Day 211 Mon 14 May 2007 Monodendri, (Vikos Gorge) Greece to Saranda, Albania

The Apktoupos hotel by the gorge is so quiet and comfortable we sleep in till 10am (we’re the only guests) and then check out the Tardis shower. After closing the podbay doors and being beamed up it has a stereo and hands free phone, light and fan as well as foot massage, mirrors and a seat. It also has water which comes out of any number of different orifices and directions. Fortunately we have to move the car to allow the road to be paved or else we might have spend all morning in there.
A quick wander round the village and then its off to Albania. We have been warned by every Greek we meet about the dangers lurking around every corner in Albania. They roll their eyes when they mention the roads – potholes as big as buses and cross themselves before telling you about the Albanian people who apparently are all thieves and vagabonds. (Bit like the Singaporean taxi drivers who sternly warn you when they take you to JB that you’re not in Singapore now so you must be very careful). Anyway suitably cautiously we head over the border having locked the doors and filled the tank with petrol.

Soon we find ourselves in world heritage Gjirokastra, a small Ottoman town perched beneath a castle which even LP tries to frighten us about, describing it as Draculean or Wagnerian. Anyway its closed so we have a picnic below the battlements above the decaying town. On a bright sunny day it seems alright to us, a bit scruffy and rundown like most of Albania but we don’t see any thieves or vagabonds, just a few curiously locals wondering why we are trying to drive up cobbled dead end laneways with nowhere to turn round.

Then its on a narrow winding road over the hills to the coast at Saranda, a very pretty little fishing port being totally overwhelmed by rampant construction. Every patch of ground is sprouting a highrise hotel most of which are empty despite being painted alluring shades of pink, yellow and rainbow colours. We find a nice one right at the tiny harbour and sit on the balcony watching the sunset over the Ionian sea. The road outside the hotel where we’ve parked has become pedestrianised and soon the car is sitting by itself in a sea of promenading Albanians. Needless to say, living up to the Greeks’ warnings, Kenny the kangaroo clinging to the aerial lasts about 3 minutes, giving Albania a score of 9 on our kleptomaniac index, beaten only by India where we got thru three Kennys in a day. Soon we venture out in search of dinner but find that whilst the Albanians fill up all the outdoor cafes which line the esplanade no one is actually eating. They seem to make one drink last forever so maybe they eat early and then go promenading en masse. Eventually we find a cafe serving pizzas which go down well with a bottle of Albanian red.