Saranda to Himare

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We get up for breakfast at 9am which is an egg, some toast and watermelon so nothing to write home about. We walk along the beach and then check out the buses, they are still going at 2 so we head for a coffee in a cute little coffee shop along the front. After that we head back to the hostel, pay, check out and when he realises I’m going to himare, the owner asks me to take a phone that a girl left behind. I add her on Instagram and message that I will be bringing it. She is staying at sun bakers same as me so that’s pretty convenient. We wait in park at the bus station and take it in turns to get money from credins bank. I go to check on the Gjirokaster bus and find it has been cancelled but that there is a 230 one. We head up to where my bus is supposed to go at 1 and they have a bus leaving right now at 1230 to Gjirokaster so Deysha jumps on.

I chat to an Italian guy who was born in Kosovo so has really good Albanian and English. They are both going beach camping in Himare and we discuss how disappointed we were with Ksamil and Saranda. No white sand beach as promised, just stones; super busy and hiked up prices. Not my scene at all. Our bus has now become a coach and I get a seat to myself but there is no air whatsoever and it is boiling hot. Luckily I have my fan but the winding roads are making everyone a little car sick. An old man sits next to me and annoys me by rearranging my bags for me rather than waiting for me to do it. Then he steals my fan. He eventually gives it back only to steal it back a few minutes later. He is using my leg as an armrest and keeps pointing things out to me, everything he points at is accompanied by a punch to my leg. He is overly excitable, asks where I’m from and says he loves Liverpool, great stadium, he has been. Paid 15 for the tour. That is the extent of our conversation as his English runs out. Still he keeps pointing things out and keeps up a running commentary. At one point he gets out his phone to show me his very beautiful wife, very beautiful; he repeats pointing at her on his phone. He gets off a few towns before me and then we are in Himare.

I head straight to the hostel which is a ten minute walk, nothing too strenuous. On the way I hear three girls talking about a lost phone so I ask if one is Greta, they say no but they know a Greta at the hostel. I explain about the phone. I keep heading to the hostel which is up a pretty killer hill given the heat of the day and I’m done in by the time I’m there. The hostel looks nice though, it is giving beach bar vibes and the Australian girl who checks me in is super friendly, offers us a boat tour for that evening but I ask if it will be running in two days time so I can wait for Deysha. She is sure it will be. She shows me to my room. I have a bottom bunk and there is a/c. I head back downstairs and use the wifi for a bit and read my book. Everyone is looking for Greta and finally I meet her, the girl who lost the phone is Anna and they are super grateful. I run into Emma and the Dutch guy from my bus they are both going on the boat trip tonight. As it seems is everyone. I see them head out and then I head down myself for dinner. The hostel owner has recommended a restaurant that does 200lek kebabs. He fails to tell me that there’s a minimum of 4 and you need fries with it but it is a nice meal and takes forever as usual but I am in no hurry. I head back the hostel and talk to the volunteers who all seem really nice then the boat crew come back. They are in varying degrees of drunkness. I watch as someone opens the door to my room and stands out on the balcony and I’m cursing them because I’m already being eaten and they’re letting mosquitos in. I talk to a few people as they come back off the boat but everyone has bonded and it seems a bit clicky now. I chat to two Australian girls and a German girl for a while. I have a nice chat to the Australian girl in my room who is going for taylor swift tickets then I go to bed.

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