Summer has hit Tirana right in the face. The days are sunny with record high
temperatures most days (high 80’s to low 90’s F). That doesn’t stop people from getting out in
it. The city is still just as busy as always.
Something I noticed while walking the streets. Even in the heat, most women don’t wear
shorts. Lots of airy pants and tops and
a surprising number of all black outfits make them look a lot more put together
than me, the sweaty tourist. Also, most
of the younger ladies have long straight hair.
Really long, like to the waist or beyond. Impressive and very pretty.
And now an account of ‘Daphne’s Trip to the American Embassy
in Tirana, Albania’. When I originally
scouted out the location of the embassy, I figured I could go into the lobby
and get more info on getting more pages in my passport. Nope.
Security is so tight that you can’t even enter the building without an
appointment. I waited until I returned
to the apartment to look up the requirements.
As they did not provide services to add pages, turns out I’d
have to get a new passport. The cost
would be a $130 and would take 2-3 weeks for the doc to come back from the states. Pretty standard for getting a new passport
while in the county except I wouldn’t have to fly back there to wait for
it. Just hang around Tirana for an email
telling me that the embassy received the passport, then I can go pick it up.
They did require paperwork, of course. My first attempt to fill out the form online stalled
for some reason. Then it took me a
couple of attempts to fill out the payment info. I made the appointment online and was then
told I needed to print everything out as the embassy had no printer.
Why? They regularly
deal with tourists and immigrants who might not have access to a printer. Why make me wander around the city looking
for one? Eh. Because it’s still the U.S. government. That’s why.
The day of my appointment arrived and I’d scoped out a place
to print all my info. The lovely man who
ran the copy place didn’t even charge me for the 10 pages I printed, just
handed me back my USB drive and waved me off when I asked what I owed him
(thanks again, sir). I headed to the
embassy, got redirected from one entrance to another, waited in a short line
outside to confirm my appointment (the lady didn’t even need the confirmation
they’d asked me to print out, only asking for my passport), then waited some
more outside in the hot sun.
Once I finally got inside, I was suddenly at the airport
again. Security took all my electronics
(phone, MP3 player that I forgot was in my bag, and the USB drive), putting them in storage before
waving me through the scanner. At least
they let me keep my Yeti full of water as they sent me back outside through a
small courtyard to another part of the building. Flashed my passport again to another assistant then waited in the overheated sitting area to be called.
When it was my time, the Albanian man behind the window was
very nice as he asked how he could help me.
I gave him all the paperwork, including the receipt for my online
payment, and the spare picture I had from two years ago when I got my most
recent passport. Barring any issues, I’ll
have the new doc in a couple weeks.
Traveler’s tip: I picked
up a tip that it was a good idea to have an extra passport-ready picture with
you while traveling, just in case. I’m
very glad I followed this advice as it saved me the trouble of trying to find a
photographer and paying for more pics. Also
good to carry a copy of your birth certificate and passport/ID.
I extended my stay in the place for a few extra days which
was all I could book as the place was not available. Otherwise, I would have booked it for the rest
of the month. It’s a nice place and you
can’t beat the location.
But, alas, I had to leave.
At least it was easy to catch a cab since at least three are parked outside
of the building at all times. A quick $5
ride and I was left to find the new place and … yeah.
The elevator is the size of a coffin, barely big enough to fit me and my bags. The doors are stupidly slow, the elevator clunky as it takes me to the 8th floor.
The apartment itself is a mixed bag. While a nice size and cheap, the kitchen is woefully understocked. No microwave (the listing lied), no corkscrew, or small cooking pot. The stovetop is gas (yay) but the burners don’t work (seriously!). Fortunately, the stove was functional but that’s all I could expect.
I got so seduced by the pictures in the listing of the lovely tile work in the shower that I failed to notice that there is no curtain or partition. Showering means just nakedness, an open window, and free-flying water. Great.
Sadly, I can’t hear the call to prayer on this side of
town. What I do hear (constantly) are honking
cars. The apartment is on the corner of
the building overlooking an insanely busy intersection. Rush hour is absolutely nuts with the
pedestrians, motorcycles, and emergency vehicles trying to turn directly into
oncoming traffic – it is a mess.
So, no. I won’t be extending my stay in this place beyond a single week. Hopefully I can get back to the other side of
town.
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