Tag: Sarandë Albania

Eeeek! This derelict old camper got (literally) dragged in and dumped here a few nights ago! This is my new view.

As you can see, it doesn’t even have any wheels! It considerably changes my lovely sea views. And I found out that it has been parked here every fall for at least the past three years, and spends the whole winter here. I am not happy!

I think I’ll be moving, even if it does cost me one month’s rent to get out of the rental agreement. Hopefully I can find a cheaper apartment that’ll make up for the money loss. It probably won’t have a sea view but I’d like to be a lot closer to the shopping district, especially since I’ll surely be having to schlep around in the rain for at least three months of the winter here. Nearly all the annual rainfall comes between November and that’s a lot of rainy days.

I’m making slow but steady progress in finding my way around town. The Halo store I really need to get to is a 1.5 mile hike from the downtown bus stop so I haven’t made it there yet. The past two times I’ve gone to town, I’ve had to go to the Sigal health insurance office and it’s 1/4 mile in the opposite direction, so that would be a little too much walking for one day. My I.D. card hadn’t arrived yet when I went yesterday so I still have to go there again next trip too. Darn it!

But I did find the cell provider store and renewed my cellphone plan, it’s $11 a month for a huge amount of minutes and data. Next time I might just get the $8 plan, since I really only use the Albanian phone for Google Maps to find my way around town. I mostly use the US phone here at home on the wifi connection. My US phone plan is with Visible, only costs $25 a month for unlimited usage, and my US phone number works here without any foreign country or roaming fees. I have to keep the US number viable because my bank and some other websites send texts with access codes. I got a US number from Text Now but it’s not accepted, darn it!

I also found a store that sells bulk foods and the Benn Kafe store that sells whole coffee beans, yay! The pre-ground stuff I’ve been using is Lavazzo brand (also in the US!) and it’s pretty good but the store where I got that has closed for the winter. The beans only cost about $6 a pound; I got regular and decaf because I’ve picked up the bad habit of having a cup of decaf after dinner. It helps me to not be hungry between dinner and bedtime.

I need the Halo store to get a bathroom scale, it’s driving me nuts to not know what I weigh. They’re also supposed to have a lot of imported and hard to find items. I’m having a real problem finding a number of foods I use on keto, particularly natural sweeteners. They sell artificial sweeteners like saccharine (yuck!) and cyclamate here and I did find stevia with erythritol in one store but I’m hoping to find monkfruit or xylitol, which taste far better than stevia. I also can’t find ground flaxseed and I need a queen size blanket or quilt.

The only cover that fits my queen size bed is a really thin thing. There are 3 twin size quilts though, and only one pillowcase. Weird. My bed didn’t have a top sheet either! The bottom sheet is a flat sheet all tucked in. But I dug around the other day and found a fitted sheet so I’ll change those around the next time I wash the sheet.

Also measuring cups….. that’s a bad mistake I made! I had read that you should bring them but so many other things took precedence. I did bring my favorite 1/4 cup measure and yes I do know it’s kinda crazy to have a favorite measuring cup! Well duhhhh! Here the measurements are metric! And all I’ve seen are big 1 liter cups, measured off in milliliters. Not helpful. I did bring measuring spoons, thank goodness!

Last night was another really spectacular sunset. In the distance across the sea are two tiny Greek islands.

I needed to go pay for my health insurance plan ($83 USD per year!) and I put it off until today because rain was forecast all week and I really didn’t want to go get drenched again. This morning’s forecast said 6% chance of rain. Yeah, you guessed it, it rained the whole time! It wasn’t too bad; I had my new umbrella.

I am much more comfortable riding the bus to town now, and I know where to get off at the bus station. Between my place and the bus station it’s about 2.5 miles, with only one stop in between. I know my bus continues on to Butrint National Park but I don’t know if it stops in between, or where. I guess someday I’ll have to just continue on and see.

I found the little grocery again (so proud!) that has walnuts & almonds in the shell for $3 a pound and got a lot! A few nuts are my after dinner dessert every day, and the little packets of shelled nuts in most of the stores cost around $5 for 1/2#! They also had chestnuts, which I’ve never tried but they’re really high carb, so I gave them a pass.

Then I found the Sigal insurance office pretty easily. She asked for my passport, oh no! I didn’t know it was needed for more than just entering the country! She said it was very important but let me go ahead and pay for my policy. I need to go back on Tuesday to show my passport and pick up my card.

I also saw another meat store. They had a bunch of beef cuts that I didn’t recognize at all, some scrawny whole chickens and a little pork. I got a pork loin roast for about $4.

Since it continued to rain I decided to just go on home. I had to ask around to find where the bus stop was and just my luck, I’d missed the hourly bus by 6 minutes!

Finally the bus arrived and I was even able to recognize where I needed to get off near home (always worrisome)! The problem started when I got to my building and the entry door was closed. It’s never been closed before. Remember how I was unable to open my apartment door because my fingers don’t have the strength to turn the key? Yep, same problem with the outer door. I knocked on the door several times to no avail, and waited awhile for either someone to come out, or some strong-looking person to walk past. No joy. I finally walked up one block and down to the street that runs behind the building so I could go in the beachside entry. That door was open, thank goodness! I walked up three flights of stairs and finally was home sweet home!

I went over to see if the building entry door opened without a key from the inside and it didn’t! And I couldn’t get my key to work from the inside either. That’s kind of scary for someone as paranoid about fire as I am; I could be trapped three floors up without a way to exit the building!

So here’s the thing. Once it starts getting colder, both those entry doors are going to be kept closed, and I won’t be able to get in or out without help! It makes me kinda sick to my stomach. What a stupid reason to have to move!

I have an Airbnb reserved in Vlorë for the first week of November. I guess what I’ll do is check out the city and probably try to find an apartment to rent there. I can get out of my apartment here with a forfeit of one month’s rent, $300. Maybe I’ll try to find something closer to the city center….there goes my great sea view!

Today’s veggie haul….all for $1.99 USD!

A friend asked me if I love it here. Heck no! I think if I was young and energetic I might love it here but at this point it’s more of a feeling of being dazed and confused. I think someday I will love it.

I guess I pictured life here to be similar to Ecuador but much safer. Except for the safety issue, it’s not. The buses to town and back only run once per hour. I know the bus passes here at 5 minutes before the hour but once I get to town I have no idea when they run back this way, so there could be long waits after I’ve already walked more than my limit and am tired. And unlike Ecuador, taxis are really expensive.

In Ecuador I knew at least some rudimentary Spanish. Right now, I know essentially nothing in Shqip so everyone around me is speaking a completely unintelligible language, and given the very difficult pronunciation, I’m a little afraid to even try my luck at speaking. Even some of the words I thought I knew, I was thinking in American, not Albanian. For instance, the word for Thank You is faleminderit. Sounds simple enough, but the actual pronunciation is something like “fawl-a-meen-dare-eet. And roll the r!

So in stores I am still pointing and holding fingers up to indicate how much or how many I want. Then the clerk checks to see if he/she understands and I stupidly nod my head, which means No, so then I modify it and end up with my head going in some weird circle motion that nobody can figure out! Then my next thought is to say “si” which doesn’t work at all. I’m trying to remember to say “po” for Yes, instead of the head shake. No is “nr” but is pronounced something like “nr-r”. Shopping is pretty stressful, what with trying to figure out where to get off the bus, finding the store I want and communicating with shopkeepers, and it makes me hate myself for not being better at going with the flow. I wonder if I’d come when I was younger if I’d have been more confident in these strange situations.

But it’s fine, you know….nothing is horrible and in fact except for the increased walking, which I think is a good thing, my life here is not THAT different from life in Arizona or Ecuador…I read. A lot. Usually two to three books a day. I can’t afford to buy books but I do subscribe to Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited service for $11 a month and I use the heck out of it, so it’s well worth the cost. I also subscribe to a couple daily free ebook emails, a Facebook group called Readers’ Coffeehouse and I can get ebook loans from two US libraries.

One thing I never thought about was having to get around in inclement weather. This week, rain is forecast for every day, so I scooted out early Monday morning to stock up on the scant frozen meat offerings and more drinking water at the local Planet Market. I’m good here for several more days but most of the annual rainfall happens between October and February so there could be lots of these every-day-for-a-week rains. Ugh. Walking in the rain sounds romantic but in reality it’s just miserable, especially when you’re cradling a 15# jug of water in your arms like a baby, with no spare hands to hold an umbrella. Oh well.

I’m learning the hard stuff every day. I can’t tell you how much I hate these exploratory trips all by myself! Today I braved the bus ride into town again. This time the bus was not as crowded and I guess I’m officially “elderly”, as the money collector guy made a middle-aged woman get up and give me her seat on the way to town, and on the way back a young guy gave up his seat. I went farther into town than last time but next time I need to go even farther in order to reach the good meat and fish stores. I’m just scared that I’ll go too far and end up in the next town! I’m making progress though; at least this time I was able to figure out where to get a bus that went towards home.

I was successful in finding a few items on my list; I got some celery! I hadn’t seen it at any of the groceries at all. At the same store I also found walnuts in the shell. In the other markets they sell a little 8 oz. bag of shelled walnuts for $6! And I found a few other rare goodies, like a $4 umbrella for the next thunderstorm that catches me, and a big one kilo package of chia seeds, a daily staple of my breakfast meal. The little triumphs are so satisfying!

I’d been told of a store that sells supplements but after a pretty lengthy walk I found out it wasn’t true. They sold lots of cosmetics and drugstore items but no vitamins or supplements.

Somehow left my wallet unzipped and apparently did a Lady Bountiful act and broadcast all my paper money as I walked along, I think about $30. I’m almost positive it couldn’t be a pickpocket, as it’s a little crossbody purse that I always keep my hand on as I’m walking. After I noticed that, I lost heart for any more shopping today. I just feel sick over being so stupid.

But…. tomorrow’s a bright new day and I don’t have to go anywhere until probably Monday. Yay.

Yesterday was the first day the sea had that beautiful “Mama Mia” turquoise color! I don’t know why it’s not that color every day.

Today was the big day that I decided to go to town. I don’t know why people think I’m so adventurous because I’m really not! Trying new things scares the crap outta me. I had to really give myself a stern talking-to to actually get out there and try.

I walked up to where there were a bunch of people standing around and it was the bus stop! Luckily it was near time for the bus because it only goes by once an hour. The bus was already crammed full of people but six more from my stop got on. I was barely inside the doorway; in fact the doors hit me as they closed. A little man forced his way through the crowd to collect 100 Leki, about $.70.

I rode for awhile and was afraid I’d end up in some other town so I got off when a bunch of other people did. Bad idea. That was the promenade at the beach. I still had 1.4 miles to go to the goal, which was the good meat market and the fish market. I should have stayed on the bus until it got to the central terminal.

I set my gps and started out walking. It seemed like I walked forever and it was hot and when I looked at the gps, I still had another 1/2 mile to go. I saw that there was another meat market really close, so I went there. It was a tiny shop and all she had was a big mound of hamburger and a few cuts of beef. No prices but she didn’t speak English and I knew if I asked how much, she’d answer in Shqip and I wouldn’t understand.

By pointing I got two kilos of hamburger (4.4#) and about a 2# beef roast. I keep forgetting that the head shakes for yes and no are backwards here. Side to side is Yes and up & down means No. So I end up making weird circular head motions, which nobody can understand! She gestured cutting up the roast and I tried to say no but she chopped it into big hunks anyway. I couldn’t remember the word for No (nr, which I think is pronounced “nrer”). It ended up costing $26 which I think seems high, so maybe I got ripped off. It averages about $4 a pound and I think that’s really high for here.

At that point I was hot and tired and stressed and I just wanted to go home. So I walked to a taxi stand and took a taxi home, which cost $12 to go 2.5 miles! That’s some pretty expensive meat.

I feel like I failed Town 101. I sure can’t afford to take taxis around here! I’ve GOT to learn how to get around by bus. I’m pretty sure next time I’ll do better.

I still have to go back out to the Planet Market for more drinking water. I’m getting good exercise today!

Sarandë is without a doubt a pure tourist town. In summer the population swells from around 25,000 to nearly 300,000!! That’s just so hard to imagine! When I arrived Sunday the roads were clogged with traffic but since then the road is pretty empty. I suspect the weekends will be busy for a few weeks more but then they say everything goes dead until next June. I thought they meant mostly bars and restaurants, which won’t affect me, but I was saddened to see the little market right across the street had closed. The Dorchester Hotel, right next door, is closed and I’m sure many others. The storm shields are down on most of the apartments in my building. I sure hope the “big” Planet Market stays open all year!

I love these shades on the outside of the windows! They are operated by pulling the flat ribbon on the wall, and they make perfect blackout shades. Nice.

I’m booked here until April 1. I think I probably will move to Vlorë then, if not before. The population there is around 150,000 (also swelling hugely in summer). By that time I should have figured out where I want to live and I’ll look for an apartment with a yearly lease. A lot of apartment owners don’t want to rent for the whole year, as the summer rents are so lucrative. For instance, my $300 a month apartment here rents for $690 in June, $990 in July and $1350 in August! I have booked an Airbnb in Vlorë for a week at the end of October to check it out. I suspect my next apartment won’t have the lovely sea view but hopefully will be closer to shopping.

I’ve found out that there are no large supermarkets in Sarandë! The Planet Market near me is about as good as it gets. They have only a very small selection of frozen meats, no fresh meat so I’ll need to go to town for meat and fish. I still haven’t found out how to take the bus to town….I think I have to walk to a bus stop, which I haven’t found yet. Someone also mentioned that the bus only comes once every hour so I’ll need to get the schedule from the elusive bus stop too. I might take a taxi to town the first time and load up on couple weeks’ worth at a time. Gas is around $6.86 a gallon here so taxis are expensive.

I bought some freezer bags the other day. They were not what I expected! I don’t think these would protect against freezer burn at all. I haven’t seen baggies at all. They don’t come with twist ties; I guess you’re supposed to tie them in a knot at the top. I’m glad I packed a lot of things in baggies and saved them when I unpacked!

Remember I said a good swimmer could swim over to Corfu? Well I was right! September 17 is the annual Butrint National Park to Corfu Swim, in remembrance of all the people who tried to escape communism here in those dark days (1944-1992). It is 2.5 miles.

I saw some yummy Albanian dishes advertised….. can’t wait to try the goat’s liver in sauce or the spicy squid casserole! Not.

There’s tons of storage space here for my paltry two suitcases of worldly goods. It took me less than an hour to unpack everything but I am now having to rearrange some things. The tiny washing machine is in the bathroom and there’s a little three tier caddy between it and the sink. This morning I used the Spray n Wash stick on my underarms, so obviously the top tier with my deodorant is not the best place for that! Live and learn.