July 9, 2024. Tuesday. Across All of Albania!

The continuation of my journey from Serbia and Montenegro into Albania.
The border between Montenegro and Albania crosses over Lake Shkodra. What’s surprising—there’s no border check at all! Not even a stamp on my passport.
It’s only a two-hour drive to Shkodra. Here, Albania reminds me of Toussaint from The Witcher. Everywhere you look, there are red tiled roofs. The juniper trees are as tall as pines! And the sky—it’s an almost intoxicatingly bright shade of blue!


The signs in Shkodra are already intuitively confusing. I keep seeing “Perde.” Probably “curtains”, I guess. XD I also spotted a donkey pulling a cart along the road.
Shkodra itself is beautiful! There’s a lovely pedestrian street, a mosque, and castle towers. Unexpected and surprising. While I wasn’t even planning to come here.
The heat is back! And surprisingly, Albanian on the radio sounds a lot like Italian.
Time for a transfer, and onto the bus to Tirana! They run frequently from here. This time, the fare (500 lek) was paid in cash, after we had already left. The exchange rate is about 100 lek to 1 euro (around 1:5 to the Kazakh tenge).
This part of the trip turned out to be quite an adventure—and a successful one at that! We arrived at Tirana’s bus station just five minutes before the bus to Saranda, in the very south of Albania, was set to depart. Luckily, I made it! I quickly tossed my bags onto the next bus and—another transfer, another bus—and off we go! For 20 euros and about 6 hours, I’m crossing all of Albania, heading to the southernmost coastal resort.

The journey took exactly as long as it took for everyone to be completely exhausted, plus another half hour or so.

There was a bit of a panic on the way when a large spider was discovered on one tourist’s hat, but thankfully, they managed to handle it without any issues. No one speaks Russian here, except for a couple of Ukrainians. Not many people venture this far.
We arrived in Saranda around 9 p.m., already in the dark. Unfortunately, the bus to Ksamil had already left. So, I had to take a taxi and paid a hefty 20 euros for a 10 km ride. By the way, gas here costs about two euros per liter, whereas in Montenegro, it’s only one and a half euros.

Ksamil is the southernmost point of Albania, only 8 km from the Greek border! And just 2 km from the island of Corfu. The Italian peninsula is so close, you could almost kiss the heel of the Italian boot. 🙂 Hello, Matteo!
The “village” itself is small and mostly built up with villas. At the last moment, they moved me to a different room, so after the taxi, I had an adventurous scooter ride up a steep hill to the new place. The entire area of Ksamil is perched on high hills. The room is nice, comfortable, with a through layout—there’s a balcony and a gallery. Cozy atmosphere. And the acoustics in the bathroom are wonderful! XD I paid 75 euros for 3 nights. It’s not the cheapest accommodation.
By midnight, just as I was getting settled, the rain came pouring down—roaring, bubbling, with streams of water running on the hillsides. But I wanted to explore the new place, say “hello” to the sea. So, I went for a walk. 🙂
The aqua shoes came in very handy. People were rushing, ducking, the last latecomers among the tourists. Meanwhile, I casually splashed through the rushing streams, under the storm’s fury. Once you’re soaked through completely, nothing else really matters.
The descent from the hill range to the coast took just 10 minutes. And there—no one in sight! The entire beach is lined with umbrellas and loungers. I happily swam in the night-time Ionian Sea. Bora-Bora Beach had soft, white sand. Just as the rain stopped, the beach started to fill up with vacationers again. I observed a late-night photo shoot with two girls in the water, in their wet dresses. 🙂

July 10, Wednesday. Ksamil!


In the morning, I went for a swim. During peak season, you can’t even sit on the beach with a towel without paying—prices range from 1000 to 3000 lek. I had to walk along the coast until I found a free spot, to the left of Paradise Beach. But it’s quite a trek in the heat. Overall, the prices are pretty outrageous, with dozens of euros flying out of my wallet without even noticing. On the bright side, there are ATMs everywhere.
The local vegetation is fascinating. The trees look like relic pines, and many of the deciduous trees are so loud with chirping—it’s probably the cicadas sitting on them.
Compared to the Maldives, the water here is definitely murkier, but I think that’s because of the influx of tourists.

In the evening, I ended up back at Bora-Bora Beach, where I rented a sunbed with an umbrella for a whopping 20 euros (!!!). But at least it’s comfortable, and much closer to my villa.
Around me, people are speaking in so many languages—Albanian, Greek, Italian, Spanish, German, English. I also hear Slavic languages, but there are no fellow countrymen or nearby neighbors to be found—people don’t tend to travel this far. So I observed (with interest) Europeans in their natural habitat. 🙂

At sunset, the sea turned a beautiful honey color. I spotted a large ocean liner rounding the Greek island of Corfu. By the way, the beach is tucked away in a secluded, crescent-shaped bay, separated from the open sea by the line of catamarans. I even swam over there and climbed onto one of them, but the lifeguard shooed me away with a few gestures—apparently, it’s not allowed. 🙂

For dinner, I tried Pancetta pork, Panna cotta, and a cappuccino for 1500 lek at a traditional local restaurant.
At night, it’s too noisy. I don’t like the cacophony. Hardly can hear the sea. I can only imagine what it’s like in Saranda!

July 11, Thursday. Goodbye, Ionian!

I woke up to the sound of roosters crowing. Early this morning, it was tu-tu-rú-tu-ru-rrrúuu-ru…! Even melodic, in a way.
I went for a swim at the free beach I found yesterday, navigating the steep descents and ascents—it’s a long walk, but the water is wonderfully refreshing. I swam all the way to the buoys, quite far out. The water was still clear in the morning, before the waves stirred up any sediment. I really don’t want to say goodbye to the Ionian Sea!


As a final treat, I went for a last swim, and while swimming back to shore, I met a smiling girl swimmer who looked strikingly like one greatly darling, the most precious person to me. It really struck a chord. I realized that in this scorching heat, it’s important not to stress out—my blood pressure was rising, and I wasn’t feeling great.

I wanted to have breakfast at the same traditional restaurant, but time was running short. So, near the villa, on a steep incline, I found a cheaper café. An omelette and some mountain Albanian tea cost only 5 euros.
Interestingly, most of the villas around here are named. Villa Ameli, Villa Kristiana, and so on.
I caught the bus to Saranda (ticket 150 lek), and there I switched to a larger bus heading to Tirana (still the same 20 euros for the ride). The heat was unbearable—there was nowhere to escape it, and the air conditioning was weak, not much of a relief.
Thus began the exhausting five-hour journey back. By the way, near Saranda, there’s a place called “Borsh.” Quite amusing. 🙂 I traveled all the way until evening.
At one stop, when we were having lunch, everyone got off the bus—except for me. Quite an interesting level of organization. The roadside restrooms were excellent and free, by the way.
Tirana surprised me. The train station was very dirty, trash everywhere, and no one seemed to speak English. The narrow alleyways and old houses gave it a distinctly gritty feel. There are dedicated bus lanes, with a fare of 40 lek.
But the city center is beautiful, with lots of little restaurants, especially Italian and Greek ones. Prices here are half of what they were in Ksamil! My restaurant immunity for prices had definitely kicked in.
For dinner, I ordered a set meal (meat on a skewer, sausages, salad, fries, potatoes, beets, and sauce), plus canned iced tea and a fruit mix for dessert. I was expecting a small bowl, but they brought an entire tray! Sliced apples, orange wedges, and watermelon. And I had just been thinking today that I really wanted watermelon. Wishes do come true. 🙂
All of that for just 1200 lek (12 euros). I was recommended the Tumi restaurant, an amazing and vibrant place, but there was already a queue outside. Looks like it’s not without reason that so many people head there.


The Red Goat Hostel in the alley near Kavai Street is simply an incredible place! Comfort and art combined in one spot. I’ve never stayed anywhere quite like it. Elegant little tables, lanterns, a lush garden, flowers, and cozy corners—it’s a real gem! There’s a terrace and a spot for hanging out on the roof. Persimmons and pomegranates grow above you, still green. There are dogs and cats wandering around. The hosts and guests are all friendly and welcoming. A lot of French people, by the way.
You just sit back and relax, savoring the aesthetics and atmosphere of this amazing place, while the sound of elegant French conversation fills the air.

July 12, Friday. Tirana.

By daylight, the little garden looks just as charming. It’s the most idyllic place! Plus, they treat you to a free breakfast. I chose French toast with sauce, tomatoes, cheese, and peach jam. Magnifique! I really regretted having to leave so soon.
I took a stroll around the central square, near the large carousel and the monument to Skanderbeg (Gjergj Kastrioti). I also saw the entrance to a bunker (there are 700,000 bunkers across Albania, a leftover from the dictator’s era). The old architecture around here is quite lovely.


The buses to the airport leave regularly every hour right from the central square, and the fare is 400 lek. However, the heat inside the bus was unbearable—36°C. Along the way, I passed several Kastrati Group gas stations.
The airport was busy, with lots of flights from Wizz Air, Ryanair, and Austrian Airlines, mostly heading to European destinations. At passport control, they didn’t even stamp my passport (again), which was pity. The flight is about four and a half hours. Well, at least it won’t be in the heat.


Back to Abu Dhabi. A place that feels so familiar now. 🙂 I was the first to get through customs and leave the arrival zone, even catching the attention of the local officers—apparently, they were curious why I emerged alone. I stayed at the same hostel as before. In this case, the closer to the check-in date, the cheaper the price is.
The next day, I planned to swim in the Arabian Sea at Corniche Beach. But time was tight—I had a return flight to Almaty waiting for me.
It turned out I had rushed for no reason—when flying from Abu Dhabi to Kazakhstan, Wizz Air gives you the boarding pass right away at online check-in, so no need to stand in line at the airport.
The Zayed Airport is really well-organized—there are travelators everywhere, and electronic passport scans replace traditional border control. I’ve heard they’ll soon implement facial recognition, so you won’t even need to take out your documents. It’s like a fairy tale!


The flight to Almaty arrived late in the evening. No matter how much I rushed for the last bus, I missed it—had to take a taxi instead. By the way, my local SIM card had disappeared somewhere, so being without any connection was quite inconvenient.
At the hostel near Arbat, it turned out the owner was a Cameroonian named Roger. Quite a surprise and an interesting twist for our area. “So, who came to visit whom?” XD
The next morning, I flew home with FlyArystan.

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