After our cultural exploration in Tirana, the views from the Dajti and a brief stint in Durres it was time to decide if we should head back in to Tirana to see if there was a second night there, or was it time to see what else Albania had to offer?
Even those that know very little about JT will know.
You never go back.
I must first let you in on a rule break, that led to a, lets call it a rule break-fast that we are currently enjoying in a stunning conservatoire at a hotel in Durres, it is here that the team are assembled discussing the next move, do we take a few hour journey south to check out the island of Sazan or head into the mountains for a cave exploration, as JD was finishing his last mouth of Avocado (oh how JT has changed) an almighty crash came from outside the hotel, JD was up and out to check on the commotion, very sadly he arrived at the scene of a motorcycle accident, I’ll spare you the details but as far as we know the person was conscious when taken in the ambulance. From our first car journey here there was always a feeling that we may see something like this, I think we all just hoped we weren’t going to be involved in one. It feels like as cars have increased in popularity over the last 30 years no one has really progressed beyond being an excited 17 year old, speed limits, roundabouts, pedestrians, other cars, they are all just things getting in the way of them going as fast as they can.
Settling back down with an Albanian book in hand and some light research the group voted for a trip further south, an island exploration it was.
Another day another rule broken as we travel by taxi, (yes by taxi, we were on limited time and had limited options) several hours down the west coast of Albania arriving at the town of Vlore, interspersed between the usual half finished houses had been mountain ranges and salt flats, Albania always looking to catch you off guard and to add another layer to this Balkan experience.
Vlore greeted us with another hotel at backpacker prices, which included breakfast and a spa, what would JT 1 say. But we had no time to spa-re as we had booked a last minute boat to get us to Sazan, no time meant no lunch, the thought of no lunch meant that PA opened up the very first and soon to be franchised Patch’s Pita, a road side stop for hungry travellers, with the troops fed and supplies gathered it was time to find a boat.
Now a little insight into Albanians, they like their boats like they like their cars, fast and furious so when we stepped down onto the jetty and looked at the SAS assault style craft we were about to board SG let out a “fuck off am I getting on that” that we interpreted into an overwhelming feeling of excitement, as this is not our first rodeo we knew that a glimpse of Korca, SG’s new favourite Albanian word we could lead him gently onto the vessel, a vessel that would unlock an afternoon of pure bliss.
With not an english accent in sight our intrepid crew bounced along the sea heading out to another communist era relic for Sazan was no ordinary island, it was an ex Nuclear submarine base, hidden away from prying eyes, now a surreal stop on a burgeoning tourist trail. A stop that gave us our first opportunity to not only swim in the sea but more importantly to swim in a litter free sea, Albania has a long way to go to improve its coastlines as the majority of beaches are less golden, more golden wonder crisp packet. Beyond Sazan we headed to a peninsula where we could swim and relax for a couple of hours, I haven’t seen smiles like this since SG learnt he was sharing a double bed at a circus in Malmo. In the words of SG “it was lush”. A sunset guided our way home across the waters, as a look of contentment swept over PA’s face.
Arriving back at the ho(s)tel the opening of a wondrous little door led us down a stairway, that stairway led to another potential JT first, what was soon to become our own private Spa. Now at this point the plan was to shower and change and see what the night held, but as we know on a JT, decisions that are made in a moment, create memories that last a lifetime and in that moment JD sheds his clothes like a butterfly escaping their crystallise, one minute we are looking at the pool, the next we are looking at JD in the pool, another thing we know about JT is that no man swims alone, some choose clothes others don’t, but within moments all 4 intrepid explorers are floating in an underground cavern.
The rest of that evening passes by as we people watch and listen to Albanian Folk music in the distance, knowing that in the morning a long journey lay ahead in a car that at best would get us to our destination, Tirane airport. Our time in Albania has come to an end, and I feel the best way to reflect on this journey is maybe to embrace how much Albania has had to change in the last 30yrs, yes it is a little rough around the edges, yes everyone thinks driving a car is basically dodgems and yes their environmental credentials would not impress Greta Thunberg, but it is growing and learning, it is changing like everything else, even JT itself, with more ho(s)tels than hostels, powerboat trips to remote islands and taxis, you may say that JT is changing or to put it in the words of our esteemed leader.
“Jimbo Tours, it grows but does not age.”
