Lion's Gate in Ancien Butrint
The Ionian Sea in Saranda
Saranda – Albania. March 5, 2010
After another long trip of about 7 and ½ hrs thru twisted, potholed, narrow roads we finally arrived at the “bus station” in Saranda. Lonely Planet advise people against driving in Albania because of road conditions and also because most drivers have been driving for less than 10 years.
I have to say that their driving skills are somewhat on the wild side especially when it comes to overtake another slow vehicle. One time, If it wasn’t for the incoming driver moving to the side of the road we would have had an accident for sure!
As for the “bus station”, and in spite of the fact that this is the major main form of transportation, they do not exist. They use side streets, empty lots, whatever is available at the time. Without bus station, there are no offices to buy tickets or to get information. You just to ask your hotel about schedule, hope for the best and show up where the bus generally hangout to try your luck. You buy your ticket from the driver.
Situated on the Ionian Sea, Saranda is “the” Coastal city to hangout at. It is also a convenient location to cross to Greece as the island of Corfu is about 12 miles away and there are daily ferry crossings.
The beach in Saranda is not too much to brag about as it is basically gravel and a fair amount of garbage. But apparently there is good swimming available at other nearby beaches.
Yet, I think that Albania, and Saranda will become the place to go to. The city is a beehive of activity, with many new hotels being built and existing ones being remodeled. Its proximity to Greece is also a plus.
Saranda is located between an horseshoe-shaped bay and a high cliff. They are building new hotels higher and higher on that cliff. Not a small task as the cliff is made of solid rock. To built an hotel they first have to dig a sizeable recess in the rock face. They use king-kong size jack-hammer that breaks off chunks of rocks one at the time. In the States, I suspect, they would probably use dynamite!
To become a popular tourist attraction I think Albania needs to do some changes. For one thing, even in this coastal city, there is a lot of garbage lying around. Every empty lot seems to be a convenient place to dump one’s garbage. Some of this, I suspect, it due to a certain attitude. People simply throw stuff on the ground anywhere. On my way to Saranda, a woman, that was seated beside to driver, opened the side window and simply threw her empty water bottle on the road!
I was really looking forward to come to Saranda after I read that they have 260 days of sunshine a year.
When I arrived here, it was raining (one of the 105 days without sunshine I guess.). The next morning (today) it was also raining. But then the sky cleared, the sun came out and it was wonderfully nice and warm. I found a way to the top of the cliff to a nice view point overlooking the city and the islands.
My passion for photography helps to keep me fit!
I am staying in a nice hotel (again, I have not seen other customers) I have a double room, my own bathroom, a balcony facing the waterfront, and breakfast is included, all for 18 euros per night.
Yes there are some advantages in travelling at this time of the year. I suspect my luck is going to run out around the beginning of May.
In Saranda, and in the other places I have been in Albania, there are more bar/taverns than restaurants. And there are more pizza and fast food places than any other types of restaurants. There are many markets selling fresh vegetables, but few restaurants offer a decent meatless meal.
I found a restaurant that offer fish and had a meal consisting of french fries, a white cabbage and tomatoes salad and a the entire fish (mullet) head, skin, tail etc…
This remainded me that, in Berat, I ordered a sandwich that apparently came also with salad and French fries. What I certainly did not expect is that everything was stuffed “in’” the sandwich, the meat, the salad, and the French fries!?
This is as far south as will go (any further south and I would be in Greece).
One of the reason I came here is to visit the ruins of the nearby ancient city of Burint. I found a bus to Burnit parked alongside one of the nearby street. Surprisingly , the bus had a complete schedule taped to the inside of one of the window. I decided to come back the next day on time for the 9:00 am bus.
At about quarter to nine I waited, alone, at the bus station (or should I say, at the stationed bus?).
Then, shortly before 9:00, a woman and a child showed up. This make me feel confident that I was at the right place. By 9:15 am we were still the only one waiting. I went to a nearby vegetable stand to ask about the bus. They told me 9:30? So I went back to the station. The woman used her cell phone and shortly thereafter a car showed up and the woman and the child proceeded to get in. I asked her about the bus to Butrint and she said”No bus” and they left! I waited a little longer and went back to the hotel. I explained to the man in charge about my problem and he said that this wasn’t the place to wait for the bus and explained where I should wait. I went there, and waited with a few other people. After waiting for almost an hour I decided to leave. By then, there must have been about 40 people waiting!!
The next day I went back to the same place, and got a bus within 15 minutes!
The 16 miles to Butrint took almost an hour! The narrow road following a cliff is being made wider. Several places there are construction crews, jackhammers, bulldozers, trucks..etc. The result is that in several places we had to wait to get room to proceed. In addition, the rickety, noisy, bouncy, uncomfortable bus could not negotiate the numerous potholes very well.
The trip back was made in 30 minutes, without construction crew interference, and in a much better minibus.
The ancient city of Butrint has a long 2000 years history dating back to the 8th century BC. The first substantial settlement took place in the 4th century BC with the creation of a healing sanctuary to the god Asclepius. Under the Roman Empire it became a flourishing Mediterranean City.
In visiting the ancient city you can find evidence of ruined buildings dated anywhere from the 4th Century up to 7th Century AD. The museum contains a wealth of artifacts that includes objects from that period of time.
Unfortunately, there are great mosaics buried under the sand. Lonely Planet says that you are allow to dig a small hole to see a portion of them. As an example, there are the remains of a 6th Century baptistery with mosaic floor representing Christian salvation (very complex and beautiful according to a drawing). Never mind digging, a signs say you cannot enter the baptistery. I was alone so I enter (the Bible say I can) and I started carefully digging until I came across a barrier made of a some plastic material. That was the end of my efforts.
I cannot believe that they do not clean up the floors and surround them with a fence to protect them.
They are missing a good bet I think.
Next Ohrid in Macedonia. From what I understand it is almost impossible to do the trip in one day. It takes three buses and even maybe a taxi ride from the border. However, I found a local travel agency that claims that they have a direct bus from Saranda to Ohrid!
I have to be at the agency tomorrow for the 5 am bus. I am not so sure about this!
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