When I am asked this question, I try to answer it honestly and take moment to think of the America that I know. I see tidy middle class neighborhoods, abundant stores and restaurants, nice schools, football games, barbecues, parks, happy babies, and the like. "Yes they are," I say.
It is around that time that you can see the glimmer in their eyes. I like to imagine what it is that they are picturing at that moment. My guess is that they see me in the America that they have come to know through movies and TV... floating in a pool behind my beachfront house, a glass of fine scotch in one hand and a cigar in the other. When I finish my cigar, I let a light breeze blow me over to the side of the pool where my tuxedo-clad man-servant Reginald awaits with a new cigar and a light. The light, of course, comes in the form of a burning $20 dollar bill, the likes of which occasionally clutter up our finely manicured yard when a breeze passes through the french doors of my bedroom and stirs up the giant pile of cash that serves as my mattress.
"Yes," they reply, "things are very good there. Not in Albania, though. There is no work here."
There is no work in Albania. If you spend any amount of time talking to an Albanian, you can almost be assured that they will bring the subject up-- especially if you come from a developed western country. It can be very frustrating at times; there is no question that things aren't perfect here, but as an outsider it is all too easy to try to make a quick diagnosis based on what you see on the surface.
If only people would put more effort into their work. If only the business community would try to diversify the markets. If only the education systems were better. If only, if only, if only. The reality is that the roots of the situation-- both the good and bad aspects of it-- are complexly interwoven through their history and their culture and there are no quick fixes.
As such, I have found that patience is perhaps the most valuable skill that I can bring to work every day. On the bright side, many Albanians are putting forth genuine effort to improve their country and progress is being made. I have been told by many people (Albanians and non-Albanians alike) that I would hardly recognize the Albania that existed even five years ago. Infrastructure, in particular-- the roads, water systems, and power grid-- are light years beyond what they were half-way through the last decade.
This infrastructure will provide a valuable foundation for development, but the work cannot stop there. In efforts to improve the economy, one of the primary fields that Albania's leaders are promoting is tourism. They are surrounded by two of the world's tourism giants in Greece and Italy, and the upcoming star of Croatia is within shouting distance to the north. They see all the money that tourists pour into those countries every year and, understandably, want to get a piece of the pie as well.
Albania has the makings of a great tourism destination-- beautiful beaches, mountains, interesting cities, a very convenient location, and a long and colorful history. Now they just need to find a way to package these resources and sell them to the world's travelers.
There are some hurdles that must be overcome before the country is able to truly compete in this market. The infrastructure, improved though it is, still needs work. The omnipresent trash needs to be cleaned up. And, most importantly in my mind, they need to improve the ease with which tourists can find information about this country.
Unless they are an American, a tourist is usually not an overly demanding subject. (I say this with love! But really, we don't have the best reputation abroad.) They just need to know where to go (maps), how to get there (transportation information), where they will sleep (hotel directories), and what to do once they are there (tourism guides). These all exist in some form in Albania, but the quality and accessibility of most of this information leaves much to be desired.
Pogradec, for example, is known primarily for its beachfront along Lake Ohrid. Beautiful though this is, it is not the only thing that the city can offer visitors. In the region surrounding the city you can find historical churches, monasteries, quaint villages, and old stone bridges alongside a wide variety of natural attractions. The tourism guide for the city tells you that these places exist and encourages you to see them, but they forget to mention how you are supposed to find them.
One of things that I would like to help accomplish while I am here is the collection and publication of this information. A simple, "This is the village of something-something. You can hike there using such-and-such route, drive there on this-or-that road, or catch a furgon at the station by that one place. The journey will take so many hours by foot or so many hour by car; etc." could be all the difference between a visitor leaving after one day at the beach or deciding to stay an extra day to visit some of these nearby attractions. It is relatively basic information, but it isn't information that you can expect someone to go out of their way to find while they are on vacation.
One of the perks of becoming involved with a project of this sort is that it calls for research of the most entertaining variety. You can't very well tell people how to go to a place that you've never been to, can you? Last weekend, I decided to commence this research with a hike to the village of Potkozhan- known for its stone houses, narrow cobblestone streets, and a small medieval church. It is located in an area known as the Mokër Highlands- a rural region tucked away into the mountains west of Pogradec. If the land was flat and the roads were good, you would be able to cover the distance between the city and the village in matter of minutes. In this case, however, the roads are terrible and there is a sizable mountain ridge between the two, meaning that the trip takes better than an hour even when you are in a car.
Lake Ohrid, Pogradec, and the mountains that separate us from the Mokër Highlands
A car is hardly a proper mode of transportation for the youthful, the vigorous, and the foolish, however. This is Albania- a world with shepherd paths and without fences that begs to be explored by foot. I convinced one of my site mates, Brad, to join me on this expedition and together we set off early on Saturday morning in search of Potkozhan.
You know a hike is going to be good when your trail brings you to engineering wonders such as this a mere 10 minutes into the day.
We begin our ascent into the hills.
A church, conveniently located next to absolutely nothing. It's pretty, though.
Our first glimpse of the Mokër Highlands
Lake Ohrid from above. If the morning sun wasn't playing havoc on the picture, you could probably see parts of Pogradec along the lake shore.
Navigation strategy of the day: this looks like it goes west, right?
Pictures taken in the midst of talking and while looking into the sun are always flattering.
Hi there, random spring in the middle of nowhere. I sure hope nobody is crazy enough to try to drink out of...
...noooo! Actually, it was cold, refreshing, and delicious. And I'm still alive! Wins all around.
You know what I was thinking would really compliment our nice new stone house? A stone roof.
Tales of better days.
Flowers, trees, mountains. I think that you're obliged to take such pictures.
Eventually, we found our way to the road. This, by the way, is the main road in the Mokër Highlands. When they say rural, they mean rural.
Sa bukur.
A mere four and a half hours after we set off- the church! Which... is... well, they weren't kidding about the small part, now were they?
Or the old part, for that matter. That's an 1159, in case the picture is hard to see.
When we returned to the village itself, we started talking to a group of guys who informed us that a furgon would be passing through town in a few minutes if we didn't want to walk back to Pogradec (the hiking culture doesn't really exist in Albania, so they were quite confused about why we walked to their village in the first place). We sat down and talked with them while we were waiting, with the result being that I managed to fail to take any pictures of the village itself. Oops.
The ride back to town probably qualifies as my greatest furgon adventure to date. It wasn't so much the driving as it was the vehicle (which I assume to be a lab hybrid between a 1980 suburban, a stagecoach wagon, and a Yugo) and the road itself. It was narrow, dusty, bumpy and... well, here's the satellite picture:
The little lightning bolt you see in the midst of the green is the road. We made it back alive, though, and with a full report in hand:
Potkozhan:
Furgon departure location: next to the market
Furgon cost, one way: 200 lek
Travel time by vehicle: about one hour
Other recommendations: Start in Pogradec and walk west. It's more fun that way.
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