 6, and were glad we saw every single one.

We also visited a small Vlach village high up in the hills.  Here is their wind-swept church.

Closer to town, in Kalambaka, we got to meet a few people.  Here is the owner of a small taverna where we ate.  We looked alike, and there must be some DNA shenanigans in play.  He is my mini-me.  We later stopped by for roast lamb.  On Easter, everybody cooks lamb.  It is a bad day for the lamb but pretty good for everyone else.  Everywhere you went you heard music, could smell food cooking with lemon and garlic over wood fires.  It was great.

Also, since it was Easter, the place was busy.  Easter is the biggest holiday in Orthodox Christianity, and the whole town gets into the act.  On Good Friday, we went to a church in town and listened to the service.  Church services are sung, and the recitation was a series of lyrical vignettes about each Saint painted along the walls of the church.  There are a lot of Saints.  Following that, the Bishop, priests and congregation gathered outside where a town band was waiting.  They struck up a solemn chord, the men carried a covered relic of some sort and they walked through town, band playing, men singing and people following along with candles.

Candles also played an important role the following night.  We went to a 6th century church in town for midnight service.  There, after  the lyrical service, the church lights were dimmed, and candles were lit in the front, and used to light all the candles held by the rest of the people in the church.  It was quite beautiful.  Later, the Bishop came out to say a lot more words to people waiting outside.  Here is the Bishop getting his candle re-lit as it was a bit breezy that night.  We enjoyed this a lot.   Below is the 6th C church and its bell tower.

 OK, now if you are squeamish - you may now go and let the cat back in.  On Sunday, nearly all families celebrated the holiday by firing up the barbie, and slammin' on the lamb.  This was done on large, wood fired grills, sometimes even 2-lambers for the big groups.  We tried the lamb at mini-me's taverna and I must say it was quite tasty.

We also had a taste of canned peaches that Tyrone bought at a monastery.  They tasted like summer.  Mixed with Greek yogurt the next day they made a fine breakfast.

We all wish you a Happy Easter, a bit late, but heartfelt.  Next year, maybe, you can hold your own candles in a 1000 year old church.  Just let us know and we'll light the way for you   . . . Kathy, Al and Tyrone

Sweet Rides - March Addendum!

From time to time I receive a comment on the Sweet Rides/MAK series.  One such comment requires an update to the March Edition.  Some of you may recall that March featured one of my favorite rides, the Citroen.  This stylish French beauty is found only sporadically here in MAK.  I lamented that the uber-stylish DS was not found nor photographed for that post.  ALSO - you may recall, that my old friend from Deutschland, Tom, was a proud owner of a Citroen back when he was a student at University in Heidelburg.  Well, dear readers, both issues have been resolved, and here is the proof.

Proof 1.  The DS version has been spotted.

Here, right in Gevgelija, is a sweet glossy Citroen DS.  I do not know what the model initials stand for, but I vote for "Damn Sweet".   It was spotted in a yard, carefully hemmed in by other rides so as to not be spirited away by scoundrels, or those otherwise smitten by its aerodynamic allure.  This version of the Citroen sweet ride group exhibits the sloped body style, cover wheels, elevated turn signals and curved glass.  The front was also aerodynamic, with the same thin bumper.  This design was the product of Italian style and French desire to make the auto - tres elegant.

What is not seen is the hydraulic levelling system, disc brakes, integral front lights, all new to the consumer auto market.  Not bad for the 1960's and 70's.    What can also be seen is the sanded body of another DS in the background.  Maybe, given the proper budget, another Sweet Ride in the making.

Proof 2.  OK - Our friend, Tom, in Germany also noted my slanderous comment in the March post on his ownership of a Citroen.  He corrected, or really amplified my statements.  I had indicated that he, Tom, had one during his poor student days in Hiedelburg.  To prove both the statement and the comment that he was a "hot ticket', Tom provided these images.  It does appear that ownership and hotness were present back in the day.  Thanks Tom, and you are still a cool dude!In the meantime, we'll keep an eye open for the sleek DS spotted here in Gevgelija to run the local roads.  Also, thanks to Tom for the input and photos from pre-history.  March is now complete!

Sweet Rides of Macedonia - April

MR APRIL - The Yugo Species 

Representing the month of April is the ubiquitous Yugo.  This sweet ride was brought to us by none other than that font of fine cars - Zastava.  The Yugo brand was placed on existing Fiat and Zastava model platforms for European and even US sales. Production occurred from 1977 until 2008 or so with interruptions due to financial issues and wars - both excellent reasons.

Most models are the 3-door hatchback, but a 2 and 4-door coupe are also present.  Above is the sweet 4-door model parked on the sidewalk, which is where you park all cars.

The Yugo/Fiat/Zastava was designed to be a low-cost introduction car.  After introduction here, it appears that most of them never left.  Yugos are everywhere in Macedonia.  I'd guess most models are from the 1990's but it is hard for me to tell as people keep these cars running using back-yard mechanical skills and abundant spare parts.   Below, for example is a sweet Yugo cluster.  One yellow, and 2 white Koral 55's.  It appears that one runs, one is a work in progress and one is used for parts.  The trifecta!

Now, I recall when Yugos were sold in the US.  This was soon after the glaciers had receded from New England, where we were living at the time.  These cars were priced at $3995, so you had a choice, you could either buy a beater Ford pick-up, or a new Yugo.  Many bought a Yugo, which were not well suited for New England winters and died, cold lonely deaths in the side yards of the budget-conscious.   I believe the quality did improve, but US sales were slim and Europe and the Balkans were the mainstay markets.

Some Yugos have been lovingly cared for.  Here for example, is a sporty custom job.  Good paint, nice rims, and sassy attitude.  So, if you do not like MR APRIL - you can just kiss the owner - there!

Al