Quit our jobs, sold our home and everything in it, gone riding...

[Lightcycle]

"I'm just going to leave this here for a minute..."

We haven't been doing a lot of off-road riding lately, so we're a bit out of practice. We're only a few kms into the gravelly section and Neda decides to let her bike nap in the dirt. This early section was littered with fist-sized stones and baby-head rocks, so it was a bit challenging while we were in the process of getting our off-road legs back again. We woke Neda's bike up and we're off again!

This is my favorite picture of the day. Albanian man on horse says, "Hi!" So friendly!

Not a lot of motorized traffic on this road... But plenty of construction though. In 2014, the European Union contributed €51 million to refurbishing all the mountain roads in the area. Albania is one of the poorest countries in Europe, and the hope is that improved access to the rural areas will be good for the economy and education - transportation of goods from the farms to the cities, and also busing the kids up here to school and back.

I'm sure in a few more years, this road will be entirely paved. And then the Harleys will come...

Road goes through some farms... and more bunkers. This one was being used as a storage shed!

Sploosh! Must've rained recently.

 

[Lightcycle]

Gorgeous mountains as we make our way through more dirt

Some sections are more gnarlier than others

Every now and then the road opens up into amazing vistas

I don't particularly seek out dirt roads. Neda likes them. I prefer going faster on twisty tarmac than having the front wheel constantly pointing in a different direction than where I'm headed. But the nice thing about dirt roads is that they often take you to some amazing places where it's impractical or too expensive to pave over - like these high mountain passes. Also, there are no other vehicles to share the road with. Maybe a horse or two... You really feel like you've got the entire place to yourself.

And then it rains a bit. I'm worried about the ground beneath us turning into mud... Ack! I hate mud!

 

[Lightcycle]

Big, magnificent landscape all around us!

Riding alongside the Ljimi i Cebit River

After about 30kms in, the gravel road abruptly terminated into fresh asphalt. It looked brand new, probably courtesy of the EU.

That was a very fun ride! I was a bit worried about how long it would take us but here we were at the other end of the dirt road and it wasn't even noon yet!

Back on the pavement! Looks like twisties is next on the menu! Yay!

Neda makes us some sandwiches while admiring the mountains we just came through

 

[Lightcycle]

While I air up our tires for the asphalt

Back on the road. There is an awesome staircase of switchbacks heading back down the mountain. We stop at the side of the road to admire the view and a car pulls up beside us. Uh oh... are we blocking the way?

There's absolutely nobody else on this road. Probably because it terminates at a dirt road. So when this guy pulls up beside us, I thought he was going to tell us to park somewhere where there was more room.

Instead, the guys in the car saw our out-of-continent license plates and they asked what we were doing in Albania. But not in a nasty way. They were genuinely curious why we wanted to visit their country. We motioned all around us and told them, "Your country is beautiful!" They seemed to ponder on this like it was the first time anyone has ever mentioned it. I don't think a lot of tourists come to Albania, which is a shame.

After a couple of minutes of chatting right in the middle of the road (traffic is politely routing around us like it's not big deal - What's the Albanian word for "pomalo, pomalo!"), they wish us a friendly farewell. Nice guys!

At one of the corners of the switchbacks, we stop again for more pictures

 

[Lightcycle]

Here's a viewing platform that extends out into the valley. Albanian safety standards. No glass? Rope will do.

Check out this amazing road we have ahead of us!

More sheep shots at the bottom! Very Albanian!

Our first day in this new country has been full of amazing riding and friendly people! A very good impression so far! We can't wait to explore more!

 

[Lightcycle]

By the way I heard the cops in that region are corrupt, especially if they hear you are from a rich western country. Have you had any problems with them?

Nope, absolutely no problems.

Everywhere we go, we normally start off every conversation with a smile and a what little words we know of their language. Helps to smooth things over, especially with the local 5-0.

 

[Lightcycle]

Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/324.html

"I'm done planning. If you think you can do better, then go ahead!"

I screwed up.

Over the past few years, the way we plan and execute our journey has evolved. When we first started, we'd both put our heads together and excitedly pour over maps and laptops figuring out our routes and accommodations. But these days, in order to preserve our energy and stave off travel fatigue, one person takes the lead for a segment of our trip, doing the majority of the planning and logistics while on the road. Then after some time, we switch up to let that person rest for the next segment.

So far it's worked out. In SE Asia, the locals seem more comfortable talking to me, and I sort of knew Malaysia a little bit so I planned and led that leg. Along the Adriatic coast, Neda naturally took over, since she spoke the language here and was familiar with where she wanted to go.

Until now.

Unfortunately, since leaving Thailand, all I've done is complain about the price of things and the amenities of the places we're staying at. All the while waiting on the bike as Neda ran around trying to find accommodations and communicating with all the hosts. So, finally fed up of my whining, she tossed the reins back over to me. At my feet. In disgust.

It's not my turn yet. I did over two months in Asia and now a month into our European leg, I'm back in the driver's seat. I had a pretty cushy thing going on and I ruined it. Now I find myself riding from hotel to hotel all over this mid-sized Albanian city, knocking on doors, looking for a cheap place to stay with adequate amenities. All the while Neda waits patiently on the bike. She doesn't even have to say a word. I know a Not-As-Easy-As-It-Looks-Is-It? and an I-Told-You-So face when I see one.

Because we didn't pre-book anything the day before, I'm knocking on a lot of friggin' doors. Shkodër is expensive! Every suitable place we find is €40-€60. We ride concentric circles around town getting further away from the commercial centre until I spot a small sign posted on a lamp post advertising a place to stay. It took us a while to find it, and when we pulled up, parts of the hotel looked like it was still being renovated. The owner came out and didn't speak any English, but he conveyed to us that the price would be €20, no breakfast. Perfect!

€20 is the sweet spot we aim for for accommodations in Europe. While that could afford us a mansion with a staff of 20 people waiting on us hand and foot in Thailand, here it's just a simple room. But at least it's clean, comfortable and cheap.

Walking down the touristy piazza in Shkodër

Shkodër is a fairly modern city. Not what I expected when I think of Albania. The tourist centre is very done up, but once you're outside of it, like where we're staying, it seems a bit more older. Not run-down, but not manicured either.

Kids play in the streets in the neighbourhood near our hotel

 

[Lightcycle]

Just around the corner, we went to a traditional Albanian grill-house for dinner

It's funny, although the language changes dramatically from former Yugoslavia to Albania, the food here is still familiar. Lots of meats and cheeses just like Montenegro and Croatia. Our old favorite Bosnian pastry Burek is called Byrek here. It's more filo-based, closer to the Greek filo pastries found just a bit further south. It's interesting seeing how the food is starting to morph between regions.

Some yummy lamb and steak roasting in the pit

Shkodër is not really a destination town. In the morning, we pack up our bags and the owner's daughter comes out to say hi. She speaks perfect English and we find out more about her and her family. She's starting university in the fall in the capital city of Tirana, and she's just helping out her family as the hotel here in Shkodër is brand new. They seem pretty affluent, which again spoils the stereotype of Albanians. While talking to her about our motorcycle trip, one limitation that came up is the inability for Albanians to travel easily because of their passport restrictions. They need a visa to go pretty much anywhere outside of the country! It reinforces how lucky we are to be from a country that has minimal travel restrictions.

Our new friend gives us some ideas for where to go in Albania. Yes, even though I am now head of the planning committee, it doesn't mean that I've done any work on it yet. We're still wandering around by the seat of our pants and I think we've now crystallized a route through Albania just this morning.

We thank our new friend and wish her well in her new school year. And then we're waving goodbye to Shkodër in our rear view mirrors.

Packing up to leave

 

[Lightcycle]

Before we leave Shkodër, we need to find vehicle insurance. The Montenegro border is about 14kms outside of town. So we head back towards the coast to find an insurance store. The road is nice and twisty, but our enjoyment is spoiled by the terrible Albanian drivers who take every opportunity to cross over the line onto our side. We hug the right side of the road on every blind turn because 8 out of every 10 oncoming vehicles will suddenly appear in our lane. It is terrible how bad the driving is here!

I read online that driving cars in Albania is a relatively new thing. In 1991, there were only 600 cars in the whole country - most of them owned by members of the ruling communist party. Everyone else rode bicycles, horses and carts (which we still see on the road). After the wall fell, everyone went out and got cars. But they never learned to drive them properly. The licensing here seems not to be very stringent so as a result there are many accidents. We'll have to remain vigilant around here.

Oh yeah, when I say everyone went out and got cars. They didn't get any kind of car. They all got Mercedes-Benzes. Everyone here drives a mid-to-late model Mercedes-Benz. Kind of suspicious for the poorest country in Europe... Not to cast any aspersions, but I was sorely tempted to check the VIN numbers on some of them to see where these Mercedes originally came from. But they were all whizzing by too fast and dangerously close to my left ear for me to make them out clearly.

Back to our hunt for insurance. Every building that advertised vehicle insurance at the border was closed. We finally found a shack on the side of the road that seemed kinda official. €15 for 15 days. Not too bad. If it was real...

Armed with our kinda-official-looking insurance document, we dodged more erratic Mercedes-Benzes and headed further south.

Enjoying the sunny weather in Albania. Oh look, a fort on top of a hill. Haven't seen one of those in a couple of days now...

Downtown Tirana

Tirana was not too interesting to us either. It's the capital of Albania and was just another place for us to sleep while we relocated further south into the country. We did visit the museum while we were there. Not that interesting...

 

[Lightcycle]

The hotel owners' daughter highly recommended we see Berat. Now I see why...

Berat is 2,500 years old. It's a UNESCO site. Total Gringo-Trail Town. Which is why we're going to stay there for a couple of days! We're absolutely suckers for a good Gringo-Trail Town.

Motorcyle parking, like everywhere in Europe, is free and wherever you can find it

We park right on the boardwalk overlooking the Osum River. That's the name of the river. Osum. How Osum is that?

We can see our motorcycles from the cafe where we're having lunch

Pizza seems to be very popular in Albania. But that is true pretty much everywhere in the world. Here are a couple of random pieces of trivia: There are more Albanians living outside of Albania than inside the country. In New York City, Albanian-owned pizzerias are fast displacing Italian-owned pizza-pie restaurants...

This is what Berat is known for.

White Ottoman houses line the valley on both sides of the Osum River. This has led to Berat being nicknamed the "town of a thousand windows". One side of the river is more commercial, with the white buildings housing restaurants and stores. The other side, the Quartor of Gorica, is more residential and also has some hostels for backpackers to stay in.

 

[Lightcycle]

Crossing the bridge to see more of these white houses on the other side.

There are three bridges across the Osum, two pedestrian and a main vehicle crossing

Okay, back on the bikes. Let's see where we're staying.

On the commercial side of Berat, we climb a steep cobblestone road up to the Kala, a walled citadel at the top of the hill. There's a few churches inside the fortress, as well as some cafes, stores and restaurants.

At the gates to the fortress

The bumpy ride into the Kala

We ride past all the vendors selling clothing, their wares hanging on the inside of the walls of the citadel. Most people trek up here for the view and to visit the churches. We're actually sleeping here! How Osum is that?

 

[Lightcycle]

I join in on the cobblestone fun. Also, proof that I ride a motorcycle on this trip too!

This is the courtyard of where we're staying. Our bikes share the parking spot with a lady selling clothing and souvenirs

Every time we ride in and out of our apartment, the old Albanian lady has to move her little storefront out of the way. But she does so obligingly. She's very friendly and always smiles at us!

The building on the right with the umbrellas in front of it is where we are staying

Walking around the Kala. There are a few people actually living up here inside the fortress walls

 

[Lightcycle]

Neda knows all the nature tricks. Here she is making me laugh by making this snap dragon flower talk.

An old Jawa motorcycle from Czechoslovakia rests up against the inside wall of the citadel.
It's more of a decoration than a vehicle at this point

We walk through one of the gates in the wall to get a view of the mountainside below

Beautiful greenery everywhere. I can't believe the weather we are having!

We can see that a few kms outside of the old city of Berat is the more modern city centre

 

[Lightcycle]

This face seemed a bit odd and out of place

More Albanian ladies enjoying the weather and scenery

Neda balancing on some of the ruins of the castle walls

One of the beautiful churches inside the Kala. The Holy Trinity Church of Berat

Totally enjoying Berat!

You'll have to excuse me now. I have to get back to planning our route through Albania...

 

[Rick CH]

Anyone else have the Albania song from Cheers in their head?

 

[tiborgh]

Kind of suspicious for the poorest country in Europe... Not to cast any aspersions, but I was sorely tempted to check the VIN numbers on some of them to see where these Mercedes originally came from.

Come visit Albania! Your car is already here.

 

[Roadghost]

Come visit Albania! Your car is already here.

LOL! I know a few places in Toronto that specialize in exporting vehicles to former eastern bloc countries. I often wonder where they get them from. I never ask too many questions when I visit them, but I do see a lot of expensive Mercedes, GM SUVs, BMWs etc. going into the containers.

 

[Lightcycle]

Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/325.html

Our tour of Albania continues.

Leaving our Albanian castle accommodations behind. So sad!

And back down the steep cobblestone road to the old city of Berat

I can't believe the beautiful weather we are continuing to have. Our friends all over Western Europe - from the UK, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland - they've been constantly PMing us to ask, "Where are you? It's been raining for weeks now! Are you here in town? Are you to blame for this?!?"

Sorry guys. It's absolutely perfect where *we* are! RideDOT.com curse is broken! (knock on wood)

 

[Lightcycle]

From Berat, we backtrack north a little bit to ride past Fier towards Vlorë

At Vlorë, we turn back inland towards the mountains. Nice seeing where the road will take us up ahead!

Admiring the valley below us. We were Vlorëd by the beauty...

SH76 follows the contours of the Vlorë valley carved by the Shushicë river somewhere far below us. Not much traffic here, but the pavement is surprisingly nice and twisty. We enjoy the curves, the scenery and the perfect riding weather!

 

[Lightcycle]

We turn off the main road and head to an archaeological site that Neda found online

About 40 kms south of Vlorë is supposed to be the site of the ancient Greek ruins of Amantia. Not a lot of signage, but we manage to find the turnoff to the gravel road that leads up to a stone fort up at the top of the hill.

"Oooh! Ancient ruins! I'm excited now!"

We park our bikes at the bottom of the hill. By the 3rd century BC, Amantia was quite a developed city, it had it's own temple as well as an acropolis. The city was abandoned by 6th century AD. Since then, most of it has been looted by illegal diggers and treasure hunters, but some of the foundations still remained for the archaeologists to dig up and showcase.

This is the Amantia stadium. It looks like they played football here. Neda sits at the 40-yard line: "This is not even in the same league as the Pula amphitheater."

So far not that exciting. We try to find the rest of the ruins, and it looks like the only direction is up the hill. The road looks pretty steep and rough so we opt to leave the bikes down here and hike up. I'm not too jazzed about that, but I'm trying not to complain too much, otherwise I'll be stuck planning and leading this entire trip forever!

It's about a one km steep climb to get to the top. We should have left our riding jackets on the motorcycles. I'm huffing and puffing and sweating profusely carrying all the cameras and my jacket. But I'm not complaining. Excessively. I think...