“Everyone goes to Bitola but no one goes to Kruševo,” complained the guy behind the hostel reception desk. “I’ll go. Where is it?”

On paper it seemed possible. Pelister National Park was mere kilometres from Bitola in south-west Macedonia. With a sizeable town on its fringes, surely the park would be pretty accessible? Yes. And no.

Did you know Albanians put teddy bears outside their houses to ward off bad spirits? And that some kids in Serbia only go to school in the afternoon? Enjoy some of the things I’ve learnt after spending two months in the Balkans.

Few visitors to Macedonia will pass up the chance to see Lake Ohrid, and with good reason. It’s absolutely stunning. But there’s more to this part of the Balkans than just a lovely bit of water.

Poor public transport means hitchhiking is popular in the Balkans. For weeks I ignored the encouragement to do it. And then I got stranded at the Macedonian border.