Fall

Is finally here. Even though the weather seemed to quickly shift for us to an early (and long) winter, we have benefited from a mild push-back of both temperatures and colors. Rain and fog seem to be daily occurrences but for the past several weekends Pranvera and I have made it a point to get outside this foul-aired city and enjoy the trees, fresh air and village mentality. Now that she is becoming more mobile, we are able to do relatively short walks to both exercise her leg and give our lungs a rest from the coal burning, auto exhaust, construction dirt filled air.

Sad to say though that the summer drought here has reduced the primary reservoir lake for Pristina to a virtual bathtub. We walked along the crusty dirt, trash lined shores to eventually see a little remaining water in the distance. This came as a great shock to Pranvera since the restaurant we ate at had a pavilion 'floating' in the water only back in April whereas now it just appeared to be a concrete tree house with no water to be found. Matter of fact, tractors were driving across the lake to reach the other side and cattle grazing in their new found fields. But we did have plenty of trees in all shapes and colors. This sight can't even be taken for granted since there are massive amounts of illegal logging to meet the annual winter demand of heating most likely 70% of all the homes in Kosovo (still).

Over the past weekend we hit another milestone in that Pranvera finally got off her anti-biotic shots and pills and was able to enjoy a glass of wine. So we split our Friday in between drinking with her old USAID work friends (many of them seeing us together for the first time) and a dinner party among my international friends. It is so comforting for the both of us that we like, fit in and are accepted by each others' sets of friends. Since out here they are all basically family.

The next weekend we decided to get a little bit more elevation so we headed south quite close to the mountain I will be snowboarding on soon. The higher elevations are already covered by snow compliments of several recent harsh rains we have received. The lower foothills on the other hand just have their fair share of mud and more trees bursting with color. I had taken the big 4x4 from work and was able to charge up some pretty steep village roads to eventually arrive above a quaint town with close access to several walking tracks and trails connecting other villages. The amazing thing is that for the people who live up here, they somehow have to climb these roads year-round (I think this is where the donkeys come in handy). It is quite fun to drive through these towns where everyone will stop and stare since it is very obvious we are not from there. At least now when I get lost I have Pranvera to get us 'found'.

Sunday it rained non-stop encouraging a very lazy day of staying indoors to read, eat, watch TV, eat, eat, and nap:-)

Thanks for Coming but Try Again Later

Well, what should have a been a blog of spiritual proportion (literally) has turned into really nothing more than a report on a very very long car ride and a hike into Alice in Wonderland. Wanting to take advantage of the 3 day holiday weekend (with an added 4th day) and both of us not having any commitment with our girlfriends (his in Belgrade and mine unable to walk), Sander (as seen in the Rolling Stones blog) and I decided to go visit the monasteries on Mount Athos in northern Greece. The mention of the ladies is relevant since no females are permitted on the southern most secular tip of this peninsula by Greek law. Each one of the 20 or so isolated monasteries are reachable only by boat, an official invitation visa from the High Holiness Council and reservations for a free bed made directly with the monasteries which would be visited. This is where things fell apart for us.

But prior to arrival we had a heck of a time even figuring out how to leave Kosovo. See if you have an EU plated car like many of my friends, no problem. If you have a Kosovo plate, you can only go to Macedonia and Albania. Anywhere else will charge you this made-up bullshit insurance tax, and for Greece it is 280 euros for a 1 month pass (when you only need a weekend). So when I called to reserve an EU car to find they were all booked, we were figuring we were SOL. Taking several buses at best and then renting a car once in Greece. But fortunately at the last minute we learned that some Kosovo cars at this one rental place have the right insurance so there would be no extra fee. Perfect! For 50euro/day (they gave us 4 days for 3) we sped out of Pristina in a fast new Passat with an excellent stereo system. Usually driving anywhere in Kosovo at anytime sucks due to the road conditions, traffic, crazy drivers, cows etc. But on this particular night, the eve of Bajram, the Muslim holiday, everyone was off the road at home with all the shops closed. We made it through all of Kosovo, the borders, Macedonia and into Greece in record time to arrive in Thessaloniki in time to meet up with Sander's good friend for a beer.

Now this encounter and our free night lodging almost didn't happen since Sander had left his number at work. Fortunately for Internet cafes and email we retrieved the information, met this guy's roommate to drop off the gear and headed into town to walk about and meet up for drinks. Amazing to be in a huge metro city and have so many ancient ruins all around. This place is also an insane shopping city with thousands of stores and places to eat/drink. So considering this fact it was rather ironic that we ran into another old friend of Sanders in the bar right next to where we were heading. Sander had lived/studied in this town for about a year so I guess this wasn't too unbelievable. So several beers later we crashed for less than a 4 hour sleep in order to wake up before sunrise to do another 3 hour drive to the 3rd finger to reach the boat that would take us to our final destination. So through darkness, rain and heavy fog with no clear sense of direction, we miraculously made it to our destination as they began boarding the boat.

Unfortunately it was not to be. Apparently the reservations at the monasteries didn't grant us one of the 10 foreign visa's they can issue per day. Despite my constant nagging of Sander to have taken care of this logistic he said he had taken care of things and they would work out. Well even with our begging it did not change the fact that the bookings were full until Nov 17. So instead we sat in a cafe to watch the boat pull away and the dark rainy skies opened up to add insult to injury. 7 hours drive, several hundred euros for transport and for nothing...As the gravity of the situation hit Sander he was ready to just head back to Pristina. NOT. I suggested we make the most out of it and instead walked the town a bit, thought about taking a boat cruise to see the monasteries from the water (but missed the early boat and the later might not have departed), drove out to the border so Sander could be convinced we were not 'hopping the fence and hiking in', and then we headed back up towards Thess but planned on checking out this trail head hiking map we had seen on the way in.

Half hour or so later we found a terribly calibrated map with what looked like a simple and not too long loop hike up into the mountains. With nothing better to do and the rains having temporally stopped we laced up our boots and entered into 'Alice in Wonderland'. Please, allow me to explain. For the next four hours nothing that we saw had any logic to it what-so-ever. First off the map immediately was off as we crossed intersection after intersection on the main muddy fire road upon which we were walking. Somehow though we receptively guessed the right route climbing up and up and up till we were near some major radio towers. As the trail leveled out a bit on the ridge, another road broke off to the right but went up to the highest peak in the area. So we decided to take this brief detour just to say we did it. Well low and behold there was another very expensive map stand similar to the one in the beginning with a big arrow on it suggested we were less that a quarter of the way into the loop. There were also several very nice wooden resting benching and wood trashcans with no bags (and most likely no one to ever litter into or empty later). And the clincher was if you walked up 20 feet higher to the base of the antenna tower, there was another map exactly like the one we were just looking at. To top it off this particular spot wasn't really even on the main trail. Not to mention that Greeks just do not do this type of activity too often, ever.

Well Sander and I decided to go for the entire route since we knew we were still on the right trail and had time to kill. So for the next 3 hours we came across several more of the extremely overdone hiking map signs, a new pavilion with BBQ pit and no less than 20 new picnic tables in and around it which would technically require approx 60 people to have hiked up the mountain in poor weather conditions with food (to BBQ) and everyone wanting to eat lunch at the exact same time. We even had the chance to see the fog roll across the mountain top with a little bit of sun cutting through the forest. Of course any hike in Alice's Forest needs a random pig farm in the middle of nowhere. Sander almost started a stampede feeding them chestnuts. A couple more right hand turns, several more hiking shelters, wooden trash can holders with no trash can, picnic tables, alter, and these patches of concrete for road lasting no more than 20 feet, we finally ended up at the other end of the trail. In an abandoned strip mine with no chance in hell anyone would find the final well conditioned map sign. And according to the sign post, all of this was brought to the wonderful tourists in Greece for a meer 140,000 of the EU's taxpaying euros.

As we headed toward the village and walked through its streets to reach the main highway back to the car, we saw NO ONE. The entire village was empty but had the sounds of people, colors of fresh flowers and clearly seemed like we would notice something. And the next village too. We know that places close town off tourist season but this seemed a bit extreme. We finally saw a women sitting on a bench watching as we tried to hitchhike back to the car, unsuccessfully. And just when things couldn't get any weirder, there he was watching us with those beady eyes and satirical smile; the Cheshire Cat. As I started to run we noticed this random park on the left that caught our attention. And of course it turned out to be a touch and feel psychedelic garden on the inside of an old Monastery. Too much.

Having not eaten for the entire day we drove about 15 minutes to the next big town that actually had people and a couple restaurants open. No sooner had we parked the car, stepped inside and ordered a well deserved feast, the Heavens opened up with a torrential flash flood rain that sent rivers down the hill road and across the square. As we stuffed our faces watching the storm, we realized that someone was looking out for us after all. Or at least until we arrived back in Thess and were able to contact another of Sander's friends kind enough to offer us a shower and nap until we connected back with the guy we stayed with the night before. Even though Sander lived there, even at this exact apartment I guess two years time tends to erase memory of the details. For the next 2 hours we got lost in the city where every street looks the same full of traffic, people, shops shops shops. Just when my fuse almost blew we found the apartment, were greeted with a warm sweet treat but not so warm a shower. The boiler had broken the day before so I was transported back to my backpacker days in Asia of bucket bathing from a pot of boiled water. No matter, I was clean and took no time to crash on the sofa for a nap that lasted till 9 the next day.

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At this point I had decided to cut our loses, enjoy the warm day walking around the modern city (Starbucks) and then head back to Pristina so as to not have to crash in someone else's apartment and technically kill time. There was now no reason for me to take the extra day off work and I needed to reschedule my Advertising Class with my students. The return drive was fortunately uneventful at nice standard highway speeds. I got Sander as far as Skopje where he jumped out to catch a bus to spend the next 2 days with his gal in Belgrade and I B-lined it for the McDonald's. Man, a Big Mac never tasted so damn good. Recharged, I returned to Pristina in time to spend the evening dining with a close friend and enjoying a brilliant sunny Sunday mountain biking and actually taking Pranvera out of her apartment to socialize for only the second time since her return from Belgrade. I could see how much the fresh air, different clothes and mild exercise lifted her spirits and allowed us to enjoy each others company somewhere new. As for my spiritual weekend, it was an exercise in patience, forgiveness and just rolling with it. After all, this is the Balkans.

Not So Fun Times in Belgrade

Well, I guess it was inevitable that I would see the darker side of the Balkans via the socialist health care system. The only saving grace from this miserable experience is that it was not me having the knee operation (already had my fair share of ongoing medical issues) but unfortunately my girlfriend. At least now I can write knowing the worst is behind us but a long road of recovery is still ahead of her to rehab her knee back into shape and for me to always remain encouraging, patient, a slow walker and accepting that I'll either need to head off and do some of our previously shared activities solo or just put them on hold for awhile (in theory this would not be too hard since Winter is approaching).

Before jumping into the hospital experience I must provide some background to understand the full scale of the medical mess that exists over here for all non-expat types that can't get evacuated to Europe. Originally, her accident began over 6 months back in the States where she fell twisting her knee severely but not requiring surgery. So supposedly after 6 months of care and limited activities everything should have been back to normal. Not! All it took was one afternoon of roller blading with her niece when she did nothing more than push her leg out to the side for a pop and splintering pain to make it very clear that whatever had happened was now torn and would require ACL surgery to fix.

Since the local hospital has no equipment or trained doctors for something like this she went to a private clinic that I have also been to a number of times for X-rays. They were able to take her and get film of her knee and a consultation with a young doctor (I too have seen). The diagnosis was obvious but the film didn't show enough to know if she would need both ACL and meniscus surgery. So consultations were made and a surgery consult/reservation made with the Austrian doctor who flys in every month or so to do these more advanced procedures. So after waiting several weeks with one postponement of the date (completely changing many of our plans), he arrived and was able to see her. As surgery was postponed for yet another day we decided to have a quiet night in before she would not be able to walk. Then they called to inform her the machine broke and they could not do it and would need to reschedule for sometime the middle of next month when the doctor could return. We heard rumor that this is (sickly) sometimes their strategy to get people to fly to Austria to receive treatment at a much higher rate (despite the fact the 1 clinic here was already charging more than Belgrade). So with no set date, weeks of waiting, and her mild level of pain and limited mobility, we decide to give up on what little healthcare there is in Kosovo and make plans to go to the State hospital in Belgrade, a place she has not been since before the war and generally speaking a city few Albanians like to go to anymore.

Fortunately a friend of mine is a doctor in Belgrade who connected Pranvera to the best doctor in Serbia who does these types of procedures. Since it is a state hospital they can only see patients on Tuesday and then will decide when/what surgery to do. Another week of waiting and she took an overnight bus to meet with the doctor, who confirmed the initial diagnosis and told her she would be scheduled for operation that Friday, which was actually perfect since ironically I had a business trip in Belgrade and was driving there on Thursday and she could also stay with me in the hotel. But of course they changed this the next day requiring her to return there with her mom again that next night for a Thursday operation. But upon arriving to process all the unbelievable paperwork, pay in cash for the surgery and a minimal 2 week stay they told her she would need to wait 1 more day (as it was originally scheduled). It was also at this point when her doctor came straight out to ask her for a bribe to complete the surgery, otherwise hinting it might be postponed again. Emotionally shattered, Pranvera complied, had to put her mom back on the bus and waited for me to arrive to give her a place to rest while I had my business meetings.

We at least had 1 fun night in Belgrade with a great meal out, snacking on some McDonald fries and walking around the city. Finally the next day it happened but not until making her wait an extra 4 hours of lonely anticipation in a very depressing, run-down, antique hospital and a room that could have resembled a prison cell except for the big window she had. No pillow on the bed, disgusting bed sheets, no phone, TV, call button for nurse assistance, place to lock you valuables, etc etc. (things I take for granted and can't imagine not having when you are already in a great deal of pain with NOTHING to do). So once I finished up my meeting I went to the hospital to wait for 4 hours before they brought her up from intensive care. Of course the nurse did not speak any English so it was 1 hour before another patient was able to tell me the surgery was complete but didn't know when/if she would be returned to her private room that night (which was only 1 of two--rest were with 3-6 people). I had brought her some water, flowers, fresh bed sheet and a blanket to replace the contaminated one they provided.

All I can say is that seeing her face as soon as she emerged from the elevator confirmed I had done the right thing. I didn't leave her side for the next 6 hours until she finally dozed off to sleep so I could return to the hotel and try and get some rest myself. She was still heavily drugged but conscious and coherent and had a bit of a tired smile. She told me about the surgery and showed the many bruises in her arms from all the needles they had stuck her with while one last one remained with the IV drip (oh and they left an extra in her other arm just in case). So, once she was situated we pretty much didn't see any nurses the rest of the night until I had to start chasing them to come and help her out with the pain medication. Once the drug from the operation started to wear off she suffered through spasms of leg pain for most of the night. They weren't doing very much to manage this and only after hours of pleading did they finally call the doctor to get approval for an extra injection and sleeping pill to help through the first night. I can safely say for the both of us this is something neither of us ever wants to repeat again.

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As she faded to sleep it was time for me to sneak out and catch some rest myself back at the hotel. So the nurse let me off the floor and locked the door behind me. Mind you I had only walked the route once earlier which now looked completely different with most the lights off and no one around. I felt like I was in the middle of some horror film with creepy sounds, outdated medical equipment sitting in the hallways, flickering lights and that smell...Finally I rounded a corner to the familiar main doors only to find them locked. What? Hospitals here close? So I continued on to certainly find someone to let me out. Eventually a nurse emerged from a nap in the break station with a puzzled look and several exclamations that I couldn't understand. Even my charades were no good in asking for assistance so I had to call my Serbian friend who explained on the phone my situation and the nurse said she would call security to let me out. Whew. Now I was able to call and cab and would soon be on my way. 15 minutes later I was still waiting so I went back to the nurse who didn't know what was going on so she eventually decided to get rid of me and let me jump out a small first floor window into the courtyard only to see my cab reversimg from the dark entrance. As I sprinted to catch him he was looking over his shoulder and only noticed me as he spun the car around and I jumped in, startling him a bit. Finally to bed. Oh, not before the car driving in the lane next to us ran over a black cat... ugh.

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The next day was a bit better for her. She had eventually gotten some sleep and the pain was mildly less. We were able to enjoy the gourmet meals of watered bread, mashed potatoes, soup, butter or maybe even a vegetable. Since everyone shared the showers you needed to make a reservation and then get the nurse assistance. They wouldn't clean your sheets so fortunately I had brought her some new ones so we could get rid of the blood stained one. Hours and hours of talking, games, napping etc kept us busy for the rest of the weekend. Wanting to avoid getting locked in again I spent Sat night out with some friends having a nice dinner and drinks. Sunday I was lucky enough to catch a lift back to Pristina with another friend who had been in the city for the weekend as well.

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Only to repeat all this the next weekend as well. But a bit worse. First the shuttle took 7 hours getting me late in Belgrade after visiting hours were over. The friend's apartment I was going to crash at was still out of town for the night so I needed to find a hostel or hotel. An hour/half and 5 hotels later I finally found a place to crash for the night. No dinner. But had a nice breakfast and was back at the hospital again as if I never left. Pranvera was looking much better than the previous weekend and we were able to take some short walks around the halls, chat with some of her patient friends and enjoy each others company. Her wound had gotten mildly infected so she was on antibiotics and not able to focus on her rehab, which is why she was still there 10 days later. Although the hospital was know for good doctors they were short supplied on everything else. And to say the least the conditions did not appear at all sterile. I joined my friends again for dinner and then spent a quite night in a Belgrade apartment. Back at the hospital again for most of Sunday but before returning on the bus I had the pleasure of feeling like I was back at camp as I was laying fully clothed on the bed next to Pranvera talking since the chair resembled something from a torture chamber. And the nurse came in to say this was not allowed after the other patients were out in the hallway giggling and had a bratty 19 year wheel chaired girl push open our door and roll away.

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Now that she has finally returned to her home and receiving the support of mom's cooking, nieces running all around and a revolving door of guest, rehab should start soon and we hope to be dancing in 3 months... pak unga pak.