Bar to Shkoder

Finally mangaed to find a quiet Montenegran road as we struck towards the Albanian border. After an initial climb we coasted the last 15km towards the customs post, slightly nervous of what we might find in our next destination. We were certainly glad to be on bikes as there was a queue of more than 100 cars at the border which we skirted without a hint of guilt, saving at least a 3hour wait. Having completed the formalities we continued into Albania. We immediately saw the remnants of the old communist bunkers which litter the country, a reminder of the paranoia which once reigned here. At first little else seemed different to Montenegro except a few mosques built after the collapse of the atheist communist regime. That was until we reached the outskirts of Shkodra. There we saw a shanty town full of heaps of rubbish and scavenging animals and children. Some of the kids cheekily tried to hitch a lift on our panniers after trying to pinch our solar pannel, when we were forced to queue to cross an ancient rickety wooden bridge. We entered the town past more reminders of the old regime in the form of statues of partisan warriors and workers heroes. Again we were befriended, this time by a cafe owner who gave us free coffee and escorted us to a hotel to help us secure a room. Our day was rounded off by a power and water cut which lasted a few hours, in which time we wandered the town and listened to the call to prayer in the central mosque. Fortunately the water was restored by the time we returned and we were able to enjoy a freezing shower in our dirty bathroom
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Total Distance Cycled : 3957km
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Daily Distance Cycled : 52km
Ascent : 273m
Time Cycling : 3h 35
Journey Time : 5h
Average Speed : 14.3 km/h
Hotel : N 42°04'13.2" E 19°30'53.4"
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