Have Itch, Will Travel

We expected to simply pass through Albania during the Balkan leg of our trip. The neighbourhood known as Blloku in the capital, Tirana , surprised us with its modernity, bar and cafe culture, an d buzzing lifestyle. Nearby, public green space was available for the more active citizens. A mix of shaded forest with trails, farmland, and an immense artificial lake, Grand Park offered a place for thousands of locals to run, walk, cycle, exercise, and picnic. It was surprising then, to learn that the country had only begun to emerge from an isolated Communist state in 1985. Communism finally collapsed in 1992, but the newly optimistic population was swept up by a pyramid scheme, and its inevitable failure led to riots and a civil war in 1997. Since then, the country has been finding its feet, obtaining NATO membership and more recently vying to be part of the EU. Our admiration and fondness for the country and its progress grew from out of nowhere. Bunker by Lake Shkodra that we f...

Copacabana 's busiest hilly, cobbled street was populated with shops displaying signs in multiple languages. The lakeside town welcomed the sun to drive the evening's frost away. Ice on the stone roads returned to puddles, windows grew misty, and eaves began to surprise the few tourists with stealthy drips of freshly melted frost. Our stay on  Lake Titicaca  was to be chilled out, so after a noon sleep-in and lunch, we hired a paddleboat for an hour to enjoy the sun and stillness. Several hundred metres from the shore, we were only in the company of the rhythmic churning of the paddles, the water lapping at the hollow fibreglass form of the swan, and the frequent squeaks of a poorly lubricated rudder. Paddling was enough to remind fatigued legs of the Death Road bike tour, but surprisingly soothed any remaining aches. Wobbling on the shore and still hungry for the sun, we sought out a café with outdoor bamboo lounges that pumped out chilled reggae tunes and spent the rema...