travel2live2

Stu, I live in northern Canada. I just did a mapquest thing and I was wrong - it is more like 2,000 miles rather than 3,000. Good thing you brought it up - I know better now!

wasleys

Thanks for info which I found helpful.

Re distance from tidewater. I understood the furthest popint from any sea was in China, somewhere near Urumqi in Xinjiang.

tower

travel2live2


whew..thanks for the clarification!
Ain't no ocean swimming in Great Slave Lake, Great Bear Lake, Hudson's Bay or the MacKenzie River, eh!(where are you up there??)

(btw, I spent a full very cold month of January 1959 in a pre-fab hut on Resolution Island at the mouth of Baffin Bay...I was with a California think tank doing an air defense exercise with the good old RCAF).

Sorry for the hijacking, Naxos..but It looks like you're about to make a decision on how much time, if any, to invest in Albania!

Stu T.

StCirq

Well, wasleys, here's something I was involved with that you might want to take a gander at if you're genuinely interested. You'll notice the reference to setbacks and public security issues. I'm sure a google search for pictures would be useful as well.

As I said, I'd go. I'm not a travel lemming by any stretch. But I wouldn't call it a vacation.

Poverty in Albania: A Qualitative Assessment
by Hermine De Soto , Peter Gordon , Ilir Gedeshi , Zamira Sinoimeri
Price: $ 22.00
Available Immediately
Add to cart
English Paperback 152 pages 8.38 x 10.75
Published May 2002 by World Bank ISBN: 0-8213-5109-5 ISBN-13: 978-0-8213-5109-3 SKU: 15109

Jointly, the World Bank and the Government of Albania undertook an assessment of poverty, conducted in a qualitative manner, to gain information that could guide policy development and resource allocation. The research was conducted through a series of focus groups, interviews, and surveys that permitted community members in ten areas within Albania, to define poverty in their own terms.

During the ten years of reform, Albania has been buffeted by set backs which led fully 40% of respondents to indicate that socioeconomic conditions have worsened during that period. While informal coping mechanisms have been developed in many communities, these are under stress and threaten to give way. The study suggests that a poverty reduction strategy must, at the very least, include improvements in government management, employment opportunities, provision of social services, infrastructure development, and public security.

wasleys

StCirq,

Thanks. That's available on Google Books, I'll take a look.

We're currently busy spending daughter's inheritance and concentrating on longhaul for the time being. However there are a number of shorthaul destinations we have in mind and Albania (which intrigues us) is one on the list.

StCirq

Well, if I can provide any more up-to-date information, let me know. I've got access to the latest reports of this type from every developing country. Albania's not always on my radar screen, but I know whose screen it's on. Not that these reports are relevant to tourism, per se, but they're factual.

NaxosTravels

Well we bit the bullet and made a decision today - I booked our airfare after endless pondering.

Canadian Affair:
Aug 26th Calgary to Glasgow non-stop.
Oct 10th London Gatwick to Calgary
Total: $2142CAD Total for 2 including trip insurance.

August 28th Glasgow to Dubrovnik through British Airways
220.89Pounds Total for 2.

We decided we'll try our original itinerary traveling from Montenegro, through Croatia, Slovenia, Austria ending in Czech Republic. 6 weeks sounds long but its really not...Romania will remain high on our "to do" list - but being a much larger country than I first anticipated, I think we will save it for when we can really devot the time to enjoy all its offerings. Who knows?...Perhaps when we are ready to return to the region - Albania will be more than ready too!

I've enjoyed hearing everyone's thoughts. Planning this whole adventure is half the fun for me.

Best Regards,

Naxos

bubbahop

I spent three days in Albania about two years ago. It thought Tirana was a well worthwhile visit. The city centre is walkable and frankly I really enjoyed the visit. I would join that visit though with a trip by bus to Lake Ohrid in Macedonia. That is a magnificent area and I spent a week there.

bratsandbeer

NaxosTravels Your trip sounds interesting.

When I read that Albania had no more than first aid for medical help that really turned me off of Albania. Being older that is something I look at when I travel. Accidents seem to happen when you least expect them to or want them to.

We were in Budapest and Prague in October and loved those cities. Would like to go back and see more of each country.