The Balkans

juli - augusti 2023
  • Jarrod Dietz
En 47-dags äventyr från Jarrod Läs mer
  • Jarrod Dietz

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  • Theth National Park

    4 augusti 2023, Albania ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    After a brutal early morning, I managed to drag myself out of bed and get on the first shuttle to the starting location for the hike. This was a 2 euro shuttle, but it avoided 2 hours of walking. Given that we were doing a hike, we were originally keen to cop it and extend the hike, but then we learnt you literally just walk along the road with very little in terms of views or serenity. So we took the shuttle. Although I was on the first shuttle, the rest of the crew had to wait for the second shuttle, so we waited at the beginning.

    At the beginning of the hike, we walked through a riverbed that must flow heavily during spring as the ice melted off the top of the mountain. It was really cool, white rocks lining the bottom of the path, with a forest around it and huge mountains in the background. This went on for about 30 minutes as we anxiously looked up to the mountain we would eventually have to climb to reach the other side. It was quite cold at this point so the walk was rather enjoyable. Also importantly it was very flat. Just as the sun started to get a bit of bite to it, the landscaped changed drastically, and we entered a well shaded forest area. This part of the mountain must escape the effects of the river as it had small farming properties and little animals scattered throughout.

    This was the very enjoyable part of the hike, but eventually, the steep ascent began. Although the sun was far from its full force, it still packed a punch. The ascent was relatively short but quite intense. Although we did not know it at the time, Erin had the early stages of pneumonia, and so she especially struggled on the hike. We would take regular breaks, however, to ensure that we did not leave anyone behind. After a gruelling couple of hours of walking up a very steep and rocky mountain face, we eventually reached the section in which you can pass through the mountain and begin the descent down to Theth. However, there was a peak not far from this point, and given the distance we had travelled, to not experience the full view of the valley from a peak seemed silly. As such, we picked ourselves back up and began trekking further up the hill to one of the Peaks. It was very worth it as getting 360-degree views of the valley we had just trekked all the way up, and the valley we would eventually track all the way down was really interesting. We could even see the path we had taken, which made us feel very accomplished. We had done all this by about 9 a.m., too.

    The final section included the descent to Theth. I'm normally a much bigger fan of the descent compared to the ascent, but this was a very rough descent because of how long it was. We had perhaps been fooled into a false sense of accomplishment, having peaked so early in the day. We thought we were just about at the end, but we were not even halfway, and the loose rocks and stones made the descent quite difficult. That being said, the landscape was different again, although still a forest, it lacked the shrubbery that existed on the other side of the mountain range, so we entered a quite eary, wooded forest. Just endless trees rising out of the ground. This continued for what felt like forever, and my knees started to give out on me. Although I've never had knee problems, what started as a small sharp pain, the constant force through my knees with each step took its toll. By the end, I could barely bend my leg. Luckily, we eventually stopped for a beer, which gave my knee a chance to rest a little bit. This helped in the short term. Although we had a bit of a hike still to go, we considered the beer to be a celebration of completing the hike. We were once again roped into a false sense of achievement. This was also the time we realised it was barely 11am and we were drinking. The early start had thrown us around, but we drank nonetheless. The hike continued for another good couple of hours with some harsh downhill sections that were crippling me with each step. Eventually we did make it to the small town of Theth, and by pure coincidence the 3 of us that had organised to rent a car the next day had been given our own guesthouse as the other one was full. This worked out really well as Erin got her own room to try to recover from the hike and pneumonia, and Lewis and I got our own room together. The place was beautiful too. It was a tiny, remote little house within the valley that was so wholesome that it was hard to describe. The lady that ran it was so cute and helpful for us that we couldn't have been more well treated. This is exactly what we needed after the hike. Not to mention, she cooked the GREATEST meal that I have eaten on my journey so far. I was so hungry and worried we wouldn't get solid portions as happened at the last place. But she cooked a feast of chicken, rice, pastries, chips, salad, veggies, and anything else you could possibly want after a big hike. I can't describe how good it was. There is a photo as evidence, but I can't decide a picture of the hike to remove, so this will have to wait until I'm home so I can share it.

    We grabbed a couple of beers and went to meet up with the other guys from the hike for some drinks. We played card games and drank throughout the night. It was great. Eventually, though, we had to head back to get a decent sleep and prepare to head back to Shkoder the next day.
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  • Rainy Theth

    5 augusti 2023, Albania ⋅ 🌧 21 °C

    Today, we woke up to a rainy and cloudy Theth. I had thought this would take away from the experience, yet it seemed to add to it. A light drizzle in the valley, with clouds that covered the mountain tops, felt like something out of a story book. It was so beautiful that I sat out on the steps for a good 30 minutes. Lewis had also woken up very sick, having been up all night vomiting and shitting himself. We tried to identify what it may have been, but I had drank everything he drank and ate everything he ate. Whatever it was, I managed to dodge sickness yet again. There is some sort of guardian angel looking over me. Lewis had intended to stay another night in Theth and do the blue eye that is a short hike away, but this (and the weather) had changed things and so he decided to jump in with us to head back to Shkoder. That being said, the bus that was supposed to arrive at 11 am didn't arrive until 2 pm. This resulted in many hours of boring waiting around. Although we were enjoying the rainy Theth experience, it clearly impacted the bus drivers' ability to access the town. However, there is a different theory. When the bus finally arrived, it was just one man in a banged up old van that came specially for the three of us and picked up no one else from the other guesthouse. So we think they forgot about us and only picked up the others. We eventually learnt that the bus that arrived to pick up the others was also late, got bogged, and then eventually broke down. So it wasn't particularly smooth sailing for anyone, but I still think they forgot about us.

    Unfortunately, though, when the old man arrived in his banged up old van, our relief didn't yet hit. The bus did not look suitable for the roads but we had little choice but to get on. Because I was quite tired still, i laid down across the seats (as it was only the 3 of us), but apparently, the old man nearly drove us off the road on multiple occasions. Luckily, I was blissfully unaware until we arrived. We then collected our bags and started to walk toward our accommodation. It was a bit of a trek, but eventually, we arrived and prepared to park up for the night. It was next to an old abandoned train track with a surprising number of goats. Just to give context for those photos I will include.
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  • Road Trip

    6 augusti 2023, Albania ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    After a night to rest in Shkoder, today was the day we were going to rent a car and begin our road trip through Albania. Transport throughout the country is quite difficult without a car, and renting a car isn't overly expensive. As a result, the three of us could split the car for a week and cost us about 140 euro each. Although there were cheaper options, we had mates who used this company, and we were happy to pay extra to not get stitched up with additional hidden fees. The roads through Albania appeared to be quite hectic from what we had seen, and so we took the safe option and got the automatic as well. This ended up being a hugely important decision as I am unsure i would have been able to drive through the cities in a manual with the craziness that occurs in the streets. Not to mention, the gear stick is on the wrong side of the steering wheel, so it would have been very difficult to adjust to shifting gears with my right hand instead of my left. In retrospect, the worst drive was the first one. Because I was the only one over 25, all the insurance was in my name, and I was supposed to drive the whole way. As such, I drive it out of the rental car place and head toward the highway. But the crazy drivers of the city continue onto the highways where additional lanes are created along the shoulder whenever someone is in a rush, Sheppard's herd sheep long the side of the road, and people sell puppy's through car windows when stuck in traffic. It was comical and stressful all at once, but truly a unique experience. Not to mention, the roads are far worse in the north of the country, so driving in general was just a bit chaotic right off the bat.

    Right before we left Shkoder, we encouraged Erin to go to the hospital and get her cough checked out. It had been 2 weeks of endless coughing, and so she abliged. While she did that, Lewis and I watched some boxing. Diaz vs. Paul. It was basically an exhibition match, but I watched it anyway. After this, we picked up Erin from the hospital and learned about her pneumonia. She had antibiotics to treat it, but it meant she would not be able to drink for almost the rest of the time we had together. Either way, she was very keen to get rid of her sickness.

    Nonetheless, we eventually arrived at the first location, Durres. Although we stayed here mostly as a stopover, the main esplanade was really cool and quite lively. Lewis and I wandered through here while Erin remained at home, getting over her pneumonia, which we were still unaware she had. We bought some groceries and headed home to cook up a feed and go to bed. A classic backpackers dinner of frozen veggies, sauce, and pasta was enough to sustain us.
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  • Vlore

    7 augusti 2023, Albania ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    The second stop on our road trip was Vlore. But we spent the morning exploring Durres after a quick breakfast. This mostly consisted of wandering an old Roman amphitheatre. Lewis is an incredibly curious and talkative individual, and it was hilarious watching his brain unravel and question what each section may have been used for. It added to the entertainment value. Although very small, the unrestricted access through all the areas made it super interesting. They had some brief history stuff to talk about, but it wasn't the most exciting descriptions possible. Either way, we spent about an hour here before hunting down a sports bar to watch the Woman's World Cup. Australia played against Denmark, and it was a big game for both teams. Although originally struggling to find a pub that plays the game, the old reliable Irish pub managed to secure an avenue to watch it. We were the only Aussies watching, but we still got very excited about the game. After Australia got the win and secured their spot in the quarter finals, we set off to make it to our accommodation in Vlore. By the time we arrived, we parked up at the hotel briefly and made our way to find some dinner. It was already quite late by this point, so we had a quick look along the waterfront to see what it was all about. There was quite a bit happening. It is summer in Europe, so there are always things going on, it seems, but it was nice to walk through the streets at night and see everyone out with their families. Despite Lewis and Erin getting us lost, I eventually took charge and got us back to the accommodation. This is noteworthy because im shocking with directions, and the two of them are always bragging about their good memory. Although Vlore wasn't as nice as Durres, I think the accommodation we had was much nicer. This meant that for the first time in a long time, we could watch netflix and eat snacks on the couch just like we were back home. We watched 'Beasts of no Nation', and it was very confronting. It was a great movie but not really the movie we should have picked given the occasion. We were far more keen for something uplifting and light-hearted. Instead, we scarred our mental health, causing decades of emotional damage and losing faith in all of humanity and earth before heading to bed.

    Seriously, I don't think I have seen a more aggressively depressing movie ever. Despite being very good.
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  • Himare

    8 augusti 2023, Albania ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Today, we planned to beach hop on our way to Himare. Unfortunately, all the beaches we had identified on the map as having potential were situated within a naval base area. I'm not sure how that could have happened, but obviously, we just went on our way and headed to the next beach. This was the main beach we wanted to see anyway, so we weren't too fussed. The drive there ended up being the greatest appeal of it all. Unfortunately, I was driving and so didn't get the best photos, but we got to drive down from the top of the mountain on a zigzag road with pristine white beaches that lay at the bottom. The beach when we got to the bottom did not disappoint either. The water was insanely blue and the perfect temperature. Was so nice to jump in. We couldn't spend as much time as we had planned, though, as the wind did manage to ruin the fun. Because it is a rocky beach, when the wind really picked up, you would be getting hit and stung by tiny rocks that left like they embedded themselves into you. As such, we figured it would be best to make our way to Himare.

    When we arrived, we got to the hotel we had originally booked just to learn that they actually rejected our booking for whatever reason. This meant we officially had to find somewhere at the very last minute. We knew for a fact that accommodation isn't cheap or easy to find here because two Irish girls, who were coincidentally staying in Himare at the same time as us, were forced to stay at a camping site. This scared us quite a bit, but eventually, we found a really nice hotel that was quite expensive, but splitting it 3 ways makes it a lot more affordable. We had to pay 30 euro each, but that's what most hostels cost anyway, and we got our own private place.

    This worked out really well as eventually when we caught up with the Irish ladies, we made use of a 5 euro cocktail happy hour and went back to the hotel to drink. We were probably 6 cocktails and a few beers in by this point, and the drinking only continued, so it is safe to say it was a long night of drinking. Unfortunately, there isn't much nightlife in Himare, so this was the best option we had, but we were not complaining as we had a lot of fun.
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  • Sunbakers

    9 augusti 2023, Albania ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Although we were staying in Himare for 2 nights, because our accommodation cancelled on us, and the replacement only had availability for one night, we were once again forced into a checkout deadline. Being viciously hungover, this problem was getting very annoying. We were yet to stay anywhere for more than a night, and so a decent sleep in became impossible to come by. At least this time, we were only driving across the small town of Himare, rather than a decently long drive.

    Tonight, we were staying at Sunbakers hostel, the first hostel we had stayed in since we got the car. We began joking that we were officially vacationers rather than travellers as the last few days of living in luxury had made us spoilt and weak. Despite months of hostel living, it did take some adjustment to get back used to the lifestyle. But it was good to be social again and try and meet new people.

    As we checked into the hostel, we had been recommended to go to a very secluded beach that requires you to repel down via a rope. Although quite dangerous, it meant that it was quieter. That being said, there was no shade, so we had to spend most of our time in the water so that we didn't burn up. It was worth it though as the beach was beautiful and the temperature was fantastic. It was one of the nicest beaches I have been to in Europe. We then walked along some of the main beaches in Himare, and it made us glad to have gone to the more secluded one. The other beaches were busy and quite small, but it was still nice if you could find a spot.

    Unfortunately, the nightlife in Himare is quite lacking, but we enjoyed just staying at the hostel, drinking, and playing cards in the afternoon. We were then treated to one of the nicest sunsets I had seen in a while. So the three of us parked up with a pizza and a beer to watch it from the hostel. It was a good way to end the afternoon and begin the night. We ended up drinking quite heavily again, and it was early morning before we headed to bed. Because we were heading south again tomorrow, we were once again given a check out deadline, much to my disgust.
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  • Ksamil

    10 augusti 2023, Albania ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Because we had to hand the car back in Sarande, we decided to skip it for now and head further south to Ksamil. This would mean we could end the trip in Sarande and avoid a drive on that last day. We had a slow morning, as the hangovers accumulated from the previous days, but eventually began the long drive south. Given that we were tired and arrived late into Ksamil, we just went to find somewhere for a feed. This was, however, the first day in which Erin could really drink after finishing her antibiotics, and although we were hungover and tired, we figured it would be rude to not have a drink with her. We felt bad for how often she would be watching us get drunk, so it was only fair to have a few drinks with her. It gave us a chance to explore Ksmail by night, too. It was really cool, but all the really nice places were expensive, so we just ended up finding a good cocktail happy hour and once again just played cards. It was a nice night, but we were once again off to Sarande tomorrow and so had to be up early, and I was already lacking sleep. As such, we had a reasonably early night and prepared for a big day tomorrow.

    Given the long drive, we didn't get much opportunity to explore Ksamil but we had a lot planned for tomorrow.
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  • Gjirokaster and Butrint

    11 augusti 2023, Albania ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Today, we had to leave Ksamil and check in to our accommodation in Sarande. However, first, we wanted to visit the Roman ruins in Butrint. We expected this to be a small roman city with few ruins, but it ended up being a huge peninsula that had the full infrastructure of a large, well functioned roman city (200ha). It had baths, theatres, houses, basilicas, fortifications, and more - the only thing it seemed to miss was the aqueduct that existed there for a long time. This would have been very interesting to see, but unfortunately, it was no longer visible. The rest of the information they provided was really interesting. It went through the whole history of the site, with evidence of occupation dating back to 50,000 BC until the last known occupation in the 19th century AD. It highlighted the occupation of the Greeks from 800 BC until about 44 BC when the Romans began occupying the area. The Byzantine eventually took over again in the 9th century before eventually ceding control to the Venetians in the 14th century. The final occupants were the Ottomans before it was eventually abandoned a couple hundred years before its eventual rediscovery. The information pieces did a good job at uncovering how the area looked during these different periods and how the influence from so many different rulers impacted the stylistic design and architecture of the buildings. They showed the artefacts and archaeological finds discovered during its restoration and even have floor mural that is visible in its original location. There is a very large mural that is still present in the baptistery, yet this remains covered most years to ensure it can be preserved. We unfortunately could not see that, just the photos. It was once again hilarious to watch Lewis run around like an ADHD child, wrapping his head around the age and grandure of the site. The site as a whole was enthralling. By the time this was complete and we felt as though we had explored the whole site, it was early afternoon, and we realised we better get going if we wanted to see Gjirokaster too.

    We started the drive of about an hour and a half, and in no time, we had made it to Gjirokaster. As previously mentioned, the roads are far smoother to the south, so getting around is far less stressful and far faster, which is a blessing after some of the other drives we had completed. After a lunch feed, we began to wander around town to discover the unique architecture that is present in this place. The white houses that extend over the walkways, with wood trimmings, are truly a unique site for me in Europe. I know Berat, also in albania, has similar architecture, but for me, this was a first to witness. It really made you feel like you had gone back in time as the whole town matched this aesthetic. So, rather than walking into an old town within a city, this felt like we got out of the car in a completely different time period. Though we didn't have much time, so, we mostly stuck to the main areas for tourists. The next thing to see was the castle that overlooks the town atop the hill. This was also really cool because of the views from the top, giving complete 360-degree views of the town, and the unrestricted access to most of the areas within the castle. It once again helped with the immersion into the time travel feeling. The castle had some interesting information pieces about the castle, but also about the wildlife in the area, which was a good change.

    This has been one of my most challenging logs to summarise in just 20 photos, given how much we did. But I have done my best. This unfortunately ignores the amazing drive home we had. As it was sunset, and we were driving through the mountains, the way the mountaintops caught the sunlight, but the rest of the valley didn't, made it feel like we were in a painting. I managed to squeeze one photo in, but there are many more that highlight the beautiful drive through the albanian mountains. This made it a bit easier to stay awake for the drive home, but by the time we got to our accommodation in Sarande, we basically passed out.
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  • Blue Eye

    12 augusti 2023, Albania ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We gave ourselves a well-deserved sleep in, but this was once again interrupted at about 9 am. However, instead of an annoying checkout we had to make, we were actually excited to get up. Today was the quarter finals of the women's world cup, and Australia was vsing France, the former champions. This was a high-energy, incredibly stressful match that had all three of us screaming as loud as we could, probably to the frustration of our neighbours. We were far too engaged with the game to care, however. It went all the way to penalties, and after an incredibly stressful and heart-wrenching shoot-out , Australia beat France and progressed. It was one of the longest and most intense shootouts I've ever witnessed, but boy, was I glad it was over. My heart could not continue to watch it.

    After this, we headed to one of my biggest bucket list items from this trip, and that's the Blue Eye near Sarande. I have heard amazing things about the beautifully clear water that springs from the earth. Unfortunately, when we arrived, we were met with a 2km walk, and in the heat we were experiencing, it was tough. But when we arrived, it was definitely worth it as the water was even more colourful and beautiful than I had imagined and seen in photos. We then learnt that you are not supposed to swim in the water, which was disappointing. There were plenty of people doing it, but we felt it took away from the appeal in many of the main areas, so we just found a quiet place where people couldn't see us, and jumped in there to experience the water. It's hard to describe the feeling of the water because it really just felt pristine to the point that you wanted to drink it. The water was also incredibly cold, which is good given that we had done quite a bit of walking before this to explore the area. But it once again took the breath out of you. It wasn't as cold as in Theth but cold enough to ensure I didn't stay in too long. The photos do a horrible job of painting a picture of the clarity of the water, as you need to be high enough above that you can see the colours on the bottom. Meaning, any photo taken from eye level turned out shit compared to how it really looked. I did get a few good ones but not as many as I would have liked. Not enough to pain a picture of the beauty. It was a great experience, and it was definitely something I'll remember forever. But it wasn't a massive area, and after a few hours, we were ready to move on. So we headed back to the car and drove to our accommodation in Sarande.

    When we arrived, we got very lost as we were in the hills of Sarande, and the roads were basically dirt and rock for the most part. When we pulled up to the location we thought we needed to be at, a man walked out, and we figured he was a good person to ask. He didn't speak a word of English but understood Villa Mehmeti (where we were staying). Without being able to speak to us, he just got in the car and began to direct us to the villa. We were very confused but trusted his judgement. He eventually got us there with hand gestures and grunts. When we got out we tried to offer him a lift to wherever he was going but it turns out he was coming to Villa Mehmeti, to catch up with his wife for a drink with the owners of the hotel. It was hilarious to listen to the exchange between the wife and man as he got out of our car. Even though we didn't speak Albanian, we understood the gist of the conversation. We then went to the shops and made ourselves a noodle dish that was cheap and decent enough to keep us going before heading to bed.
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  • Road Trip Over

    13 augusti 2023, Albania ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Today was the last day that we would have the car, and so it was quite sad. We did, however, have one more night with the three of us before Lewis left us to head toward Turkey. After some minor fucking around, we managed to drop the car off, and head back to the hotel where Erin was waiting with all our bags. We then proceeded to do fuck all, watching netflix, calling our parents and taking naps. We had a big week of travelling, and now we had to recover for a few days (the next few logs may be boring). The only time we left the hotel was to get food before returning for sleep. There are no photos for today because nothing happened - just a photo of the Audi that was our rental car for the week.Läs mer