Albanian Alps
For how unorganized the bus station in Tirana seemed, the trip north to Shkoder was fairly uneventful, save the dude next to me asking if he could use my neck pillow. Um, sure? I guess? Kind of a weird ask, but ok.
I arrived in Shkoder and checked in to my hostel, where they gave me all the information for doing the “famous” Valbona to Theth hike. After being in the hostel for 10 minutes I knew I didn’t need to stay there for more than a night, so I booked the hiking trip for the next morning. By 6:30am the next morning there was a group of about 10 of us ready to go, with our overnight bags packed and all with various degrees of hangover or still drunk from the free raki shots and €1 beers the hostel offered.
We took a 2.5 hour ride bus to a ferry, which took us up a river for 3 hours. The ferry ride up the river Komani was stunning— steep canyon walls on both sides at times, and a bone chilling wind. After the ferry, we were loaded onto another bus that took us to Valbona. This bus driver blasted Albanian music, talked on his phone, chain smoked cigarettes, swerved in and out of traffic and honked at pedestrians on the winding mountain roads. Then he stopped at what appeared to be a highway pullout, and made us all get out of the van. It took a while to figure out that we were at our guest house for the night. After walking through the trees, we came upon a stunning river and a quaint stone house across a bridge. We were greeted by the owner who showed us our rooms and told us dinner was at 7.
I can’t describe the beauty of this place. Not only the cloudless blue sky, not only the sheer rock mountain tops, not only the sapphire blue to emerald green of the river, but also the deciduous trees ranging in color from bright green to lemon yellow to burnt orange, mixed in with the dark green pine trees of various species, combined crisp, clean mountain air; the scene was truly something else.
After walking into the “village” for lunch (if you can call it that, more like a few cabins and guesthouses), a few brave souls swam in the river but I used the excuse of not having a bathing suit to evade the bone chilling but beautiful water. Shocking, I know. Our crew, who all met one another at the hostel the night before, spent the afternoon talking about everything from world politics to making fun of each other’s accents. That night we were served a delicious dinner in a warm dining room and played cards until the German kid came in and said, “you can see ze Milky Way tonight!” So we all went out and stargazed until we were freezing.
The next morning was the big hike. Everyone packed their bags and after breakfast, our host gave us a ride to the trailhead. But get this — one night at the guest house, plus dinner, breakfast, and a lunch for the hike, was €25. We all keep saying Albania is going to pop off, so get it while it’s still ridiculously cheap.
The trail from Valbona to Theth was about 10 miles, but I didn’t clock it. We started out hiking up a dry riverbed, and then ascended up into the mountains. The views got more and more stunning. We then skirted the stony mountain tops along a windy ridge. At times I hiked alone, enjoying the silence of the mountains and giving myself time to reflect on what a long strange trip it’s been, but it was also easy to find a group to hike and chat with. The best of both worlds.
At the highest point of the hike we were on the peak between two valleys, Valbona and Theth. The sweeping views of deciduous trees changing colors on both sides was almost too much for my eyes to take in. The other wonderful thing about hiking in Europe is that it is very civilized, with little cafes, guesthouses and camping spots at least every 4 miles. God knows how the get materials to build, and/or supplies to sell into those places.
On our descent we stopped at a cafe and had a nice cold beer for €2.50. In my mind, we were fairly close to Theth because the rest of the hike was downhill, but it was more challenging than I anticipated. It was still beautiful, though. Once we got below the tree line, the trail was covered with thick piles of yellow, orange and brown leaves that made for a stunning walk. The last two or so miles was very steep with loose gravel, which made my already jelly legs shake and knees ache.
The guesthouse in Theth wasn’t quite as quaint as the one in Valbona, but the showers were warm and the beds were comfortable, with the same two meals and bed for €25 deal. Can’t beat it. Many people opted to stay in Theth for another night and do some hikes around there, but my time in Europe is winding down, and I was eager to get back on the road. (Sort of, I’m also kind of exhausted from moving every night.)
I took the bus back to Shkoder after only one night in Theth. But before getting the bus that morning, another girl and I hiked to a waterfall, which was also beautiful. There was nobody else around. We then hopped on the 11am bus and I spent one more night in Shkoder to do laundry and get my shit together before heading to Montenegro.
I’m now on the bus to Montenegro, and have a bit of time to reflect on my experience in Albania. It certainly wasn’t what I expected. In fact, it kind of started as a disaster. Once I left the farm, I was intimidated to travel the country on my own. Yet, once I got out there, I met lovely people — both locals and travelers — who instilled confidence in me and inspired awe and motivation from their own experiences. I learned that it is ok to be scared, but not to let this fear stop me. With clear thinking, a bit of planning and research (just a bit!), and calculated risk, I was able to overcome my trepidation and have an experience of a lifetime. I’m telling you, Albania is an absolute hidden gem. Seeing as how this blog is so popular, the country is going to be popping off in no time, so come visit!
In all seriousness, I hope, if nothing else, my stories have inspired you to book that trip, to buy that flight, to get in your car and go, because this world is so incredibly beautiful and precious, and who knows how long it will stay this way. Traveling gives empathy and understanding, patience with those who don’t speak our language, and gratitude when a stranger goes out of their way, which I hope to pay forward.
Next stop: Montenegro. Falimenderit, Albania. Let
No comments:
Post a Comment