02.11.08 Corfu Greece

Poor to Pink

I made it!Montenegro and Albania are now stickers on the box!The amazing thing is that me and my beloved unnamed iron horse are still in one piece despite poor roads, a bike accident, and lots of mountain passes!

I woke up in Dubrovnik, Croatia to a howling wind called Bora by the locals.It is a frequent occurrence and usually closes the cliff side roads because of the 50 mph winds.Now rain and the cold okay, but wind, now that is something that all the layers and gortex cannot help me with! I was told that usually the winds start to die down around 10 am or so and then start back up at 4pm or there about.I questioned whether I should leave or not and maybe this was a sign of my journey to come in the great unknown of Albania.I decided to start preparing nonetheless and make a decision at 10 whether to leave or not.Despite the wind still blowing, although weakening I decided to leave.The going was slow, but not dangerous.I made my way to the border at Montenegro and crossed without a hitch.

Once across the border I definitely noticed a difference.Montenegro the worlds newest country was much poorer than everything else I had come through and much dirtier.I made my way around the coast road and was not terribly impressed with the coastline and the coastal towns.Kotor a world heritage walled city was interesting more because of how youhad to get there.It took forever even though it was always within sight.I had to drive all the way around this giant cove to get to the other side and it took forever.The rest of the trip through Montenegro was pretty easy, not much to see and I stopped just long enough to get a sticker and some fuel before heading into Albania.Before I got to Albania the roads definitely started to deteriorate and became more or less a one lane slab of old pavement with no paint and lots of curves.The road signs were poor and I was lucky to find my way to the boarder.The road I was taking looked more like someone's country driveway than a major road to a border crossing.

Albania!Albania has been since the beginning something of a bit of a hurdle in my path that I have been nervous about ever since France.My one and only guide book describes driving through Albania as, "only for the foolhardy, as roads are often bad and the local drivers kamikazes."These words have been floating around my head for a while.What the hell am I thinking driving through the second poorest country in Europe!

I crossed the border without any problems and started down the same sort of roads found in Montenegro.As I started to drive I could very much tell I was in a different land.I started to pass a group of children and instantly received huge smiles and big waves.The next group of two kids walking down the street stopped in their tracks and smiled and waved as I tooted my horn past.It was like a scene from an African safari as the landrover arrives in the small village.My heart was jumping now at the friendliness of the people.I arrived at the fuel station and again the attendant ran from his building to meet me at the pump with a smile.What was everyone talking about!Albania unsafe?This was the friendliest group of people I have met along my way.You can see the goodness in their hearts written across the smiles on their faces; Something that has been lacking in the expressions of most of the rest of Europe.

I did encounter some gravel spots as I made my way through Skoeder, but then the road turned to the usual 2 lane nicely paved and painted straight as an arrow road; Something I had not expected at all.For the next 3 hours from Skoeder to Durres the poverty was very obvious, but the roads fabulous.In the beginning I was a little nervous about fuel and running out, but I was surprised to see a fuel station every mile it seemed and not just any fuel station, the nicest fuel stations in Europe.Brick paved, gleaming clean and friendly attendants.Most of the fuel stations doubled also as a restaurant and hotel both of which were immaculate.This is where any resemblance of the rest of Europe stops however.The rest of the country is very poor and dirty.Trash abounds on the roadsides and creek beds.More trash than I have ever seen in Italy or anywhere else.Mule pulled carts where as frequent on the roads as automobiles.The automobiles where another strange thing, it was either a mule and cart or the nicest newest Mercedes built.It seemed that you were either filthy rich or dirt poor in Albania and no in between.The middle class sort of automobiles were very hard to find.

Besides the straight roads, hotel/gas station and Mercedes the other thing that stuck out on my first day through was the number of car wash stations along the road.This would usually be a wooden sign spray painted, a slab of uneven concrete and a man with a pressure washer.I have never seen so many and on my second day driving through would understand why.

I arrived in Durres the major port city and found the pothole ridden roads that everyone talked about.It seemed strange that the main road leading to the city was great and then the city streets were in horrible disrepair.The city was trying to be Italian, but the poverty was still very evident, although you could tell there was a friendliness in the air.

I found a hotel as everything is much cheaper here and got a very nice room with a queen size bed and a locked gate for my motorcycle.I ventured out on the streets for a cheap, but good dinner and a walk about.Dirty and poor yes, but I never felt unsafe.After watching a pirated version of "I am Legend" with Will Smith that I bought on the street, I drifted off to a deep sleep with thoughts of the next half of Albania.

There are two distinct parts of Albania; The North and the South.The north as I described above changed as soon as I left the Durres city limits.Road signs became almost non existent.The roads quickly deteriorated and 4th and 5 gear became something of the past.Had I not already navigated 14,000 miles through Europe I don't think I would have been able to find my way and now of course I started to understand the "only for the foolhardy" part in my guidebook.The drivers definitely became a little more daring, but still no match for my agile motorbike. I made my way south down the coast road and then climbed over a mountain and descended to another world on the other side.The southern half again very different from the north!This was the part everyone talked about; The awful roads if you could even call them that, the every manner of barn yard creature blocking your path and small villages with old cars and mule pulled carts.At several points as the country was trying to improve the road conditions the one lane road was blocked with machinery.The road frequently went from gravel to dirt to potholed pavement.At this stage not only were the roads poor and the fear of running into some sort of barn yard animal a danger, the roads clung to the side of mountain cliffs.I am glad I left at 7am because I did not leave 2nd gear for 3 hours.I even came across a cow being butchered on the roadside. Now having said all of this, driving through Albania was so much fun!What a challenge and what a difference.I really enjoyed not knowing what craziness I would meet around the next corner.The challenge of dodging pothole after pothole, although very tiring, honkingmy horn around every corner not knowing if a psycho truck driver would be barreling around the next bend or not.Needless to say it was a very intense day filled with excitement, a little fear and great excitement at the thought of reaching Greece soon.

Before I would reach Greece though I would almost end my journey!I arrived in the crazed town of Vlore a bustling port city with the craziest of drivers, still not as crazy as Napoli though.I don't think there is anywhere in the world that will compare to that place, but Vlore was trying to be second.As I was moving around a turning car I was met with a Mercedes stopped and parked in the middle of the road.I slammed on the brakes skidded out sideways and found myself laid over in the small crack between the curb and the parked Mercedes.I had just missed running into the car and luckily the only thing that was amiss was maybe a couple of heart beats that were skipped and my handlebars.My handle bars where a little bent over to one side and my panniers had yet another war wound but nothing broken and nothing that I could not straighten or bang out and be on my way again.Needless to say my life flashed before my eyes and the thought I hitting someone in Albania was not my idea of a good time.I brushed off the dirt, picked up my bike, straightened the handle bars and set off again.I was glad it was nothing serious, but it did remind me that just the slightest mistake would end my journey for good. Always know that everyone is out to kill me!

It was only by God's guidance that I found the border crossing to Greece.My one and only map was completely wrong and the signs were the worst I have found in all my travels.I made it however and was glad to see a European Union Flag flying again.

Greece is beautiful!I think in the 12 hours that I was on my bike through Albania and Greece, I think I climbed and descended five mountains and crossed though countless valleys.I had no idea how mountainous the northeastern part of Greece was.After a grueling ride though the treacherous roads of Albania I was met with better roads but more switchbacks and windy valleys than I had seen since crossing the Pyrenees in France.I arrived at Igoumenitsa, Greece to jump on the ferry and head to Corfu just as the sun was setting and my eyes were getting heavy.

So there I was having finally made it to Greece, arrived to Igoumenitsa just in time to catch the next ferry and it was getting dark.I had no idea where the hostel was once I got to the island and was not looking forward to the trek in the dark, but in usual fashion I walked forward knowing that the path would be illuminated once I got to the next point.

Just as the ferry doors are closing a BMW F650 pulls in right next to me!Amazing.I spent the ferry ride talking to the kind fellow whose name escapes me, but not only did I get all the next stop recommendations, but upon arriving to the town of Corfu on Corfu island I was led out of town and pointed to the correct road that I would find my hostel!With a wave I said goodbye and started down the road that I was directed.Literally I was driving blind.It was pitch black dark on narrow island roads and I had no map and everything that I came upon looked pretty closed.The only thing I had to go on was that ride for 20 minutes or so and the Pink Palace should be right there.So I rode for about that length of time and then started looking for pink.WOW is the Pink Palace Pink and I am glad because the sign was pretty obscure, but it is a miracle I found it and during the night!

The Pink Palace would turn out to be a Palace indeed!