Similarly, if you arrive in a far-off land and see the local constabulary and army driving Land Rovers, you can usually be reassured there is some semblance of civilisation there also, with the possible exception of Zimbabwe, in this instance. So on a recent journey to Albania, when I spotted a well looked after Land Rover Defender 90 in the Mother Theresa Airport car park, I was confident this phase of my round the world trip was going to run smoothly. By the time I arrived in the capital city, Tirana, a dusty half hour drive from the airport, I had seen dozens of Land Rovers. The whole shooting match in fact; new D90s and 110s, Range Rovers, both old and new, Series 2 Discoverys (even a Series 3 Discovery), and a couple of Freelanders. After just 30 minutes on Albania’s potholed roads, I understood why Landies were so popular. A simple drive each day from home to work would make the Pan Africa Highway look tame. While many of the Land Rovers sported diplomatic plates, or the insignia of overseas aid agencies, many appeared to be privately owned. It is interesting to note that private ownership of motor vehicles has only been allowed in Albania since 1992, when the 45-year Communist dictatorship came to an end. The fact that Albanians have only been driving for slightly more than a decade becomes obvious when you venture onto their roads. Local enquiries failed to reveal how the Land Rovers arrived in the country, as there is apparently no Land Rover agent in Albania. An acquaintance told me he believed many of the Land Rovers in Albania were fitted with Alfa Romeo motors, suggesting they may have been imported from Italy. Perhaps readers may know more details? I saw a very tidy Albanian Army Defender 130 ambulance parked outside a Tirana café. While a friend went inside to ask the soldiers’ permission to photograph it, I snapped off a few quick pictures. Rather fortunate in fact, as the soldiers came out saying, “No photos, no photos”. I suspect it was the only English they knew. I was left wondering if there was something top secret about this particular Land Rover ambulance, or just a carryover of the paranoia that gripped the country during the Communist dictatorship. Away from the capital Tirana Land Rovers became less common. At the Albanian port city of Durres, again under Italian Army occupation for the second time in 68 years, the only Land Rovers I saw were two soft top Defender D90s, both belonging to the Italian Army. Further down the coast at Vlore, a popular beach resort, I spotted a number of older Range Rovers, in various conditions. Some had been well looked after, others were in yards beside the road, being offered for sale for parts. Parked on the beachfront at Vlore was an Albanian Navy Defender 110. It was configured with centre seating in the rear, with the spare tyre mounted on the right hand side of the cabin roof. As there appeared to be no one about in uniform I snapped away a few pictures. Readers who like a holiday with a difference may well consider a quick stopover in Albania, as yet unspoiled by tacky fast food outlets. A place where donkey carts share the roads with the latest Range Rovers and BMWs. The people are friendly and the girls beautiful. In fact it was three days before I actually saw an ugly woman in Albania, and she turned out to be an American aid worker anyway!