Day 33 ( the end of) & Day 34 - Albania - real heat , dirt tracks, a raft ferry and a welcome beyond all expectations

Day 33 & 34    Albania - on the cusp of being in the EU!

Susan negotiating at the Albanian border control

Our map didn't show any roads near the coast connecting Greece with Albania and our faithful Tom Tom didn't appear to have any maps loaded for  Albania. With Google's help it was clear that it was possible to get into Albania near the coast so I spent the previous night downloading Google earth images of the various roads onto my iPod so that we at least had some idea of where we were going.

There are no signs on the Greek side indicating the way to the border crossing.....nothing at all and so the i-pod was invaluable as we threaded our way in land and up hill to the crossing. This was our 12th border post to date and our lack of Green Card again pulled me into a very hot office where a customs official dressed in a leather waistcoat, jeans, shades and a t-shirt extracted 20 euros off me to allow our entry.

I had read of a 'cable ferry' that took a short cut to maintain the coast line. A German couple had told us that they were going to take the long way round and not take the ferry as it had capsized recently and shed a lorry into the water.....worth a look indeed !

Within 3 Km of crossing the border we were on pot holed dirt roads but the scenery was utterly stunning - terraced hills with Olive tree groves and citrus trees mixed in with the 'maquis' - scrub bushes; Goat or cattle  herds on or by the road each accompanied with a shepherd - one sat in a wheel barrow under a tree.

The ferry has the decking to take 6 cars but now clearly only takes 2; the decking has collapsed in a number of places and for whatever reason there doesn't seem the will to put it right.. We have no Albanian 'Leke' and so I have to offer Euros knowing I am going to be fleeced..... 7 Euros; the ferry man tries to charge the only other 2 pedestrians on the ferry for the crossing , an argument follows and the ferryman backs down. I'd have paid 10 times more to just have had the experience. Later I learn from the campsite owner, unprompted,  that the ferry is well known for trying to rip people off. The campsite owner is not best pleased as it is affecting his business.

Ksamil camping is to be our home for the next 2 days. Run by an Albanian who spent sometime over in the UK as a labourer, it is a blissful haven to find ourselves in after a long drive in very hot weather - leather seats and a lack of air conditioning is a less than optimal combination for hot countries; all windows down and noise level at crescendo level. The van's odd little quarter lights at the front can rotate over 90 degs. and so can direct hot 60 mph wind on to you - however when you slow down or stop it all starts to heat up pretty quick and so we plug in our 12V fan I have bolted  to the underside of the dashboard. This gently wafts the hot air around, more a placebo than a provider of effective cooling device.

Where every other car in Romania was a particular Dacia ( old Renault 13 for us car nutters)  in Albania it's a Mercedes  - as many 1970/80's classics as modern ones. Ksamil is full of them as it is with half built buildings, rubble piles, broken pavements and huge open 5' deep drain holes that would swallow a bike or right a car off........ to our UK norms this will paint a picture of ugliness and of a place not for hanging around in but it is just the opposite.....

There is small bar after small bar, sparsely stocked mini market after mini market; an espresso and a glass of chilled water is what is normally to be seen rather than a beer. There is an absence of the 'phone culture ' here whereas even in the most remote parts of Romania and Bulgaria the addiction to the mobile phone was ever present - phone signals stronger than our UK motorway corridors in the heart of their mountains. Its a lovely place to be

Many of the buildings have 'reinforcing steel bar' emerging from the concrete structure. Many times only the 1st level of the structure is lived in with the shell of the 2 stories sat above  - even if there is no intention to build another level onto the building the 're-bar' is left sticking proudly vertically upwards.

Tourism is clearly booming here - the guide books tell you that the last 20 years has been all about 'catching up'with the rest of Europe after the pre-1990's almost total isolation and they are doing that very fast. There are people building beaches ( truck after truck of sand being delivered), laying decking, building bars and hotels. Blokes 'arc-stick' welding pontoons and diving platforms together using a pair of shades to supposedly protect their eyes. The people we meet are really really nice - bakers, shop owners, people you ask directions off - especially those selling geese by the side of the road.

 Prices are cheap still  - much cheaper than their Greek neighbour and about 1/3 cost of UK for eating out/drinks etc.....we both wished we had set aside many more days for Albania - not just the coastline that matches any Greek one but for the interior too  - I think this is a place we will come back to again.

We spend 2 nights at Ksamil camping with a day on the beach and in the town - Charlie's confidence in the sea grows day on day.......

Day 33     Kalambaka ( GR) to Ksamil ( Alb)         244 Km      Total    5898 Km

Day 34     Ksamil ( Alb)                                                 0 km       Total    5898 Km