This is exactly the kind of story which makes my friends suspicious of me thinking the sh*t up over a glass of lager. And I kid you not, this stuff really happens to me. Not that I would wish for it, but somehow I attract weird situations into my life.
So, let me give you a perspective of what the hell I was doing for a month in Shkoder - city in Northern Albania and why I got to this weird accusation. As the hottest part of the year was approaching, I felt that I need to hide myself somewhere cheap, near water place. Ideally with some volunteering prospects as it helps sustain the long term travel lifestyle. My first ever volunteering experience turned out to be the best. I have become a Barman. In the environment where in some other parts of the world, some people need to get tested for covaids to enter a restaurant, here I was serving beer and having fun everyday. Living the life really - or at least to some level "like before".
On my days, when woken up from the party the day before I was going for a bike trips to the surrounding places of interest. One of them was this small damm. Nothing you would go to if you stay even a week in Shkoder. But as I was there already a month, I have slowly seen it all and become interested in other "boring" places to visit. And yes, it wasn't boring at all. In fact it turned out to be one of the most adrenaline driven events this summer for me.
It will escalate very quickly now, as it is so ridiculous I don't need to get too much into details, well I will try.
So on my way to this forgotten little lake, I already see something is wrong. There appears to be a fire in near proximity of exactly where I am going. Great I am thinking I will swim in a lake next to a forest fire - what could go possibly wrong right?
On my way there I am realising that the whole area seems to be somewhat sketchy. Weird locals, poor area... Not a good place to be for a "tourist", but screw it. I am already on my way. Nothing can stop me. The last picture above is literally the one that got me into trouble. After pushing my bike almost off-road, to get as close to the fire as possible I am "welcomed" by some local guy on a motorcycle.
We shortly say hello and I am on my way out of there, at the end he was a proper weirdo, didn't spoke English and I had my picture... Sooner than later I realised that this very guy is following me on the way back to the city. He must have a very bad scooter or is after me I was thinking. Sure he was after me. That loco mobilised half of the police station, calling them that he has the fire-starter. Wtf! Next think I know I am almost hit by a police car and held hostage for three hours. Only thing I have on me is phone, knife and earphones. Luckily no lighter. I surrender my cool folding knife to the first officer, saying: "I don't need no trouble" and next thing I am being shown the way to the station. We need to write a protocol about the whole nonsense. Great. My afternoon is ruined. We have to wait for a local Colombo to arrive and start his investigation. Not a friendly looking guy, I assure you. He does all the tricks from the book, making me repeating the story over and over again. The whole thing becomes parody of itself. The idiot guy with the motorcycle is next to us, sometimes shouting something in Albanian like if he is the boss there. Just an utter absurdity. After some time we go finally upstairs and write a report both in Albanian and English.
If you can read my handwriting under quite some stress, it clearly says what an misunderstanding the whole thing is. Next thing I know, my phone is taken away and I am being locked in a cage untill this Colombo goes and asks about me in the hostel I was helping. Unbelievable. I am left there watching the day shift change and literary all the police forces present watch me in the cage like a monkey in a zoo...
After an hour or so, some old guy comes and opens the door. I ask him for my phone and I am free to go. The investigator didn't even bother to come back and say his apologies. Well, I have celebrated the freshly regained freedom with grace :)
Lesson learned:
If you see a wild fire somewhere in Albania don't go out there and take pictures it can cost you more than few hours if time and a knife...
All the best,
Global Local