Thursday 31 July 2014

Significant Insight from the Significant Other - Why you don't get in furgons and other travel tidbits...


Albania's public transport system is random at best. A combination of different capacity mini buses travel predetermined routes across the country and you can be picked up or dropped off anywhere along a particular route. And then you have furgons which are basically just people movers that are driven between A and B - a similar concept to grand taxis in Morocco. In recent years furgons have been semi-outlawed because any one could decide to hop in a dodgy old van and become Albania's newest small business owner. Minimal regulation and drivers driving like madmen to make a quick buck have resulted in regular accidents on the regular. They also lend themselves as the perfect vessel for dodgy dealings.  

We needed to go from Himarë to Sarandë, an hour down the coast. We were told to wait out the front of our accommodation and by 930am a minibus should come past that we could flag down. We waited and at 20 past a small unmarked van pulled up with two passengers and shouted 'Sarandë!' Must be us we thought... So in we squeezed. We asked how much but were told we pay later. This is how it worked in our previous experiences so nothing suss there.

The first sign of trouble was when a passenger got out and handed over money but the driver wouldn't take it. I wonder where he was expecting to make up that income from?! Then as we went past a random cafe a man shouted out 'Sarandë!', obviously wanting a lift but the driver ignored him. Our driver also turned off the engine every time we went down a hill and cruised with the momentum in order to maximise his profit... Let me tell you there were a lot of hills!

So when we finally arrived he asked for a huge amount of money which we thought we'd misunderstood initially, then laughed when he was actually being serious. He tried to say he was a taxi so we forcefully took our packs from the car and paid him half what he was asking. The moral of the story, don't take a furgon in Albania!

Matt's mistakes.

When Matt met us last October we gave him a few packing tips to make his life easier. One of those tips was to put his toiletries in a zip lock bag. Now a normal person would take that tip to mean that you put all your stuff in one zip lock bag, keeping your shiz together and cutting down on space and weight.

Matt rocked up with his large leather sponge bag and inside that each item was then inside its own zip lock bag. Well done Matt...

Sympathy Kanelbullar.

On leaving Stockholm for Copenhagen we had 8 or 9 krona left and I'd been hanging out for one last kanelbullar (cinnamon bun) before we said goodbye to Sweden. I squeezed into a bakery with my pack and asked how much one would be only to discover I was a few krona short (about 50c). I obviously looked like a pretty pathetic case because as I was leaving the lady started tapping on the window and called me back in to give me the delicious treat for the handful of change that I had left... Thank you Sweden!!!!

We were also given the wifi password once because on being told we needed to buy a coffee we left and the man took pity on us thinking we couldn't afford it, so brought us someone else's receipt with the information.

And the best was when a lady in Norway took us home and paid for the $60 taxi because it was a public holiday and the buses were running abnormally. That was a $60 taxi to go ten minutes up the road, Norway is that expensive!

The gift that keeps on giving...

The comparison that people make between Brim and Johnny Depp is this gift. From a random kid on the street in Morocco, to hostel staff in Latvia, to a waitress in Bulgaria... every country it's the same story. Greece however took it one step further with our apartment's owner actually insisting on a photo together. I tried to get out of it saying I wasn't the famous one but it didn't work!


Why you don't take accommodation tips from a guy at the bus stop who doesn't speak any English.

OK, so most of you are probably thinking der.... Not really a hard thing to work out, and yet we still learnt the hard way. Whilst stuck in the Sahara due to snow (read here!) we needed to find another nights accommodation and couldn't go back where we had stayed the night before because we couldn't afford it plus it wasn't within walking distance. Long story short we went with our new "friend" to his "friend's hotel" and agreed to stay. We were exhausted after two nights of sleeping in the desert then being up for a 6am bus that never came, how bad could it really be?

Well, the windows had been open for the previous nights sand storm so the whole bathroom was full of red dirt. The bed was suspicious at best with insect faeces and other unknown debris, so the sleep sacks got a use in order not to touch the sheets. The best part was that the water turned on and off intermittently all day and then didn't come back on after 5pm so there were no showers for us. It also meant no flush for the toilet...let's just say we left them some treats in thanks for our stay.

Nicola, that's a boys name.

Yes, I get it, Nicola is a man's name in Europe... But I am clearly female. The amount of chuckles, confused stares and pointing out the obvious when I introduce myself is ridiculous! There was even a bartender in Kotor who was excited to be meeting a girl with the same name as him.

Then we met a man called Titi.... How is Nicola funny but a man called Titi is not?!

Monday 28 July 2014

Day 319: Pomorie, Bulgaria

wan·der·lust
a strong, innate desire to rove or travel about

The alarm went off at 730AM but I decided to sleep in for another ten minutes. We had sat up late watching a movie and I felt like I deserved it. When I finally got out of bed I brushed my teeth and splashed some water on my face and then it was time for some slip, slip, slap. We were going to the beach you see and you can never be too careful hey??

After packing our bag for the beach we gleefully descended the 87 steps to literally, the best breakfast buffet. EVER!! What a spread. Tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, pasta. They have everything! On our way to breakfast we said 'dobar den' to the man on reception, that's Bulgarian for good day. During breakfast we even feed a cat some sausage. #naughty


After filling our tummies we set off for the beach. Before that we went to the Pomorie tourist information to ask how we get to our next destination the following day. The man there told us that we could get a bus that goes every half hour from the municipality building and then get another bus from Burgas. Sounds easy enough!

Then we got to the beach. Lots of people there! What a drag. We found an empty spot on the groyne and stayed there for five hours. It turned out pretty good in the end! We even had a local pear!! Gotta stay healthy on the road... When we were at the beach the water was filled with seaweed and then we saw a sea slater. LOLZ


BRB toilet break... Back! Good thing there isn't smello-blog yet! Haha. After the beach we went back to our room for some beers. Beer is so, so cheap here. It must be so cheap to live in Bulgaria!

Then finally it was time for some dinner. Can't wait! We went back to the restaurant at our hotel and ordered two pizzas and a salad to go with two ice cold beers. They even brought out condiments for the pizzas! Crazy huh! And look at that view!!



After such a good meal we went for a bit of a walk through Pomorie to just absorb the sights and sounds. Beautiful, just beautiful. Then it was time to head back to the room and work on our travel notes. I also updated my Facebook status and read some news. Then after just the best day ever, it was bed time.

Share your story below... What was a crazy, fun travel experience that you've had??

As you've (I really f*cking hoped) guessed, this is an ode to all of those shocking blogs out there. There are many good ones (go here) but unfortunately the creation of the internet and social media have given too many people a voice that should have never had one to begin with. Yes, I see the hypocrisy...

Monday 21 July 2014

Ohrid, OH for Awesome

No dribble for this Macedonian beauty, just some photos from a pretty spectacular few days...






 



Thursday 17 July 2014

Corfu all over you...

When we'd initially set off on this trip we'd always planned to spend a few weeks hopping between Greek islands, immersing ourselves in an as authentic Greek experience as possible. However our time in Europe is quickly running out and the bank account appears to be diminishing at an ever increasing rate. Our compromise was a week in Benitses on Corfu, a Greek island that's just a thirty minute ferry ride from the Albanian coast. We tried our best to have that authentic Greek experience. Our days went something like this.


Mornings began with us rolling out of bed when we felt like it for a breakfast of Greek yoghurt and honey, and some fresh fruit.

We'd then trek the tough two minutes down to the beach, pull up a sunbed and acquaint ourselves with one of the various cold coffees that the Greek people love so much. We are now very well versed on the differences between a frappe, a freddo espresso and a freddo cappuccino.


After a fairly strenuous four or five hours reading, gazing longingly at Albania, soaking up the sun and jumping into the cleanest and clearest sea we've swum in so far, we'd be feeling a bit peckish. Enter Greece's most beloved export - the mighty gyros.


We'd intended to be very methodical in researching Benitses' best gyros with a goal of trying all that Benitses had to offer before settling on our favourite. But after stumbling upon the particularly nondescript Kebab House and taking that first bite we knew that we'd found our winner. The meat was juicy and moist on the inside and browned exquisitely on the outside, some chopped tomatoes, cucumbers and onions were thrown in, as was handful of chips and then the additions that took the gyros from good to great - the condiments. Firstly, a Tzatziki chock full of so much garlicky goodness that you would immediately feel yourself sweating cloves as the garlic's fire raged around your mouth, and then there was the special sauce. Among other ingredients that we can't remember were oregano, lemon juice, olive oil and some type of mustard. This is special sauce that is truly special. The heavenly combination was all wrapped in a pita like none other that we've had before.


I know everyone at home has their go-to gyros joint and anyone who's been to Greece thinks that they've had great gyros but this is next level stuff. This particular gyros cannot be improved upon. Greece's gift to the world is gyros. The world's gift to us is that gyros.

After that gastronomical delight we'd wander back to our apartment for our daily Ouzo dose and our take on Greek meze - generally some onions and toms drowned in olive oil with olives and some Tzatziki and Taramasalata.


The nights normally ended with too much red wine, another penalty shoot out and another late night.

We also squeezed into that busy schedule a sampling of the Greek classics moussaka, stifado (an oily beef stew with shallots), sofrito (slivers of beef cooked in wine) and Retsina (resinated Greek wine),


souvlaki, Metaxa (Greek brandy), dolmades and baked feta. All delish!


Did we have the experience that we'd hoped for? Probably not. Any authenticity that this small fishing port once had is mostly gone (as evidenced by the English language chalkboards out the front of every single bar and restaurant) and we were probably twenty years late in getting there. Although upon reflecting on the above, I suppose we did a reasonable job. We can't complain too much......

Monday 14 July 2014

Albania: been there, done that, bought the beach towel

We approached Albania with trepidation. From what we'd read the country was going to be so backward that it would feel like we'd gone back in time by fifty years and people would be amazed to see a mobile phone. Apparently the streets would be would be full of litter and a horse and cart would be the preferred method of transportation. Shit, one of the most popular search results on Google is, 'is it safe to visit Albania?'. 

What did we discover upon arriving in Tiranë (Albania's capital)? A large tent where the chief lives and a heap of people running around with vine leaves covering their bits? Far from it. We found an interesting, modern city filled with attractive, intelligent, exceptionally warm and welcoming people. That theme continued as we made our way down the coast through Vlorë, Himarë and Sarandë and over those few weeks in Albania we felt as close to home as we've been since we left. 

These are a handful of our highlights. 

Lamb feasts at Arti and Taverna Beqo in Vlorë and Sarandë respectively that really did place us at a Brimson/Hatch dinner table. 


Transport in Albania is limited to say that least. The main way that you get around is via a heap of mini buses (sometimes just vans) that connect the key centres within the country. These mini buses are quite the travelling experience. They leave from points such as "in front of the Economics Faculty" and "near the mosque", you all get jammed in like sardines and then off you fly dropping people off and picking people up at places that are far from the designated bus stops that most of us are used to. It's a cosy experience. Without air-con it's an even cosier experience. 


Cold beer is a national obsession. Glasses come from the freezer and go down a treat now that the mercury is beginning to hit 30. And at 50c a beer there's no reason to hold back either.


Being the best looking, most in shape people on the beach in Vlorë. Yes, some of the sights down there were that bad. You really don't want a photo showing just how bad those sights were.

Qofte (essentially cevapi as is found in the rest of Southeastern Europe) with onion, bread and a cheesy take on tzatziki in Tirana. So, fecking, good. 


A hotel with sea views, breakfast and free sunbeds in Europe for less than fifty bucks a night? Yes please Himare!


The lowlights of Albania? There's only one and it involved me swinging my leg over a sunbed and splitting my shorts straight up the middle (exposing myself to everyone around me in the process) and then having to walk the three kilometres back to our accommodation looking like some sort of flamboyant Samoan man.

Monday 7 July 2014

The Recap - The Balkans (Part I)

As I've stated previously, Croatia and the rest of the Balkans were going to be a massive flop after having such a great time in Iceland. However the region continues to surprise us and given it's managed to provide us some much needed respite from this strenuous travelling game, it's a region that we can wholeheartedly recommend for people to go and see and relax in. 


What We'll Miss
  
  • Concrete sunbathing/diving-in-off platforms
  • Croatian Prsut... Other countries in the region do their take on this but don't deliver like the Croatians do
  • Croatian islands that are actually more spectacular than any pictures could ever have you believe 
  • The Bay of Kotor and Kotor in particular - just stunning 
  • Meeting up with THE Michael J Clarke in Dubrovnik 
  • The friendliness and hospitality of people throughout the region - like guesthouses that will pick you up and and drop you off at the bus station free of charge and barmen that share their chips with you
  • The haunting beauty of Mostar and Sarajevo


What We Won't Miss

  • Judgement Cat in Split. Everyday we would walk past this particular cat and ignoring our smooching and psswsswsswssss noises it would just stare back at us and judge harder than you've ever seen any other cat judge
  • Sea urchins that sit in the shallows ready to drive their needles deep inside your heel
  • Gypsy kids in Kotor that stroke your face and hug you in an attempt to get money and food out of you 
  • Ulcinj in Montenegro, what a sh*t of a place... 
  • Week long thunderstorms. We like a good bit of lightning as much as the next person but not for an entire week. This is our summer. We'd done winter for an entire year, we don't need to be reminded of it..... 
  • Those 16° C water temps in Split, what's up with that... 

The Food

THAT squid ink risotto for sure. Nicola rattled off about five other strong contenders when I threw the question out there but you'd come back to Ston for that squid ink risotto alone. 


The Drink

Cheap wine by the litre, even cheaper beer by the litre, powerful and potent raki... All very good but walnut and fig grappas in Split win the chicken dinner. You know when something says that it is aged with, aged on, flavoured with x and you only get a hint of what it says it will taste like and you only think it tastes like that because you know that it should? No risk of that here. The walnut and fig aromas and flavours invade your nostrils and palate immediately and have you calling the waiter over for another. 


Barrie-ometer of "Feel"oooooooweeeeeee, what's up with that?