By Ardit Bejko
news@tiranatimes.com
DHERMI – “It will be worth it,” I kept repeating to my foreign friend, and to myself, on our way to the south. “It will be worth it,” I kept mumbling while sweating on a crowded bus and, almost, not managing to persuade even myself.
If the Albanian south was worth those nonexistent bus stations, the extremely flexible schedules, the overcrowded buses, and the bumpy roads caused by construction, then it must be something out of an exotic description. The exhausting bus ride was shaking down my excitement about spending a week in Dhermi. Then, the bus started meandering down, leaving behind the breezy Llogara Pass to reveal one of the most astonishing views one could ever see.
From 800 meters above sea level, nature gave every passenger of the too-crowded bus a breathtaking bird’s eye view and sneak peek of what was waiting for us at the foot of the mountain. Millennia of geographical transformations had shaped this slice of earth, water, and amber air into a slice of heaven.
However, the exotic getaway loses some of its shine when you finally reach the village of Dh쳭i. The road gets bumpy again, assuring a vibrating welcome to everyone visiting the beach. Too bad those are the wrong vibrations a tourist destination should send its visitors.
Just before taking a right to go to the beach, a sign for a clean environment asks people to respect the scenery and not throw trash anywhere. A few meters away from the sign two huge piles of trash lean against a trash can. You wonder if anyone would reconsider entering heaven if its gates were this uninviting.
Luckily, the pristine waters and the indescribable sky effectively make you forget about all the mishaps you had to go through to get there. Visibly amazed, my friend asks me if the Albanian government advertises these places at all. Apparently, she has missed the ads broadcast on CNN. “All we see are ads about Croatia and Slovenia,” she added.
“I would have started the ad with those five empty umbrellas by the shore,” she, a young German in her twenties, went on, still amazed. I wondered if our commercial had any similar shots. I wondered if the people promoting Albanian tourism ever tried to see the country through a foreign tourist’s eyes.
While the government seems like it is still lagging behind with its tourism strategy, local people seem to have realized the potential of Dh쳭i. Numerous guesthouses, villas, and modest hotels with five-star views fill the hill rising close to the shore. Prices range around EUR 40 for a double room. Often, the families running the businesses offer homemade breakfast included in the price.
Food is modest, too, but delicious. Although some of the fast-food places and restaurants are improvised in trailers, do not judge them from the appearance. In Dh쳭i, you will be able to enjoy the closest-to-original souvlakis in Albania. The salads are additional proof of the magic that is the Mediterranean concert of white cheese, olive oil and fresh vegetables. Nevertheless, food is not limited to fast food and salads. A recently opened restaurant, part of the popular Havana resort, offers a cozy and sophisticated atmosphere, as well as satisfying service.
One of the highlights of the local entertainment, club-bar-lounge Havana, is evidence that smart investments can draw more tourism and tourists. Havana is a wooden open-air platform outfitted in white and red. During the day, the venue serves as a chill-out lounge for those who need a break from the beach. At night, Havana turns into a club that offers delicious traditional cocktails and maybe, even, some interesting experiment if you ask one of the bartenders. Havana is best enjoyed on Fridays and weekends, when the weekenders crowd lands in Dh쳭i.
If your taste in music makes you think Havana’s music is just some electronic rattle, then you might want to go to a tavern close by the Greek area. An open-air bouzouki-style tavern, the venue offers a limited choice of dishes, but plenty of live Greek and Albanian music.
Bars are greater in number than restaurants, thus giving more options for drinking your frappe or cold beverage in different settings, from exotic banana trees to plain white tents. Make sure you try them all so that you make your own local.
After four days in Dh쳭i, we had to leave this slice of heaven and return to the top of the hill to wait for a bus. The friendly and helpful owner of the villa we stayed at gave us a ride to the intersection where we had to wait for the bus. Waiting for the bus at the intersection next to the two huge piles of trash, my friend and I tried to grasp the last bits of magic from Dh쳭i’s view.
The bus came on time, surprisingly. It was the same bus we had ridden four days ago. This time the rainbow-colored bus was not overcrowded. Nevertheless, the driver had saved the last surprise for this trip. He overcharged us, asking for almost double of the money we had to pay on the way to Dh쳭i.
The way to and from Dh쳭i may surely be annoying, and sometimes even stressful. But once you dive into the clear waters that would make even the C
