Leaving our grand, chandelier obsessive hotel, after quite a good breakfast, we start the drive to Albania! We are all excited for some drama at the boarder crossing, as Liz says it will range from us bribing them, keeping us waiting for multiple hours, or bus searches. Depending on how they're feeling, they will either come on the bus to check our passports, make us get off the bus, or collect our passports and take them off the bus. We arrive and are a little disappointed that it was relatively smooth, with us lining us and getting checked off. The only concern was the lurking gypsies stealing from us, and or climbing under the bus in the engine cavities, to get a free rid somewhere. We pass though easily enough though and begin our 5hr drive to the capital Tirana. To sum up our drive, the landscape is beautiful, but unfortunately poverty and mass unemployment makes it all a bit intimidating. We stop in a small town, because the square has about 4 restaurants. We get off and discover that none off the restaurants have food...except for one place. It was a dead dog. In the window. On display. Gross, gross, GROSS! After continual glares from the local, unemployed male populace, we get back on the bus in slight panic haha! We continue onto the capital on the worst roads so far (even worse that Italy) it's just compacted soil and rocks. This is not reassuring when there is a 30meter drop to your left and no railing! When we arrive in the capital it's hard to really feel at easy, not when AKs and poverty go hand in hand. We have an hours free time in the city, and after we literally spend it chillin out (hiding?) in a fast food place. We then go to our hotel which is better than we expected, if had an armed guard out the front...?! We have a decent dinner though of salad and chicken, and we all buy some wine and loiter in the lobby chatting and using their wifi! Glad to say I've been there, has lovely landscape, but as we had to watch out for people trying to hide under our engine cavities for a free lift, I don't think Ill be making my way back there any time soon!