What difference can a border make?

All we did was sail 35 nautical miles, but the world changed! We sailed from Shengjin, the northern-most port in Albania, to Bar, southern-most port of Montenegro. I am gob-smacked at the difference that small distance made to everything.

Pavlov on the dock at Shengjin

Albanian fishing fleet

Our port agent at chess

Our comrade on the dock

Let me try to explain. Albania is an ugly place. The buildings and architecture show no care or design, all slabs of concrete and reo in square boxes. It was pure communist utilitarianism at its lowest point. Shengjin personified this. There was a tiny village, a remnant of the original fishing village, and a commercial port where they loaded the cement that they produce in a local factory. Onto this stub, they grafted several kilometers of ugly high-rise hotels to house tourists seeking bargain-basement sea-side holidays. There was no cohesion, sense of place or village-centre to this sprawl of undignified concrete. All the hotels were the same concrete block-house design, distinguished only by a different pastel paint shade. The ground floors all offered the same fast-food joints, cheap dime-box casinos, souvenir stands. No real food shops, nothing nourishing. There was a promenade of sorts, a half-flooded concrete path that would around a dirty beach filled with gypsy kids playing soccer amongst the debris.

Endless tourist hotels

The 'beach promenade'

Albanian soccer field

Cutting grass with a scythe 

The promenade in Shengjin

Locals

So we sailed a few hours to Bar, major port of Montenegro. Everything felt different. There were beautiful trees, shaded squares, kept gardens. A sense of shared public spaces, of people proud to be seen in the streets. This was more than just increase affluence, it reflected an increased caring as well. It seemed to matter how the world perceived Montenegro, whereas Albania had turned its back on the world for so long, perhaps it ceased to care?

Enroute to Bar

Ulcinj, first Montenegran city

Old fort at Ulcinj, Montenegro

The AD Marina in Bar

Did this profound difference reflect the impact of different political organizations? Certainly, economic wealth, education and employment would make a difference. Surprisingly however, education was one of the few real successes of Hoxha's communist regime in Albania. The geography and resources are very similar between the two nations.

Pavlov on the dock in Bar, Montenegro

Montenegrin square rigger 

Mountains surrounding the town

Spectacular views

Another anomaly: although Albania is certainly a poor and economically crippled country, its automobiles do not reflect this fact. The multitudes of cars we saw in Albania were predominantly new model Mercedes, with a few Audi's, BMW's and VW's thrown in. No old clapped out cars here! And the amazing number of car-washing facilities drove home the fact that cars are the ultimate status symbol in Albania. How do they afford it?

Public plaza in Bar, Montenegro

Modern gleaming church in Bar

Traditional restaurant in Bar

Unusual architecture for an outdoor cinema

The promenade in Bar

So the places we are sailing through are still raising questions as we ponder on the nature of things and the ways of the world. Next stop for us Pavlovians is the medieval town of Budva, then into the Kotor Fjord. Catch ya then!