Greetings From Another World

Albania.

What a trip. It just keeps getting weirder and wilder. When I hit the town Tuvi, still in Montenegro but close to the border I thought, man, what am I walking into? It was so not like the rest of Europe. It was grittier, rougher, earthier, definitely more Middle Eastern-like. I have been to many poor parts of the world and this was but another page ripped from it.

On the way to the border the road got very quiet again. I had feared the red road, major border-crossing, to be busy but it was not. In fact, I skirted a National Park that reminded me of the Everglades with mountains. The frogs were a croaking. Then once I crossed the border it felt like another world, more litter, open sewers, burning smells of refuse....but a gorgeous new paved red road to the city of Shkroder. Light on traffic and a wide shoulder. My red road fear thwarted again.

The mountains were very pretty but the road had no shade. Walking on pavement in 90 degrees all day in open sun is tough. My surroundings changed again with nice, new modern homes all painted very whimsical colors. I was trying to figure out just what Albania was. Most of the day I could see Lake Albania to my right and the mountains (the Albanian Alps?) to my left. Not much to eat but I found enough to get by.

It was a long day to reach Shkroder, a much bigger town than I imagined from looking at the map. Maps can be so deceiving. This place was big, dirty, chaotic animals in the road, giant gashes in sidewalks, cafes filled with men only, vegetable squatters selling their produce laid out on the street, beggar women with their uncleaned children on alley corners, beat up transport vans running to and fro looking for another customer to fill a seat. I was now somewhere very new and different from the places I'd walked prior.

But I have to tell you it's only been two days now and the Albanians have proven to be the most friendly people this whole journey. They are real, genuine, down to earth. Folks have treated me with open arms of kindness as a welcome visitor to their country. Many speak english and I have seen an American flag flying next to an Albanian flag at several establishments. People have gone out of their way to help. A man today invited me to sit under the shade of his roadside shack to eat watermelon he was selling. Another man yesterday insisted I come to his shop and drink any cold beverages I wanted on the house. Even tonight, in Lezhe, (where I am) a cook was absent from the restaurant I went to. I was going to find another place to eat but a customer told me to sit. He went in the kitchen to help prepare me a good meal. People have honked their horns more, flashed their car lights and given me a thumbs up more than in any other place. Men in cement mixer trucks and families in their sedans. It's all such a weird amalgam of stuff going on and I still haven't wrapped my head around it all.

Today was tough though. The red road was much busier. I expected trials along my way to Macedonia and knew to endure some pain. It was inevitable. Everyone, and I mean everyone from Slovenia to Montenegro had insisted I do not go through Kosovo so my only other choice was Albania. Both routes had big cities to tackle and red roads to deal with. I was mentally prepared. Going through Albania has proven to be not as bad as I thought. But the heat, traffic, shadeless walking, the dirt and lack of amenities has worn me down. Tomorrow, a yellow road leading to the mountains will hopefully offer a respite from some of these challenges. I am excited.

A couple funny signs:
Today, a town here called PUKE
And a petrol station called Kastrati (all I can picture is a severed hose pumping fuel)
In Bosnia there was GLOBTOURS.
And BOSSGAS

Yesterday I had to see a dentist too. I bit into a banana in the AM hours and a filling got wedged in the fruit. So at nearly 8 PM I found a dentist still open. He agreed to help. What a sweet man. He was only to have one patient that day because the next day (today) he was going on a little outing. I was his fourth patient. Again, the Albanians go out of their way to help. Today my dentist passed me on the road as he headed to meet his friends at some lake. He stopped to say hello and take some pictures. And he laughed but offered me a ride knowing I'd refuse. The offer, however, was serious.

After the morning tomorrow I will leave the west side of this part of Europe and head EAST and keep going in that relative direction until I come to Turkey when I descend down to Istanbul.

But I MUST sleep now so it's off to beddy bye bye.