Archive for May 22nd, 2009

I can only let my video’s describe this one. the castle at the top of the city is a Unesco world heritage site and is really stunning. beautiful and tranquil it is beyond my ability to describe right now.

I apologize for how short these updates have been. I have yet to find a location to repair my computer and more so I have not found a spot I can sit and write. I’ve been trying to type quickly while attempting (failing) to upload fotos and videos. I’m nearly 1000 photo’s behind and have almost an hour of video that I have been unable to upload. its frustrating and I’m unsure of what options I have.

Know that I will fill in more detail once I have the opportunity but I need to write these summaries to keep the major memories fresh while I search!

Our Bus took us to Ulcinej, I’d met a swede and a young canadian on the bus to Ulcinej who were also on their way to Tirane but had decided to stop along the way in Schoder. Schoder is a town just south of the Crna Gora/Albania border. its a decent sized city but the real attraction is an ancient fortress built up above the city. the fortress looks out over the plains and ruefully watches the city. in the past she was part of a great signal system which would warn Albania of impending attack.

From Ulcinej we found a taxi driver willing to drive us the hour and a half to Schoder for 20 Euro. split three ways we each payed 6.20Euro. Not bad for a private car and boarder crossing. we crossed the border and then headed to Schoder. our taxi driver dropped us off at the foot of the mountain at the top of which lay the attraction we’d come to see. Rozafa Castle. we paid our taxi driver and then wandered up the trash filled dirt streets to find the cobblestone path leading up to the ancient gates of the castle.

Albania is a country filled to the brim with natural beauty, but the quality of the life there is awful. the streets are crumbling and lined with garbage, there is no area not filled with plastic, paper and refuse. the amount of offal that is thrown into the environment is stunning. it is a tragedy. we marched up the slick cobblestone to Rozafa and entered through its great gates. we discovered that we had the castle to ourselves and took our time climbing the battlements, exploring the ruins and enjoying the beautiful clear view. as we wandered we discovered a small cafe set into the far corner of Rozafa and found one of its most amazing secrets. the owners of the cafe, dressed in traditional clothing offered to show us something amazing. our Swedish traveling companion had asked him if there was something special to see.

the young man lead us back through the kitchen of the cafe, and then down into one of the open courtyards of the castle proper. there we passed through a large chain link, reinforced fence, then past two guard dogs, and past a wooden fence. once in the open area of the courtyard he lead us back into the corner where there sat a thick rusted iron cage. then it caught our eyes. Inside the cage sat two big browns. to find two big brown bears sitting in a ruined castle courtyard in Albania… now thats a treat!

marveling at the curiosity and beauty of the bears, with healthy coats, no scars or damage to their noses – pawing at the cage, lifting themselves up to say hello.

stunned we returned to the cafe and enjoyed cool drinks reflecting on the experience we had just discovered. we marched back down the slick cobblestone and into the city. we were surrounded by children, one deaf, who guided us to the bus station and helped us flag a mini-bus for the four hour ride to Tirane.

We met an Albanian man, who’d never finished his education but knew decent english, although mostly slang, from working in England. he adopted us and five beers and a few hours later he lead us to a cafe where he again bought us a round. there we waited as his friend came and picked us up. we then wandered around the embassy district of Tirane searching for our hostel. we ended up leaving our new friends and wandering up the streets until we stumbled upon the hostel.

the hostel was wonderful, roomy and wedged between the Italian residence and another embassy. we sat around the bench talking and enjoying the time we had there and then retired for the night.

the next morning I made the decision to head to Gjirokastra and explore the city and its fortress before crossing the boarder on a night bus to Athens and stopping off in Ioannia.

We woke at 6:15 and prepared for our trip to Podgorica, Ostrag Monastery and the Montenegrin countryside. we hopped in Saki’s van and started on our journey. winding up the mountains from the sea side town of Budva we took the main roads through Montenegro to the capital city of Podgorica, from there passing through small towns and climbing through mountains and valleys we finally arrived at a tiny road barely big enough to fit our van. we turned and headed up – ever higher toward the top of the mountain.

winding through hairpin turns and across treacherous roads we arrived at Ostrag and disembarked. we trudged up to the monastery and explored its beauty and stark orthodox character. the monastery houses the corpse and bones of St. Basil (the Montenegrin one). apart from his body there is also an ornate cavern carved and painted which is burrowed back into the mountain from the monastery.

we explored and then saddled up for the treacherous drive back down to earth. we headed back through Podgorica Montenegro’s capital city with a population of roughly 120 thousand people. the city, full of half constructed, badly painted and miserable looking housing projects evoked a strong affirmation of how poor the country was. we returned through Svet Stefan and the beach side towns surrounding Budva – and town of 20,000 with over 400 known millionaires. outside Petrovac we stopped for a photo opportunity and the bolt connecting the stick shift and the gear box sheared. I saw it hanging under the car, and as Saki tried to phone for help decided we could fix it. climbing under the van on the side of the road, big trucks screaming by, I stretched under and refitted the two pieces, tying them together with plastic bags. we tried it a few times and then headed up the coast toward Tivat, the town used for Casino Royal, and Budva. I went and saw the beach at Tivat and then spent three hours lounging in the cool, clear, and blue/green Adriatic waters. Allowed my body to soak and relax. after the afternoon in the sun I returned to the apartment met up with the rest of the crew and then headed to a fine chicken, potato and salad dinner prepared by Saki’s wife. from there the boys decided to head out to explore the night life. unfortunately as a Tuesday the city was mostly dead but we had a good time regardless.

I woke at 7:10 and wandered down to await the bus to Ulcinej the city from which I would take a taxi across the boarder into Albania and to the city of Schodra and its Rozafa Castle.

Dubrovnik to Budva Montenegro:

I caught the bus from Dubrovnik to the border town of Hercei Novi in Montenegro. The man who had ran the private accomadation I was staying in had recommended to try that instead of taking the Croatian direct bus. I boarded my bus after a bus ride to out of the old city and down to the bus and ferry terminals on the far side of the city. From the bus station I found my bus and boarded, having just enough time before the bus left to strike up a conversation with an Aussie and Brazilian who were also headed to Budva. We rode along the Croatian coast toward Montenegro. After a slow boarder crossing and unfriendly bus attendant I was stoked to get out of the Croatian bus and find a Montenegran bus with a large placard stating: Budva. Happy and ready to be on my way, I grabbed my bags from the storage bin under the bus and hopped on the Montenegran bus.

The bus was ancient, the driver and his attendant in faded hawaiian shirts, the windshield cracked, the airconditioner pulled apart and to top off the experience there were spider’s happily in their webs in the corners of the windows. None the less it was 4 euro cheaper than the direct coach. We rode along, and it took me about 15 minutes to realize the crew hadn’t shut the door. I then looked closer and realized the door had no glas in it and was in fact closed. I chuckled to myself and enjoyed the jumpy ride around the beaches and towns of Montenegro.

We passed through Kotor, Tivat, and then arrived safely in Budva. I met up with the Aussie Gentleman and the Brazilian girl again and we decided to explore together seeking the hostel. We ended up taking a taxi (who ripped us off) – asking for 10 euro instead of the 2 it should have cost. We found the hostel booked to the brim and instead decided to wander up the street seeking another apartment. We found Saki’s Apartments up the street, marked with a Red Jeep Wrangler. Saki was in Podgorica and we spoke to his wife through sign language and arabic numbers. we arranged the room for 30 euro a night (10 each) for a master ensuite with another room containing two twin beds. Dropping our bags, we headed into the city. we walked down to the water and then along the beach to the old city. Famished we took a break at a cafe and got a huge hamburger for 5 euro – made of sausage not beef. from there we headed into the old city in search of an information desk. we wandered the city and explored the walls, impressive but nothing compared to the granduer of Dubrovnik. we slipped back into the city and found the information desk, getting information on day trips and exploring Montenegro. we then headed back to the hotel, rested and met Saki, a very kind fellow who was friendly and eager to share his home with us. He told us his wife would make us dinner for 5 euro each. we took him up on the offer and met down in the restaurant. we had a plate of rice with diced salad and beef. dinner over we were offered a little bit of a home made wine spirit (40-50 proof) we drank and then headed in to get a good nights sleep. The next morning Saki had offered to drive us up to Ostrag Monastery. It was hard to sleep knowing we would have a car and personal tour of Montenegro!