Albania- Short and Sweet; Epic Breakfast

 I had originally planned to fly from Istanbul to Malta and then onto Madrid and home but changed my plans for various reasons and decided to go to Tirana, Albania and then Budapest and then home from there. So I spent a day and a half in Albania which had the advantages of being warm, not expensive (unlike Malta) and small.  I like small  

 You know a country is a little short on iconic sights, however, when this is one of the more popular tourist spots in Tirana-

It is actually a  nuclear bunker built during the murderous communist regime of Enver Hoxa and his successors and is now dedicated to tortured and murdered victims of the communists. It is a somber experience to visit but worthwhile. 

I rented a car and drove into the mountains to see one of Albania’s scenic lakes- 

The roads in Albania are among the worst I have driven on. When they are not dirt or broken up- just when you think you can roar up to about 30mph- there is a speed bump in the middle of Albanian nowhere (which is a new kind of nowhere).  Must be the speed bump capital of the world which maybe is the point. If you are little Albania you need some claim to fame and someone evidently hit upon speed bumps. Add to that the aggressive Albanian drivers and you have an exciting day on the roads.  

 But the unquestioned highlight of my short stay in Albania was… the breakfast at my small hotel in Tirana. Pictures don’t properly capture it, but it was like a 5 star 5 course Michelin rated meal.  All the food was made from scratch   The preparation itself was superb. I have had anything like it (the reviews of this hotel all mention this extraordinary breakfast). 

Who would have thought?  

Apparently trying to make up for lost time, It also has some avant guard buildings -

In any case, I left the friendly country of Albania and flew to my last stop on my RTW trip- Budapest. 

New Rome (Istanbul)

 I left Oman and flew to Istanbul. I enjoyed my time in Oman as I found the country striking and the people very welcoming, friendly and hospitable. I always felt safe and found the place very clean and generally prosperous (their housing stock is quite modern and impressive). I read they have one of the highest standards of living in the world and I believe it.  They are still good at customer service however  

Istanbul is a huge sprawling city spread out for miles on both sides of the Bosporus. It has a deep multifaceted history stretching back to antiquity and Ancient Rome and in some ways, with its long and varied history and culture, reminds one of Rome. You might say a New Rome. Oh , wait…(Constantine founded the city as New Rome circa 330 AD). 

Its 2 most famous buildings are Hagia Sofia (535 AD) and the Blue Mosque (c. 1617)  The Blue Mosque is indeed a stunning Ottoman masterpiece and must rank as one of the world’s most beautiful buildings- 

Hagia Sofia was for more than a millennium the largest church in Christendom. After the Ottoman conquest in 1453 it was converted into a Mosque and is so today  While enormous and impressive, the very extensive restoration work going on inside and out today distracts from its magnificence- 

There are a number of well preserved churches from the Byzantine era, stretching all the way back to the 6th century, including the forerunner to Hagia Sofia where I engaged in lengthy conversation with a friendly Pakistani fellow- 

I also visited the famous Grand Bazaar which seems to have gone upscale and now appears clean and well organized sort of resembling an upscale mall- 

I prefer my bazaars disheveled but if you want gold they have it - 

Like old Rome, there is a vast amount to see in Istanbul and the 3 days I spent there only allowed me to take in so much  I think at least a week is needed   You can still parts of the ancient Roman walls which defended Constantinople for over 1000 years in places-

 did spend a cold rainy morning cruising the Bosphorus- 

I was primarily struck by how narrow the straight is- no more than 1/2 mile at some spots  

The weather was unfortunately unseasonably cold while I was in Istanbul which was a shame as it is a stupendous city with so much to see. To sit in a cafe and watch the Bosphorus shipping go by on a warm day would a delight. Cheap, tho it ain’t- it cost about $60 to visit Hagia Sofia and you can buy 4 beers in Hanoi for 1 in Istanbul  

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Google Maps

 I journeyed back to Muscat from the central mountains and saw some interesting things along the way- 

I forgot to mention but on departing the airport after arriving in Muscat I was almost immediately pulled over by one of Muscat’s finest.  I was perplexed as I wasn’t speeding or doing anything else wrong that I was aware of (I had barely left the airport).  As I have experience with these stops (eg Argentina), I employed my time tested strategy of playing it as dumb as possible (some will say this comes quite naturally) 

The conversation went something like this- 

Officer:  “Something in Arabic or Omani or whatever  

Me:  “Huh?  What?  No Omani whatsoever “

O: “Problem   License”  

M:  “Huh?  What??  Problem?”

O:  “This is not Omani license “

M:  “Huh?  What?  Omani license?  Well no.  American license   Very good license “  

O:  “Was following you   Phone   Problem “

M:  “Huh?  What problem with phone?  Wasn’t calling anybody. Who would I call?  Was just using Google maps to get to my hotel. I just got to Oman sort of by mistake  it is a bit of a long story officer.  You see I was trying to avoid the war.  Now I don’t whose side you favor but I….”

O:  Shakes his head  “Problem with phone”  

M:  “No problem  Google Maps!”

O:  “Huh?  What?”

M:  sensing a solution and raising my voice-  “Google Maps!!!  Google Maps!!!

O:  Looks at me perplexed   “Huh?!  (Or equivalent in Arabic)

M:  “Google Maps to hotel!!!  Google Maps!!”  I shout sensing  I have stumbled upon the magic words  

With resigned look on his face  he hands me my license and says “Go”  

“Peace be upon you officer” I say and speed off while looking down at Google Maps  

The Arabian Grand Canyon and Highest Mountain

I wasn’t aware of it but Oman seems a bit of a tourist hub-

In any case. I threw my carry on luggage in the back and squeezed myself into my 8 seat rented 4x4 (the smallest I could get) and motored off to the mountainous center of the country and Wadi Ghul, the so called Arabian Grand Canyon.  Along the way I passed some beautiful mosques and ancient forts 

Inside one of the forts, I discovered an unusual small museum dedicated to -

A bee and honey museum inside a medieval fort?  The logic escaped me and no explanation was provided tho you could buy honey inside (maybe some sort of concession to the local beemaster)  

My pictures do it no justice as I found it hard to capture Wadi Ghul’s staggering size and depth and, while I would not say it is equal in grandeur to the GC, it is truly not far off and deserves its moniker.  

I decided to hike Jebel Shams, a mountain which overlooks Wadi Guhl and the highest mountain on the Arabian Peninsula at about 9930’.  Some views from the top- 

  I am not sure it was my wisest decision on this trip as my lodge host told me that 12 hours was a good estimate for the round trip. I figured that has to be an exaggeration or for slow hikers  but actually it was not far off for the 13 miles and 4000+’ of total elevation gain in the Arabian heat , including up and down some ridges.  The broken terrain made it hard for me to go very fast and I did notice vultures constantly circling above me.  I did not appreciate their seeming lack of confidence in my return. 

Met few people on my hike but plenty of these- 

 

They were not much for conversation though.

A few people evidently peered a little too far over the edge- 

But the hike- which took you along the edge of the canyon- did offer some spectacular views (if one had the fortitude to step up to the edge and peer at the river thousands of feet below)   Really magnificent and while few Americans know of it or visit, many Europeans come here to see it.  And if you start late enough you can a great Arabian sunset-