Lezhe, Ilir and the Fish

Arrived back in Split from Sarajevo with a big hefty bump back onto the touristique dalmation coast. Elda, the propietor of Hostel Medditterenean in Split had saved me a bed without my reservation and was good to brush up my croatian with her neighbour, the only Serbo-Croat conversation Ive had in fact, with a Parrot - 'Dobodan' if you're wondering..

The ride down from Split, through Dubrovnik and into Montenegro was pretty boring. Sure, its pretty , but continual restaurants, bars, sobe, zimmer, camere, apartmenti, apartment signs and the ceaseless ups and downs of the coastal road plus an unchanging scenary, I was glad to enter Montenegro. Although one nights red white and blue sunset was worth a photo....

Stayed one night in Dubrovnik, very busy. Everynow and again another cruise liner dumps another few thousand dollar wielding shoppers, my lasting impression was where had the Croatians got to. Although during my walk around the wall did manage to catch an entertaining game of 2 aside street football, one team fielding the largest 13 year old Ive ever seen and the town was a good oppurtunity for some more nun spotting...








the big ones positioning could do with some work for this goal

a triple

Dubrovnik wasnt all bad as it introduced me to Serge, a belgian cyclist who is also heading down toward Istanbul... easy going lad, travels at a similar pace and has been good company the last week or so. Dont yet know him well enough to introduce nun spotting, we shall see how it goes. Could be a deal breaker - in Greece Im not planning to do much else.

The Dalmation coast, southern Croatia, which given its width are one and the same is very rich. I havent travelled through Northern Croatia and know the south is not representative, but Montenegro was vastly poorer.

Stayed in Montenegro for a couple of nights, again following the coastal route. Not unlike Croatia geographically - no surprise.. but cheaper, great big whacking concrete developments in ex-communist yugoslav grey. Montenegro may not be a top destination for many western Europeans, but it still has every part the coastal tourist resort, albeit cheaper, quiet and better for it, but nothing like Albania, but then Im not sure what is.

• Our host, Ilir with his Fish in Lezhe.
• Have experienced nothing but fantastic hospitality in Albania. There is very little in the way of tourist infrastructure, most guide books and travel advice is along the lines of get in and out quick.. which is a great shame. Leaving the meagre cyclo tourist, stuck in a little town with a few expensive business user hotels, no campsites, certainly no tourist information, in fact no road signs and little road in some cases. So you chance it with the folk, which pretty much without fail results in a bed, albeit after 2 hours chaos and introduction to a dozen friends and family before someone can accomodate... this is how we met Ilir:

Stopped at a News Kiosk, owner spoke German, as does Serge who asked about private rooms.

News Kiosk man spoke to wife, then rang his brother who arrived 5 minutes later, after a little consulation between the brothers. Motionned us to follow him.

Round the corner we headed, to a restaurant that was in the middle of refurbishment.

A painter decorator was introduced although I can t yet work out his connection.

Daniel then popped up, a english speaking Albanian on holiday from his home in... yep, you ve guessed it Wood Green, my home town.

Daniel then introduced us to another painter decorator who was also the restaurant owner - Ilir, who kindly put us up for the night and fed us fish he had caught that afternoon from the bridge in Lezhe.

That same night we met the manager of Lezhe's football team, Beselidhja and one of their star players. Amongst many others...

This is most typical of my experience here (Albania) so far. Need to add another 2 hours onto any plans as this is how long it typically takes. The people have been fantastic.

Following day, heading into the Albanian interior, which means mountains. Trying to avoid the postcard shots, but this one, looking down from the mountain road is worth a goosy..

Arrived in Burrel late afternoon and sure enough pursued the tenious but enjoyable struggle of finding a room on the cheap in Albania. This time with the help of Dridan, on holiday from his home in Reading - you may see a pattern developing here...

With Dridan's help we found what has to be one of the cheapest and probably grottiest hotels Ive ever stayed in, but at 200 Leke a night (1 pound) I can overlook lack of running water. Like an abandoned prison with hospital beds.

That night, inspecting the bike which had developed a few noises and what I had thought a slightly untrue wheel, normally corrected with a bit of spoke twiddling, I found that my front wheel rim had developed a 5 cm crack along the rim wall. It had been worn out over the 5000 km or so I ve done on the bike since new. Unusable, up in the mountains a wheel failure could be catastrophic on a decent and the Albanian potholled roads would have made further damage without any doubt. Decided to head down to Tirane the following day, Serge kindly in tow, in the hope of finding a new wheel rim which Burrel couldnt provide. But not one night of yet more great hospilality, I havent eaten so much meat for a long time...

We returned the next morning to the same bar, run by a friend of Didran, to receive two coffees paid for by the owner's friend in Croydon, who I had spoken to on his mobile phone the previous night... Speaking little Albanian my inquiry for breakfast was greeted with the very same steak, liver, pork chop, fatty youghurt meal, which on a few pints of 100 leke Tirana beer the previous night hit the spot - but wasnt what I was looking for, nursing a hangover only 12 hours later.

As we sat in the sun, slowly working our way back through the same meal upteen people sat with us. Some spoke English, some not. All bought us a drink, offered cigarettes, by the time we came to leave, one meal, 2 coffees and a few drinks later we found there was nothing left on the tab. All had been covered.

So far of the Albanians I have met who have lived in the UK, pretty much all of whom as refugees from the civil war in the late 90s, all bar one have lived in Wood Green or Harringay, which is about 2 km south of Wood Green.

On 4 or 5 seperate occasions Ive talked about the local pubs with complete strangers, not in Tirane or another heavily populated place, but in the most unlikely spots. For instance, one time, Serge and I stopped (hes on the left of the last photo btw) for a swig of water and a few nibbles, just us and the view I thought, when all of a sudden, bounding down the rocks to my left, a 30 something year old guy is asking me where Im from and whether I know the Hollywood pub in Wood Green... it is quite freakish, to cycle 3000 km away from home and be within half a sentence of talking about the locals in Wood Green.

The Hollywood Rock Cafe, or whatever its called cropped up many times, its the only place Ive been kicked out of, due to what one bouncer told me was provacative dancing - not by me sadly, a friend, my dancing must have been deemed safe. Must try harder.

Didran, dapper table tennis player ..

After being stung for a bus ride back down the mountain road we had cycled up the previous day, arrived in Tirane, the capital of Albania for a few days luxury in the hostel and a search for a new wheel. I had nearly given up on finding something suitable when, thanks to the directions of the every helpful and friendly hostel staff, I stumbled across the Bicycle Quarter of Tirane and the man they call the 'Specialist'.

It was the only word I understood as I attempted to negioate a price on a new wheel, spokes and rebuild. But for 2000 Leke Im now the proud owner of an Albanian deep section front rim which weighs a ton but seems pretty solid which should see me good for a little longer....

The 'Specialist'

Back on the bike this morning and staying in Elbasan, a few days from Montenegro now...

Although I cant tie it into any direct experience, it would be remiss to talk of Albania without mentionning King Zog, who ruled as king from 1928 - 1939, before he was ousted by Mussolini...