Brain Dump

This is fast and furious and undedited or spell checked. Pictures coming too at some point. Here's the "raw data" Scroll down for pictures.

This s a record of everything that has happened since June 4, 2008 until at some point I find a computer with intarwebbingz and a USB port to upload my thoughts.

Rerouted-11 AM

Bad weather in Philly delayed the departure our original flight. Since we had a connecting flight, the airlines put us on standby to Frankfurt, then to Rome. We took the SkyLink to terminal D. Kerpal started off the boarding pass line by taking 20 minutes, don’t know if he’ll make the flight. You damn guy! The ticked agent literally waved him aside. They weren’t aware that 5 passengers had been moved to their flight, so there was another delay.

One good thing that happened was that I made it all the way through the screening process without a single hitch. Crossing my fingers for smooth sailing through customs.

June 5, 2008

Frankfurt Airport-8:30 AM

Tooling around the airport, had an espresso, walked around listening to The Eels, Blinking Lights and … my latest album craze. The music reminds me of so many things good things; friends mostly.

Last time I traveled out of the country I was nervous. I don’t know what it is this time, perhaps a combination of experience, age, travelling in a group; I’m not nervous at all. I have no idea where I am yet it doesn’t matter. It’s a terrifically free feeling, hope it continues.

We lost two of the original five from the transfers into Rome. The other two got on an earlier flight so I’m sitting in the terminal watching all the people walk past as I wait for the second flight.

The airport itself is ugly. Big strips of stainless steel run across the ceiling. The short-cut between terminals is a super long tunnel that is a claustrophobic’s nightmare. More stainless, a walkway is in the middle and on each side there is a conveyor belt going in opposite directions. The color scheme is punctuated by red lights emanating at regular intervals down the sides of the stainless steel wall. All that was missing was “n sss, n sss, n sss, n sss, n sss” backbeat of electronica.

Hopefully boarding soon better shut this thing down to save the batteries.

Rome Airport-2:30-9:40 PM

Hanging out at an English-style pub in… Rome? The Duck and Dogs. I didn’t have any Euros yet, so I tried to buy water with my credit card at a place that didn’t take them. So I put the water back and the fellow behind me said in Italian that he would buy my water. I politely declined and went to sit down with my group. A few minutes later he showed up to my table and handed me water. Awwww. I was so thirsty I wasn’t about to decline the second offer. Thanks sweet Italian guy, whoever you are!

We are enjoying a seven hour layover until our final leg to Tirane. Everyone is punch drunk, we’ve all been up for 24 hours, with bits and pieces of sleep thrown in during flights. One of our crew is still missing. No idea if she’ll show or where she is. Most have not unlocked their phones for international service due to the cost making communication difficult. Once we arrive at the hotel around 11-12 AM, we will get to sleep in a horizontal position. A deliciously delightful thought. We will leave for the site at 9 AM, assess the situation then leave for our Berati sightseeing tour for our first weekend.

Tirane, Yes. Change, No.

Note to self: never ask Albanian gangstas about gate changes, WOMAN!

Too sleepy to flirt

I sat next to the most delicious of the Schiptar young men on the plane. He had already been identified as the hawtest guy on our flight. I offered him a piece of gum then promptly fell asleep with my mouth hanging open and head nodding like an old woman. He was polite.

City of 1,000 windows

Found an internet café, logged in for a few to say hello. They didn’t even charge me. Yay! I miss the intarwebz. There are unsecured networks floating around. My roommate and I tried to connect to some of them without any luck. Damn.

My rudimentary Schipe has taken me farther than I would have expected. Yay again! Fortunately we have Arta to help us. She must be going nuts being the translator for 13 other people all day long, in addition to her other responsibilities.

View from Tomori Hotel window

Roman Coliseum

Watch your language! Suffled How it Gush. Priceless. Click pic for bigger image.

June 8, 2008

Xhevi

We have the best driver in all of Albania. Xhevi, pronounced “Jevi” or I prefer the mnemonic “Chevy”. He has taken us to all of the best restaurants, cafes and sites. He has a good humor, bribes guards as needed and can drive like a MOFO. He can back up that white Mercedes van like nobody’s business. I’m talking backing up that thing on narrow, windy cobblestone streets, not just a nice wide US avenue. Also, he can make a U-y in seconds flat anywhere in God’s green earth. Now that he’s gotten a little more comfortable around us we have learned a bit more about him, through the gracious translations of Arta. He’s helped us to understand the history and culture of Albania, and come-to-find-out, he drove the press corps during W’s visit to Albania a few years back. I believe may accompany us to the highly discussed visit to an Albanian diskotek. One of our team has a birthday coming up the weekend (June 14-15) we will be in Saranda and Vlore on the Ionia beaches. Gonna try Raki and partay with Xhevi.

Today, among other things we got to go inside the castle of King Zog. We visited so many fabulous places today, a great Monastery, a roman coliseum, the beach…nothing really compares to getting into the former leader of the country. Entry into the castle is forbidden. It was once owned by the state but has since had ownership turned over to Zog’s son. The place must have been incredible, but after the pyramid scheme disaster of 1997, the place was heavily looted. Due to the US intervention into Kosovo, you know, when we bombed the shit out of Serbia, the guard thanked us and said any other nationality wouldn’t be allowed in, but he would let us in. We had free reign in a once fabulous soviet style castle. We gave him a generous gratuity at the end of our tour after Xhavi’s suggestion, who says we probably provided him about 3 days worth of groceries. Money talks in Albania.

Songs of the trip
That’s Not My Name…I’m not Janesha