1st day in Monte Negro June 10

I woke up and went to see the beach. It was very empty. I found Miljos from the kiting school. They were based at a small fish restaurant. The name of the kite school is Dragon Project http://www.dragonproject.net/ and they are in Ada Bojana from June to the end of September. I told him that I would like to learn kiting and that I have my equipment. I went with them on a boat to a near by beach were they plan to build a summer camp for kiting. It is 16 km sand beach and it is supposed to be one of the best places for kiting in Croatia and Monte Negro. The beach was quite dirty a lot of garbage from the river. I helped them a little bit with cleaning. There was not much wind so we came back. The wind started in the evening and I had my first lesson. I already new a bit how to control the kite. I had small practice during the winter with my snowboard. After 3 hours I was already in the water trying to ride my board. It was very nice and I was happy that I can learn this exiting sport. I was quite tired and I fall a sleep soon.

2nd day in Albania June 9

The night at the Sjunghen beach was windy and it stayed the whole morning. After swimming in the sea I went to buy some food for breakfast. In the first pub I met Leonard, police man I saw last night and his colleague. They asked if everything is OK. The restaurant owner asked me where I’m from and he told me that he is living in Germany and he has a restaurant there. He just opened this restaurant 4 months ago. I asked him if he has some used vegetable oil but hi sad that he does not use oil. He wrote me in Albanian the right text and told me where I can ask. I went to the fish restaurant he told me and asked the waiter for used oil and showed him the text. He send me the gas station which was next door. There I met a guy and explained him that I’m looking for an old oil and not for oil for my car. He took me back to the kitchen and cook gave me 3 liter of old oil. This was my first oil I have collected myself. He was quite surprised and took me to 2 other restaurants and I got almost 10 liters. He told me that he is the chief custom officer. It was quite funny to have a custom officer helping me to get oil to power my car. In most countries is illegal to use fuel and not to pay fuel tax. After this successful morning I continued my journey to Monte Negro. The road was very good no traffic gas stations and car wash every 5km. It took me about an hour to come to Shroder. I saw nice castle and asked locals for directions and I found a nice cut to the boarders. Outside of the city I stop to take a picture of a castle and found out it is a new restaurant which is being build. I went to a small restaurant and asked for oil. The owner was quite surprised and I showed him my car and explained how easy it is to convert his mercedes. He gave me 5 litters of nice oil. After 10 km I reached the boarders. The customs were friendly and I paid 6 Euro for 3 days car. In Monte Negro I paid only 2 Euro for car disinfection which I did not have to go through. The country side was very nice and I could feel that I’m in a different country. There were more Zastavas’ (Yugoslav cars) than mercedeses. My plan was to go to Petrovac and Krstac where I had some contacts. On the way I took one hitchhiker. He was going to Ultcjin. He told me that it is a nice city on the coast so I took him there. We stopped at the beach and I went to look around. It was a tourist place, but there were not so many tourists yet. I asked in one fast food for oil but they did not have any. I started to talk to the young waiter about my journey and asked him if he knew somebody who can teach me kite surfing. He called his friend and he came in 10 min. He was 17 old and told me that he started kiting last year and he is the first kiter in this town. He also told me that there is a kiting school and very nice place in Ada Buana. I asked him if he wants to come with me to the beach and try my kite. When we arrived there it was still windy but after we pumped the kite the wind stopped. It was a pity but I was happy to find kiter. I took him back to town and went to the Ada Buana which was 20 km. It was a nice place – a small island on the Albanian borders surrounded by river and the sea. I parked at the beach and went to sleep.

1st day in Albania June 8th

It is my birthday today I’m already 41. I guess it should be time to settle and have family, but I’m not sure if I can stay on one place. The last few days have been very interesting and I felt very nice traveling and meeting people and I feel it is something I would like to do for next few years. So I got up around 9 and took my photo camera and went to the park. As I was taking pictures young guy asked me where I’m from. His English was very good so we started to talk. He told me that he just came from Greece, where he has been working illegally. He offered to show me Tirana and tell me hi story. We spent together almost 3 hours. He was telling me that he comes from a small place in north Albania and that he has 3 brothers and 2 sisters. Most of them are working abroad. He told me that to get a working visa for 1 year in Italy cost 3000 Euro. This is why most of Albanians work illegally. I told him that I need more oil for my car and we went to ask in a fish restaurant. They told us that they can give me 10 liters in the morning. I was planning to leave Tirana in the evening, but if I could get more oil I would stay one more night. He asked me if I could give him some money to go back to Greece. I have already invited him for lunch and I have told him that if he can find more oil that I will pay him 20c a litter. He went to ask in some restaurants and I went to internet café to update the website. He came back in one hour and told me that he could not find any oil. I gave him some money and he has left. At 3 I had appointment with my friend. He picked me up in the internet café and we went to the park to make the interview. He is a historian and he told me about the history of this interesting country. Since I could not get more oil I have decided to leave Tirana. I have set up my video camera and was taking pictures of the route. It was not very clear where to go. I tool some side route which was quite bad. There were many nice cars and a lot of gas stations and washing places. I also saw many new houses. I got a bit lost so I asked in some village how to get to the sea. Nobody could speak English but one guy offered to show me the way with his motorcycle. It was about 10 km. He ask me if I want to go for cafe in the gas station. He told me that he is married has 3 kids and that he was working abroad. Now he does not have any work, but he seemed quite happy and he insisted to pay for my juice and birthday desert. I was quite surprised how nice he was. I took a picture of on the motorcycle. He told me about a nice place called at he sea called Sjunghen. It was about 50 km and was quite easy to find. I parked my car close to the beach and went to look around for some nice place to stay over night. I found a nice place right on the beach. As I was leaving a police patrol stopped me and asked me where I’m from. They told me that I can stay at the perking lot at the restaurant on the beach. It was very noisy and I asked them If it is OK to park at the beach. They agreed and left. I parked my van and went for a walk on the beach. There was one restaurant with a loud music and large video projection but no people. I sow the police man in the restaurant and they invited me for a drink. One of them told me that he new Teplice – a Czech border town with Germany. They were very nice.

4th day in Ohrid June 6th

Ceca is going home today. Her bus was leaving at 5:30 in the morning and we did not go sleep. I took her to the bus station and she has find out the direct bus to Beograd is leaving at 5:30 in the evening but there was a bus to Skopje where she could take bus to Beograd so she has deserted me. It was a bit sad to be alone and I did not know where I will go next. There was a very nice sunrise and I went to the beach to make some pictures. I met there 2 young Swiss guys how just came with their mobile home from Albania and they told me that it was very nice and people are very friendly. We went swimming to the lake and than I came back to Kliments apartment. He was also up looking at pictures on my laptop. I wanted to leave to Albania but I was a bit tired and I fall a sleep woke up at 3pm. Kliment played on his guitar and i have recorded his very interesting life story on video.
The day was very nice and we decided to go to the beach. It was windy and I wanted to try my new kite. I taught Kliment how to fly my small kite and than he helped me to set up the kite. By the time I got it ready it was sunset and the wind stopped. But I was glad I could see how to make it. I needed more oil for my car and we went to the city to ask in some restaurants. Kliment asked in 6 restaurant but they did not have any oil. They just trough it away when they change it. I went to Internet cafe and spend the night at the beach.

3rd day in Ohrid June 5

Our plan for today was to update our weblog and I wanted to go back to Trajkov to shoot his metal pictures. I got to his place around 1pm together with Kliment. He took us to his „atelier“very small place in the basement. Here he is welding his metal paintings and sculptures. I shot some video and than we took some of his metal painting outside and made pictures. He started to make his metal artwork 4 years ago and he has made more than 60 paintings. He had few exhibitions in Ohrid and last week he had an opening exhibition in Stipa. But he told that he never sold any of his paintings. Hi things it is because it is something new and that people do not understand it. His friend Pan was also there and i have made few pictures of him and he told me that he was taken to Czechoslovakia when he was 15 years and he lived there for 7 years, but he could not speak much Czech.
On the way back i have asked Kliment that if it is possible to talk to his parents who grow up in Czechoslovakia. Their hose was just around the corner so we came to visit them. They were very open and happy that they can speak in Czech and I could record their story on video. He father told me that he was only 5 years when he was taken to Czechoslovakia. He and his wife grow up in orphanages. He told me that there were only children from Macedonia. There have been more that 12000 kinds taken to Czech Republic and Poland. There are 4 other families who grow up in Czechoslovakia living the his apartment building. He met his wife who is also Macedonian in Czechoslovakia and they married and had 2 kids. They lived in Czechoslovakia for 22 years. Yugoslav government offered them to come back and they gave them apartment and find work so they have returned and lived in Ohrid.
After the meeting with Kilments’ parents we went back to the theatre and met with Ceca. We spent the evening updating the web. We met with Klimet at 9 and went to his apartment and listen to his music. Hi is a very good guitar player but since there are not too many tourist in Ohrid it is difficult for him to find work.