20. The kindness of strangers

We got up early today to pack and catch up with our pre-arranged 7A taxi ride to the bus station to grab an 8A bus that would take us on an all day trip from Albania to Bulgaria. Ever the boy scout, Craig left plenty of time to catch our bus, departing the hotel an hour ahead for a 25 minute ride to the bus.

7:10 - still no taxi. Our hotel is a ways outside of town, there are no taxis just driving by. We flagged down a non- English speaking hotel employee who knew our taxi driver & called him. While a few things got lost in translation, we understood enough to know that he wasn't coming.

Enter Spressa, the sweet young girl responsible for the hotel's daily breakfast. She arrived for work, saw us standing outside & came to say hello & wish us well. Upon hearing our plight, she called the taxi driver to confirm the situation, then called the hotel owner, who works late and was sleeping. He jumped out of bed, dressed, and jumped in his car to come pick us up at the hotel and get us to the bus. (This, btw, is also the guy who hung around till 1A a few days before to check us into the hotel when we arrived).

But the clock was ticking and it was just past 7:30 when he came careening around the hotel fountain to collect us. Upon confirming our destination, he took off, breaking speed limits, ruining his tires on potholes and speed bumps, honking his horn and careening through traffic to get us there on time. Upon arrival, he jumped out of the car with us and made inquiries on our behalf to find out which of the numerous buses in the depot was ours. It took a few tries, but we found our bus, thankfully running late, and he even helped us load our bags. To top it off, he refused money when Craig offered it.

What kind of person does this? He works mostly nights, has a big wedding his hotel was hosting this evening, and would likely never see us again. This wasn't just "good customer service". They say its not what lies behind us or ahead of us that matters, but rather what lies within us. He is an inspiration, and we are so grateful for his kindness.Read more