Concrete hodge-podge in technicolor
Trip Start
Apr 08, 2007
1
72
144
Trip End
Oct 01, 2007
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Tirana,
Albania
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
I met a couple from London at the internet cafe last night that coincidentally happened to be taking the same minibus this morning. Not only did this mean a little common-language company for the ride, but it also allowed for a smoother transition between legs. The stretch from Ulcinj to Shkodra worked out at just over an hour and a half, which was considerably faster than any of us were expecting. The arrival point was conveniently placed within 100m of the onward connection to Tirana and - better still - right next to a bank with ATM. No unnecessary lugging of baggage around! Once we'd all procured some cash, we walked straight across the road, incomprehensible traffic patterns and all, to the next minibus. Then for 300 lek (about $3) a head, we got a swift hour and a half ride down a beautifully resurfaced road to the capital.
01: Along the Lana river
Not at all what I expected! Albania's getting its act together, apparently.The same couple also happened to have reservations at the same hostel I had booked into, so we also got to share a taxi across town to the last stop. All in all, just 300 lek again (this time in total) and without barely even breaking a sweat. The hostel itself is a comfy little place on the edge of downtown Tirana, with very friendly and helpful staff, so it's a brilliant place to set up for a couple days. After a brief run-through of my planned itinerary for Albania, I was basically given all the information I needed to do it all. And in a room with only two other people sharing, it should be pretty easy to get a good night's sleep. Nice one.
It is seriously hot down here though. When I saw a reading around 1pm this afternoon, it was already showing 40°C and it only seemed to get hotter after that. Doing the slightest amount of sightseeing worked out to be quite a chore. Not that there is a tremendous amount of sights here. On the contrary, Tirana is little more than a dusty, chaotic capital city filled with unimaginative architecture and too many cars. Much of the infrastructure was thoroughly trashed in the anarchic 90s. The suburbs make many industrial cities in Romania look decent. Really though, you can't expect much of a city that was little more than an insignificant country town when it was declared the capital post-World War I. The Italians helped build it up somewhat in the 20s and 30s, only to have it get ravaged at the end of World War II and then be almost completely rebuilt under the paranoid Communist regime.
Tirana is undergoing a sort of economic rebirth though. It's certainly bustling with activity and people moving about. A number of modern, glass-and-tile buildings have popped up around the center and there's now a big, sleek shopping mall towering over the canalized river. The one thing that stands out though is how weirdly colorful it is. Apparently the current mayor decided to restore the remaining old buildings on Skenderbeg Square in 2000, then - evidently so happy with the results - thought he might as well have the whole city get a good lick of paint. Or several. What were once depressingly drab, grey apartment blocks are now a wild pastiche of colorful geometric shapes and long, alternating streaks. Some of it's gotten a bit bleached by the intense summer sun, but overall Tirana is somewhat like stepping into a Communist showcase city on heavy psychedelics. Oh, and left to decay for twenty years somewhere in between.
It's interesting, but it certainly ain't beautiful. You'd be hard-pressed trying to find much that can even be described as "attractive." What little history remains in the city can be seen in a day's stroll - assuming that the heat doesn't beat you into the ground. It nearly did me. After less than two hours out in it, I had to track down the closest shop for a big bottle of cold water to guzzle down. And guzzle I did . the 1.5L bottle lasted maybe 20 minutes at most.
Albania's a hoot so far though. This marks the first time I've been someplace where I've 1) seen a guy riding a bike while carrying an electronic fan (that was inexplicably running!) and 2) seen an impatient driver honk at a cop directing traffic. The people are extremely friendly, even if you can't understand a word they're saying (nor they you). It ought to be interesting having a look around for the next few days. I've got another night in Tirana after today, so I'll probably hop down to neighboring Durrësi and possibly Kruja nearby, time-depending. After that I'll have a look down south at a couple places before rounding back north and eastwards to Macedonia. Should be good.
