Day 85: Home town of Mother Teresa - Skopje, Macedonia

(Him: Charlie)

I am in Skopje, Mother Teresa’s home town, to pay pilgrimage to one of the greatest person ever lived on earth. Most people associate Mother Teresa with Calcutta, India, but she was actually born and raised in Skopje, where she spent 18 years before devoting her life to the “poorest of the poor”.

It’s a shame that I didn’t know who Mother Teresa was until she passed away in 1997; and I didn’t know what she had done until the visit to Skopje. Her altruism and dedicated soon garnered my utmost respect, and right away she became one of the persons I respect the most.

Take a look at the vow she wrote when founding the Missionary Sisters of Charity.

"I, sister Mary Teresa, vow and promise to Almighty God and to the blessed Virgin Mary in the hands of your grace, the archbishop of Calcutta, for life. Poverty, chastity, obedience and also to devote myself to the service to the poor." 

The devotion of being poor and dedication of helping the poor for the entire life is an accomplishment that is unmatched by any regular people.

Salute, Mother Teresa!

Day 82: Another UNESCO site? - Ohrid, Macedonia

(Him: Charlie)

When UNESCO first started designating heritage sites in 1978, I wonder if they thought about the designations being used as a marketing tool. Indeed, being a UNESCO designated site definitely has a better draw on travelers, at least when the number of designated sites was still relatively low.

However, the UNESCO designation seems to have lost its silver lining these days, as more and more sites receive their designations. In fact, as of 2012, 962 sites are listed: 745 cultural, 188 natural, and 29 mixed properties, in 157 States Parties. With this large number of designated sites, how much draw does the designation have on tourists? Probably not a lot left.

During our trip to South America 3 years ago, Chung and I realized it’s ok not to visit all the UNESCO sites because there are too many of them. This time around, I don’t even remember how many UNESCO sites Jo and I have been to – Warsaw, Piran, Split, Dubrovnik, Mostar, Kotor, Ohrid, etc. Some of these sites are more impressive than other, but one thing is certain, we went there not because of the UNESCO designation.

I can understand the importance of a UNESCO site in the sense of heritage protection, but unfortunately, though the designation is being widely used as a tourist promotion tool, it can no longer be used as travel guidance.

Day 81: What’s in a name? - Ohrid, Macedonia

(Him: Charlie)(Him: Charlie)

Sometimes traveling allows us to encounter some really bizarre and funny things – the naming controversy revolving around Macedonia is one of them.

Commonly known as the Republic of Macedonia, the official name of this country is FYROM, Former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia. Why such weird name you may ask. That’s because the countries in the region, particularly Greece, would not allow Macedonia to have a simple and generic name.

Little do outsiders know, thanks to its powerful past, Macedonia also refers to a region, which encompasses not only Macedonia, but also part of northern Greece, part of Bulgaria, Serbia, and Albania. So when Macedonia broke away from Yugoslavia in 1991, countries led by Greece insisted that the new country should have a name that defines the specific region of Macedonia, such as Northern Macedonia. In the end, one thing led to another, the name was temporarily settled as FYROM. Yes, temporarily, because apparently, the negotiation with Greece is still ongoing!!

This issue may be contentious in the region, but to the outside world, the whole issue is just bizarre. Who really cares if Macedonia is Northern Macedonia, FYROM, or simply Macedonia? In my opinion, the prolonged negotiation is pointless and waste of time and resource. If the Greek government is still looking to trim some gravy, they may want to start with a few stubborn historians!