Albania Calling

Ok so despite my promises it has been a week with no updates. I flew to athens last wednesday walked around in the 25 degree heat with a heavy bag trying to find the hostel whose location i had comitted to memory rather than taking a map. The hostel was nice with a sports bar so watched arsenal barcelona with some new zealanders. Two american girls in my room Trysha and Meg who were cool. Went drinking with them on the second night. Thursday went to the acropolis and parthanon and a walk around countless ancient sites of athens. Its ok but theres too much after a few hours. So on friday i went to eigan an island off the coast of athens with jason and briant two americans i met at the karaoke thursday night. Island was nice, took a taxi to the summit with a view over the athens and other islands. Out again at sports bar that night, then up early to see delphi the site of the oracle. The ruins were average but the location was the best ever, typical greece. So its then sunday and easter and the whole of greece shuts down so im thinking are buses on as i am planning to go to albania today. So up at five, got the metro to some really sketchy suberb in the dark. Stray dogs everywhere bit dicey so got a cab to bus station. Six hours later in ioannina, then another 1 1/2 to the albanian border. I was the only one there which was gutting as i was hoping for a shared cab or bus. So walk 1/2 km across the neutral zone to albania where i get a new stamp in my passport and my 24th country. Taxi to Gjirokostra which is a mountain town. After greece i could not help smiling as this is what i pictured my travels to be like. If you imagine communist eastern europe that is what albania is. So i spent two nights in gjirokostra where i met a spanish journalist Luis doing a documentary on albanias blood feuds which was interesting and then the second day i met mariuz (polish) and philipo (italian) who i travelled to saranda with today. On the furgons (minbuses) they give out sick bags as the roads are so bad just like a rollercoaster very tight and steep roads with massive potholes. Two kids in the back kept throwing up for the entire hour. The smell as you can imagine was bad. Anyway today im staying at the hairy lemon hostel and we are about to cook dinner, so i will leave it here for now. Off to butrint (ruins) and vlore tomorrow so may not have access to the internet for a while. Overall having a really good time hope to see some of you out here at some stage.