Walk of Hope - Continued

Day Thirteen

We slept in the church in Vlore again but before sleeping I was able to use the wireless internet at the Hotel Internacional and send of my blog updates that have been written to this point. I was also able to chat some with Cindy so that was pretty good too. Right now I am sitting in a rustic log cabin kind of place near the top of the Llogora Pass. When we stopped yesterday we were only a 1.4 miles from this place, so we started out this morning with a pretty steep climb to the top. In our first 3 miles we climbed about 1500 feet in altitude before topping out at 3315 feet above sea level. The great thing is that once you crest the top, you can see the sea right down below you! The scenery today and the last two days has got to be some of my favorites from the entire walk. On one side of the road you have steep, craggy mountains, on the other side a steep hill ending in the dazzling blue of the Ionian Sea. The initial climb today was pretty strenuous but after a coffee at the top we started the long descent into the Himara region. The road doubles back on itself multiple times as it drops down to near sea level. By the time we leveled out (briefly) before entering the village of Palase we had dropped 2400 feet in elevation. We had almost no traffic, especially in comparison with the days we were walking into Tirana, so most of the time is was very quiet as we walked. One highlight of the day was walking past a rather large herd of goats - maybe as many as 300 of them - with various melodious tones coming from assorted bells around the necks of a few. I think I could have sat and just listened to them and watched them for hours. Just gentle bleating and soft bells ringing - we are too high to hear the sea, though we are really close. It was really quite beautiful! At some point after I return from the walk I will try to post some of the photos from along the way. I am using my cell phone as a camera so I do not have real high quality images, but Richard has a nice camera and I am swiping his pictures whenever I can!

We will rest here there remainder of the day and through tomorrow, then we have the last big push into Saranda and beyond to Konispol. Two others will join us tomorrow and go the rest of the way with us. Probably less than a week of walking left! Today's log - 12.25 miles (9 miles of which was downhill!). The feet and knee are doing well!

Just had to add a postscript here - we went for supper to a little place across the road from where we are staying and had a great meal - grilled pork chops, salad, salce Kosi, and a greek salad. The meat was wonderful but what "made" the evening were the guys sitting on the other side of the room. There were four of them, eating and drinking and enjoying themselves, and they would occasionally break into the very distinctive music of Southern Albania. I don't quite know how to describe it. One man would sing the melody and the others would join in with various parts - not actually harmony, but complimentary. It was quite interesting to hear, especially from a just a group of guys in a little restaurant up on the mountain.


Rest Day at Llogora

Today has been a rest day. I have been laying around a bit reading, chatting with Tom and generally just recharging the batteries. Today we are joined by Gary and Roy from England. Gary is a pastor and Roy is a semi-retired videographer. They will join us for the final leg of the walk. Gary is a bit apprehensive it seems but will likely do fine with the walk. Roy will probably ride with Tom in the Nissan and stop for the occasional video shots. Shaban went home to be with his family during this break and will rejoin us tomorrow as we walk. It has been nice to rest, but I am ready to continue the walk and see this thing through to the end.


Day Fourteen

Today is day fourteen of actually walking. We had a decent breakfast at the hotel up on Llogora then headed out to the vehicle. Shaban was supposed to rejoin us at some point in the morning since he had gone home over the last two days. Since Roy is here as a videographer, we shot a little bit of video there at the hotel then started down the mountain where we paused for a couple more short video clips. As we were coming down the mountain, there were huge clouds going up it, and the view was fantastic.

The sea below was an incredible turquoise blue and there was little haze today so we could actually see some of the Greek islands out in the distance. It was a pretty great way to start the day.

We arrived at the starting point, put on our vests, then set out on the walk, now with Gary as one of the walkers. Since we have been doing this for a couple of weeks now, we kind of have a rhythm and it is a bit faster than what Gary is used to. The water stops are great equalizers though, and we actually encourage Gary to walk some then ride some in order to not let the first day wipe him out. Most of our walk toady is within eyesight of the coast and it is wonderful scenery. I love the mountains on one side and the sea on the other - it is the best of both worlds in my opinion. We faced some pretty long climbs and as the day wore on the temperature started climbing. I am developing a pretty significant "farmer's tan" on my neck and arms. I am very thankful for my ball cap too! Perhaps the most strenuous part of the day today was when we walked down a long downhill section where the road is under construction. The pitch was quite steep and the surface uneven so it worked our knees over pretty well. It was nice to get down to the bottom of that one, I can tell you.

We passed through Himara, but stopped long enough to eat a nice picnic lunch (our usual - bread, white cheese, tomatoes, pickled red peppers and a Lemon Soda to wash it all down) in an old olive grove. We sat next to an olive tree that had to be a couple of hundred years old. This area is close to Greece, and is often claimed by Greece, so it is interesting to see the graffiti spray painted in Greek more often than in Shqip. We are also walking past many Orthodox churches, chapels or shrines. Many of the villages in this region are Greek Orthodox. Our ending point for the day was a high point, again in a construction zone, just around the corner from a top secret submarine base. I guess it is not so "top secret" anymore huh… Under the communist dictator, no one was allowed near the base. Now you drive right around the bay in which it is situated. There is an entrance into the hill and the end of the bay, and submarines and other ships can literally drive right into a big hollowed-out cavern. The area is still a military zone, so you cannot approach very close to it, but you can see that, in its day, it would have been quite a large military base. The bay is gorgeous too. As I walk all I can think about it how good the snorkeling must be down there! A little distracting from the task at hand.

Tonight we are staying in Borsh, right behind the big springs here. I can hear the frogs right below our balcony and the rushing of the spring as well. Our hosts are friends of Richard's from when he lived and worked in Borsh. Often today Richard saw folks he knew as the drove by us, and usually they asked him why he was walking - was there no bus? Tomorrow we walk from the sub base along the coast and on through Borsh, but we will spend another night here before moving on to our final sleeping spot in Saranda! We really want to finish this thing by Sunday! Today's total is 15.75 miles and no new blisters! Tomorrow will be a good walk. As we approach Saranda, it is beginning to sink in just what we have done. We have almost walked the length of a country! Kind of cool!