The Lonely Planet guide and any informant at bus station or tourist information are beyond useless and completely unreliable, especially from Montenegro. We bought train tickets for Albania, but here the train goes nowhere. So herewith the Albanian disaster:-
Getting into Albania took some negotiation with a taxi driver that brought us to Trivana (the capital of Albania) for €80. The reason, no bus or train goes to Albania. We took a very hot taxi (sans aircon again) from Podgerico (the capital of Montenegro) to Albania. The road is worse than the ones with potholes in South Africa. The potholes here are filled with car tyres. The taxi driver stops next to the road where a guy is selling 2 watermelons that he keeps cold by hosing them down. The taxi driver washes his face and splatters his shirt with water. He is perspiring so much that the water runs into his eyes and he can't see the road.
This is like Brixton and beyond, or like dad says, a squatter camp supreme.
The country side is scattered with bunkers left over from the war with Yugoslavia. We drive past Lake Skadar, a huge inland lake that is shared between Albania and Montenegro. Then we get on some kind of a high way, that, after ten minutes, completely disappear again and becomes an unmanageable road. Here they drive like crazy, in the capital we see one traffic light only, it is out of order!
I dump mom and dad in a hotel with aircon and drink a coke out of the hotel fridge! There and then I go into a spasm, I claim it's the coke and my kidneys went into shock, (I haven't had coke for years), mom claims I have pulled a muscle. Dad says I slept with the fan on my back, and now I have to pay a price.
I walk down the main street to the square and along the road I ask taxi drivers how much will they charge to take us to Skopje in Macedonia. As far as I am concerned this is a dump and we are deporting ourselves, immediately. I see enough of the 3 rd world where I come from; and it's by far to hot to schlep like this.
There is no pavement! I get to the tourist office and the lady gives me two photocopies of very useless information...nothing I can learn from. By now I am desperate! We need to get out of here! I walk down the street and start to negotiate with another taxi driver. A traveling angel that speaks perfect English comes to my assistance. She says the taxis go to the border and no further. I want to get to Skopje in Macedonia today. She then says that I should try the travel agent, I find one, I go inside and thank the heavens above, there is a bus at 19h30 to Skopje!
Now I race back to the hotel to inform the parents that we are leaving tonight on a hopefully airconditioned bus to Skopje. By now I am in serious pain and walk with difficulty. Mom opens the pharmacy and gives me a Voltaren injection. I am in agony and traveling like this is definitely not going to be easy. Liz Henry (my body stress release practitioner) where are you?
Now I have to negotiate with the hotel assistant to get our money back! She doesn't speak one word of English or any other foreign language. Big palava! I draw on a piece of paper, a picture of a bus and a direction arrow to Skopje @ 19h30, hotel with a cross through it, that means cancellation! I am very good with Pictionary by the way! She understands! Now I draw €5 with direction arrow pointing to her and €55 with direction arrow showing to me! I paid her €60 for the accommodation.
I am prepared to give her €5 for the use of the air conditioned room. Ok, she nods as she finally agrees.
As we leave the hotel owner arrives! Problem, problem, problem! Yes I say, big problem. I am very sick and we have to get back to Greece. Ok ok problem madam problem, well, what exactly can he say?
Now a taxi takes us to the square, and the driver turns out to be from Greece. He says the Albanians have no brains, as he speaks he slams on the dashboard, and nearly causes an accident. I speak a little Greek and now he is much happier! Mom says: we are back in Egypt. Nobody follows any traffic rules. As far as he goes he swears like a trooper. But to the non existent bus stop he took us.
We plonk ourselves down at a little cafe and wait for the bus! We are completely overwhelmed by the beggars, all of them children. The worst is that they smoke too. The one tries to sell us Magnolia flowers. We chase them away, but they come again and again! I get tired and show the one the slitting your throat gesture! Now all the other people in the cafe just laughs, dad takes out his leatherman, turns it into pliers and walk to the persistent little beggar and shows him he is going to cut his balls! Now the restaurant owner gets irate and escorts the beggar to the entrance! When we look, he is back again.
Two young girls sit at the table next door, the one taps dad on the shoulder and gives him a magnolia she has just bought from the beggar. She declares: with love from Albania!
They are amazed that we are here all the way from South Africa. We are amazed too! I explain that it is really shocking to see these young kids smoke. Yes, she says, big problem and the government does nothing about it!
Dad says that if he was younger he would ask her for her telephone number. We become instant friends, they are super friendly and helpful, Maria and Sabiela even carried our bags to the bus, they truly changed our point of view about Albania. So here to our two traveling angels, thank you for showing us your country's generosity of spirit. It is a dump but with fabulous people! They both study engineering of some sorts, in the mining sector. I say, come to South Africa, my brothers will employ you!
Mom and dad go on a food finding mission and comes back with 3 donor kebabs! We are starving! We eat it and I drink a beer on the auntie's insistence, to dissolve the kidney stone, if I have one, plus the Voltaren of course...this can only be a killer combination!
Now we are on a very empty bus with aircon! Hallelujah! On our way to Macedonia. Three countries in one day. At the travel agent I pick up a brochure on Albania. Herewith some very interesting facts:-
To be inserted tomorrow! Xxx
We drive very slowly as the road can suddenly disappear. Dad says: 'n land van verleggings en onklaar paaie! This is an understatement by the way! The roads are beyond shocking! There is but no white lines, no road signs, no distance indicators and no chevron signs!
It's the most decent bus driver in the world! And he doesn't go faster than 60 km per hour. We wind our way up a mountain, next to a river. From what we can see it is beautiful! Little hotels and restaurants lit our way, beautiful old stone buildings, castles and churches, and some mosques along the way. Perhaps we have missed out by not staying but the auntie seriously would have a fit if we do. It's just not organized travel enough and one has to go with the unpredictability of it all.
All the streets in the towns are one big flea market, and China is here big time.
Everyone is on the streets, life is a celebration and a continuous conversation.
At around midnight we stop at a little restaurant! I drink another beer!!! Can you believe it, by the time back to SA, I would have turned into an alcoholic!!!
The Macedonian border control calls us SAFAS out of the bus! The official asks: Anna, where are you going? I reply: Bulgaria. He declares: you do not have enough days left on your Schengen visa to enter Macedonia. I say: oh but we just need a transit visa, as we are on our way to Sofia! Ok he says, and he stamps the passports. He puts a bookmark with touristic sights of Macedonia in our passports and with a big smile he hands them back! I could kiss the man! We're out of the Lower Balkans, fast and furious!!
We have decided to go back to Bulgaria and spend a few days at a luxury spa to rid us of all the stressful travels. We are on our last stretch and will be home in a week!
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