Albania (+Macedonia again)

September 25, 2022 to October 4, 2022

25th

Carrying on up the pass I met Abdi, an old man living in a shack near the road. He was very friendly and offered me food and a place to stay, even though he clearly didn't have very much, I was touched by this interaction but declined his offers as I had a place to be!

1000m up some police questioned where I was going and told me the crossing I was heading towards was closed, the crossing into Albania was open though so I could head back up north to Kukes. If I took the direct route from Prizren this would only have taken a few hours, but this day long detour was definitely worth it for the incredible views and the long descent all the way from the border to Kukes

Pitched my tent in a calm field outside the city. It started getting windy in the night so I put my ear plugs in and tried to ignore it and get some rest. At 3am a pole snapped, tearing a big hole in the fly sheet. Having your home collapse on you when you're sleeping isn't the most pleasant experience, nor is having to move and fix the tent in a storm. Unsurprisingly didn't get so much sleep after this but I learnt my lesson to look for natural shelter if I can and check the weather forecast (easier if you have a sim card though).

50km

1500m elevation

26th-27th

After a terrible night sleep I set off to try and beat the storm. I had booked a cheap hotel 75km away so I thought it wouldn't take so long to arrive. I never looked to much at the elevation however and found myself climbing up endless hills.

The scenery was awe inspiring but it was a definite mental challenge. Then the rains came hard and heavy, I knew my waterproof jacket doesn't work so rode on as much as I could, stopping only once and getting very cold.

I was relieved to arrive into Peshkopi after the 2000m climbing and took the next day off to recover.

75km

2000m elevation

28th

Crossed the border again into Macedonia and rode along many long lakes on my way to lake Ohrid.

Eating my lunch, trying to ignore the fly tipping next to me I was approached by Thomas, a German man touring on a motorbike. He was very friendly and we rode together part of the way to Ohrid, he had a slight advantage over me on the hills so took off ahead.

Arrived into Sunny Lake hostel and met some more interesting people including Olivier who just came out of a 10 day Vipassana retreat. We ate a traditional Macedonian dinner together and chatted about our experiences.

Also staying in my room was Gunnar, a 67 year old touring veteran from Norway. I listened to his stories for hours and was amazed with all of the countries he has traveled though (enough to circumnavigate the world 4 times!!).

90km

29th

Spent the day in Ohrid exploring the beautiful old town, later bumping into Gunnar, we spent the afternoon together visiting the castle and other sights and getting to know eachother more.

30th

Gunnar and I set off together along the lakeside enjoying the heat and the mountain scenery. After a few warm up hills and a long break sharing more stories we started the 900m climb up the pass.

It was great having company and I loved hearing the stories from Gunnars travels, the views also got better and better along the empty road. We stopped off to pick fruits and fill up water in a spring when a group of other cyclists showed up.

We completed the climb together and decided to camp up along the ridgeline, leaving plenty of time to watch an incredible sunset and cook up a meal before dark. It was so quiet and peaceful away from the stray dogs which normally bark non stop in the evening. The nights sky was incredible too but the temperatures soon plummeted so we retreated to our tents.

Early into the night a large storm rolled in and my tent repair was soon tested. I was so worried it was going to collapse again that I was sitting up holding the tent up for hours, hoping it was just a front. It wasn't... At 4am I gave up, took down my poles and sheltered in Gunnars €15 tent which was holding up impressively (if you ignore the rain leaking in). A funny couple of hours entailed playing sleepless chess against eachother and sharing more stories. The storm died down before sunrise where I could get a few hours sleep before another front came in and I was back into Gunnar's tent to eat breakfast. Perhaps Gunnars initial suggestion to camp at the lower lake was a better idea than the other cyclists who suggested to camp at the top of the pass, always trust the wise old man's judgement.

40km

1000m

1st

Rode down to lake Prespa with Gunnar and said our goodbyes before heading separate ways. I found a restaurant by the lake and stopped off for some food, hours passed by as I was researching into ideas for the future and it was getting late.

I saw there was a thunderstorm forecasted and heavy rains all night so I hoped to make it to a hostel in Korçë. Thete was a strong headwind though and it soon dawned on me that I couldn't make it so I camped outside a small town after attempting to ask people if I can stay inside. A second pretty sleepless night commenced as I was deafened by lighting and worried it was going to strike my tent. Again the broken tent held up again!

2nd

Stopped to refill water in a roadside cafe and the owner, Abdi gave me food and coffee.

Korçë was a really beautiful city and I spent a while looking around as well as making use of the cheap eating out whilst I can.

Spent the night at the hostel i planned to stay at previously and met some more great people.

3rd

Struck with a lot of indecision recently on what to do over winter. It will be a tough challenge to carry on cycling though Eastern Turkey in December so I am contemplating flying out from Istanbul to Delhi and getting a train up to the himilayas now the monsoons are over. This can also wait until next year though.

4th

Met a group from Switzerland traveling by van(s), they were super friendly and loved hearing

Asked if I can pick a pomegranate from a tree and had a lovely interaction with the owner (and got many pomegranates)

After 4 months wear it's finally time to replace the break pads

Met Michael also from Switzerland near some thermal springs, we spoke for ages about our bike trips but never got time to find the springs(apparently they weren't great anyway).

Camped out with the first Swiss group and slept under the stars

Today's ride: 385 km (239 miles)
Total: 8,170 km (5,074 miles)

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