Albania - Nuts and Bolts

Conde Nast Traveler naively touted Albania as "The Next Place," and it may be if you make your vacation plans 12 years ahead. In the meantime, the country will have some growing pains to ride out. The government estimates that 750,000 weapons and 3,600 tons of explosives were looted from over 1,200 army depots. So far only 25,000 have been returned. Vulnerable to riots, mayhem and anarchy, lowly Albania lies at the southeastern end of the Adriatic Sea. It gained its independence from Turkey in 1913 and became a Stalinist communist state in 1944. Its first multiparty elections were held in 1991. And it's been pretty rough sailing since. The country possesses Europe's least developed transportation system. In fact, private cars were prohibited until 1991. The telephone system is antiquated, so expect connections to take a long time. For international calls your best bet is to go to the Tirana International Hotel. Muslims comprise about 70 percent of the population, while Greek Orthodox account for 20 percent and Roman Catholics 10 percent. Ninety-eight percent of the population is ethnic Albanian, officially, although ethnic Greeks in Albania contend their own group makes up about 10 percent of Albania's population. Marijuana is widely grown in Albania. There is one doctor for every 574 people in this country of 3.3 million inhabitants. The official language here is Albanian, and the currency is the New Lek. And for one buck you will be the proud owner of about 140 Lek.