Happy Birthday to me! I had a sleep in this morning & finally dragged my body out of bed at 7:30am! I had breakfast at my hotel, omelette with toast & peach jam, which was very nice. I was cheeky enough to ask for a second coffee as it was all included in my 20 Euros. I also made use of their free internet.
I was at the bus area at 8:45am & quickly spotted a bus with 'Skrapari' on the front & made sure it was heading for Çorovodë. (I'd decided overnight that I would explore Çorovodë first & perhaps Policani on my return?) The bus left for Çorovodë at 9:30am. The route was a very winding & twisty road & at times when we hit oncoming traffic one of us had to reverse!
I arrived in Çorovodë at 11:30am (300 Lek) & headed for the Osumi Hotel & enquired about a room. They wanted 20 Euros which I thought was a little expensive, so I had a coffee & told them I would think about it, as I wasn't entirely sure what my plans were for Çorovodë. I decided to walk around a little more & headed up the steep bank looking for the Turizmi Hotel. I walked all the way to the top & had to ask somebody for directions & soon realised it was back down the hill! As I was a approaching the entrance the owner (who was having a drink nearby) came over & asked what I was looking for. I told him & he informed me he had a room available for 1000 Lek a night. I thought this was fine & agreed to let him show me the room. There was no air conditioning, but the room was huge (it had 3 beds!) & the shower was fine, although I don’t think the carpets have ever been hovered! It seemed a strange hotel, it was huge & I think I was the only guest! The owner appeared to be in the middle of renovating it, the restaurant area (which was also huge) was all blocked off & had a lot of furniture stored in it.
I had a cold shower in my hotel before heading out to explore the town. I began to realise that Çorovodë is one of the most depressing places I have visited! I know it was Sunday & a cloudy day, but it was like a ghost town with many shops closed & I couldn't really find anywhere to eat. I headed off in the direction of the Ottoman Bridge on the Gjerbesi Rd which was quite a pleasant walk & when I arrived there were some children playing in the river. I took some photographs of the bridge (which is amazing), & decided as it was approaching 3pm it was pointless heading on any further so I headed back into town.
Whilst I was waiting for my food, I was thinking about my plans for the morning. I would either hike all the way to Gjerbesi & then hike back (spending a night in Gjerbesi in my tent), or I would hike one way to Gjerbesi & stay the night & then the following day I would try & make it to Polican (for the bus out).
After I had eaten & was having a coffee, a group of locals arrived by car & entered the restaurant. I soon got talking with the younger ones & asked for their advice about my plans for tomorrow. They confirmed it was about 15 km to Gjerbesi & that staying the night was a good idea, & trekking to Polican would be about the same distance again. They also told me the route is clearly signposted & each trek should take about five hours.
I walked back through the town, (still thinking it is a bit of a depressing place!) Even the police just hang around moving from one coffee bar to the other! Since arriving on Albanian soil it has been clear that the locals do not see too many western faces as I do get quite a few stares. I found Çorovodë even more so. I decided to head back to my hotel for a much needed rest. I plan to venture out later as England are playing Italy, & I can't miss it! I heard some noises outside my room, so I am clearly not the only one staying here after all!
It was an epic match with extra time & penalties & most of the locals clearly wanted Italy to win & unfortunately they did! It was watched all in good spirit & some of the locals offered their condolences as I left late into the night.
The hotel has an ant problem!
I was at the bus area at 8:45am & quickly spotted a bus with 'Skrapari' on the front & made sure it was heading for Çorovodë. (I'd decided overnight that I would explore Çorovodë first & perhaps Policani on my return?) The bus left for Çorovodë at 9:30am. The route was a very winding & twisty road & at times when we hit oncoming traffic one of us had to reverse!
I arrived in Çorovodë at 11:30am (300 Lek) & headed for the Osumi Hotel & enquired about a room. They wanted 20 Euros which I thought was a little expensive, so I had a coffee & told them I would think about it, as I wasn't entirely sure what my plans were for Çorovodë. I decided to walk around a little more & headed up the steep bank looking for the Turizmi Hotel. I walked all the way to the top & had to ask somebody for directions & soon realised it was back down the hill! As I was a approaching the entrance the owner (who was having a drink nearby) came over & asked what I was looking for. I told him & he informed me he had a room available for 1000 Lek a night. I thought this was fine & agreed to let him show me the room. There was no air conditioning, but the room was huge (it had 3 beds!) & the shower was fine, although I don’t think the carpets have ever been hovered! It seemed a strange hotel, it was huge & I think I was the only guest! The owner appeared to be in the middle of renovating it, the restaurant area (which was also huge) was all blocked off & had a lot of furniture stored in it.
Sign in hotel window for bee's milk in Çorovodë
I had a cold shower in my hotel before heading out to explore the town. I began to realise that Çorovodë is one of the most depressing places I have visited! I know it was Sunday & a cloudy day, but it was like a ghost town with many shops closed & I couldn't really find anywhere to eat. I headed off in the direction of the Ottoman Bridge on the Gjerbesi Rd which was quite a pleasant walk & when I arrived there were some children playing in the river. I took some photographs of the bridge (which is amazing), & decided as it was approaching 3pm it was pointless heading on any further so I headed back into town.
Çorovodë
Çorovodë (On my way to the Kasabashi Bridge)
The Kasabashi Bridge near Çorovodë
On my return along the Gjerbesi Rd I visited one of the many restaurants, (actually the only one which was open!) The lady owner made it obvious there wasn't a menu, but she was more than happy to cook something for me. She made me some kind of lamb soup, with a large bowl of mixed salad & plenty of bread (she later gave me another bowl of soup & more bread) & charged me only 350 Lek, what a lovely lady!
After I had eaten & was having a coffee, a group of locals arrived by car & entered the restaurant. I soon got talking with the younger ones & asked for their advice about my plans for tomorrow. They confirmed it was about 15 km to Gjerbesi & that staying the night was a good idea, & trekking to Polican would be about the same distance again. They also told me the route is clearly signposted & each trek should take about five hours.
A red & blue cactus in Çorovodë
Lovely lamb broth!
It was an epic match with extra time & penalties & most of the locals clearly wanted Italy to win & unfortunately they did! It was watched all in good spirit & some of the locals offered their condolences as I left late into the night.
The hotel has an ant problem!
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