Travelogue of three Balkan states – Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia
On the way, Andy asked about my native language. I told him it was Sindhi. He asked again, and I repeated, “Sindhi.” He laughed and said, “My sister’s name is Sindhi.” I thought to myself that he must have meant a name that sounded similar, like “Sindi.”
By Abdullah Usman Morai
It was time to leave, so we bid farewell to Durrës and headed toward Croatia, which was about an hour and a half away. On the way, Andy asked about my native language. I told him it was Sindhi. He asked again, and I repeated, “Sindhi.” He laughed and said, “My sister’s name is Sindhi.” I thought to myself that he must have meant a name that sounded similar, like “Sindi.”
We soon reached Fushë-Krujë, a busy commercial town where people were shopping for household necessities. Traffic and crowds filled the streets. Then, we began ascending towards Krujë, a historical city on a hill. The road was winding. Along the way, we passed a shrine—actually, the tomb of Baba Sarı Saltık, a Turkish Sufi.
Arriving in Krujë, we hurried to see the fortress before sunset. The view from the fortress was breathtaking, with mountains, valleys, and the setting sun creating a magical scene. The historic market, the old Ottoman mosque, and the Sufi lodge all gave the city a mystical charm.
After exploring, we sat at a restaurant, where I learned about some traditional Albanian dishes. I enjoyed tavë kosi before continuing my journey.
He told me that Albanians might be the only Muslims in the world who do not face difficulty traveling to Israel because our ancestors helped Jews by offering shelter during their difficult times. I told him that this was new information to me. We then went around some souvenir shops, where there were many businesswomen wearing scarves.
Whenever I see women wearing scarves who are businesswomen or working, I feel that these women are financially independent, and along with that, they haven’t forgotten their religious and ethical responsibilities. In Sindh, for a woman to become financially strong, she has to become a businesswoman. This financial strength is not limited to her but proves to be financial security for her and her family. Whenever I see such women earning a living through halal means, I remember many rural women who used to come to my father’s shop to sell Sindhi cloth, and they still do. They certainly had basic knowledge of business, like negotiating prices and setting prices, etc. Giving money to women or men every month does not help them; instead, it makes them useless. Even in developed countries, people receive money, but it’s not that simple. Money is given to those who have a specific illness preventing them from working or those who are constantly searching for a job, and there’s a whole process to it. In my opinion, people should be encouraged to look for work and put in effort. I believe ordinary people want this, but many don’t get opportunities, and many, disappointed by their environment, continue trying to go abroad.
Anyway, I came back from these thoughts as I was once again in Kosovo. I really liked the city of Prizren, and even though we didn’t want to, we had to leave. Our next destination was the capital of Kosovo, Pristina, and we quickly moved towards it. By the time we entered Pristina, it was almost evening. Khurdi directed me to the parking area near the Pristina Library, and we started walking around. Khurdi pointed out the library building, saying it had an unusual design, with its walls wrapped in iron bars from the outside. I thought about it for a moment, and indeed, it was an odd kind of architecture. Anyway, the city was quite big, and traffic was heavy. The weather was a bit cold. Pristina is Kosovo’s economic, financial, political, and business hub.
I felt happy to be in this new country, which is only 14-15 years old, known as the “newborn country.” However, they still have an ongoing issue with Serbia. As we were touring, we went to see the Mother Teresa Cathedral, outside of which stood a statue of Ibrahim Rugova, a Kosovo Albanian scholar, writer, and politician. There was a lot of hustle and bustle, with people waiting for the dull-colored buses. I noticed that while the country was new, they understood the importance of public transport for the movement of ordinary people. Without public transport, even cars were stuck in traffic.
After touring, we visited the Heroinë monument, a statue made of thousands of pins or needles, each representing an Albanian woman who was subjected to violence during the war between Serbia and Kosovo from 1998 to 1999. Khurdi took some memorable photos there. From the Heroinë monument, we moved towards another famous monument in Pristina, the “Newborn” monument, which symbolizes Kosovo’s new independence. We then walked down the Mother Teresa Boulevard, where various squares were named after famous figures like Alexander the Great and Kosovo’s freedom fighters, with statues of them installed there. By now, it had become quite cold, but people were still out and about. There was a lot of life around, with shops and cafeterias. Temporary souvenir shops were also crowded.
Later, we planned to eat in Pristina before heading back to Tirana. Khurdi suggested a unique restaurant, and I agreed. The restaurant, called Librnia, was about half to one kilometer away. We passed by some important government buildings on the way. The sun had set, and we heard the evening prayer (Azan). Upon entering the restaurant, it felt as if we had entered a tropical rainforest or gone back in time.
All the vegetables served in this restaurant came from nearby farms in Pristina and were organic, meaning no chemicals or fertilizers were used. These organic ingredients made the restaurant stand out from others. The traditional food served there was famous, so we ordered a mixed dish to try a variety of flavors at once. The restaurant was beautifully decorated, with vines hanging from the ceiling, fresh vegetables and fruits arranged on a cart, and old-style plates placed here and there. The food was delicious, and the best part was that it was inexpensive. After the meal, we had tea. Before leaving, I went to the restroom, where I noticed incense burning. I realized that incense could also be used for fragrance in the restroom.
We slowly left the restaurant, and the traffic had increased. Although there were roundabouts, people didn’t pay much attention to them. Slowly, we exited Pristina. As we left, I thought to myself, “Yes, the Newborn country—this is what overcoming a dangerous war and emerging successfully from that process is called, just like how we say, ‘He was born again.'” Khurdi told me that in Kosovo, Muslims regularly practice their religion to maintain their identity, otherwise, there would be no difference between them and others, whereas in Albania, that is not the case. Anyway, late at night, we arrived in Tirana.
The next morning, once again, the same lights, the same places, ready and after having breakfast and some water, I got into Khurdi’s car once again. Our destination was North Macedonia. We left Tirana and started heading south. After leaving the city, we stopped at a petrol pump to fill up the car and have some tea and water. The surroundings were mountainous, and between the mountains, we saw two residential buildings and a mosque. The weather was clear and a bit chilly. A very dignified dog was sitting on the floor of the petrol pump, benefiting from the cold, resting its head on the ground. There was no sign of any threat from a rock or anything coming from afar. Sitting in the car, I looked at the dog and smiled. After that, our journey continued, and after a short while, we kept heading east.
As we passed through Elbasan, Khurdi mentioned that the city is famous for a delicious delicacy called “balokume,” which we should try while passing through. I agreed. At one point, we stopped outside a shop where two women were engaged in conversation. As soon as they saw us, they became alert. The woman wearing a scarf seemed to be the shop owner, and the other woman was from the city who had come to buy balokume. They continued their conversation while we got some of the sweet. Eating balokume reminded me of Sindh, as I recalled buying henna from Mehr, handmade items from Hala, sweets from Ghotki or Naushahro Feroze, halwa from Moro, ice cream from Chacha Abdul Rahman in Sukkur, dates from Khairpur, or cakes from the Bombay Bakery in Hyderabad. As I ate balokume in Albania, I felt like I was tasting all these Sindhi treats too.
Let’s move on with the journey. During the trip, we also passed by old railway tracks still lying there. Khurdi explained that these tracks were mostly used during the communist era to transport minerals to the metal factories in Elbasan. However, after the end of communism in the country, the tracks were abandoned and became part of history, much like how the rail line from Tando Adam to Paddidan in our region has become a part of the past. I remembered traveling on that train from Sukkur to Mory with my late aunt Noor Khatoon, and after reaching Mory, people, after facing a dusty road, would hardly recognize themselves. The last time I saw that train was in 1993 when I saw it through the classroom window at Government High School Mory, sitting on a desk with my childhood friends, Ma’roof Chandio and Nadeem, alias Mor Meman.
The only difference is that in Albania, no one has yet taken the iron from the tracks, and there have been no encroachments. On this side, we also saw stalls selling fresh vegetables and fruits by farmers.
Anyway, we finally reached the border between Albania and North Macedonia, where passports were checked. Afterward, the car was inspected thoroughly before being allowed to cross the border. I realized that it’s better to travel with a fully authorized travel operator and a group of other tourists because if the driver attempts smuggling or any such activities, the other tourists would be safe.
I told Khurdi that I didn’t realize the border would be this strict. He thought that the random checks were mainly due to the presence of young men in the group. Anyway, after a short while, we were near Lake Ohrid, where we had to take a walk around it. Lake Ohrid is one of Europe’s oldest and deepest lakes, at a depth of 288 meters, and home to around 200 different species of aquatic animals. We got out of the car and began walking. Now, we were in the former Yugoslavia, and on the way, we saw old cars, particularly the famous Yugos, still parked in front of houses. The Yugo is similar to our Suzuki FX.
We continued walking and soon arrived at the ancient Hellenistic amphitheater of Ohrid, which was uncovered during excavations in 1980. We stopped for a while, took some photos, and continued our journey. Between the amphitheater and the lake, we saw beautiful houses with red-tiled roofs. Ohrid itself looked quite spread out. But, in the middle of all of this, Lake Ohrid dominated the view.
After that, we took the rocky path leading towards the fortress of Ohrid, which is called Samuel’s Fortress. Khurdi was eager to go inside, but I told him to wait here while I went inside, got a ticket, and climbed the stairs leading to the walls of the fortress. This fortress was like any other royal fort, with the only difference being that in front of the Ohrid fortress, there was a large, beautiful lake. I kept walking from one tower to another on the rocky walls of the fortress, enjoying the view of the surroundings. Far and wide, there was the lake and mountains in the distance. Many other tourists were also there, and at last, a school group arrived with their teachers for an educational tour. I think such educational tours are essential for school children. After spending some time inside the fortress, I came back, and Khurdi asked how the fortress was. I said, “It’s good, especially the view from the top of the fortress is very beautiful.” (Continues)
Click here for Part-1,
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Abdullah Soomro, penname Abdullah Usman Morai, hailing from Moro town of Sindh, province of Pakistan, is based in Stockholm Sweden. Currently he is working as Groundwater Engineer in Stockholm Sweden. He did BE (Agriculture) from Sindh Agriculture University Tando Jam and MSc water systems technology from KTH Stockholm Sweden as well as MSc Management from Stockholm University. Beside this he also did masters in journalism and economics from Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur Mirs, Sindh. He is author of a travelogue book named ‘Musafatoon’. His second book is in process. He writes articles from time to time. A frequent traveler, he also does podcast on YouTube with channel name: VASJE Podcast.
All photos provided by the author
