Dhembel Mountain

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

Time to go back home

[caption id="attachment_2390" align="alignnone" width="660"] Time to go back home[/caption]

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

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]

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).

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.

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.

My older brother, enjoying the view. I'm inside this abandoned shop, on the crossroad to Delvine. It smelled like shit inside but I had to "get my hands dirty" to get this fantastic photo.

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.

Viroi, Gjirokaster

[caption id="attachment_2081" align="alignnone" width="660"] Viroi[/caption]

Viroi is some sort of small and shallow lake, fed by mountain waters during raining season and sometimes becomes dry during summer. The photo on Google Maps shows it as dry actually. The old building seen here used to be a water pump. You can actually walk up there. Behind the building there is a large and deep hole with crystal clear water. Kinda scary, even though you can clearly see the bottom (around 20m ~ 30m deep). On the lake (not shown in this photo), there is a small artificial island with a restaurant on top. It's a great place for a coffee if you pass by.

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]