Dan thought it was a good idea to do Benjes Canyon today despite the fact that it is a more technical canyon and very few people even do canyoning in Albania. So, I was a little anxious the night before thinking that we might die in a canyon in Albania. I am writing this blog now, so we obviously didn't die - yay.
The morning started off well with a yummy breakfast in the garden of our guesthouse. Then we packed up our gear and headed off to find Benjes Canyon. We had to go several kilometers on a dirt road which would have made our rental car company very unhappy. We drove very carefully though.
Breakfast in the garden of our guesthouse
Our guesthouse
There were even little pizza fritta - just like I learned how to make from my Italian mom and Nana
We parked at a church that was tricky to drive to.
The approach to the canyon was about an hour of hiking in the hot sun on a faint trail. It seems like we have spent a lot of time sweating since we have been in Albania. Eventually, we found where we would drop into the canyon. Once we dropped in, there would be no turning back. This canyon had 14 rappels with lots of playful jumps and slides. Plus, we read that it was supposed to be an extra beautiful canyon.
The approach to the canyon was hot!
A shepherd's hut along the way
Looking at where we would drop into the canyon.
Our 1st rappel
Dan checking out the anchors for the 1st rappel
Dropping into the canyon
A selfie us us (Dan is about to rappel in)
Admiring the cool canyon walls.
Check out those beautiful walls!
Dan is standing on a sweet chock stone
One of the last rappels
This sweet arch bridge greeted us towards the end of the canyon.
Lots of giant boulders lodged into the canyon.
Our bathroom - doesn't everyone's bathroom look like this when they travel?
On our hike out from the canyon, a thunderstorm rolled in. We made it to the car just as the lightening started and the rain picked up, so our timing was impeccable. Luckily, the rental car made it out from the dirt road before things got too wet.
Once we returned back to our room, it was dinner time, so we headed out to another restaurant. The food was yummy, but the food the night before was better. We have decided that we really like Permet. It is a town Albanians live and work. People are friendly, the town is clean and beautiful and there is lots of character.
Last year, Dan bought a book about canyoning in Albania, so that's how we ended up deciding to go adventure there. I read about the beautiful mountains, but what tipped the scales in Albania's direction was what I read about the food - it's kind of a mix of Greek, Italian, Turkish, and more. And with a mountain range named the "Accursed Mountains", we kind of HAD to check it out. Before we left, we had to get our ducks in a row, including creating our "geriatric garden" (raised beds) and putting the plants in the garden, getting and training a puppy, packing a lot of gear, wrapping up things things at school for my work and putting together the master spreadsheet for our trip. And before we knew it, it was time to depart. It was a long travel day, but we finally made it to Dhermi, Albania. We said goodbye to our pups, Maya and James and then headed off to catch the Concord Coach with a quick stop to get the salads that we always get for flights at Market...
There was not time to be jet lagged because we had things to do today. The weather and wind cooperated, so we grabbed some breakfast at a bakery on the beach and then headed to meet the paragliding folks. Because, why not go paragliding on your 1st morning in Albania? Plus, today we got proof that Kara and Dan were on a beach during a vacation - unheard-of. Check out the color of that water - it really is that blue! A delicious breakfast from a bakery on the beach. A bakery on the beach The paragliding launch spot One of our pilots using some flagging tape at the end of a stick to figure out the wind - very high tech. Setting up the paragliders We did introductions with our pilots, set up the gear, waited for the right wind and figured out who would fly with whom - they divided up our weight, so I went with the bigger pilot named Guisne. I was told that all I had to do was run when I was told to run and then hold the camera. That sounded easy. So, I was excited, but not nerv...
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