Montenegro and Albania

We blasted through Montenegro which is a shame, as it was a beautiful country and had lovely mountains and a gorgeous coast. It was cheap too, and has the Euro. Well worth a look if you are nearby.

We are now in Albania, which is a significant change once you cross the border. Much more crap everywhere and the place is DUSTY. I won't bother saying it is hot anymore because obviously it is and it is going to get worse. Within the first kilometer we had to stop to allow a large herd of sheep past, and as soon as we crossed the border, the road turned into a gravel pit.

Everyone seems to drive a Mercedes Benz for some reason, and the pill-boxes are everywhere as predicted. The place isn't even that cheap for a country with a GDP per person of $5800. We are going to cycle as far and as fast as possible to hit Greece.

As we cycle along, we get a hell of a lot of cheers from groups of street kids who seem to love us. Some are clearly learning English at school and say basic phrases. In the slummier parts, I'd be seriously dubious about leaving our bikes for any length of time. It is SERIOUSLY rough, maybe even worse than the Kenyan rubbish-dump slums. Definitely among the worst either of us has seen.

Wild camping has changed significantly since, say, Belgium. We now have to be very careful of Schlangens (as the locals call them), and the spiders are much bigger now. Nippers, too! The dust means we are constantly covered in a layer of grime from sweat and suncream, and in the mornings we are sticky as hell. The best part is all of that is only going to get worse!

11 days to Athens, predicted.