Smoke in the sky

[caption id="attachment_2548" align="alignnone" width="660"] Smoke in the sky[/caption]

Nothing serious, perhaps burning plastic or tires. Last time there was smoking in the sky, it was in 2008. Bad times... I remember I was at my fiancee's house, laying on the bed (doing nothing actually). Suddenly a thunder like sound and earthquake like tremors swept through for a fraction of a second. A couple of minutes later all TV stations stopped broadcasting their regular programs and there were breaking news about a large explosion some 15 km away.

Long story short, some 21 year old guy from The States had won a contract with Pentagon to supply Afghan troops with ammunition. Sneaky motherfucker that he was, came here and bought Chinese and Soviet ammunition that was being prepared for dismantling. And funny thing is that US forces had contributed monetary for the dismantling process. So, this guy and his Albanian counterparts (including ex PM's son) would sell to Pentagon the same ammunition Pentagon was paying Albanians to dismantle. Also, there is some sort of embargo against using Chinese and Soviet ammunition for American purposes. So they would repack it as Made In Albania and fly it to Afghanistan.

All this process was uncovered from a partner of the American guy, whom they pushed outside the business. Some time later he was found dead in an hunting accident but it is clear he got executed from ex PM's people.

This was a black page in Albania's history and the now-PM vowed to make things right. Unfortunately that was a political stunt and now, 7 years later, together with 26 souls, everything lays under the dusty mantle of  forgetfulness...

Fog

Dervican, Gjirokaster, Albania

[caption id="attachment_2423" align="alignnone" width="660"] Dervican[/caption]

Early Morning

[caption id="attachment_2420" align="alignnone" width="660"] Early Morning[/caption]

Dhembel Mountain

[caption id="attachment_2417" align="alignnone" width="660"] Dhembel Mountain[/caption]

Coffee with Gods

[caption id="attachment_2387" align="alignnone" width="660"] Coffee with Gods[/caption]

We're still on the summit of Tomorr. The white background is actually clouds. Beware if you sit on the edge...

View from the top of mount Tomorr

The brownish patch seen down there is ice and it never melts, they say. There were people going down there and touching it but the path was very steep and it would take some 30 minutes to go there and back. Ain't nobody got time for that :D

The Shrine of Abbas Ali

[caption id="attachment_2361" align="alignnone" width="660"] Shrine of Abbas ibn Ali[/caption]

This is the top of Mount Tomorr, the Partisan's Peak, the Shrine of Abbas Ibn Ali. The shrine has a tomb inside but Abbas wasn't buried there. He is actually buried at that ground where he fell from his horse in Karbalā, Iraq. The tomb is covered by gifts, clothes and money. It is said that the money that gets collected up here and down at the holy ground (look my previous posts), is transported via helicopter (needs citation, I have no source besides word of mouth). I suppose it goes to the Bektashis Community but I don't have further info on how it is spent. Never heard them financing anything but then again, never heard them living la vida loca either.

The weather is clear, the air is cold, I guess some 5-10 degrees Celsius. The people are not wearing heavy clothes because down the mountain is quite hot. They just visit the shrine for a couple of minutes.

[caption id="attachment_2359" align="alignnone" width="660"] Abbas ibn Ali[/caption]

Here is the statue of Abbas ibn Ali, on his horse and with two children (the other one is behind the horse's head). The statue's size is lifelike. The sculptor must have been on acid I guess. look them eyes :D The statue is also seen on the far left of the next photo.

[caption id="attachment_2360" align="alignnone" width="660"] Praying[/caption]

The people here are burning candles and praying for their loved ones, dead or alive. Although Albanians don't pray much on their dead, it isn't our custom. We pray for health and money (Albanian: Shnet e Pare).

As you can see, the parking place is not a parking actually. The road ends here and cars are parked on both sides of the road. When you step out of the car, if anyone approaches you to ask for money for parking, don't pay. You can give money if you want someone to look after your car not to get scratched (accidentally) or blocked by other cars (due to small space) but this is entirely up to you. There might be beggars as well, I wonder how they get up here. Perhaps they collect enough money to pay the ride which is fairly expensive.

On the way to the summit

[caption id="attachment_2354" align="alignnone" width="660"] To the top[/caption]

The driver came on time and we took the road to the summit. The good news is that the car can drive up to the top. The bad news is that the road is not entirely as good as you can see in this photo. It is also very steep sometimes and you have to be extra careful not to slip back. It has happened before and the last case was 2 days ago. The people ended up with major injuries but alive fortunately.

The green structure seen on the top is a small room in round form. It has a round yard and it is the highest peak of mount Tomorr, standing at 2,416 m. In Albanian we call it "Cuka e Partizanit" which means Partisan's Peak.

[caption id="attachment_2353" align="alignnone" width="660"] Vertical Clouds[/caption]

While you drive it feels like flying, except the good shake from the rocky road. On one side you have a clear blue sky and you can even see the Adriatic sea if clear enough. On the other hand there are lower mountains and hills as seen on this photo.

[caption id="attachment_2356" align="alignnone" width="660"] On the edge[/caption]

This part feels like you are on the edge of a boiling pot, some sort of cloud factory.

[caption id="attachment_2355" align="alignnone" width="660"] Cloud Factory[/caption]

Embrace yourself, rain is coming

[caption id="attachment_2304" align="alignnone" width="660"] Embrace Yourself, Rain Is Coming[/caption]

The angle shaped building is St. Paul's Cathedral while the roof hardly seen on the left is the famous Dajti Hotel, on Tirana's main boulevard. The mountain on the background is Dajti. Welcome to Tirana.

Sunset over Ereikoussa as seen from Saranda

[caption id="attachment_2202" align="alignnone" width="660"] Ereikoussa[/caption]

After a long and tiring day, we finally got back to Saranda to enjoy the sunset from the Castle of Lekures. It's not a castle any more, there is a restaurant on top of the ruins. At least it doesn't look like a cheesy one, it resembles a medieval villa or smth. The view from there is fantastic and everything from Butrinti Lake to Ksamil, Corfu, the bay and Saranda itself, lie on your palm.

I'm back after a week with my family in Saranda, south Albania. This photo was taken in Ksamil, at the 3 Islands beach. This guy was doing some sort of yoga and when finished, stood like that for a couple of minutes, enjoying the approaching storm. The small island in the background is the Pharos Peristeres. Both pieces of land on the left and right are 2 of the 3 small islands of Ksamil. Some other photos coming in the next few days.

The light is all natural btw. :)

We're still on the Muzine's neck, looking around and taking pics. Sometimes I think why don't we leave the car and walk up to those fields? Why don't we sit under those trees and enjoy the sunset? If I ever win some sort of lottery, I know what I'm gonna do with my free time. I'm going to be the next Johnnie Walker.

Dark Horses

[caption id="attachment_2120" align="alignnone" width="950"] Dark Horses[/caption]

When you cross from Gjirokaster to Saranda there is only one way for the moment, the Muzine's neck. There are some hard turns and when you reach the peak, the view is amazing. There are  mountains all around but there is the sea in front of you, albeit far away. It was afternoon and we had the sun in front of us, hence the silhouettes. Those horses are not wild, there are no wild horses in Albania. They run free though, there is nowhere to go and they have plenty of grass where they are. There are no houses near, only a gas station and a bar-restaurant. Great place for a stop, especially for bikers (or photographers).

At least we know where the gold is.

[caption id="attachment_2107" align="alignnone" width="797"] At least we know where the gold is.[/caption]

This photo is taken in a crucial moment for the village down below. It is Lazarat, the famouse marijuana heaven in Albania. They were  surrounded by 800 police officers for about a week until their leader was caught and the rest ran toward the mountains. Some of them were armed with mortars and RPGs while the rest had Kalashnikovs and 12.7 mm anti-aircraft guns. There were 2 post blocks on the national road, one in the entrance and one at the exit (the village lies beside the national road) and you could hear the bullets till Gjirokaster. We picked the wrong day to visit Gjirokaster but it was worth it. Good times were had.

[caption id="attachment_2108" align="alignnone" width="950"] Lazarat[/caption]

Above the clouds

[caption id="attachment_2045" align="alignnone" width="660"] Above the clouds[/caption]

Abandoned communism era hotel in Kukes, Albania

[caption id="attachment_2022" align="alignnone" width="950"] Abandoned communism era hotel in Kukes, Albania[/caption]

Rainy Afternoon

[caption id="attachment_1789" align="alignnone" width="950"] Rainy Afternoon[/caption]

Tirane