The drive from Tirana, Albania to Ohrid, North Macedonia is pretty scenic once you are out of the Tirana city limits. The mountain range starts as you leave Tirana and the river is reduced to a stream, as it is the height of the summer season. But, the climate is ok and the greenery adds to the charm. Even though Albania has 290 days of sun in a year, there are a lot of rivers, lakes and streams running through the country which bless the population and keep it from having any water problems.
The mountains run in different directions and the rivers originating in these mountains drain into the Adriatic sea in the west.
The beautiful lake Ohrid that borders Macedonia is nothing short of spectacular & it is worth visiting N. Macedonia just to see this lake. It changes color at various times of the day.
The border crossing at Tushemisht - Sveti Naum (Ohrid) was nervous and funny to say the least.
I did not have an entry stamp for entering Albania and as I had read in Lonely Planet about the Euros 10 entry and exit fees/stamps, I was anyways feeling a bit iffy about the issue. At the checkpoint, we were asked to disembark and get our baggage checked by the customs. This is standard procedure, as there have been lots of incidents in the last few years where people have tried to smuggle drugs across the border.
It was not a surprise to see that everyone had packs of cigarettes in their bag, which had to be inspected by the officials. An Albanian guy was asked to smoke from his pack of cigarettes to confirm that it was normal tobacco and nothing more than that ! A couple from Holland were asked why they do not have weed in their bags !! The official who checked my bag expressed surprise when I declared my nationality as Indian. As part of the routine Q&A session, he asked me if I have cigarettes. When I said "no", he was shocked (I was the only person in the room who did not have cigarettes to declare) and delivered a classic one liner, which will be difficult to forget for a long time - "Then, I guess you have drugs".
I did not know whether to laugh or give a smart ass reply to that but all I could say was a sheepish
"Nope". He checked my bags and I guess, he let me off wondering what this non smoking Indian guy is doing in Macedonia, of all places. The examination was not over yet and we still had our passports to be scanned. 4 people were asked to report to the immigration room and I was wondering whether it will be my turn next. And when one of our fellow travelers was not allowed to continue her journey, there was definitely some nervousness in the bus ! I guess with the immigration issue going on in Europe, the officials are more strict now and there is just no such thing as being extra careful.
After an hour or so of waiting, all of us (minus one) were deemed ok to proceed into N. Macedonia and it was time to relax. My only grouse was not having the Albanian stamp in my passport. Looking back at the mountains bordering Albania, I fondly remembered the country I was leaving behind with a regret that I did not explore more of it.
However, glancing ahead at the stunning Lake Ohrid, I could not wait to begin the next part of my journey which promises to be epic, to say the least.
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