Today's trip has been a real adventure.
Brandon and I were to be picked up by 6.20am by the ferry company from the hostel to Lake Koman, and so we had woken up early to get ready.
We were waiting at 6.15am when Brandon spotted horses in the opposite street, not just 1 but 4!
It's really strange seeing horses roaming about freely in the city centre. One of them was rummaging through rubbish for food, while the other 3 had walked away and when the last one decided to move on too, he realised he had lost his friends and started panicking and running around the streets and neighing away.
If I could speak its language, I would had given it directions 😂
Shortly after seeing the whole horse episode, the mini van came to pick us up. There were a few others also in the van including 1 washing machine!
This was the start of a 2 hour ride to the start point, of which about 1hr 15mins was over very bumpy roads and windy mountainous paths.
It got to a point I felt almost sick in the stomach - it was a good thing we haven't had any breakfast.
We reached the ferry start point at about 8.20am, and then it's a wait for the ferry to arrive. During this time of the year, only the passenger-only ferry runs.
The ferry was punctual as it arrived at about 10 mins to 9am. Brandon and I were the only foreigners on the boat, and we noticed that almost everyone seemed to know everyone else. The washing machine was brought onto the boat too.
The ride was through turquoise waters surrounded by tall mountainous ridges. It's hard to imagine anyone living here, and so we were very surprised when the boat suddenly slowed down and stopped, with a guy getting off at almost nowhere.
It didn't seem like there could be any civilisation especially since all we could see were trees and bushes!
The entire ferry journey was about 2hr and 45mins. Throughout this whole time we had no rain although rather cloudy, and I was really glad the weather held up so that we could enjoy the boat ride. However just about 10 mins before we were to arrive at the ferry end point, it started pouring.
We expected there would be some mini bus that will be available to hop on for a fee to a nearest town, and from there we could change to another transport to get into Kosovo. But there was none, because it is low season.
We were kind of stuck ... A guy asked if we needed help and we told him our predicament. He suggested a taxi to take us to Gjakova, one of the nearest town in Kosovo, which was also where I needed to go to. He told us it would be €35, and we said OK.
After about 30 mins wait, our ride arrived. We were expecting an actual taxi, so to see a truck, it was not quite what we expected.
And then there were 2 people squeezing in the front passenger seat, though 1 of them dropped off about 15 mins into the trip.
30 mins later, we arrived at the border, but only the driver gave his credentials to the officer.
The officer could clearly see we were behind but no one asked us for our documentation even though I had it prepared.
The officer then handed the driver his documents and we drove off.
We looked at the driver and asked don't we need to give passport, and he said no.
There's also usually 2 country immigration clearance we need to go through but this only had 1.
What's going on? Both Brandon and I were baffled.. Did we just enter the country illegally?
And then we read online that Albania and Kosovo had come to an agreement that there will be no more stops from Albania to Kosovo and vice-versa, with all border controls lifted
OK, now let's see if I will get into trouble when I try to get back into Albania again in about 10 days time 😅
We arrived into Gjakova about half an hour later, at about 1.40pm. It's been an adventure, and so glad to had shared it with Brandon.
Brandon accompanied me to my accomodation and also to ask for more details about buses that goes to Prizren. The host family was nice, and Fairy drove us to the bus station so that Brandon could get his bus out. It was when we also realised that the bus station is a fair distance from where I was staying at.
Kulla Dulla, my accomodation for the next 2 days, has heritage status, as it was built at the end of the 18th century. It's a typical Albanian house with very thick stone walls.
Another characteristic of the house is the stone arch entrance way. When we arrived, the left metal door was dismantled to be repaired (can see the repair mark on the bottom left).
I did some sightseeing after Brandon left, but had to give up halfway as it started raining a fair bit.
There isn't a lot to see within Gjakova, though there are some which are hard to miss such as
The Grand Bazaar, one of the oldest and largest in the entire region, and longest in Kosovo
Sulejman Hadum Aga for the stretch of bar litted with bright lights
I also popped into the restaurant at Hotel Happy which was also brightly litted with lights.
At the waiters recommendation, I ordered a beef soup and Tavë Gjakova - a beef Casserole in tomato based sauce. The soup was served really hot and tasted so wholesome. It was served with some cheese and grilled capsicum, and I didn't know what might be the right way of eating the dish.
The beef came out not too long after and was almost brisket like and easily tore apart. And that basket of bread was served really hot and it was also crisp.
The entire meal was just amazing!
Definitely coming back here again!
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