Skopje Travel Forum

When I am going to visit Macedonia I would like to visit Shuto Orizari.

Has anyone any travel experience with Shuto Orizari ?

In your pocket does not have any information and even the lonely planet has nothing on it.

I have seen pictures and it is probably just a suburb but I would like to hear some things about it. Anyone ?

Well, my story is short. In 1980 we somehow did bump into it. There was a nice hotel not far away. I went there and asked how much it is. You have to know: my g/f traveled on Hungarian passport, I traveled on a Russian passport and we had a mighty 6000 Dinars pro person budget for a month, I think it was like 250 USD or so? Maybe $300? not sure. :(

The hotel receptionist asked us about passports, money and so on and to my question how much is in the price of the room he became sad and told us: "hvala 3.14***ke materinoi, mnogo". He suggested us to look for a youth hostel, even if it would cost us our day budget. In order to go to youth hostel we had to cross some "shutka" area. It looked, true, a little bit scary at first but we weren't scared much because we had less possessions than who lived in "Shutka" and they knew it too.

Otherwise staying in the youth hostel was perfectly safe, even as the "shutka" was not far away. We were the only foreigners there (if you can call it "foreigner"), LOL.

That's the only experience we had in person, it was pretty much neutral but I guess, with 200 Dinar/day budget anything better than train station waiting room is OK :)

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Otherwise, Bradt guide to Macedonia has even a small Shutka map on the page 119. I don't think, LP guides are the best thing since sliced bread, but even in Bradt guides I found some misspellings.

Look for ISBN 1 84162 089 0, try Amazon - I got Macedonia on amazon.com for $3 and Serbia for $4.

Shuto Orizari or Shutka is few km for Skopje.
You can get bus from Bit Pazar directly to Shutka. Bit Pazar is the main marker in Skopje, near the two biggest Mosque in Skoje,on the other side of the Stara Charshija.
Shutka is electric mix of shanty town and big new houses.
And Shutka is THE bigest Roma town is Europe.
Esma Redjepova, the Queen of Gypsy music lives in Shutka.
I love Shutka market,from flea market, to luxury goods can be found there.
BTW I thing bus no 29 goes there.

www.skopjeOnline.com.mk
will have bus rutes and time tables.

Valentina

I think my travel tip about Shuto Orizari will be most helpful.
For shure buses 19 and 20 go there, taken from the opposite side of Bit Pazar.
Who knows if Esma Redzepova lives there... Her ominous museum at least is still not finished. And she doesn't give concerts any more nor is there a reply about if you write to www.esma.com.mk

Hi Robert,

I remembered your question about Shutka. I've been there in May, it's worth while to pay a visit. Poor though. With a market where mostly shoes are sold, but i was there at the end of the day and they were breaking it up.

In the Bradt Travel guide (at least the old edition of 2004) there is a map and some description, I can scan them for you but you have to send me your email since VT doesnt allow big attachments.

Anywayz, I would advice you to get this guide, there's a new edition.

Cheers
Dennis

The bus routes are not to be reached in skopjeonline. "Is to be hosted" sometimes when you don't look for it.
But you have the chance to ask at the bus station, see my tips for transportation. You miss timetables even at Sveti Naum.