From the coastal resort town, the villages and landscape changed quickly as rode south east in the general direction of the Vjose toward Greece.
The route meandered through tittle villages, past monuments, and derelict oil fields. Connecting and reconnecting with the Vjose River.
It was easy to pick the Vjose as it carried much more water than other rivers. Drought has ravaged this area, and most of the other rivers had lost their flow to irrigation and electricity.
The town of Memaliaj is built on the edge of the river and a great place to stay and have a swim.
From Memalaij, it was a slight diversion to visit the Lengarica Canyon and the Thermal Baths of Benja.
Unfortunately, the river was very low but the thermal sping was beautiful.
On rejoining the Vjose, its mood had changed. Flooding rains in Greece had turned the Vjose gently flowing blue river into brownish torrent.
A return to high mountains herealded the approach to the Greek Border.
The first night in Greece and last beside the, now, Aoos River was in Konitsa with its Ottoman bridge at the end of the Aoos Gorge.
It was tempting to follow Aoos further south into the Greek mountains to its origin at the Aoos Spring, but my route was across the top of the Aegean Sea to Turkey.
