with the collapse of communism, before which there were only around 2000 cars in the country, number of roaring automobiles has risen drastically to something around 500 000;
under communism, plastic wasn't widely used. now blue plastic bags are as much as a feature of landscape as the bunkers, clogging rivers and getting caught in trees;
albania is quickly turning into an environmental disaster zone, with little hope for improvement in sight;
the streets are badly lit and full of potholes, so mind your step and arm yourself with a pocket torch at night;
getting out of tirana can be extremely confusing, as much for locals as anybody else;
today nobody who can afford other types of transport takes the train. the reason will be obvious once you board: the decrepit carriages typically have broken windows, no toilets and are agonisingly slow;
the most serious risk to safety is on the roads - most people have been driving for less than 10 years, and this inexperience, combined with the terrible state of roads a typical balkan disregard for traffic laws, make for a high accident rate;
only the largest hotels and travel agencies accept credit cards.
(c) lonely planet

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