Places you should visit Part 1: Ksamil, Albania

So, welcome to the first post of a series that I decided to title "Places you should visit". I will cover some of the most amazing locations I've been to till now. I photographed all of the pictures you will see in these posts. After a short introduction, I will cover how to reach the place, the currency and other useful information.

These crystal-clear waters and 4 islands are not in the Caribbean, nor in Oceania, nor in the whereabouts of the Indian Ocean. They're in the south of Albania, a country in South-Eastern Europe bordered by Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia (FYROM) and Greece. I had been to the Albanian Riviera in 2014 and immediately fell in love with this country, also because it's the only nation where locals speak more Italian than English, due to their history, the proximity to Italy and therefore the TV signals that would reach the Shqiptare's houses. This is why, after some turbulent events, I decided to come back here, also because I found a fellow Italian willing to host guests via a Facebook group. After a couple of pictures, I will present you Ksamil's Factbook.

FACTBOOK

WHAT IS KSAMIL?

Ksamil is a village of 3000 people located in the far south of Albania. It's so close to Greece your phone might receive Greek signal! The village was built in 1966, when Albania was still a hardcore Communist country. By hardcore, I mean that nobody could exit or enter the country and the population was so afraid of an invasion that there are thousands of bunkers disseminated around the country. Ksamil has a few of those. Ksamil also gives its name to the 4 islands that are located near the beach and can be reached only by boat.

HOW CAN YOU REACH KSAMIL?

Albania's only airport is in Tirana, the capital. Flights are generally expensive as Albania is still not a well-known country. From Tirana, there are buses that can take you to Sarande, the nearest city, 15 kilometres (9 miles) away. From Sarande, there are buses that take you to Ksamil that cost 100 Lek, while a taxi will cost 1000 Lek. If you are coming from mainland Greece (the nearest city to the border is Ioannina), the distance by car is 1 hour and a half. If you are coming with public transport, you may have to switch in Gjirokaster, a beautiful city included in the UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Lastly, you can also arrive by plane to the Greek island of Corfu, which is so close you can see it from the islands (see picture below). There is a ferry from Corfu to Sarande which you can take.

GENERAL INFO ABOUT KSAMIL

There are a few hotels and supermarkets where one can relax and eat, however there are no hostels. Renting a house should be very cheap. My host, who has 5 dogs, a big garden and a house with 2 bedrooms, a bathroom and a big living room and kitchen pays 150€ monthly! Eating out may be cheaper than going to supermarkets: a burek (typical Balkan pastry with either cheese, meat, spinach or onions inside) will cost 50 lek, whereas eating out proper food in a restaurant will cost 1000 lek. With 1000 lek I ate lamb chops, fries, salad, local feta cheese, a couple of Coca Colas and a beer! The village is really crowded in July and August, while in the other months it's deserted. A 20 minute boat tour to the islands cost me only 500 lek, and the man driving us offered me a cigarette! I went to the islands with a German couple, who paid 5 euros each. The islands are covered in vegetation and the only ruins are those of abandoned bars. If you want to venture somewhere nearby there are the Greek and Roman ruins of Butrint, which can be reached with a long walk, a bus, a taxi or by hitch-hiking, and the nearby Venetian Castle. Otherwise, head upwards to Sarande and beyond!

GENERAL INFO ABOUT ALBANIA

The native language is Albanian, which is an Indo-European language not related to any other language in the family. However, in the south English, Italian and Greek are well known. The religions are Christianity and Islam, even though the Albanians as a whole are very secular. The electricity plugs are the same as the rest of Europe, as is the Time Zone (GMT +1). The local currency is the Lek. As I'm writing, 1 EUR = 133 Lek and 1 USD = 120 Lek. There are very little highways and, due to the mountainous landscape, little distances may take a while to cover. There is also not a centralized bus system, which is why you will see many shared taxis. Don't forget to haggle for public transportation between cities! The local beers (beer in Albanian is birra, just like in Italian) are Tirana, Korca and Kaon. The local liquor of choice is Rakija, a fruit brandy. For the stoners reading, cannabis is plentily available, as Albania is the main source for the Italian market, and it's very, very cheap: sometimes a gram can cost only 50 eurocents!! Keep in mind that it's not legal to consume cannabis in Albania and consequences can be very severe though. People are very, very hospitable and friendly and it's easy to receive spontaneous hospitality, hitch-hiking and wild camping. Avoid talking about Serbia though, as relations are very bitter.

I hope you enjoyed the first part of this series. If you liked this post, don't forget to upvote it, resteem it and/ or follow me to know more!