The Kanun

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Geo: 39.88, 20

I read something interesting in the guidebook last night, regarding the Albanian way of life - the Kanun is a strict code established in the 15th century, that governs nearly all aspects of Albanian life. Its practice was subdued during the Communist era, but the code has seemingly been revived in certain parts of the country. There are some aspects of it that would be deemed extremely strange by outsiders, such as the idea of a blood feud.

Honour is paramount in the code, so if a male family member is murdered, the other males in the family are obligated to exact revenge on the other family, by murdering one of their male members. Strictly following the code means that the only possible way of ending the feud is the death of all the male members in one family, barring reconciliation of the feud by village elders.

The code may also explain the overwhelming Albanian hospitality, as this is also considered one of the most important tenets of the Kanun - as a traveler through supposedly-dangerous Albania, it's comforting to know that if I am murdered in Albania, my host is obligated to avenge me! That's actually written in the code! And if all the stories of organ theft are indeed true, I need not worry - my host would probably take one from my assailant, or more likely, give me his!

So today, I bid adieu to Berat and Lorenc's family - though I had an early bus to Saranda, Lorenc's mother and wife were up extra early to prepare my breakfast, though I only had time for some coffee and cherries, declining their offer of a freshly-prepared omelet. It's not something they had to do, as I was fully prepared to have a breakfast of my leftover melon and a granola bar, but it was definitely nice of them. Nor was it necessary for Lorenc to wake up early and chat with me a while before I left but again, it was appreciated.

The epic travels through Albania continued, with the long ride to Saranda, located on the Ionian coast. There was a scheduled bus to Saranda departing at 8 AM, so this should've been an easy trip - wrong! Despite hopping on the large bus with the "Saranda" sign in front, checking with the driver, and even seeing Nikola, the lady from San Diego, seated on the front seat, we were told minutes later that no, this bus wasn't going to Saranda, after all. Huh??!??

Chalk it up to being in quirky Albania, but we scrambled onto a much-smaller furgon, and began the six-hour ride to Saranda, in a hot, cramped little bus with no AC. Luckily for us, an 8 AM departure meant that much of our journey was completed before the hottest time of the day, which is still not to say that any part of the ride was pleasant.

Saranda is soulless, as expected from research prior to the trip - completely over-developed during the past few years, its coastline is dotted with massive blocks of concrete, mostly hotels and apartment buildings, but also a substantial number of concrete shells, either still undergoing construction or abandoned, for whatever reason. I had a great tour of this blighted coastline, since the hotel map was wrong, meaning it wasn't located a short 15-minute walk from Saranda's centre, but more like 30-minutes - a brutal hike with a backpack, especially during the hottest part of the afternoon.

I wasn't necessarily looking forward to coming to a place like this, but its position as a transport hub for this region in Albania meant there was an abundance of accommodations, and that it would be a perfect base to explore nearby sights. The abandoned buildings are a stark reminder of everything that can be wrong with tourism, something that all of us travelers are responsible for, in some small way. A little humbled by that sobering fact, I descended the steps down to the hotel and caught a glimpse of its little beach, and seaside bar constructed on piles out on the water.

My jaw dropped at the site of the cool and inviting waters, wanting to dive in immediately, with clothes and backpack - but being a poor swimmer, I surely would have drowned, so I quickly checked in and changed, before wading into the delicious Ionian Sea. Saranda may have no soul, but it's still damn good at what it does - providing people with a seaside escape from the brutal Albanian heat, an abundance of bars, cafes, and seafood restaurants, in addition to offering a brilliant seaside promenade for the evening xhiro. There's absolutely no culture to speak of in Saranda, but in a place like this, who cares?

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Photos

View from Hotel Nertili's Beachside Bar ...
... I spent a ton of time here, having a beer and blogging - definitely gets the creative juices going!

Corfu ...
... the hazy island on the right, and it's only a 45-minute ferry ride away! Tempting to do a day trip over there, but at 40 Euros round trip, pricey. I'll probably save it for next time, instead.

For Rent ...
... I'm pretty sure that's what "Shiten" means, though that doesn't stop me from chuckling and imagining it means something else!

Only in Albania ...
... this hot exhaust stack from a restaurant stuck out across nearly the entire sidewalk, and also left a puddle of hot grease in the middle.

Dying for Food, Dying for Water ...
... the map of the hotel in Saranda was WRONG, and ended up being closer to a 30-minute walk from the bus station, than 15-20 like I thought. It was the usual blistering mid-afternoon in Albania, so I had to stop halfway and grab an Iced Tea and a kebab - I can now happily say I've had a kebab in Greece, Macedonia, and Albania! Too bad this one wasn't the greatest, but after a hot six-hour bus ride, I needed something more than the granola bar and pack of roasted peanuts I had en route.

Heavenly Baklava ...
... dangerous, having a pastry shop directly across the street from the hotel! The one in the foreground with the vermicelli-like strands was good, with big chunks of nuts inside. The one directly behind it was the best, with a drizzle of a pomegranate syrup - very unique, and very delicious. The tower-shaped baklava with the chocolate was disappointing, as I had thought it would be filled with chocolate mousse, but it was actually hard chocolate. I wondered if it was a mistake, but I paid about $1.30 CAD for these three pieces, plus a Turkish coffee. What a steal!

Grilled Feta Salad ...
... not quite what I expected, as it was just a block of feta with some tomatoes and peppers over top. Good stuff still, especially with some grilled bread - the bread so far has been terrible in Albania, and this was by far the best.
The wine was atrocious, tasting like fermented apple juice, or some weird mixture of wine and grape juice. For you Chinese folk out there who have seen the toxic Chinese medicinal wine that is used only for massaging muscles, this could have been it!

Saganaki Mussels ...
... I had no idea what this was going to be like, but it was a huge portion of shelled mussels, baked with tomatoes, cheese, and I think basil. A tad oily, but delicious, with the salty feta - unfortunately, it was a bit too similar in flavour to the grilled feta salad, and some of the mussels were slightly gritty. The mussels were plump, juicy, sweet, and tender - some of the best-quality I've ever had. A little more acidity would have been nice. I was thinking this dish would be excellent served over top of a pasta with some body to it.

Dessert ...
... such refreshing water melon, juicy and sweet! After such a huge meal, there would be no room for baklava or ice cream tonight.