Nesfe Jahan, pt 11

• The long road to Ohrid ** Macedonia Easy hitch from Bigova to the main road (I’m very hesitant to call it a highway). After that, an extremely gentle Montenegrin truck driver. The road is extremely twisty and steep (well, “black mountain”), no shoulder. But Zlatko stops now and then to let me take pictures in ease, and he even stops halfway for a beer! Great closer, because when he drops me off in the general area of the border, it’s the start of a new episode.

** Albania

I’m going to try and stop belly laughing for long enough to type this one up. My Albanian adventures begins in a town 5 kilometers from the border. I try thumbing it, but there are hardly any rides with Albanian plates, and I’m quickly getting nowhere. The spontaneous taxi/minibus touts lurk and skulk, and give occasional jabs and shout “he’s a lousy bum” at everyone who slows down. But after a half hourish, an congenial old couple does stop. The man shouts to me “no money, no problem!” and returns my thumb gesture. I get in the backseat, and the suspension reacts accordingly and comfortably. They agree to bring to Skoder, first big town after the border. They feed me fresh figs. They feed me fresh grapes. They pay the baksheeshto enter Albania, 200 lek / 1.5 euros. They pay the baksheesh to leave Montenegro, 5 cans of beer. They are wonderful people. They leave me off at the minibus plaza. As I get out of the car, and get my pack, I immediately cause something of a commotion amongst the commuters. A minibus tout comes up to me, and in perfect English. I explain him the setup, and he says I’m nuts and he’ll pay the ticket to Tirana for me. And I barely have a minute to get settled in before it leaves. As my mind settles in the van, realization hits me. You pay the bus when you get out. I don’t have any leks with me. Why did he not seem interested to talk to me, or even look at the van to wave as it drove off? Is this some kind of elaborate tourist trap scam? I occupy myself with the best way to get out of it. With my backpack, and without the loss of the scant cash I have left. I hide the big bills in my wallet, and prepare to get 5 euro’s,  98 Dinars,  135 Forinths and 33 Koruna’s lights (~= 10 euros). But the bus stops at the terminal, and I’m let out without a hassle. I try hitching out of the centre, but I go nowhere fast, and hassled all the time my taxi’s (spontaneous or not) and minivans. After an hour I amend my sign with “no taxi”, and now I’m laughing, because everyone is reacting and giving me amused looks. But no one is stopping. I quit after 7, as I don’t feel like spending the night on the dusty road, even though at this point I can’t get dirties. I go to a hostel, and manage to haggle them down to 6 euro’s. I’m in a good position, as there are no more beds and I’m just pitching my tent. But right now, it feels like a pittance to pay for a hot shower and laundry. Tomorrow I go to Lake Ohrid for a hitchhiking meeting, camping on the beach. So it’s a last chance for those under-appreciated luxuries. The interesting part underlying all this is why I choose to try and thumb it again today. The alternative would be to pay a staggering 10 euros to get to within 5 kilometers of my friends, easy walking distance. It’s not about the fact that I don’t want to pay to go to the meeting, I’m confident this unknown crowd would forgive me. I do feel uncomfortable with the fact that I could interpret that  I’m being a miserly bastard in one of the poorest countries I visit.  Or that I’m a stubborn asshole and can’t relax. But it’s more complicated. Watch this space. The interesting part underlying all this is why I choose to try and thumb it again today. The alternative would be to pay a staggering 10 euros to get to within 5 kilometers of my friends, easy walking distance. It’s not about the fact that I don’t want to pay to go to the meeting, I’m confident this unknown crowd would forgive me. I do feel uncomfortable with the fact that I could interpret that  I’m being a miserly bastard in one of the poorest countries I visit.  Or that I’m a stubborn asshole and can’t relax. But it’s more complicated. Watch this space.