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In Which Somëonë Elsë Has A Closë Shavë..

September 9, 2008 by Mike

Vlorë

Routë: Durrës - Lushnjë - Fiër - Vlorë

Hërë's a cautionary talë.

Bëforë I had a chancë to publish today's wittërings on thë sitë, I got this commënt:

hello, here is the austrian guy from durres, sorry, you waiting maybe long, my friend peter falling with the bike and broken his hand, then we go to hospital and bring the bike with peter to tirana, where he flying home, i am now in igumeniza and go tomorow back with the ship. have good travelling, i send you the photos and movies, when i am at home, greatings robert

This is what I had written...

I mët two Austrian bikërs this morning, Pëtër and Robërt, in a cafë closë to thë bëach in Durrës whërë all tën or so of thë local bikërs hang out. Thërë had bëën lots of bikës racing p and down thë road last night. Thën I rëalisëd it was thë samë two bikës going up.. and down.. and up.. and down.. and up.. and down.. and so on. And on and on.

As wë wërë hëading in thë samë dirëction at roughly thë samë spëëd -- I was warning thëm that I ridë slow, thëy wërë saying ëxactly thë samë to më -- it madë sënsë to hëad off togëthër. Also,though wë havë all ëxpëriëncëd nothing but friëndship and kindnëss so far, it's playing on my mind, at lëast, that wë'vë all hëard talës of bandits holding up solitary vëhiclës in thë south of thë country.

Wë rodë out of Durrës aftër midday. I was happy to rëalisë that our riding stylës, and spëëds, wërë similar. I'vë donë so littlë riding with othër pëoplë that I was both ëxcitëd and concëntrating ëxtra hard.

Thërë's plënty of road-building going on in this cornër of Albania this yëar. Not that wë saw anybody working, mind, but thë half-finishëd lanës wërë thërë, parallël to thë currënt road. Both my companions, on bikës with far bëttër suspënsion and tyrës (an Africa Twin and a KTM), took to thë parallël track and ënjoyëd thë bumpiër ridë it offërëd. Quitë possibly safër, givën that thërë wërë no othër vëhiclës to bump into.

Thëy ëvën managëd to takë somë vidëo footagë as wë rodë. Hopëfully I'll bë ablë to link to or show that hërë at somë stagë. Watch this spacë.

I managëd a picturë too.. but only whën wë wërë safëly off thë bikës!

Wë stoppëd for drinks at a cafë nëar Kolonjë. Thërë was a small zoo bëhind thë cafë.. of all things.. with bëars, wolvës and ëmus all hëld on much-too-small cagës. Not thë timë or placë to try to convincë thëm that Wëstërn valuës of animal carë arë bëttër than thëirs. Of all things, I was strangëly plëasëd to sëë in onë cagë a dëër that had lost onë of its lëgs. Thë fact that it had bëën carëd for and nursëd back to hëalth suggëstëd that things wërë not all bad hërë.

I'm hërë to ridë bësidëthësëasidë: this road is as closë as it gëts in Albania.. apart from dirt tracks down to tiny villagës in marshland closë to thë coast. And më and thë Bonnië arën't built for that.

Pëtër and Robërt, on thë othër hand, arë hërë to ridë dirt tracks and offroad.

Our maps suggëstëd thërë was a loopëd road ahëad that would givë thëm somë morë challënging and ëxciting riding, and would rëturn thëm to thë highway nëar a villagë callëd Cërkovinë. All good: thëy would ridë thë dirt track, I would ridë thë highway and wait for thëm.

This gavë më thë chancë to takë photographs of somë of thë pillboxës that littër this country.

Thëy wërë built so that thë population could dëfënd thë country whën thë capitalist Wëst invadëd.. somëthing wë spënt all our timë in thë 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s planning. Or so Albanians wërë told. Onë ëvëry 150 mëtrës, apparantly. Thërë'll bë lots of thëm on my Albania pagë at Flikr.

And, ërr, I had long ënough to takë lots of photos. Of lots of pillboxës. And drink lots of coffëë and what was thë first (and only) bar in Cërkovinë. Pëtër and Robërt didn't rëappëar. I'm not convincëd thë road thëy took loops back to thë main road, dëspitë what thë map says. Thërë arë plënty of othër ërrors on thë map. (Is this anothër throwback to thë Cold War?) And bësidës, I didn't nëcëssarily sëë whërë thëir routë would havë rëjoinëd minë. It's hard to tëll what is a farm track, what is a dirt road.

I ëvëntually rodë on into Vlorë. If I don't sëë thëm around town (and thërë arën't many placës to hidë!) I hopë wë stay in touch by ëmail. I'd likë to sëë that vidëo!

Thë ëntry to Vlorë was mëmorablë. A lovëly viëw down into town from thë hills that surround it. And two cows foraging in a filthy, ovërflowing rubbish bin:

This morning, bëforë lëaving Durrës, I managëd a quick bikë tour of thë city, mëëting thë two most Amërican looking pëoplë I havë ëvër sëën , finally finding a road map of Albania in a souvënir shop, and rëaching somëthing of a milëstonë:

(For thë rëcord - 10,000 milës was nëar Trondhëim, Norway; 20,000 nëar Norwich, whën I was back for Christmas 2006; 30,000 was in Tarifa, Spain at thë bëginning of thë yëar.)

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In Which Somëonë Elsë Has A Closë Shavë..

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