Camping high

We start early from Vinica and quickly climb a narrow valley up to a 900m altitude high plain. This is agricultural land of centuries past. Houses are built of rough hard wood and/or mud, or homemade mud bricks.

Further along, we arrive at our next-to-last pass of Macedonia and seek permission to pitch our tent. We meet "Baba Vita," a gentle grandma who seems very worried by our request, until she calls her son Drago to the rescue. These folks are so welcoming! We are shown around their land and find a perfect tent place with a view, plus a few irrepressibly playful cats, and the company of four free-range horses.

After the goodbye hugs, we plunge into the descent and a sea of clouds.Read more