//Day 51 /01-05-22 /Igoumenitsa-Himare

Yesterday my plan was to stay a day at the Igoumenitsa camping….the weather and my urge to be on the road changed my plan into a new plan….I slept as a baby in my tent and I woke rather late at eight…When checking the weather rain was forecasted in the afternoon, this was not yet on the radar yesterday…I did not fancy to sit in my tent in the rain, if it would rain I could be also cycling….I plotted a route of 75 K to a village town called Sarandë with plenty of sleeping options both hotel and camping (in case it would not rain). I would also arrive not to late to arrange an Albanian simcard. 

The route showed that the first 30 K would be flat with some 1000 meters climbing in the second part. I broke up camp, saddled Back Horse and was ready to leave around 9.00. I said goodbye to my Dutch neighbours who were travelling 2 months through Italy  and Greece with their caravan to celebrate the pension of the husband and were a little bit nervous to enter Albania…I wished them all the best and started pedalling.

I stopped in the center of Igoumenitsa to buy some breakfast and lunch. At the square opposite of the bakery 1st of may preparations were ongoing. I thought to have recognised Greek version of The Internationale…The last kilometers through Greece where on small roads through a valley with mainly orange orchards. Only farmers in the field who were not  or could not celebrate May 1st. Just before the Greek-Albanian border I started my first climb of today.

The Greek-Albanian frontier is in the middle of nowhere. Exiting Greece was a non-event. Entering Albania took more time. A lot of red tape seemed te be involved for people entering with motorbikes and cars. Scanning ID’s had not yet reached this small border so all necessary information had to be typed manually by the border agent. 1 finger typing took some time but after 20 minutes I waved through and entered Albania. 

By crossing the border I did not only change country but also the landscape had changed. Where the hills in Greece were green , IN Albania the hills were more rocky-like with limited vegetation, rougher,…I had expected that there would be some exchange  offices nearby the border but that was not the case. It would take until Sarandë before I was able to get hands on some Albanian currency. 

My first experience with Albania was somewhat scary. When I entered in the first small village a young boy - around 12 - waved at me, I waved back. My GPS was sending me at the same moment on an unpaved road. When I entered the road and started cycling the boy yelled at me : “No, no, no,…” I stopped and the boy came running at me, thinking he wanted to explain me something. At first he was pointing at my gps, but then he started  pulling at it and at my battery control. Suddenly he picked up some stones and starting throwing them at me…hard. As I was still on my bike I could do nothing…Fortunate a man came out of his house and scared off the kid. The man indicated that the kid was not in his right mind (that was clear to me by now). The kid came back again and started throwing even bigger stones at me. I stepped on my bike and cycled away whilst the man was holding back the kid. It was clear that the kid mentally not ok but anyway it was scary encounter. 

The scenery was really beautiful though. Big valleys and high mountains,  a rough landscape. Sarandë was not that nice…A bigger touristic coastal city with hotels in all state of minds : under construction, finished, finished but closed, half-finished but never to be finished…It was quickly clear that I wouldn’t stay the night. I found a shop selling simcards, once the card was activated I plotted a route some 50 K further but with an additional 1500 meters climbing to a smaller coastal town called Himare which I hoped to be less a “Blankenberge from hell” then Sarandë.

The route to Himare was really great but challenging. Climbing to 300-400 meters, descending again to sea level….climbing to 300 meters….On the top often some bars or restaurants with people enjoying a late lunch. Another thing I noticed is that Albanians like to drive fast and have a love for big, black, Mercedeses…with black screens…In the end I cycled 130 K and climbed around 2500 meters. A good preparation for tomorrow where I need to climb 9 kilometers to a 1100 meter high mountain with some parts of 14%…The good news is that this will be the last climb for some days…

Himare is a smaller and more sleepy place then Sandarë although clearly touristic. I found quickly a hotel on the promenade (no camping - rain is expected from midnight for a couple of days….) had a shower , made some calls with the homefront and went for a pizza dinner. 

Another 2 days and I will be in Tirana. 

Lessons learned :

• Cash is king in Albania - paying with card is not the standard yet.
• Plans are made to be changed. 
• Kids can be scary.

Song of the day : Kam deshire me te pa (I have te desire to see you) - Fitnete Rija