Unlike all the other surrounding countries, there is no easily accessible transport between Montenegro and Albania. Luckily for us, the hostel in Budva arranged transport to Tirana via private car. So there we were at 7am in the morning trying to stuff 4 huge packs and a variety of smaller bags into the back of a Toyota Echo. There was another couple travelling with us and our ‘tour guide’ driver for the day, all squashed into the tiny car.

We drove down the coast of Montenegro, and again it was raining for most of the trip down. We stopped for a coffee break in Ulcinj, the town before the border before crossing into Albania.

The difference on the other side was immediately obviously. On the road only 1 kilometre from the border we overtook our first horse drawn cart. From there on the guide came into his own and started pointing out all the Albanian oddities we pasted along the way. Like the little bunkers that literally litter the country. Small round structures with dome tops and little slits to look out of. Apparently the ruler at the time was convinced the country was going to be invaded, and ordered that everyone build bunkers.

We stopped for lunch in Shkoder. First we strolled thru the town, noticing that every man wore a suit, even in the heat and humidity. Albania is a predominantly Muslim country which explains the long sleeves and pants. It was funny to watch these ‘well dressed’ men ride around on motorbikes assembled out of spare parts.

One other interesting thing pointed out by our driver was the sheer number of roadside businesses we passed. Recently finished, or half-finished concrete shells of buildings litter the land adjacent to the highway – scattered in amongst the dozen upon dozens of petrol stations. Apparently this is Albanian entrepreneurialism – they build large warehouses on the side of the road to sell to passing motorists.

Late in the afternoon we arrived in Tirana, and after a bit of hunting around for the hostel, we were warming greeted by Claas and Lira at Hostel Albania. Turns out that Claas is German, and they moved here to see the country and opened a hostel as an experiment. A nice old house in a quite backstreet near the city (if you can call it that), with lemon trees that they use to make their own rake!

The evening the with same couple that came with us from Budva, Klaus took us out to show us a bit of the Tirana nightlife. We started at the Sky Tower revolving restaurant for a drink, then headed to the bar district. A street in a district of town that used to be closed off to commoners. We ended up in a little bar called ‘Radio’ which was very kitsch and retro.

The next day we went exploring around the city. Tirana is not a town with tourist attractions. It is very interesting however to wander around the streets and experience life in Albania. Around the corner from the hostel there was a little street market. There is also a ‘President George Bush Street’ in Tirana, name after the current president when he visited in 2008.

There is one interesting building in Tirana known as ‘The Pyramid’ or Piramida. It used to be a museum and convention centre but is now abandoned.

The is a mountain behind the city called Mount Dajti and we took a day trip to the top via cable car. There are plenty of nice hiking trails in the national park there, but we opted for lunch overlooking Tirana from the Albania restaurant at the top.

Albania is a very interesting place. After so many years of being under strict communist rule, the country is finally opening up to the rest of the world. It has only been visa-free for the past few years, and only a decade ago was completely closed to foreigners, so the locals are still very interested in tourism as it is such a new thing. Visiting Albania really gives you a very real idea of what a developing country is like.

This post is tagged Albania, Tirana