Valbona (Albania) | Relics of the Past - Day 146

This photo was taken near the town of Valbona in Albania. I love how the bright orange cabin pops in the foreground of the beautiful mountains.

Shkodër (sko-dar) is located just south of the Montenegro border on the southern edge of Lake Skadar, which lies on the border of the two countries.

This morning I am glad I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to visit Theth National Park, and I am looking forward to the journey today. The expedition will cost me about 10,850 Albanian Lek (92 euros). Here is what's included in the trip:

• Bus from Shkodër to Komani Lake (2 hours)
• Ferry across Komani Lake to Fierza (2.5 hours)
• Shuttle bus from Fierza to Valbona (1 hour)
• 1 night stay in Valbona at a guesthouse 
• Dinner, breakfast, and lunch included
• 1 night stay in Theth at a guesthouse 
• Dinner and breakfast included
• Bus from Theth to Shkodër (2.5 hours)

The expedition is exceptionally cheap, considering it costs me around 3,540 Albanian Lek (30 euros) per day for all my transport, lodging, and food. Incredible! So when the bus arrives at 630 am, I hop aboard the shuttle bus and join Max, Celeste, Jerome, Siem, Glen, and Laura. On the way up to Komani Lake, we get to know each other. Laura (Germany) was a late addition and is not staying at the hostel. Instead, the 27-year-old travels across Europe in a minivan that she retrofitted into an adventure van. It appears that the adventure van phenomenon is not unique to North America. Glen is from the UK, and the left side of his face droops slightly. "When I was in Laos (southeast Asia) about 5 years ago, I rented a motorcycle and was in an accident. I fractured my skull. That's why I have a lazy eye now. Luckily, I was wearing a helmet," he says, as if his ordeal in a foreign country was just a minor scratch. 

The driver pulls the bus over with about 30 minutes left. "We take a 10-minute break," he says, stepping out of the bus before lighting a cigarette. 

The views of the Drin River are stunning from up here.

About 20 minutes late, "This is as far as we go," says the driver. So, I step off the bus, out of the tunnel, and board the waiting ferry. It is now 840 am. The ferry leaves Komani at 9 am. A strong wind blows, and the sun has not crested the surrounding mountains yet, so it is very cold. I took only my little Cotapaxi pack for the 2 nights. It is too tiny for this expedition. So I left some warmer clothes behind. It will warm up when we aren't on the water, but it is cold now. So I put on my long-sleeved shirt, rain jacket, and buff in an effort to keep my core and neck warm.

Before leaving port, I noticed on the hillside a string of turret towers perched above the dam. A remnant of the Cold War, no doubt. Lake Komani was formed by daming the Drin River. The Drin River passes through Albania, where two rivers combine. The White Drin flows from Peja, Kosovo, and the Black Drin originates from Lake Ohrid in North Macedonia. The dam was constructed between 1979 and 1988 for hydroelectric purposes, and the towers were likely built to protect this important infrastructure.

The view from the front of the ferry is magnificent. The river is 25 m (75 ft) wide at its narrowest point. The beautiful reservoir is 34 m (112 ft) deep, 34 km (21 mi) long, and 34 sq km (13 sq mi). The boat traverses the giant reservoir at a speed of 14.5 kph (9 mph or 1.5 knots).

The 2.5-hour ferry ride starts in Koman and ends in Fierza. There another shuttle awaits to take me to the guesthouse that the hostel booked.

Shortly after leaving Koman, I noticed several places along the reservoir where trash and plastic bottles float on the surface. "C'est triste hein? [It's sad, right?]," says Jerome. We spend the next several minutes talking about how unfortunate it is that a resource like this appears not valued here in Albania. People simply let their waste go and don't think twice about picking up the trash. We both agree that this is a common feature of developing countries. Frequently the infrastructure to remove and keep thrash out of cities and natural areas does not exist, nor do they place much emphasis on keeping areas free of litter. 

Despite the floating bottles and other trash, some areas appear to be nearly pristine, with stunning views.

It seems like around every bend, there is another fantastic view.

I spend my time chasing the sun around the upper deck most of the boat ride. I'm doing what I can to stay warm. Then, finally, the wind gives, and the reservoir's surface is like a mirror. 

Hands down this is the most scenic ferry ride I have ever taken. I am pleased I chose to ditch my schedule and take advantage of this opportunity. Notably, this is the ferry's last day for the year. and Tomorrow, access to Valbona is no longer possible. What incredible timing on my part to be here on the final day!

There doesn't seem to be any shortage of scenic places along this river.

We finally arrive at Fierza around 1130, where the shuttle is waiting for our group. It is warm and sunny here. I finally shed some layers before boarding the shuttle. Vehicles wait their turn to unload from the ferry.

We spend the next hour driving up to Valbona, Albania. Along the way, Siem says, "Wow! Look at all the decorated trees in the river." Those are not decorations, but they look interesting for sure. I believe it is trash that has been caught up in the branches from when the water receded, I say. I am laughing on the inside at the absurd idea that the river was purposefully decorated this way. The next several miles of the river are adorned with garbage. As we pass by, I say to the group, think of all the people and man-hours it would take to clean up this mess. How would you even do that? Some of this trash is nearly 3 m (10 ft) from the bottom of the river.

We finally arrive at the guesthouse, pictured below. It is nestled on a bench surrounded by beautiful mountains. The weather is gorgeous. The skies are clear, despite several fires we saw in the mountains on the way here.

Valbona is located in the far north of Albania near the Montenegro border and in the River Valbonë Valley. At this point, I am only 4 km (2.5 mi) from Montenegro. Valbona sits at the junction of Theth and Valbona National Parks. 

The view looking east from the guesthouse is fantastic! 

The River Valbonë is crystal clear, and the rocks give it a stunning turquoise color which contrasts against the changing color of the leaves.

The weather is perfect today! The 7 of us head west towards Valbona, about a 10-15 minute walk from the guesthouse. As we near the town, I notice the first of several concrete bunkers.

Shortly after, I notice a second tucked back into the trees. These are Qender Zjari [firing position) or QZ bunkers for short. 

Then I spot two more. In all, > 175,000 QZ bunkers were built in Albania while Enver Hoxha, the Communist Leader of Albania, was in power between the 1960s and 1980s. Hoxha had plans to build 750,000 of these. QZ bunkers are scattered throughout Albania now. Hoxha was openly hostile to neighboring countries and NATO. These bunkers are in an area where there is no road joining Albania and Montenegro (at the time Yugoslavia). Hoxha set an aggressive policy known as bunkerization while he was in power. 

These QZ bunkers are a remarkable relic of the past and something unique to Albania. I enter several by climbing through a shallow concrete square behind the bunker. Some bunkers, like the one in the foreground, are large enough for 2 to 3 people. While the smaller bunker in the background is barely large enough for one. 

Jerome and I discuss how crazy it is to still see these bunkers in place, even though they were never used. I love these kinds of historical sites. You realize quickly when you travel that people have sunk a lot of concrete in this earth, I tell Jerome. "C'est fou! [It's crazy]," he replies as he shows me a picture of Buzludzha, the concrete flying saucer bunker in Bulgaria. "I rented a car just so I could visit this bunker," he tells me. Oh wow! I remember watching an episode on Buzludzha on Mysteries of the Abandoned. One of my favorite shows, I tell him.

We continue discussing Communist regimes since we both find them interesting. They spent so much money building up the military and defenses at the expense of other needs. They wanted to protect what they held precious. Then one day, it all fell apart when they realized they had nothing precious left to protect because they sank all their resources into the military and defenses, I say jokingly. Hoxha's investment in this military infrastructure came at a massive cost to the Albanian people. Bunkers were built instead of roads, houses, and other things that would have raised the quality of life in Albania.

We continue to a local restaurant, where we stop for a couple of beers. Around 430 pm, our group heads back to the guesthouse for dinner. My orange long-sleeve sun shirt stands out amongst the others in my group, and I feel right at home. Our hosts prepared a traditional Albanian meal for us. Unfortunately, as we sit down for dinner, the lights go out. Our host opens the door to check on us, "This is Albania. Hope they have power back on soon," he says, shrugging as he heads back out of the dining room. The lights eventually turn back on, and we finish our wonderful meal. 

"What time do you want to have breakfast in the morning?" asks our host. We all look at each other. Does 730 am for breakfast and starting to walk by 8 am work for everyone? Sounds good. I am beat. I  head to bed to relax. Max snored like a tractor last night, and I look forward to a good night's sleep. Max is sleeping in another room tonight. It doesn't take me long to fall asleep.