Re: Bus Durrës-Prizren - any recommendation?

[Arianit Dobroshi]

They are more or less the same.




On Mon, 11 Jul 2022, 09:13 Martin,  wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I'll take a bus from Durrës, Albania, to Prizren on Saturday.
> Is there anything to recommend or to avoid?
>
> TIA!
>
>

Albanian phrasebook

[Arianit Dobroshi]

For those of you willing to practice some Albanian, the dominant language
in Kosovo, here is the phrasebook:

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Albanian_phrasebook

This is standard Albanian, and Gheg spoken in Kosovo will vary some.

We will print selected words on your badge.

Regards,
Arianit

Re: [DebConf22] About Data SIM Card

[Arianit Dobroshi]

Hi Roger,

"*Common EU SIM card (like "Three" from UK) cannot be used in Kosovo by
roaming.*"

This is not correct. We use the same SIM cards and there are roaming
agreements with plenty of European carriers. It looks kinda expensive for
UK carriers to roam in Kosovo though.

For a few euros you can buy a local card with VALA or IPKO at the airport,
downtown of any town and probably at ITP campus as well.

Arianit





On Mon, Jun 13, 2022 at 6:22 PM Roger Shimizu 
wrote:

> Dear Debconf list,
>
> To prepare for the upcoming trip, I want to know the status for data
> SIM for Kosovo.
> The following is what I got to know from a few sites. Hope local
> people can double check.
> Thank you!
>
> Common EU SIM card (like "Three" from UK) cannot be used in Kosovo by
> roaming.
> So we need to purchase a local SIM card, to get connected out of DebConf
> venue.
>
> Local Carrier: Vala or IPKO
> UMTS (3G): Band 8: 900MHz (for both carriers), and maybe also Band 1:
> 2.1GHz for IPKO
> LTE (4G FDD): Band 3: 1.8GHz
> Place to buy prepaid SIM: airport shop or .. (better to have more
> detail info from local team)
> Plans: [site to refer]
> https://prepaid-data-sim-card.fandom.com/wiki/Kosovo
>
> Cheers,
> --
> Roger Shimizu, GMT +9 Tokyo
> PGP/GPG: 4096R/6C6ACD6417B3ACB1
>
>

Prizren Travel Guide

[Arianit Dobroshi]

You might find this travel guide article useful
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Prizren

Also available for Prishtina and other places.

Let us know if you find something missing and of course feel free to
contribute.

We had a question, walking about at night is safe and the streets during
summer are quite lively.

Arianit

Re: Taxi vs. car rental

[Arianit Dobroshi]

 Hi Andrew,

To add to Enkelena.

Driving and parking spots in the Balkans and especially in Prizren can be
hectic in July. I have driven in the US, and Kosovo and especially Prizren
is much more challenging.

ITP is at the edge of town and access to the highway is relatively easy.
But Prizren streets are largely one way and busy, meaning walking is often
easier than driving around town.

At least for towns, we recommend using public transportation or taxis
whenever possible or just walking. Taxis in Prizren are plentiful and
should take you anywhere in town for 2-3 EUR.

You may consider a car rental if you are planning to do intercity travel on
your own.

Regards,

Arianit



On Thu, Jun 9, 2022 at 9:51 AM Enkelena Haxhiu  wrote:

> Hi Andrew,
>
> In my personal opinion, you would not want to drive a car here :) I
> have never been to the US and I do not know how people drive there but
> here they do not drive very well, compared to what I've seen in the EU
> countries, considering also the opinion of my EU friends who drove
> here. So avoid driving yourself in the city.
> But no, drivers are not angry, and we do not have sheep in the city.
>
> I suggest you take a taxi everywhere, or the bus. For that you will
> need to either call them on the phone or take them from the city
> center, you'll see many taxis waiting for costumers.
> We will be making a list very soon with taxis in Prizren and their
> phone numbers and share that here and in the website.
>
> Here is the map of the urban buses in Prizren:
>
> https://www.ecmandryshe.org/repository/images/main/Transporti_Urban_Final.jpg
>
> Let me know if you have any questions.
>
> Regards,
> Enkelena
>
> On Wed, Jun 8, 2022 at 11:48 PM Andrew McDaniel 
> wrote:
> >
> >
> > I have a fairly late arrival in PRN (19:00) and early departure
> afterwards (09:00). My Hotel is also in central Prinzen, which Google Maps
> estimates at a 30 minute walk to and from the conference venue each day.
> >
> > I saw the info that taxi's from the airport are pretty easy to obtain,
> but relatively little info about transportation to the venue or within
> Prizren, as well as how easy it would be to get a return airport transfer
> to PRN early in the morning (assuming I need to be at the airport 2 hours
> before departure, I will need to leave Prizren around 06:00). So, I am
> wondering if there is more info somewhere (or general opinions from locals)
> about renting a car vs. just using taxis (or local buses?) the whole time.
> It's actually relatively difficult to find information online (at least in
> English language) about car rentals and driving around Kosovo for
> foreigners. Most of the results either seem like low-info content mills, or
> warn me that I will instantly die falling off a decrepit mountain road
> filled with sheep and angry Balkan drivers. Similarly, other than the taxi
> information for leaving the airport, I couldn't find much info of the cost
> and speed of booking taxi's for local travel once I get to Prizren.
> >
> > I have a US drivers license and IDP, and it appears I can book a car at
> PRN for a reasonable daily cost on a corporate rate, with insurance
> included. I'm comfortable driving in city and highway traffic, at least on
> US roads.  I'm mostly looking for input which option would be easiest for
> the week for travelling to and from the airport and conference venue each
> day.
>
>

Re: What are the days off in Albania and Kosovo?

[Arianit Dobroshi]

Hi Ravi,

It's similar.

On Thu, Jun 2, 2022 at 6:39 PM Ravi Dwivedi  wrote:

> On 02/06/22 21:57, Arianit Dobroshi wrote:
>  > For government offices, Saturday and Sunday are off.
>  >
>  > There are no government rules for the private sector.
>  >
>  > Bank branches that work on Saturdays have short hours.
>  >
>  > Large supermarkets work extended hours M-Sun.
>  >
>  > Small shops remain open on Sat, and some on Sun as well. M-F they
> stay open
>  > until 19:00 or so.
>
> Thanks a lot Arianit. I guess you are mentioning for Kosovo. Is this
> same for Albania too?
> --
> Ravi Dwivedi
> Personal website https://ravidwivedi.in/
> Member, Prav App project https://prav.app
>

Re: What are the days off in Albania and Kosovo?

[Arianit Dobroshi]

For government offices, Saturday and Sunday are off.

There are no government rules for the private sector.

Bank branches that work on Saturdays have short hours.

Large supermarkets work extended hours M-Sun.

Small shops remain open on Sat, and some on Sun as well. M-F they stay open
until 19:00 or so.



On Thu, Jun 2, 2022 at 4:34 PM Ravi Dwivedi  wrote:

> On 02/06/22 17:58, Arianit Dobroshi wrote:
>  > Here they are
>  >
>  > https://publicholidays.eu/kosovo/2022-dates/
>  > https://publicholidays.eu/albania/2022-dates/
>
> In addition, which week days are off for work?
>
> For example, India has Sunday off every week in government offices with
> Saturday off at many private workplaces. Second Saturday of the month is
> also a day off for work in government offices. So, this means, in India,
> embassies and banks are closed on Sunday. Banks are closed on second and
> fourth Saturdays of the month as well.
>
> --
> Ravi Dwivedi
> Personal website https://ravidwivedi.in/
> Member, Prav App project https://prav.app
>

Re: What are the days off in Albania and Kosovo?

[Arianit Dobroshi]

Here they are

https://publicholidays.eu/kosovo/2022-dates/
https://publicholidays.eu/albania/2022-dates/


On Thu, Jun 2, 2022 at 2:08 PM Ravi Dwivedi  wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I would like to know what days of week are off(holidays) in Albania and
> in Kosovo?
>
> Thanks!
>
> --
> Ravi Dwivedi
> Personal website https://ravidwivedi.in/
> Member, Prav App project https://prav.app
>
>

Re: Travel from Prishtina International Airport late night

[Arianit Dobroshi]

Right, and taxis are available 24/7
http://www.limakkosovo.aero/taxi-services

On Thu, Jun 2, 2022 at 8:40 AM Paul Gevers  wrote:

> Hi,
>
> On 01-06-2022 22:11, Thomas Lange wrote:
> > I may be arriving at 23:45 at Prishtina International Airport and like
> > to know how to get then to the venue. How much costs a taxi or will
> > the bus also be available that late?
>
> Although I didn't verify, I'm counting on the DebConf web-site being
> correct. Bottom of [1] says "Taxi from Prishtina International Airport
> to Prizren costs 50 Euro.". The last bus I found was around 20:00 IIRC.
>
> Paul
>
> [1] https://debconf22.debconf.org/about/venue/
>

Re: Facilitated visa application process for Kosovo

[Arianit Dobroshi]

Hi Ajayi,

This option is meant for countries that can't send their passports by mail.
It is dependent on the entry rules of the country where the Kosovo
consulate processing visas is located.

Please check the entry rules for citizens of your country to Turkey or
Albania.

Arianit
Debconf22 visa team


On Thu, Apr 28, 2022 at 7:48 PM ajayi olatunji 
wrote:

> Hi,
>
> Thank you for this information.
>
> Please, are there any provisions of such for Nigerians and other African
> countries?
>
> On Thu, 28 Apr 2022, 6:14 pm Paulo Henrique de Lima Santana, <
> p...@debian.org> wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>>
>> >From Debconf22 visa team:
>>
>> For those that are legally unable to send their passports by mail to a
>> Kosovo
>> consulate outside their country, physical presence at certain Kosovo
>> consulates
>> to receive the visa is necessary.
>>
>> We understand that physical walk-in twice in one of our consulates
>> processing
>> visas is a burden, therefore we have a slightly more convenient option.
>>
>> In this case, once your visa is approved through the remote application,
>> visa
>> stamping will be on walk in.
>>
>> Starting on April 20th, neighboring Albania allows visa free entrance for
>> citizens of India (also Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and Thailand).
>>
>> Considering this, we suggest that citizens of countries listed above fly
>> into
>> Tirana International Airport and have the Kosovo visa stamped at the
>> Kosovo
>> Embassy in Tirana, instead of doing the same in Istanbul.
>>
>> If you pick the Tirana option, by May 1st please update us of your choice
>> in
>> follow up to your earlier email to us, or when you initially email us the
>> copy
>> of your passport as advised previously.
>>
>> Read the visa procedure page on the website:
>> https://debconf22.debconf.org/about/visas/
>>
>> Thank you,
>>
>> --
>> Paulo Henrique de Lima Santana (phls)
>> Belo Horizonte - Brasil
>> Debian Developer
>> Diretor do Instituto para Conservação de Tecnologias Livres
>> Site: http://phls.com.br
>> GNU/Linux user: 228719  GPG ID: 0443C450
>>
>

Re: Facilitated visa application process for Kosovo

[Arianit Dobroshi]

Hello,

For those that are legally unable to send their passports by mail to a
Kosovo consulate outside their country, physical presence at certain Kosovo
consulates to receive the visa is necessary.

We understand that physical walk-in twice in one of our consulates
processing visas is a burden, therefore we have a slightly more convenient
option.

In this case, once your visa is approved through the remote application,
visa stamping will be on walk in.

Starting on April 20th, neighboring Albania allows visa free entrance for
citizens of India (also Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and Thailand).

Considering this, we suggest that citizens of countries listed above fly
into Tirana International Airport and have the Kosovo visa stamped at the
Kosovo Embassy in Tirana, instead of doing the same in Istanbul.

If you pick the Tirana option, by May 1st please update us of your choice
in follow up to your earlier email to us, or when you initially email us
the copy of your passport as advised previously.

Read the visa procedure page on the website:
https://debconf22.debconf.org/about/visas/

Thank you,
Debconf22 visa team


On Wed, Apr 6, 2022 at 3:55 PM Arianit Dobroshi 
wrote:

> Hello,
>
> Arianit from the DebConf22 local team here.
>
> If you need a visa to enter Kosovo, and want local organizer FLOSSK to
> facilitate this process, please email v...@debconf.org with a copy of
> your passport, latest by May 1. Do this even if you're not completely sure
> you will be applying.
>
> Following the distance application approval in Kosovo, FLOSSK will provide
> you with an invitation letter, which you may use when applying for the visa
> to one of the 2 consulates available.
>
> Note that you will need to send your passport via post either in New York
> or Istanbul to get your visa stamped, so please also tell us which
> consulate you will be applying to.
>
> Please refer to the visa page https://debconf22.debconf.org/about/visas/
> for the complete process and required documents.
>
> We’re here if you have any questions.
>
> Kind regards,
> Debconf22 visa team
>

Re: Traveling to Prizren by car

[Arianit Dobroshi]

Hi Damyan,

Answers below.

On Wed, Apr 20, 2022 at 10:18 PM Damyan Ivanov  wrote:

> (I have sent a similar question on IRC, but the machine where the IRC
> client was running experienced a series of power failures so I may
> have missed a reply. Sorry if this comes to you twice)
>
> I consider coming to Prizren by car, via Northern Macedonia.
>
> The problem is, I have no idea what to expect, so I have questions :)
>
> I know I have to buy a Liability Insurance at the border. Should
> I expect to find one at the Bardovci/Elez Han border? What signs
> should I look for?
>

There are kiosks at the border crossing selling insurance. You can't miss
them. Have euros in cash available. It's a quick procedure.


>
> Is there a suitable parking place around the venue, preferably
> a guarded and/or locked one?
>

Yes, plenty. The venue is enclosed and guarded.


>
> For the route from Skopje to Prizren, OSM suggests a route via Strpce
> (90km distance). Would you recommend that too or should I use the
> highways via Pristine (160km)?
>

Route via Strpce is through a national park so mountainous. If you like
mountains in July, take it. The highways are modern and easier to drive if
you are tired by that point.


>
> One question that is not related to transportation, but I can't find
> the answer on the web site. Is it generally OK to pay via credit/debit
> card? Are cards broadly accepted or should I prepare enough cash?
>
> Large entities like supermarkets and gas stations take cards. Small cafes
and most family entities don't. ATMs are fairly available. Have enough cash
ready for any emergencies (~100 EUR).

 Any other general hints?

> Thanks!
>

Good questions. Feel free to send any others you might have. We will
integrate this information into the website.


> -- dam
>
>
See you in Kosovo,
Arianit

DebConf22 Touristic Guide

[Arianit Dobroshi]

Hello DebConf22 attendees,


If some of you would like to do some tourism before or following the
conference, we highly recommend it as the region is the most affordable
part of Europe with amazing beaches and mountains. Below is some advice,
and we will be happy to help you out with other questions you may have.


The Balkan countries, also known as the Balkan Peninsula, occupy a rather
large part of Southeastern Europe. This area is considered an undiscovered
part of Europe as it is much less visited than other parts of Europe.


Kosovo is surrounded by steep mountains and is easily accessible in many
ways while being one of the most affordable European holiday locations.
Hiking routes like the Via Dinarica
 and Peaks of the Balkans
 bring a lot of visitors to Kosovo who
spend their time exploring these previously untapped possibilities.


More than 50% of Kosovo’s territory is covered by forests and mountains,
thus offering amazing hiking trails. Since Kosovo is quite a small country,
one might easily have access to these spots. Visitors can enjoy hiking in
Kosovo over the jagged Sharri, Pashtrik, and the Accursed Mountains
, ski pristine and less-trodden
slopes in Brezovica,  appreciate
the well-preserved Ottoman architecture of Prizren
, sample raki or homemade
wine around Rahovec , visit a
traditional stone kulla in Junik or Drenoc, dive into the coffee-drinking
culture in one of Prishtina ’s
many wonderful cafés, or explore both Islam and Orthodox Christianity at
beautiful monasteries and mosques (sometimes found side by side) around
Kosovo. July and August is when the Kosovo diaspora arrives so the roads
and tourist spots might get more crowded during and following the
conference.


In addition to the beauties of Kosovo, DebConf participants can spend time
in Albania and North Macedonia which are bus rides away (their capitals
Tirana and Skopje are 3 hrs and 2 hrs away from Prizren respectively).
Immediately across the border from Prizren, one of Albania’s best, Valbona
National Park  is
available. From there, you may choose to take the ferry on the Drini river
canyon or hike to Theth which is another Albanian treasure. From the Koman
ferry landing or Theth, you can reach the city of Shkodra on the Shkodra
Lake and the beaches of Northern Albania and southern Montenegro on the
Adriatic coastline.


Albania is known for its Riviera which attracts hundreds of thousands of
tourists every summer, though still with many undeveloped beaches,
especially on the Southern Coast on the Ionian Sea. This is a place for
tourists to immerse in turquoise waters, hike in Llogara National Park
, and camp alongside
the beach in the dozen campsites in Dhërmi
 and Jal. Further to the
southeast and inland, you can also take some time to visit the well-known
cities of Gjirokastër ,
the City of Stone, and the City of Serenades, Korça
. Additionally, you can
also visit the city of Berat, the city of Ohrid in North Macedonia, as well
as Dubrovnik in Croatia, which are protected by UNESCO.


Travelers choose to visit Balkan countries because of their low-budget
deluxe treatment. These countries are way cheaper than the rest of Europe,
for example, Bosnia and Herzegovina has the cheapest alcoholic beverages
and North Macedonia has the cheapest food and non-alcoholic beverages in
Europe.


As a place full of lively cafés and wide-ranging restaurants, a thriving
outdoor adventure scene, the warmest locals you can imagine, and some of
the cheapest prices across a vast region, Kosovo and its neighboring
countries deserve the attention not only of the intrepid but of anyone
looking to avoid the regular tourist traps.

Let us know if you have any questions.


See you in Kosovo,

Arianit

FLOSSK

Facilitated visa application process for Kosovo

[Arianit Dobroshi]

Hello,

Arianit from the DebConf22 local team here.

If you need a visa to enter Kosovo, and want local organizer FLOSSK to
facilitate this process, please email v...@debconf.org with a copy of your
passport, latest by May 1. Do this even if you're not completely sure you
will be applying.

Following the distance application approval in Kosovo, FLOSSK will provide
you with an invitation letter, which you may use when applying for the visa
to one of the 2 consulates available.

Note that you will need to send your passport via post either in New York
or Istanbul to get your visa stamped, so please also tell us which
consulate you will be applying to.

Please refer to the visa page https://debconf22.debconf.org/about/visas/
for the complete process and required documents.

We’re here if you have any questions.

Kind regards,
Debconf22 visa team