#124 We need the towing service in Albania

10-11 May 2022: Zvërnec, Vlora, Apollonia

F. The region near Zvërnec was recommended to us by two French people. It was their favorite place in all of Albania. They certainly ignored the absolutely dreadful road that leads to the beautiful spot for the last 2km. Well, where there's a will, there's a way. After a challenging 15-20 minute drive, we reached a beautiful large meadow and joined the other campers. Half of them had 4x4 drive. However, the sunset made up for the last 2km of bumpy road.

The next day, we explored the area, relaxed a bit, enjoyed the sun and the view of the sea. For a change, the beach was a sandy beach, although there were a few cars around. The visit to the lighthouse turned out to be very dangerous as it is guarded by two dogs who ran towards us wildly and aggressively as soon as we reached the last curve before the lighthouse. By shouting loudly and raising our arms, we managed to stop them and they stopped 3-4 meters in front of us. However, they never took their eyes off us, not even when we slowly started our way back. The visit to the St. Maria monastery on the small island in the lake was much more relaxed. There was a beautiful curved wooden walkway leading from the shore to the island.

Our plan for the next day was simple. We were supposed to go to Berat via Apollonia. So, we went back 15 minutes over the bumpy road to the paved road to the monastery. We quickly threw the garbage on the roadside into the trash can and then... the car wouldn't start again. Damn. Turned the key, all indicator lights except the one with the heating coil came on and there was no ignition sound. Damn. The diagnosis was quick and easy. Either the cable to the starter broke on the bumpy road or the starter is defective. In any case, we couldn't continue on our own. Fortunately, we had 100 free minutes to Europe on our Albanian SIM card, so we quickly called ADAC (German roadside assistance). After a 20-minute phone call with many unnecessary questions (in my opinion), everything was sorted out, and a towing service should be on site in 60-90 minutes. However, describing our location took 10 minutes, as the person on the other end of the line did not want to be satisfied with the following description: We are standing on the road between Zvërnec and St. Mary's Monastery. There is only one road here!

Well, the Albanian towing service was much faster. After 20 minutes, we received a short call asking us to send the location via WhatsApp to his number. Another 20 minutes later, an old Iveco tow truck approached us. Our Fiat was loaded up shortly, and the tow truck couldn't have been 5 cm shorter or narrower.

90 minutes after our call to ADAC, we were at a workshop. Our car was still on the tow truck, but the mechanic had been notified and immediately started diagnosing the problem and considering whether the problem could be solved here. He seemed to be able to answer that with "yes". So, our car was left in the narrow entrance in front of the workshop by the tow truck. The tow truck driver was theoretically relieved of his duties but not in Albania. He stayed on site, explaining to us in broken English and German what the mechanic was doing. The mechanic was in the process of removing our starter and disappeared into the workshop. We joined Koli (tow truck driver) in the neighboring café.

After a short time, the mechanic dismantled our starter and identified the defective component. He would now go to Vlora to get the replacement part. He got on his bicycle and rode down the main road to the left. After 10 minutes, he came back, but apparently, he had obtained the wrong part because he was already on his way in the same direction with his bicycle again. Another 20 minutes later, he called our Albanian Yellow Angel Koli to inform us that there is no suitable replacement part in Vlora. He would now call Tirana, which is 50km away, and order a suitable part. The delivery would take about 3-4 hours. Wow, I thought, that's fast here. Our mechanic returned to the workshop on his bicycle, but didn't stop and continued in the opposite direction. Koli translated his words to us as he shouted them out while passing us. He wanted to try another option quickly. A few more minutes passed. The gentlemen in the café, including Koli, had arrived at 4cl Raki (about 40%) by now and couldn't understand why I had declined with thanks. In addition, the tow truck, which was still empty parked by the roadside, was picked up by one of Koli's colleagues. Then Koli's phone rang, and our mechanic reported that he had found a suitable replacement part in Vlora and was now on his way back.

After an hour-long bike ride through Vlora, the mechanic began installing the replacement part and dismantling the starter. He quickly removed an old rusty screw under our car with a flex - of course without warning - and 30 minutes later, our car started again, and we paid the bill. By the way, the bill was written by Koli, and the hourly rate on the invoice was very high by Albanian standards, but it didn't matter, we could continue driving.

With a four-hour delay, we reached our destination Apollonia. A beautifully restored archaeological site from the time of the Greeks. The old buildings, some of which were only foundations, were depicted as 3D models on the nearby information board. Due to our delay, the archaeological site was only open for one more hour, and the museum was already closed. It didn't matter, we thought, better than nothing. When we returned to the entrance after a little over an hour, all the turnstiles were open, and the ticket booth was closed. Apparently, this applies: Admission is only subject to a fee between 9 am and 6 pm, the rest of the time you can enter for free. We shared this new knowledge with a Dutch family in the parking lot of the archaeological site, as they wanted to go in the next day. With this new information, they decided to hike up in the evening before sunset. It had worked, and they showed us their spectacular pictures of the sunset in front of the Greek ruins.

Day 208 - Total tour 15,741 km

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