October 18 -20: Duress

October 18

We got up early and headed out on the road by 5:30 am.  We began our journey toward Tirana – our first pit stop was at the awesome restaurant that we visited when we first arrived in Albania.  We got gas, coffee and both used the luxurious bathrooms.

From here, we drove to a beach area called Shengjini where we met a really nice couple from Italy.  The husband was so proud of his homeland as he spoke of the many places that we must visit.  He reminded me of the pride that Ashley demonstrates when talking about South Korea.  

Next, we drover to a quiet campsite in the hills outside of Tirana.  Although it wasn’t perfect (lukewarm water for dishwashing and shower), we decided it would be a great place to store our van for two months at an incredibly low cost of 1 euro/day or about 60 euros for two months – crazy.

Wednesday, October 19

After breakfast, we were on the road again headed toward another campsite along the water between Tirana and Durres.  The Scoturk Campsite was quaint and cozy with plenty of pomegranates and grapes.  The owners were an awesome couple with the husband being from Scotland and the lady from Turkey.  

We were able to do our laundry and hang it on the roof of their home to dry.  I was able to relax a bit on the beach and read the Barack Obama book that I bought in Hay on Way.  

After a quick meal of ramen, we took a short walk along the boardwalk and headed back to our camper to relax for the evening.  

Thursday, October 20

We had another relaxing morning.  A couple from Sweden arrived at the camp today.  They have a daughter who is competing in a European weightlifting competition tomorrow -- pretty cool stuff.

After breakfast, we took the bus to downtown Duress.  We walked around the city, did some grocery shopping and had lunch at a nice restaurant overlooking the sea.  

When we got back to camp, we met another couple from America who just arrived.  We had a beer together and shared some of the places that we have visited.  They are from Oregon —the wife is Thai and the husband is from the USA.

After sunset, we returned to our van to chill out before bed.