Pashko and Theth

The way to Theth in the Dukagin mountains:

After 3 days of getting frustrated, sitting around in Shkoder waiting for the weather to clear so we could go to the Dukagin mountain village of Theth, an opportunity finally arose - the sky was blue, it was time to go. We couldn't go in the rain against Martine's sound advice, "ven it's ghaining you ghet sudden vaterfalls. Once a vaterfall came and turned our car overgh! I was gheally fghitened for my life!". She wasn't joking - showing us photographic evidence of the van windows covered in water, picture taken from the inside. We didn't want to take any chances.

So we set off with Pashko in his modified Mercedes van. On route he stopped off and bought us loads of veg to eat in Theth. What a safe guy! Unemployed with a wife and 3 kids he put us up in his house free of charge, gave us home cooked food, drove us to Theth, put us up there, toured us around and has agreed to drop us off at the Montenegro border. "He will feed his guests even if it means his children go hungry", Martine explained. Earlier today we gave him some money as a thank you. Guys like Pashko are rare indeed.

The drive to Theth is on a well surfaced road up to a point, then it's a rubble mountain pass with sheer drops for over an hour. It is the most spectacular drive I have been on, the most frightening and the roughest. Pashko has overtaken Indonesian 'G' as my new favourite driver in the world. Parts of the journey didn't resemble anything like a track, it was literally just rocks and cliff edge, the van getting thrown about all over the place.

When we first arrived we were swept away by the scenery, but we quickly forgot about that when we saw 2 or 3 mice scuttling around the living room! Besides that, we were warned of snakes in the countryside (we saw several on our walk today), and even more exotic, there are bears and wolves in these mountains. BEARS AND WOLVES... they're a different level of beast. Fortunately, bears stay away from people and wolves don't seem to make any daylight appearances. And Pashko's a real mountain man, rock solid guy, he's built his own house and has grown up in this village. We're not doing anything beyond what he recommends for us.

On our walk to a local waterfall it became clear, this is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It is just a bit too picturesque, like it can't be real. Some of the houses are really isolated, inaccessible by car and a 15 min walk away from the next house. The main village is in a valley with 360 degree snow capped mountains around it. There is a church which opens in the summer and a campsite. Fresh mountain water flows freely, crystal clear and delicious to drink. The place does get a lot of tourists in summer as the weather picks up, both locals and from abroad, but we have snuck in just before tourist season. There are some nice photos, but as I sat on Pashko's front step watching the sun cascade through the mountain ridge illuminating the village, I knew this beauty could only dwell in my experience.

One day Pashko took us an epic hike through the mountains, armed with his AK47!! The risk of a wolf attack is real enough for him to take such a precaution. After over an hours hike up the mountain we reached an isolated abandoned house, "13 years ago a family lived here. They are now in Shkoder". The more we walked, the colder we expected it to become so we were pleasantly surprised when the rubble track became a woodland, opening out onto a meadow ~2000m high! "Very few tourists come here", Pashko informed us. Having a local guide gave us access to an Eden, a secret garden tucked away in the mountains.

Isolated house:

Mandeep with Pashko's AK:

Frolicking in the meadow:

More meadow:

"Slow slow", Pashko kept telling us. There's no rush here. No cinema, no entertainment. The main event one night was when Pashko lit a fire and what a great event that was. We all sat around it in silence, staring in wonderment at it's movement. My mind focussed on the flames, I contemplated the nature of fire. It reminded me of time - how it exists as a process, a movement, but not as a substance. We can't capture fire like we can't capture time but it is definitely there. Earlier while staring at a waterfall the same thoughts arose, as did the following poem:

Time flows like a waterfall
Relentless, it doesn't stop
We only perceive movement
Unable to see a singular drop

By the waterfall I search for stillness
I yearn for such a place
Where I can dwell in the eternal moment
And I am free from time's embrace

The road to Theth is currently being surfaced and we've spotted 3 guest houses in construction. The rubble track kept Theth isolated, a well surfaced road will bring it much closer to the city. We wonder how Theth will change as tourism increases. Martine has strong views on the impact of globalisation on the Dukagin mountain communities. As an anthropologist, she wants to see their culture preserved. "It is not just that the change is happening so fast, but also that it is detaching them from their cultural identity and leading to psychological issues." The last 300 years has seen the largest and fastest change to humanity as a whole than any other period in history. Martine believes, and I agree that we are not equipped psychologically to deal with such change.