Over on the VirtualTourist forums, BarinderK asks sort of an odd question that fortuitously led me to some interesting insights into Macedonia.

BarinderK was curious to know if, as a Canadian with Indian parents, he would be subject to racism when visiting Macedonia. It isn’t entirely clear why he would be concerned about racism in Macedonia – perhaps Indo-Canadians, as he refers to himself, are a more mistreated group than I would have thought – but regardless, he was concerned.

Other travelers quickly put his mind at rest and assured him that Macedonians would treat an Indo-Canadian just as they would any other money-bearing tourist, with hospitality and offers of trinkets. Even on the exceptionally off chance a local might hold a disdain for Indo-Canadians, they would probably keep their hatred in check and feign politeness.

The question though led to the discovery of Pijlmans profile on VirtualTourist, which “is mostly about Macedonia.”

I’ll say.

Pijlmans has put together a detailed and comprehensive treasure trove of information. If you have never considered a visit to this small country, Pijlmans descriptions might change your mind.

In hunting for trip reports about Macedonia I also came upon this thread on TripAdvisor, which contained links to MTL 1969’s blog – Minor Sights.

And what a find this was. Comprised mainly of trip reports, including this one and this one of Macedonia, the blog is absolutely terrific reading. MTL 1969 provides in-depth reviews of some relatively off-the-beaten path sites, and spices the reports with his great wit. Take his description of a church in Ohrid, Macedonia as one example:

Marvel at the Church of Holy Mary Peribleptos (which admittedly sounds like a swearword- ‘Holy Mother of Peribleptos! I just dropped this icon on my foot….’).

So, while prior to today I didn’t think one way or the other about Macedonia, or Indo-Canadians, now I do. Regarding Macedonia, it seems like it would be a nice addition to a possible future Eastern European trip. And as for Indo-Canadians, I appreciate that their natural inclination to ask unnecessarily alarmist travel questions always leads to entertaining discoveries.

Thank you BarinderK – thank you for being what I can only assume is a typical Indo-Canadian.

Read the thread in its entirety: Racism in Macedonia