From Tirana to Baghdad

I just wanted to inform you that I will be going to Iraq for around 2 weeks. If I get the opportunity I will let you know how I am doing there and post some photos. They say its very hot there now but hopefully there will be electricity to power the air-cons.

So take and hopefully you will be hearing from me soon.

Albania, the new Croatia?…..maybe

The summer provides glorious sunshine and weather to Albania, and in return Albania has plenty to offer in the summer and there is good potential for the winter as well. I was pleased to come across a review on Albania the other day, and after I finished reading it I began thinking about the direction which Albania will take with regards to tourism and the impression it will leave on those visiting it. 

I began by asking myself what Albania has to offer in terms of tourism, and after giving it some thought I realised that this small country is indeed full of things to see and do.

The coast stretches from north to south and the majority of it is untouched by developers and concrete. Then you have small lakes which are dotted around everywhere, and three huge lakes one of which, Ohrid, is the oldest in Europe. Rivers are also plentiful, and if you know where to go they can be mesmerising. I mentioned these first because I love swimming in the summer, and so far with the exception of Durres I have been very impressed. 

Then there is the cultural, historical, and ancient side of Albania that I believe is not very well advertised. You find countries that have one or two Roman columns still standing and they go on and on about it in their tourist brochures. Well Albania is dotted with ancient sites, and historical castles and forts from north to south, so much so that you can produce a whole brochure just about them. 

The other thing which you can never get away from in Albania is the mountains. These can be small-medium sized mountains to proper year round snow capped alps. Some of the mountains that I have driven past are absolutely majestic, and if you ever see them at their harshest during winter you will be at awe. For climbers and winter sports enthusiasts its a paradise. 

What I have mentioned above are the areas which I believe a tourism industry can be built on. Looking at the official Albanian tourism website it is evident that they ministry sees it that way too. However, I am very worried for the future of tourism in Albania especially if things continue the way they are. For what ever reasons it seems developments get the go ahead no matter what the cost is to the surrounding scenery and environment, Durres is a prime example of this. A major problem is that these developments are taking place without the local infrastructure being present.

Tourism can boost the Albanian economy, but for it to be sustained and long term, it must be done according to a well thought plan. Currently it seems everything is done for the here and now, make a quick buck and you’re sorted. If this attitude continues for the next 5 years, tourism in Albania will be dead before it has started. This cannot be put solely in the hands of the money men and developers, the ministers in charge of these matters need to pull their fingers out and do something about it now. 

Although deep inside I sadly believe that not much will change, and some of the natural beauty will be ruined. But there is so much here that most of it will remain untouched, and if (this is a very very BIG IF) a we get a government that chooses to protect Albania-rather than exploit it-then there is nothing to stop Albania becoming the tourist hot-spot that Montenegro and Croatia have become.

So there you have it, its funny how reading something makes you want to write.

Hospitality, what hospitality?

This is a rant so to all those who might get offended or look at Albania through rose tinted glasses you have been warned.

Most visitors to Albania always comment on how hospitable and friendly the people are here, and they would be right in making that assertion based on their experiences. Well I beg to differ about these observations because I believe them to be somewhat biased.

Please don’t get me wrong I am not saying that all Albanian people are unfriendly and inhospitable, all I am saying is that it in my humble opinion Albanians are not as friendly as described by most visitors, and I will explain myself.

You see Albanians are predominantly white with a minority of Roma people who are of a darker complexion. Most foreigners who live in Albania are here for work or they are married to someone who is working here. The majority of those coming to work and live here are also white, and usually from western countries within the EU or from the US. As a result the feedback you get from visitors to Albania mainly comes from these people.

Now my question to you is, have you ever considered what it is like to be a black/brown/Asian foreigner in Albania?

I am not of white European origin but I blend in pretty well MOST of the time, but I recently had two friends from home coming to visit me for two weeks because they had seen photos of the beaches here and I told them who nice and beautiful the country is. One of my friends is black while the other is of Asian background, and let me tell you, walking in the street and going out with them was a new experience for me here in Albania. The rudeness and the utter ignorance of the people makes my blood boil, and I think what made it worse was the fact that I understand some Albanian.

When we walked the streets people just stared at us as if we were some creatures that had just landed from Mars, and when we walked into cafes or restaurants heads would turn. People would stop conversation just to look at us, and I don’t mean take a quick look, no, they gaze into our eyes until it gets very uncomfortable.

The thing that made it worse was that I understand a bit of Albanian, so I could not avoid hearing ‘zezak’, ‘majmun’ or ‘kinez’ almost everywhere we went, let alone the ‘ching chang chong’ and monkey noises some youths were saying while we walked past them in the streets.

There is one observation I made when my friends were here, and that is most of this came from the young (below 40) generation, which would rule out ignorance because this generation has seen American films, they listen to rap music, they like Thierry Henry and Beyonce. So apart from pure racism I cannot find a reason for such behaviour. The older generation on the other hand was more pleasant and just took one look at the two aliens walking with me and turned away.

I ask all ex-pats reading this, have you walked in the streets here with a non-white person? Or maybe you are not white, how do you find walking in the streets of Tirana? And if you are an Albanian reading this, please tell me if I am being harsh?

I know many of you will say ‘well things were just as bad in our countries back in the 60s, 70’s or 80’s (some are till this day), I would agree, but we were not being described as hospitable and friendly, we were rightly being called Right-wing, racists, and xenophobic.

So there you have it, next time when I hear an American/British/French/German/Scandinavian white person tell me that Albanians are friendly and hospitable, my response would be: ‘of course they are, you are the right colour, just thank God you are white’.

By the way, my friends liked Albania, but they will not come back here soon.

Going up the Dajti and the Olympics

The Dajti mountain is like a beast watching over Tirana all the time, and the only way of avoiding it is to turn your back towards it. The other thing you can do is to actually take a trip up to the mountain where you can see the whole of Tirana and beyond. Legend (actually a friend of mine) has it that on a clear day it is possible to see the coast from the top of the Dajti, however I cannot personally verify that.

There are two ways one can go up to the Dajti apart from walking/climbing and helicopter. The cable car is seems to be the choice for many and I must say it is quite fun to begin with but can become a bit boring after a while, and if you are afraid of heights then it is not recommended. I personally like to drive up the winding roads which in some places are covered by tall trees on both sides. There is also a village or two that are on the way which still have the old characteristic houses that seem to be disappearing in Tirana.

The Hotel

Looking down on to Tirana

Once you are somewhere close to the top you will arrive at the Dajti park gates, where you need to pay to continue the journey, otherwise take the right hand turn and continue climbing (I have never taken that route yet and always wonder where it will lead). A few minutes after the barrier comes a wonderful Hotel and restaurant which is an ideal place for a weekend getaway and not far from the Tirana. I usually park the car there and continue the rest of the journey by foot to enjoy the fresh and clean air and sound of rushing water against the background of rustling leaves.

I would recommend going up the Dajti to all those that haven’t been yet, it really is a nice and peaceful trek. However be careful if you are driving, the Dajti can be very deceiving. You will set out on a clear sunny day with not a single cloud in the sky, and all of a sudden as if from nowhere thick white clouds descend on to to the mountain. If that happens I would suggest staying put and not panicking because the clouds will always go somewhere else.

Olympics

Not many days left before the Olympic games begin and Hysen Domi, President of the Albanian Olympic Committee, has announced that Albania will send its largest ever delegation to this years games in Beijing. Lets wish them luck and hope they do themselves and their country proud. Albania has a history in weight lifting and wrestling so keep an eye out for those events to see how well they do.

Fire Seaseon

Sitting in my flat a few days ago with the windows wide open, the pungent smell of burning plastic filled my nostrils. At first I thought there was something burning in the my flat, but when I couldn’t find anything burning I went to the balcony and the smell was everywhere. I looked at the street below and there it was, the bin was on fire. Now I know this happens all the time, but the stories in the news are a sobering reminder why in some places it can be fatal.

Forest fires seem to be a seasonal phenomenon here in Albania and in the region as a whole. Last summer many beautiful green mountains were ablaze and the same seems to be happening again this year. Today it has been reported that the fires are near to seaside resorts close to the city of Fier, and the police have arrested five people suspected of starting the fire. This kind of news is always saddening, but when you find out that it is was a deliberate act (this has not yet been proved in this case) it also makes me very angry. This phenomenon of starting fires deliberately is rife in Greece, where developers deliberately set fire to ‘green belt’ areas they hope to build on. I just hope this trend does not come to Albania, be it developers or farmers seeking new pasture fields, because the resources in here cannot cope with large forest fires. Last year my heart was going out to those poor soldiers and villagers who were fighting off the fire with nothing more thank tree branches.

Now you can argue that nothing can be done if people start fires deliberately, but the possibility of forest fires starting accidentally also exists. Everyday piles of rubbish are burnt whether in the bins, like my flat (and just everywhere else in Tirana) or just on the side of the street. Such acts are particularly dangerous in rural areas where the possibility of the fire spreading to nearby bushes is considerable. Also the burning of fields by farmers is practiced widely here, and again in the summer that could be a recipe for disaster. I don’t see any point of putting in laws to stop these kinds of act because they will not be policed. The change has to be made by the people and local governments. Farmers have to stop burning their fields in the summer, and the local government has to collect the rubbish from the designated areas and those dumped elsewhere. Just think how many accidental forest fires can be avoided!

Apart from the damage done to the scenery, the local environment and the local economy, people loose lives and livelihoods as a result of these fires. I just hope this is a one-off case and we don’t see such stories dominating the summer of 2008. Finally, lets all hope for some rain.

Beautiful Peze, and some other minor stuff

Peze Lake

Dodgy looking bridge on the way to the lake

One of the major advantages of living in Albania during the summer is the variety of places which you can go to for a swim. This weekend me and some colleagues went to a lake near the town/village of Peze not far from Tirana for a swim. None of us had been there before and were a bit sceptical about what we were going to find. All those thoughts went out of the window as soon as I laid my eyes on the lake. The scenery was magnificent and the water was just calling out for anyone to take a swim. Added to all of that is the fact that there was just us and the birds (and the many insects, but hey nothing is perfect). We spent a few hours at the lake and then headed back towards the village of Peze for some refreshments but I was already thinking of my next trip back to this wonderful place (I just hope no one sticks a bar cafe there).

There is not much in the news today but Matilda Mecini makes the news as Miss Universe Albania, she will be competing for the Miss Universe crown with other hopefuls from around the world. Beauty pageants are a big deal here in Albania, or so I think but every year they cover it quite well in the local media here.

Some other minor news now, Mr Edi Rama (who lives in Peze by the way) seems a bit cheesed off that the Europeans are not giving Albania the respect it deserves compared to Serbia and some former Yugoslav republics when it comes to EU membership. I think he has a point but hey, Kosovo just got independence, you cant have everything at once. And Finally , Mr Withers (US Ambassidor) Gerdec and Fatmir (not so Fatmir) Mediu saga continues with an interesting exchange of letters, reports the LA Times. I think this one is gonna run and run and run and as usual the real culprits wont get the justice they rightly deserve. The fat get fatter and the poor…… well……….who cares….. right?

Nato, Berat, and Pollution

Waking up yesterday morning I walked out onto the balcony to have a coffee and was saddened by what I saw. Now, I have to tell you that I live on the seventh floor of a building and have quite a nice panoramic and unobstructed view of Tirana, however yesterday the visibility was so bad that I could not see some of the hills to the east of the city. In fact the Dajti which is just over a 1km from my flat was barely visible. This was not due to clouds or fog, but a mixture of dust and smog. On a nice clear day, I can actually see cars travelling up the Dajti, but as you can see from the photo below that wasn’t the case yesterday. Lying in a valley and with all the fumes and dust Tirana really has its work cut out when it comes to air quality, especially in the summer. So I think a nice rain storm would be called for in the next couple of days to settle things down a bit. So lets all pray for some rain (I cant believe I am saying this).

Big thick smog

On another front, the news regarding the signing of the NATO accession protocols are on all major news outlets but you can check it out on a  not so major news site. One step closer to the EU I hope, which will probably happen early in the next decade. An interesting view was also published regarding the NATO membership by on Radio Netherlands Worldwide entitled Albania is a nation without memories which is based on the views of an Albanian physics graduate who was imprisoned for many years during the communist era. It is an interesting read, and I found the views posted on Stepping Stones interesting.

Berat has also been in the news recently because it has been added to the list of world heritage sites by UNESCO. Berat is a town in Albania that I have heard many pleasant things about (it is also the most visited by tourists) but have so far not had the pleasure of visiting. I shall make an effort this summer to give it a visit and see the famous castle which dates back to more than 2000 years.

Swimming in Velipoja

The weather over the past weeks has been wonderful, blue sky with the odd fluffy white cloud, and the warm temperatures are very far from what I am used to back home. So last weekend me and some friends decided to go to Velipoja for a swim. The drive from Tirana took about two and half hours but that was mainly due to traffic, and I have to mention the roads were of good standard unlike those on the way to Vlora. As we passed Lezhe the scenery became much more beautiful and the drive more pleasurable as we passed through fields full of horses (and cows but they dont beat horses so who cares) on both sides. Arriving at the beach was a bit of a disappointment for me because there were so many people (I like quiet beaches). However this feeling did not last, because the beach is very very very long, and all the people were concentrated in on area of the beach because of the close proximity of the Bar/Cafe/Restaurant/Pizzeria/Fast Food/Hotel/Motel/Lavazh/shops etc.. So we bought what we needed and drove to the left side of the beach and after about 1 mile we arrived at a quiet spot close to the mouth of a river that runs into the sea.

After an hour or so of swimming we decided to walk further east along the beach, as we crossed the mouth of the river the were four or five people fishing, but once we passed them the beach was deserted for all the way till the end (2 km approx). There no one on the beach except for us and the rubbish that was probably washed up by the sea. And although we passed debris, plastic bags, flip flops, cans and other bits of rubbish it really didnt matter, because the beach was so long and so wide that the rubbish wasnt really staring you in the face, and most important of all it wasnt in the water, it was just lying there scattered on the beautiful beach.

Overall Verdict

The water was blue and clean, unlike Durres, and we had a great time swimming in peace and I would recommend it to those who want to swim somewhere nice but not as far as Vlora or Sarande. Has plenty of hotels, shops etc for all the things you may need but is relatively undeveloped and long may it stay like that.

The mouth of the river

Empt sandy beach till the end

Hello or shall I say Si je?

This is my first post and I would like to welcome all visitors and thank you for taking time to check me out.

I hope to keep you all updated on the goings on of Albania and in particularly Tirana the great capital city that never never sleeps! I hope those of you in Tirana are reading this inside an air-conditioned room/office otherwise you are backing and I would advise you to go and have a cold shower. Thankfully we have had plenty of rain this year and the electricity situation seems to be much better than it was this time last year. Lets just hope we get more thunderstorms like we did last week to settle the dust and power the grid.