Albania 1: Korca to Permet

The first impressions of a country can depend on the point of entry, and in the case of Albania, it is not the capital Tirana, but Pogradec which lies near the border with Macedonia along Lake Ohrid. On the outskirts of this non-descript town is a former retreat estate of Enver Hoxha, a Communist dictator who ruled for over 40 years until his death in 1985. So our first topic of conversation about Albania happens to be the modern chapter of its long tragic political and social history. Hoxha is largely responsible for the extreme isolation and oppression to the level only surpassed by North Korea. Our guide tells stories of punishment and even execution at the slightest offense against Hoxha and the Communist party. The misery for the Albanians continued a number of years after the collapse of Communism globally, culminating in 1997 when the country was thrown into near anarchy following a financial pyramidal scheme on a national scale, which is difficult to believe and almost comical.

Pogradec: a former retreat of Enver Hoxha is now a sprawling resort.

Korca, where we spend our first night in Albania, is a major city in the southeastern Albania. Our B&B is located right behind a large church, and we find out to our surprise that the majority of residents in this area are Orthodox Christian, a common situation in the south of the country. We were fully expecting a majority muslim country, but our guide, himself an evangelical Christian interestingly, reminds us that during the communist era, Albania was officially declared an atheist nation and many of its current citizens are not deeply religious, although on paper the majority will list their religion as Islam.

Korca: first school in Albania to use the Albanian language, opened in 1887. Just like at the first Romanian school we saw in Brasov, these note pads may be precursors to the tablets? Alien intervention?



Korca: the National Museum of Medieval Art boasts a collection of 7000 icons. This original iconostasis is in the adjoining church, where the priest tells how they survived the Communist era by simply going with the flow, unlike some of the Catholics who resisted and were persecuted.

A short drive away is Voskopoja, which has several historic churches and a monastery. At St. Nicholas Church, we wait for the caretaker to show up with a key, a scene to be repeated at multiple sites. The wife shows us around, although she declares, “the only thing I know about Christianity is the fact that Jesus was born on Christmas and died before Easter!” To my delight, she lets us take a look at the altar, which is rarely shown to the visitors in an Orthodox church.

Voskopoja: Exterior mural at St. Nicholas Church by Zografi brothers from 18th century



Voskopja: A rare glimpse at the altar, usually hidden behind the iconostasis, at St. Nicholas Church

A drive to Permet, where we next stay overnight, takes longer than the distance would indicate because of bad roads. Passing through Erseka and Leskoviku, towns located just a few km from the Greek border, we arrive at our destination. Permet is an attractive town located along Vjosa River. The lovely setting belies the brutal history as the town was burned down no less than four times during WWII.



Another reason the drive takes longer than you think

I

Erseka: a friendly shopkeeper at a bakery. There are a bunch of young men hanging out in cafes here during the day, reflecting a high unemployment rate, which, according to a couple of young female Canadian missionaries we met who work for World Vision, is a whopping 70%.

Leskoviku: These twins are among a group of children curious about us.



Approaching Permet: Same spot as the cover of our Bradt guidebook

Permet: the hotel owner goes over local attractions. We end up spending an hour with her and her husband, gracious hosts.



Permet: from our hotel room window



Near Permet

We drive a short distance to a nearby canyon at Benja, where an old bridge greets us, which reminds us of the Old Bridge in Mostar, Bosnia. This is the beginning of a canyon, which we start to explore. I hike with the guide for an hour along the canyon walls, over thermal springs and through patches of wild flowers, sometimes scrambling a bit.

Near Permet: Canyon in Benja

Benja: hiking further in, we find another hidden thermal spring

Benja Canyon: going deeper in

Benja Caynon

Returning to the bridge

 We return exhilarated, and as we almost reach our starting point, that is when a disaster strikes. I thought I was being extremely careful with my footing as there are no trails, but at the very last crossing of a stream, I slip on a rock and partially fall into the water. Some water splashes onto my camera and my worst fear materializes. My new full-frame camera would not turn on. Thank God, the memory card was not affected so the pictures from the last couple of days are salvaged. After drying and regrouping in general, I realize my only choice is a back-up camera I brought.

First attempt with my point and shoot camera



Approaching Gjirokastra: we find a nice lunch spot near the river, but our driver is unhappy that they ran out of meat and we have to settle for rice and yogurt.