Dhembel Mountain

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

Checking around the tent

Those guys down there built a fairly large tent during the evening and next morning they were gone.



See those lines of stones? Too short for walls and too close to be used as borders between parcels. I couldn't ask anyone around. If you have any clue, let me know.



Me, doing the star fish :P





Lots of pines. I  guess goats feed on them and when they poop, the ground becomes fertile and little pine seeds grow in this circular area.

Trip to Baba Tomor - Stary Night

[caption id="attachment_2333" align="alignnone" width="660"] Stary Night[/caption]

Beside a sky free of light pollution, the moon as well, was nowhere to be seen. The landscape looks well lit because of strong lights from the water processing plant a few kilometers away. The photo is a 10 sec. exposure, ISO-800, shot with a SMC Pentax-M 50 mm F1.7 on my K-x.

Trip to Baba Tomor - Part 2

[caption id="attachment_2322" align="alignnone" width="660"] Tomorr[/caption]

I've been quite a few times in Berat and this time I avoided taking photos, I was again on the wheel. Here is a gigapan photo, the most detailed one you could ever find. After Berat there is Polican, a small city famous for its ammunition factory, hence the nickname Ghost Town. We used to produce there Kalashnikov - Made In Albania... Polican is surrounded by nature, is quite small and very quiet. If you're driving with a small car, you should definitely park here because the road to the top of the mountain is very very very rocky. We managed to rent a Land Rover Defender for some 120$ to take us to the pilgrimage site on Saturday morning and then come back Sunday morning to take us to the top of the mountain (2,416M) and then back to Polican. We found the driver through a common friend so the price may not be the normal rate they charge for the exact service. However, it is impossible to find cheaper than that. They usually charge 90$ only for a round trip to the pilgrimage site (which is midway to the top).

Trip to Baba Tomor - Part 1

[caption id="attachment_2312" align="alignnone" width="660"] East of Tirana[/caption]

This album is a delayed one, the trip took time on August 22nd. I was thinking to post some of the photos as standalone images but then I thought this way would be more helpful for future travelers.

Baba (Father) Tomor is a mythological figure in the Albanian folklore. He is regarded as the father of gods and humans, like some sort of Zeus but no similarities with the latter. His home was on top of Mount Tomorr, in Berat (UNESCO World Heritage Site) and he lived there with his wife, Earthly Beauty. From 20-25 August, he top of Mount Tomorr is also a pilgrimage site for Bektashis, an Islamic Sufi Order. Their world headquarters are located in Tirana. Albanians are not that religious and most of us embraced Bektashism because it allows you to drink alcohol and it allows you to drink yogurt while fasting. Pretty cool huh? I'm not sure though, that's what I heard from people claiming to belong to this order.

Ok, that was a short intro about the mountain, the legend and the religion. We decided to visit the top of Tomorr during those days for a couple of reasons. It would be easy to find a ride to the top because my car stood no chance to those unpaved roads. It would be safe since there were a lot of people with tents sleeping for 4-5 days there. It would be easy to find food and water, although we knew beforehand that there are many springs around that area. Last but not least, there would be the perfect conditions for astrophotography, like clear skies, visible milky way and zero light pollution. And so me, my wife and 2 other couples begun the trip from Tirana to Kucove. The rest will follow in the next days. 

Dhermi Village

The village of Dhermi, on the side of a mountain overlooking the Ionian sea. The beach at the feet of the mountain is one of the best in Albania. Beware of the prices though, very expensive for Albanian standards. The last years it hasn't been that clean as well. Garbage all around and trash bins full, if you managed to find any. Let's hope it will be better next year. The government is spending a lot to improve Albania's image and tourism income.

Muzine, Gjirokaster

[caption id="attachment_2068" align="alignnone" width="660"] Muzine, Gjirokaster[/caption]

Muzine is a small village between Sarande and Gjirokaster. Down the slope flows the river that feeds Blue Eye. The village has great architecture and there are some ruins of very old churches. The view from where I'm standing is fantastic from all sides. 

[caption id="attachment_2070" align="alignnone" width="660"] Muzine[/caption]

Above the clouds

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

Sunrise Over Tomorr

[caption id="attachment_1510" align="alignnone" width="950"] Sunrise Over Tomorr[/caption]

Morning Sunlight

[caption id="attachment_1404" align="alignnone" width="950"] Morning Sunlight[/caption]

The Mist

[caption id="attachment_1401" align="alignnone" width="950"] The Mist[/caption]

Gandalf, The White

[caption id="attachment_944" align="alignnone" width="681"] Gandalf, The White[/caption]

Albanian Far West

[caption id="attachment_925" align="alignnone" width="950"] Albanian Far West[/caption]