TFAHR Macedonia Expedition 2008
Orientation Materials for Participants
Orientation Materials for Participants
Dig Participants -
This page is a work in progress -
please check back frequently for
updated information.
This page is a work in progress -
please check back frequently for
updated information.
Macedonia Travel Documents: All visitors need a passport with six months remaining validity.
Visitors from some countries require a visa ahead of time, available from the Macedonian Embassy in
your country. US passport holders do not need a visa ahead of time; one will be stamped in your
passport (free of charge) on your arrival in Macedonia. For visa purposes you are coming to
Macedonia as TOURISTS, unpaid volunteers on the excavation. If you require an invitation letter and
contact phone numbers for your visa, please e-mail us at info@tfahr.org.
If you do need to apply for a visa, we recommend a "multiple entry" visa. We are digging quite close to
the Greek border, and you might want to visit Greece on weekends.
Documents Required by TFAHR: All participants are required to sign a liability release form. Please
bring the signed form with you to the excavation. You will not be able to dig until we have a signed
release form from you.
Download Release Form (PDF format): TFAHR Release Form
Expenses:
Money: The local currency in Macedonia is the denar (approx. 42 denari to the US dollar, or 65 denari
to the euro). For changing money, your best bet is cash (US dollars or euros), or the ATM machines.
There are numerous cash exchange places and ATM machines all over Macedonia, even in some
smaller towns. Travelers’ checks can only be exchanged at major banks in Skopje and Ohrid, and may
involve standing in multiple lines. Credit cards can be used in some hotels, shops and restaurants in
Skopje and Ohrid, but not in the smaller towns. If you stay in a hotel in Skopje or Ohrid on the weekend,
the hotel will probably require payment in US dollars or euros; the guest houses and private rooms
accept Macedonian denari. You can pay for your drinks at meals during the work week in denari, and
also for your motel room on the weekend, if you stay at the motel.
Work Schedule (tentative):
Meals: TFAHR will provide meals from breakfast on Monday through lunch (noon meal) on Friday. No
accommodations can be made for special diets. The cost of any extra snacks / desserts / sweets will be
the responsibility of the individual volunteers, as well as all drinks at meals.
Weather: In June the days should be mild (short sleeve weather). In the early mornings and evenings
you may want a light jacket or sweatshirt. Prepare for the possibility of rain occasionally. In July the
days may get very hot, approaching 40 degrees Centigrade in the afternoon.
Accommodation: Most people will be sleeping in double or triple rooms with private baths. The motel
is VERY basic. The motel will provide sheets, and probably very small towels. Do not expect daily maid
service. Bring shower shoes and your own towel, if you prefer a large towel.
Laundry: Plan to hand wash your clothes in the sink or shower, and hang outside to dry.
Communications: There are internet cafes in almost all towns in Macedonia and Greece. Phone
cards are available for pay phones, but international calls can be made more cheaply by internet phone
(in the internet cafes and other shops). Many people sign up for Skype to make calls from the internet
cafes. If you will be bringing a mobile phone, check with your provider regarding costs and network
availability in Macedonia.
Electricity: Both Macedonia and Greece follow the European standard, 220V to 240V / 50Hz to 60 Hz.
You will need a voltage converter for any devices that do not follow this standard. You will also need
the standard two-prong plug adapter that is used in continental Europe.
Water: Tap water is safe to drink in the major cities and smaller towns. Most people, however, drink
bottled mineral water or other bottled beverages with meals (for which there is a charge). Note: last
year we were told not to drink tap water in Skopje; we don't know if the problem persists today.
Photo/Video: Memory cards, video tapes, film, batteries, etc. are all available in Macedonia, and there
are internet cafes where you can transfer your digital pictures to a CD or upload to the internet. If you
have to buy any memory, etc., it will be very expensive. Do not take a photo of anything that could have
military or strategic importance (such as a border crossing or dam). Some museums and sites will
require you to buy a special ticket, besides the admission ticket, to photograph. This usually runs from
a dollar or two, up to about $10.
Health:
Getting to the Dig:
NEW GUIDEBOOK FOR MACEDONIA: MACEDONIA, the Bradt guide by Thammy
Evans, has been released in a second edition (March 2007). This guide has many more city maps, bus
and train schedules, hiking routes, etc. than the earlier edition. It also has more up-to-date contact
information for rooms in private homes and bed & breakfasts in Skopje and Ohrid.
Visitors from some countries require a visa ahead of time, available from the Macedonian Embassy in
your country. US passport holders do not need a visa ahead of time; one will be stamped in your
passport (free of charge) on your arrival in Macedonia. For visa purposes you are coming to
Macedonia as TOURISTS, unpaid volunteers on the excavation. If you require an invitation letter and
contact phone numbers for your visa, please e-mail us at info@tfahr.org.
If you do need to apply for a visa, we recommend a "multiple entry" visa. We are digging quite close to
the Greek border, and you might want to visit Greece on weekends.
Documents Required by TFAHR: All participants are required to sign a liability release form. Please
bring the signed form with you to the excavation. You will not be able to dig until we have a signed
release form from you.
Download Release Form (PDF format): TFAHR Release Form
Expenses:
- Volunteers must make their way to Sveti Nikole and / or Gevgelija, Republic of Macedonia, at their
own expense. - TFAHR will provide motel rooms and meals during the work-week at no cost to the volunteers.
Rooms will be paid for Sunday night through Thursday night, and meals from Monday morning
breakfast to Friday noon meal (lunch). Volunteers pay for their own drinks (alcoholic and non-
alcoholic) at all meals. Prices for drinks at the motel will be around 50-60 denari (more for wine). - Weekend expenses are the responsibility of the volunteers. You will be free to travel on the
weekend, or to stay at the motel on Friday and Saturday night. Right now, the rate for the motel
is the same as what we will pay during the work week (approximately $25 US per person per day,
including meals at Sveti Nikole, $36 at Gevgelija including meals). However, we are trying to
negotiate a lower rate for weekends that would be room-only. Food is available very cheaply in
the markets and fast-food places in town. In a hamburger place, for instance, you can get a
sandwich and beer or Coca Cola for less than $5 US. Food is less expensive in the shops and
market. You will not have a kitchen or cooking facilities available for your use on the weekends.
Money: The local currency in Macedonia is the denar (approx. 42 denari to the US dollar, or 65 denari
to the euro). For changing money, your best bet is cash (US dollars or euros), or the ATM machines.
There are numerous cash exchange places and ATM machines all over Macedonia, even in some
smaller towns. Travelers’ checks can only be exchanged at major banks in Skopje and Ohrid, and may
involve standing in multiple lines. Credit cards can be used in some hotels, shops and restaurants in
Skopje and Ohrid, but not in the smaller towns. If you stay in a hotel in Skopje or Ohrid on the weekend,
the hotel will probably require payment in US dollars or euros; the guest houses and private rooms
accept Macedonian denari. You can pay for your drinks at meals during the work week in denari, and
also for your motel room on the weekend, if you stay at the motel.
Work Schedule (tentative):
- Sunrise (about 5:00 am) - Begin work day. We will have a break for breakfast, and other breaks
as needed. Note: There will probably not be the possibility of coffee or tea early in the morning.
If you need coffee or tea to get started, bring your own apparatus to make it in your room.
About 1:00 or 2:00 pm - End field work, break for lunch, followed by rest period.
About 5:00 pm - Work on pottery and finds.
About 7:00 pm - Evening meal.
After evening meal - Free time. On some evenings there will be lectures in English.
Meals: TFAHR will provide meals from breakfast on Monday through lunch (noon meal) on Friday. No
accommodations can be made for special diets. The cost of any extra snacks / desserts / sweets will be
the responsibility of the individual volunteers, as well as all drinks at meals.
Weather: In June the days should be mild (short sleeve weather). In the early mornings and evenings
you may want a light jacket or sweatshirt. Prepare for the possibility of rain occasionally. In July the
days may get very hot, approaching 40 degrees Centigrade in the afternoon.
Accommodation: Most people will be sleeping in double or triple rooms with private baths. The motel
is VERY basic. The motel will provide sheets, and probably very small towels. Do not expect daily maid
service. Bring shower shoes and your own towel, if you prefer a large towel.
Laundry: Plan to hand wash your clothes in the sink or shower, and hang outside to dry.
Communications: There are internet cafes in almost all towns in Macedonia and Greece. Phone
cards are available for pay phones, but international calls can be made more cheaply by internet phone
(in the internet cafes and other shops). Many people sign up for Skype to make calls from the internet
cafes. If you will be bringing a mobile phone, check with your provider regarding costs and network
availability in Macedonia.
Electricity: Both Macedonia and Greece follow the European standard, 220V to 240V / 50Hz to 60 Hz.
You will need a voltage converter for any devices that do not follow this standard. You will also need
the standard two-prong plug adapter that is used in continental Europe.
Water: Tap water is safe to drink in the major cities and smaller towns. Most people, however, drink
bottled mineral water or other bottled beverages with meals (for which there is a charge). Note: last
year we were told not to drink tap water in Skopje; we don't know if the problem persists today.
Photo/Video: Memory cards, video tapes, film, batteries, etc. are all available in Macedonia, and there
are internet cafes where you can transfer your digital pictures to a CD or upload to the internet. If you
have to buy any memory, etc., it will be very expensive. Do not take a photo of anything that could have
military or strategic importance (such as a border crossing or dam). Some museums and sites will
require you to buy a special ticket, besides the admission ticket, to photograph. This usually runs from
a dollar or two, up to about $10.
Health:
- No special vaccines or inoculations are needed, but an up-to-date tetanus booster is
recommended. - There may be mosquitoes in the evening. Plan to wear protective clothing or bring insect
repellent. - If you take prescription medicines, bring your prescriptions in their original containers. You
should know the generic name of your medications, in case you need a refill in Macedonia
(European brand names are different from American brand names for the same medication). - In early June there is quite a bit of grass and wildflower pollen. Allergy medicines are available in
the pharmacies, but if you have a favorite brand, bring it from home (in its original container). - Sun sickness can be a very serious problem. This can best be avoided by wearing a hat,
drinking plenty of water, and taking breaks in the shade. We also recommend frequent
applications of sunscreen. - TFAHR staff are not allowed to administer any medications. If you think you might need any
medicine, including analgesics or diarrhea medicine, you will need to provide these yourself.
Getting to the Dig:
- By air - the closest international airports are Skopje (Macedonia) and Thessaloniki (Greece). As
flights into Skopje tend to be very expensive, we generally fly into Thessaloniki.
- IF YOU ARRIVE AT THESSALONIKI AIRPORT: From the airport you can take a bus to the
center of Thessaloniki, and then take the train to GEVGELIJA. There is a train to Skopje (Skopia,
in Greek) and Belgrade; this stops at the border at Gevgelija, where border formalities are done.
- CURRENTLY THERE IS ONE DAILY TRAIN FROM THESSALONIKI TO BELGRADE VIA
GEVGELIJA, AT 4:15 pm (16:15).
FOR GEVGELIJA: Get off the train at Gevgelija station, after border formalities. You will
need to take a taxi to the motel. Ask for "Motel Vardar, Vardarski Rid." If you do not have
any Macedonian money, bring some US dollars or euros in small notes (no coins). There is
no currency exchange or ATM at the train station.
- FOR SVETI NIKOLE: Continue on the train to Veles. From Veles, your options are to take
a taxi to Sveti Nikole (38 km), or to take the bus to the Ovce Pole station (12 km from Sveti
Nikole). We will have further information about how to go from Ovce Pole to Sveti Nikole at
a later date.
- IF YOU ARRIVE AT SKOPJE AIRPORT: You can either take a taxi straight to Sveti Nikole, or go
into Skopje by taxi to the bus or train station.
- BY BUS OR TRAIN FROM SKOPJE:
FOR GEVGELIJA: There are buses and trains to Gevgelija. The bus is faster. From the
station in Gevgelija, take a taxi to the Motel Vardar, as described above.
- FOR SVETI NIKOLE: There are several buses from Skopje which stop at Sveti Nikole. If
you are coming on the train from Belgrade, you can stay on the train until Veles, and travel
to Sveti Nikole as described above.
NEW GUIDEBOOK FOR MACEDONIA: MACEDONIA, the Bradt guide by Thammy
Evans, has been released in a second edition (March 2007). This guide has many more city maps, bus
and train schedules, hiking routes, etc. than the earlier edition. It also has more up-to-date contact
information for rooms in private homes and bed & breakfasts in Skopje and Ohrid.
IMPORTANT - "What to Bring" List
Check this list for required and
recommended items.
Check this list for required and
recommended items.
Required:
 | Trowel | |
| Gloves | |
| Notebook | |
| Hat | |
Session I - Sveti Nikole NOTE EXTENDED DATES
Dates: June 2 - July 4, 2008. We will begin digging on the morning of June 2.
Expedition Headquarters / Accommodation: Ovce Pole Hotel
Dates: June 2 - July 4, 2008. We will begin digging on the morning of June 2.
Expedition Headquarters / Accommodation: Ovce Pole Hotel
- address: Vanco Angelov bb, 2220 Sveti Nikole, Republic of Macedonia
telephone: ++389 (0) 32 440 488; ++389 (0) 32 444 088
- phone / fax ++389 (0) 32 443 610
Session II - Gevgelija
Dates: July 7 - July 30, 2008. We will begin digging on the morning of July 7.
Expedition Headquarters / Accommodation: Motel Vardar, Vardarski Rid, Gevgelija,
Republic of Macedonia. Phone number at motel: Phone ++ 389 (0) 34 213 267.
Local Contact: Mr. Emil Slamkov, Museum of Gevgelija.
Dates: July 7 - July 30, 2008. We will begin digging on the morning of July 7.
Expedition Headquarters / Accommodation: Motel Vardar, Vardarski Rid, Gevgelija,
Republic of Macedonia. Phone number at motel: Phone ++ 389 (0) 34 213 267.
Local Contact: Mr. Emil Slamkov, Museum of Gevgelija.
| UPDATE |
| UPDATE |