Montenegro (Kotor - August 9 to August 11 / Petrovac - August 11 to Aug 13)
KOTOR
The bus to Kotor snaked along the narrow roads along the perimeter of the massive fjord in Montenegro, passing small villages, island castles, and city churches. As I was calmly enjoying the scenery, I decided to clean out my pockets and realized that I did not have my bank card or credit card in there as usual. My calmness flashed to sudden anxiety, assuming that I left these critical life-saving pieces of plastic in Scott and Daniella's car. I immediately scorned myself for not checking closer before departing, but realized that I couldn't do much until I got off the bus. Since I had only about 25 euro left in cash, I began to scout places where I could sleep for free in abandoned buildings until I could arrange for money. The sky was clear, the temperature was warm, and I was positive I could survive for a few days before desperation set in. Arriving in Kotor, I completely unpacked my backpack to find my plastic comfortably nestled in the front pocket of my jeans! So much for adventure...
With a relieved sense of urgency for money, I made my way to Kotor's old town in search of proper accommodation. I passed the small harbor adjacent the front gates that contained many multi-million dollar yachts guarded by logo-crested-golf-shirt-wearing sentries. I immediately ran into two Korean girls I had met in Sarajevo who barely recognized me... I had been going without shaving for several weeks, but had grabbed a fresh shave since I saw them last. I joined them and a friend of theirs for dinner (pizza, of course) sitting out by the fjord listening to live acoustic music. Distant flashes of far off lightning began to illuminate the hills as we made our way to one of the many outdoor pubs for the evening.
Very shortly, the lightning increased its frequency and the thunder boomed throughout the valley. A torrential downpour quickly filled the limestone streets with several inches of water and the power was knocked out while we were trapped under the cover of a massive pub umbrella. Only during the lightning could we see flashes of each other and the nearby churches while drinking beers and listening to some local girls sing traditional song. Apparently this happens with such intensity once per year (the rain, not the traditional songs), and I was lucky enough to enjoy it!
PETROVAC
I left Kotor for a random town in Montenegro (Petrovac) based upon a few random recommendations. I found accommodation and relaxed on the beaches for a few days to work on my tan and update my blog. The tan happened, but the blog did not... That evening I randomly stumbled upon some of the girls that worked for the people that rented me the apartment, so I joined them in the town at a cafe to watch the tourists stroll by. A few days of sun, and it was time to make my way to Tirana, Albania. In this part of the world it is mandatory to register with the police when staying in the country... I was not registered with the police for my whole stay in Montenegro, and hoped that the border patrol would not care (they didn't)!
A sequence of lucky bus connections led me straight to Tirana, Albania in good time. A few minutes later in almost every case would have left me in some desperate little town for an evening against my will!
KOTOR
The bus to Kotor snaked along the narrow roads along the perimeter of the massive fjord in Montenegro, passing small villages, island castles, and city churches. As I was calmly enjoying the scenery, I decided to clean out my pockets and realized that I did not have my bank card or credit card in there as usual. My calmness flashed to sudden anxiety, assuming that I left these critical life-saving pieces of plastic in Scott and Daniella's car. I immediately scorned myself for not checking closer before departing, but realized that I couldn't do much until I got off the bus. Since I had only about 25 euro left in cash, I began to scout places where I could sleep for free in abandoned buildings until I could arrange for money. The sky was clear, the temperature was warm, and I was positive I could survive for a few days before desperation set in. Arriving in Kotor, I completely unpacked my backpack to find my plastic comfortably nestled in the front pocket of my jeans! So much for adventure...
With a relieved sense of urgency for money, I made my way to Kotor's old town in search of proper accommodation. I passed the small harbor adjacent the front gates that contained many multi-million dollar yachts guarded by logo-crested-golf-shirt-wearing sentries. I immediately ran into two Korean girls I had met in Sarajevo who barely recognized me... I had been going without shaving for several weeks, but had grabbed a fresh shave since I saw them last. I joined them and a friend of theirs for dinner (pizza, of course) sitting out by the fjord listening to live acoustic music. Distant flashes of far off lightning began to illuminate the hills as we made our way to one of the many outdoor pubs for the evening.
Very shortly, the lightning increased its frequency and the thunder boomed throughout the valley. A torrential downpour quickly filled the limestone streets with several inches of water and the power was knocked out while we were trapped under the cover of a massive pub umbrella. Only during the lightning could we see flashes of each other and the nearby churches while drinking beers and listening to some local girls sing traditional song. Apparently this happens with such intensity once per year (the rain, not the traditional songs), and I was lucky enough to enjoy it!
PETROVAC
I left Kotor for a random town in Montenegro (Petrovac) based upon a few random recommendations. I found accommodation and relaxed on the beaches for a few days to work on my tan and update my blog. The tan happened, but the blog did not... That evening I randomly stumbled upon some of the girls that worked for the people that rented me the apartment, so I joined them in the town at a cafe to watch the tourists stroll by. A few days of sun, and it was time to make my way to Tirana, Albania. In this part of the world it is mandatory to register with the police when staying in the country... I was not registered with the police for my whole stay in Montenegro, and hoped that the border patrol would not care (they didn't)!
A sequence of lucky bus connections led me straight to Tirana, Albania in good time. A few minutes later in almost every case would have left me in some desperate little town for an evening against my will!
Church in one of the old town squares.
My Kotor companions! Minja & Sujin.
The walkway outside of Kotor's old town, with the fortress and walls illuminated in the hills above.
Beaches in Petrovac.
A few cheeky tourists along the boardwalk!
2 comments:
I can't wait to see the rest of the pictures and hear more in depth accounting of your adventures!!!!
Take care....
Kristina
Rob,
Cool blog. It was interesting to read about your perspective and experiences in Sarajevo and compare with my own. Glad our paths crossed in Sarajevo and look forward to hearing about more of your recent trips. Safe travels!!
Steph from Seattle
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