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"DEA CARPETS" advertised on a Communist-era bunker. Today's high was 100 degree, so not the best day to be trekking down a sun-baked country road without a map. By noon, I was such a mess I hired some guy to drive me to any Tirana-bound bus stop. He gave me the wrong information (in Italian) just to get me inside his car. Not content to overcharge me, he also shortchanged me at the end, but what the hell, I got back to Tirana in one piece. It's extremely rare to be hustled or cheated in Albania. Since I got me some nice photos, it was a good day.

Sixty-five-years-old, the driver worked for six years in Florence, driving trucks, and he has four sons in Italy. They own two pizzerias and three houses there.


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