Location: Peja and the Rugova Valley, Kosovo
On the way to the village of Istog, we happened upon the most beautiful rainbow...
Although we got close, we didn't make it to the other side of the rainbow. Maybe this was a good thing- apparently in Albanian tradition, if a person cross to the other side of the rainbow, they change sex, a man becomes a woman and vice versa...so, luckily I stayed just on the one side!I got to go up to the mountains and stay in Fatos' cabin in Pepay, a beautiful tiny little village in the Rugova mountains. We got there by jeep, mostly offroading. It was quite the adventurous trip. There are many little villages in the mountains, and the people classify themselves by where they are from. People from the mountains are called, "Highlanders," and this is how they identify themselves when asked about their place of origin.
In the pretty mountains with my friends Skender and Chakrey.
So happy for the snow!
The mountains at night with the snow and clouds.
Fatos' cabin
Part of the village of Pepaj...as you can see, this is a tiny village. Most families do not live here year round, most come up for the summer or during parts of the year, but since Pepay is the highest village in Rugova (around 2500m), the roads shut down so getting food, firewood and anything from Peja is impossible and the people move into town for the cold season. All of the houses were built by the people who live in them, and it is usually a family home, so all members of the family are welcome there. Unfortunately, this area has also become a heavily logged forest, like many others in the world. People are illegally logging the area, and the locals are extremely angry about this.
A Shari dog, which is a dog that can only be found in this area of the Balkans. As Skender tells me, "this dog will never attack an old person or a baby. If you are in the middle, be careful. And never come between this dog and its sheep!" Luckily, this young pup didn't have any sheep to herd, so she let me pet her. They are beautiful creatures, and it was nice to be close to a dog again!
Sadly, my adventures in Kosovo are coming quickly to a close. I hope to travel to the old city of Prizren tomorrow, before I do a week of traveling up through Eastern Europe. I have had such an incredible time here and have met so many new friends. Life is Kosovo is definitely different than the other places I have experienced. Before arriving, I made the decision to stay in the town for awhile- 3 weeks or so- so that I could get the feel of Peja and the people in it. Although I would normally just continue my travels when things started to move slowly or when I got restless, I made the decision to stay in Peja, which allowed me to really absorb what goes on here. After 3 weeks, I feel as though I belong to a part of community, and my friend Vellnut told me today, "You are like a Pejan!" Everything from the students in the schools to the snow on the mountains enchants me here, and I already feel as if I will be drawn back soon to this mystical place so that it can unfold some more of its mystery to me. My expectations of Norwegian soldiers and guns was clearly wrong- Kosovo is a place of tolerance, acceptance, and beauty, and for those of you who are curious, I encourage you to take the trip here.
On Thursday I will be forced to experience the hardest part- saying goodbye. I must say goodbye to all of my new friends here- from my host and her boyfriend to the ladies in the gym. But I know a new adventure awaits, so to begin that one, I have to release this one...
Natën e mirë
Ali
Happy Birthday, Bill!
