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| Not sure if it means shitest Albania or shit hole Albania!!! |
Before starting my excursion to Berat from Tirana - the capital city of Albania, I was told that the last bus/furgon (a smaller van) would depart at 5 in the afternoon. I bore that in mind and decided to leave when it was about 4:20 p.m.. I stood in front of the big church where the furgon once dropped me off, but there was no bus/furgon, and I started to wonder if they stopped in another station. So I kindly asked an old man, he couldn't speak English, but he told me by body language that the last bus/furgon was gone. I was freaked out and didn't believe him. Hence, I asked another old man, and he told me the same thing and suggested me to take the taxi instead, which would cost around 80 EUR. I didn't give in, because I could buy a plane ticket with that 80 EUR. Then I stopped a young girl on the same street, hoping she could speak some English. In fact, she didn't speak English, but some Spanish and Italian. We tried hard to communicate in Spanish, that she told me the last bus was gone. (I was dumbfounded, like seriously???) She then waved to a friend who happened to drive in a car on that street and told me that he could speak some English. He could be the interpreter.
The girl offered that she would ask her family to drive me back to Tirana, yet I didn't want to bother her family, I said no. She insisted to take me home first, then her friend (the interpreter) voluntarily offered to take me to Tirana. I felt reluctant at first, as I didn't want to stay in the same car with a lone man, a total stranger. Nevertheless, the girl said I should get in the car with him and asked me not to worry. Eventually, I agreed when there was no other choice. I sat in the front, since I didn't want to make him feel like my private driver. When the door closed, NIGHTMARE began.
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| Berat |
We sat in silence for a while, then he started to talk to me. I sat very uncomfortably and very stiff, because I didn't want to lose my guard. He then picked up some phone calls and talked loudly in Albanian (At that moment I really wish I had Doraemon's translation konjac). Suddenly, he asked me in very broken English, "Tirana is far...no gas in my car...you pay for it?" I was like, why didn't you say it earlier? If so, I could have left with that girl. I then asked, "How much?" He said, "50 EUR." I was irritated, because I could drive 50 EUR gas for 2 weeks when I was in the states. I was a bit dubious at that moment. On one hand, I didn't want to pay 50 EUR for the freaking gas. On the other hand, I didn't want to take the god damn taxi. Then I went, "I didn't have enough money with me, does that really cost 50 EUR?" He then went, "um....I think...40 EUR...OK?" I thought in my head, "It's obviously a freaking scam. But then it will really take him to drive for 4-5 hours back and forth, sigh, whatever, 40 EUR then." Afterwards, he drove to the petrol station and I paid the gas for 40 EUR (still better than giving him 40 EUR without seeing the gas).
Afterwards, we continued our way back to Tirana. His phone rang again, and he talked loudly on the phone, with a smirk this time. I didn't feel good with that smirk and intentionally asked who's on the phone (I knew it's very rude to ask someone I didn't even know something like that, but I did trust my women's intuition, it's not something good! And I paid for the gas, I had the right to know everything, right?) He then told me it was his mom, and he just told her he would go home late. Ok, tried to guilt trip me! Ok, fine!
In the beginning of the car ride, I was still mad, as I didn't want to pay for the freaking gas. (I admitted I was stingy, but hey, who paid for hitchhiking???) Hence, whatever he said, I didn't show too much reaction. Later, he told me his background (21 years old, Muslim, born and lives in Berat, army, law students in college, has a lawyer dad and his mom owns a snack shop). This background somehow ensured me that he wasn't a smuggler or murderer, he even showed me his army ID card that I shouldn't be too worried. Also, he told me a lot of stuff about his army training. And I got to know that army in Albania indeed had more power than police, even police couldn't pullover his car when he's speeding. (At that moment I still didn't realize that police couldn't help me out if I really really got in troubles with him.)
The more I talked with him, the looser I gradually felt. He talked a lot more bullshits on the way, like how he liked big cities and how he hated Greece (He childishly said that he didn't like the Greeks because the Greeks didn't like the Albanians. Hey you know what, here a girl from Hong Kong joins the same hating army of the Greeks too. You can't blame them for hating you, they must have a reason!). At one point, I even asked him if he wanted a postcard from Hong Kong, by showing my gratitude that he drove me today.
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| I wished there was a stop sign on the highway |
When the sky got darker, our conversations changed abruptly from daily hobbies to something very sensitive, like human trafficking (I was like, HOLY CRAP!). It immediately struck me a bit odd and I fell back to my initial alert mode, he then said, "You know...Albania...many human trafficking...many girls...in Italy...they stand on the street...", he then added he saw it on the documentary. Following it was an awkward silence in the car, so he turned on the radio to kill the dead air. The music it was playing was annoyingly loud and so not my type, and he said people usually played this song during wedding. Then he asked, "You...want...make sex...wiz me?" I was startled, and didn't dare to show it in the face. And somehow I knew it was going to end like this, remembering that freaking smirk on his face. I knew it, I knew it!!! I played dumb at once, pretended I didn't understand his perfect English. He then asked FEW more times. I couldn't use this method anymore but answered with a firm NO.
The sky was completely dark at that time, and we were driving on the highway, not sure if we reached half of the way yet. He continuously convinced me to have sex with him, of course with a lot of touching on my body (Thanks god it was still cold and I wore so many layers). Obviously, he changed to be like an animal all of a sudden, without prior notice. Luckily I put my heavy as stone backpack on my lap and he couldn't explore further by his hand. He kept driving with one hand, and the other hand put on my head and forced me to kiss him, in vain. At first, I felt scared that he would do anything bad to me. So I didn't show my frightening face and kept rejecting him by grabbing his only free hand tightly. Then I changed to be like a teacher or a mom and tried to preach him that we should focus on the road and go straight to Tirana. (I deliberately mentioned his mom for several times that I hoped he could remember his mom was a woman too.) Afterwards, he still didn't give up. As a last resort, I showed him my frightening tears in my eyes, and softly said, "You don't want me to cry, do you?" (I wasn't scared anymore at that moment, it was just my last trick to see if I could stop his animality. I felt like I could be nominated for an Oscar, seriously!)
Fortunately, it worked. He gave up the idea of sex, but insisted to kiss me. I said I would do it ONLY we got to Tirana, before Tirana? No way. (I was afraid he would lose control again if I rejected him for that many times.) We struggled and tangled in the car for like an hour in reality, but it felt like it lasted for a year!!! All I could do was to hold his free hand to refrain him from touching me. I thought of jumping out of the car once, but we were on the highway, it would be too dangerous. Then he suddenly said, "I...drive a girl...before...to Tirana. She...make sex...wiz me. Why...you...don't?" I was infuriated and thought "WTF are you talking about?!? I am not that girl and I am not stupid. Don't you ever compare me with that dumb chick????? It's her stupid decision, I am not an idiot!!!" I then went indifferently, "You can go find a girl in Tirana, but not me." He then said, "It....need....money." (Rolling up my eyes with an extremely annoyed face)
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| My reaction to his response |
In the last hour of the car ride, I felt incredibly angry and annoyed, because we still didn't make it to Tirana yet. However, he gradually let go of my hand and changed to be totally normal again. I was confused and wondered if he wanted to get an Oscar nomination too, as he acted like a normal person out of the blue. He even apologized for his crazy behavior not long ago, that he didn't mean anything he said. He told me he became so wild, as he snorted something before driving and it started to get effective and was high as f**k on the way. I was aloof and pissed off, and didn't intend to forgive what he did to me. Therefore, he begged my forgiveness when we're approaching the last 15 miles on the highway. And he said he didn't want to make me feel unhappy and stuff. I was not interested in listening to his sweet talks, all I wanted was to go back to Tirana right away, that's it!!! He talked a lot of normal stuff again, which I didn't give any response. Most of the time, he was just talking with himself.
Finally, we got back to the familiar Skanderbeg Square. Before I opened the door, he asked, "Will...you send me....postcard...now?" I then yelled a big "F**K YOU" without any hesitation and got off the car, slammed the door in his face!!!
Finally, we got back to the familiar Skanderbeg Square. Before I opened the door, he asked, "Will...you send me....postcard...now?" I then yelled a big "F**K YOU" without any hesitation and got off the car, slammed the door in his face!!!
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