Albanian Designs

I first went to Albania in 2000. I had intended to spend a month or so there but ended up getting very ill on arrival and being forced to leave after 3 days. I was visiting friends in Berat when they pointed out how sick I looked. I don’t know how I hadn’t noticed that my skin and eyes were all yellow but as soon as they mentioned it, I saw it. I hadn’t eaten for a week and I thought I just had the flu but it turned out to be much worse than that.

They took me straight to hospital in Berat where the doctor attempted to make a diagnosis. Without doing any tests they made lots of guesses as to what the problem was. As I became more and more ill I decided that a hospital in Albania with no windows, no beds, no running water, and no proper medical facilities was not the place for me.

I contacted the British Embassy in Tirana and they suggested I head to Italy for treatment. They agreed and helped me get on the next ferry. A representative in Berat drove me to Durres and I got on the Ferry to Bari where I got adequate treatment in a hospital marginally better than the one in Berat. So much for Italy being a wealthy country - that clearly doesn’t apply to hospitals in the south.

So anyway, I didn’t really get to see much of Albania on that trip and I barely remember anything from those few days. I did see enough to make me want to go back which I did the following year.

I should also take this opportunity to thank the British Embassy for helping me out as it was extremely difficult for me to travel and they helped me out a lot. So thank you.