26th June - Sarande to Vlore
I joined Matt and Phil for breakfast and found out a little more about their travels. Both Matt and Phil are lawyers from Canada and have been friends for quite some time. Matt is based in Ottawa while Phil shares his time between Toronto and Paros. Matt had hired a well used BMW K100 while Phil was on his Greek Yamaha. They had a relatively short time together and had chosen Albania as the place to tour.
Not having a definite plan for the day ahead I said goodbye to Matt and Phil as they headed off in the direction of Vlore where I would be heading towards later.
Once out of Sarande and on quite good quality, and enjoyable roads, the riding was very enjoyable through the countryside and along the coast. You can see some potential for Albania's coastal development opportunities when you see the beautiful clean and clear blue from above - hopefully new development is better than what has taken place in Sarande.
The Albanian water looked from above.
Although I have some hope for good quality development in Albania it seems they might have a fair bit to learn….
Structural Engineer? What for?
As I rode along the Albanian roads I was reminded of a Top Gear episode where the three hosts test cars for Albania mafia bosses. As I rounded on of the bends high above the water I could see the old and derelict naval facility where Jeremy Clarkson clambered on to old submarines.
Top Gear Submarine Site
I was on my way down the road when I saw the closed gate with the sign indicating I would not be going further. I turned around and decided the photo from the road was fine. In addition to the old naval facility there were several rows of army trucks parked in open sheds on the hillside.
I had read about Dhermi as being one of Albania's more popular and beautiful seaside locations and I decided it would be a good spot for lunch.
Lunch stop in Dhermi over the water's edge
Dhermi was a good spot to break the day and the location right above the water was quite pleasant. After finishing lunch just above sea level I was soon climbing the winding road out of Dhermi to almost 1000m above sea level before heading inland and dropping back down the other side of the mountains towards Vlore.
As I neared Vlore and was getting ready to keep an eye out for the hotels and accommodation options I had listed down earlier there was the unmistakable sight of Matt and Phil beside the road. I slammed on the brakes and pulled over in front of them.
We quickly discussed how they had been a little disappointed with what they had seen so far in Vlore when looking for accommodation. They were hoping to camp and from the incredibly basic 'facilities' next to the main road beside us camping did not look enjoyable at all.
Matt and Phil had checked a hotel next to the sea and thought it was the best of the bunch to head back to. A little later we all checked-in to Hotel New York, Vlore.
Matt and Phil were very keen for a swim while I thought if I could get the internet connected I could catch-up on the unsuccessful upload(s) from my last days in Greece.
The internet was running well in the dinning area of the hotel and I finalised preparations for the upload with a beer or two. It was obvious the upload was going to take some time so the laptop was plugged in to the power and set aside.
I left the laptop to upload.
While the laptop did its thing in the corner I checked the Lonely Planet guide and my map to see where would be best for the next few days ahead.
…….the upload continued….until sunset.
While the upload continued I took a few photos of the sunset.
Beautiful sunset from Vlore
Beautiful sunset from Vlore
Beautiful sunset from Vlore
….the upload was finally completed after the sun had set…
Thankfully the upload had completed so that I could join Matt and Phil for dinner at one of the nearby restaurants. Dinner was another good chance to have a chat with them both.
All of us would be heading to Berat the following day….although not necessarily together.
27th June - Leaving Vlore for Berat
For at least the 2nd time I farewelled Matt and Phil and let them go on their way. Although we were all heading in the same direction there was no guarantee I would see them again in Berat.
Farewell Matt and Phil……
As I started up the bike and the GPS and pointed everything in the right direction I noticed a road on the GPS screen. This was the first road that I would be using in Albania that was on the GPS……the white screen had been a little boring.
The GPS had a road in Albania
Why buy board shorts before you get to the beach when you can buy them there?
Although the GPS had the/a road on it the route planning was not really possible. As I rode into the centre of Vlore I stopped near a Policeman to ask directions through town and out the other side. He called over his colleague on a motorbike who quickly directed me to get in behind him and follow him out of town. Sometimes he sounded the siren, sometimes he yelled, sometimes he flashed his lights as we wove our way through the lanes of traffic before he pulled over and pointed and said to go straight ahead.
Just around the corner a sign suggested not going straight ahead and instead took me to a brand new stretch of highway. I heard later from Matt and Phil they took the very rough and slow straight option.
At the end of the new stretch of highway somewhere south west of Fier I was back onto the rough local roads again. I checked with the friendly and helpful Policeman to make sure I was on the right 'track' to Berat.
The most remarkable aspect of the roads is that they can change so dramatically from good quality roads to such poor quality routes ahead (barely able to be described as roads). At some points along the way the road in town becomes a slushy, potholed construction track within the town only to become a perfectly acceptable rural road at the edge of town.
Albanian architecture is strong…
Along the way to Berat I was thankful I was on the bike I was on. There were times when I was riding in 2nd gear standing on the pegs due to the poor road conditions.I spoke briefly with two Italians - one on a BMW F650GS while the other was on a Harley Davidson Sportster. I would not like the ride on a Harley. I was also glad when I could pass the crowds and wreckage of two cars that had collided head-on on the narrow rural roads.
For the 2nd time in two days the unmistakable sight of Matt and Phil stopped beside the road was in front of me as I came to the Berat town sign. I pulled over and they were grateful for my arrival since could assist with taking some photos for them.
As the three of us headed into Berat we were looking for something to eat, while I had in the back of my mind that I might stay the night Matt and Phil were sure they were moving on.
The local boys were very interested by the bikes.
Stadium Tomori
We chose Mangalemi to have lunch which was also on my list as a potential place to stay the night in Berat. During lunch I decided I would stay at least one night in Berat at the Mangalemi Hotel and Restaurant.
One of the major reasons for Phil's visit to Berat was that his maid/housekeeper/nanny in Paros is from Berat. Throughout the course of the day, and after we arrived in Berat, Phil was texting and calling back to Paros to see if a meeting could be arranged with his maid's parents. Ultimately everyone met up and with the use of Skype a slightly odd conversation took place with translations being made in Greece for both Albanian and English versions of what was going on.
Matt, the parents and Phil
Matt and Phil had loosely planned to head to Permat after Berat that afternoon. According to the map the road was supposed to be OK and the distance was only a little over 100km. As Matt and Phil were putting on their jackets and getting ready to get on their bikes and ride off Mark and Martin arrived and parked their pair of BMWR1200GS.
It was obvious from the look of both Mark and Martin that they had had a pretty long and hard day of riding. I asked where they had come from and they described their journey from Permat that day.
Mark's and Martin's almost consecutive BMW's
Mark and Martin have ridden around the world and described the road from Permat as being worse than anything they had ever ridden - including Russia. They had taken over 7hrs to ride less than 100km while spending most of the time in 2nd gear and standing on the pegs. They described the 'road' as being rocks and rubble on the side of a mountain with dangerous drop-offs. They also said it was a great experience and the views and scenery were amazing.
I shared the story of ride and description of the route with Phil and Matt and then Mark and Martin filled-in extra information. Matt and Phil changed their minds about going to Permat and headed back towards the coast again.
This time it was farewell for Matt and Phil.
It was a relaxed evening at Mangalemi Hotel and Restaurant.