Jumping Around
Trip Start
May 08, 2006
1
52
108
Trip End
Mar 07, 2007
Kotor,
Serbia and Montenegro
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Firstly why is the Serbia and Montenegro team all black apart from one guy? There is not one african guy here!
Montenegro is as of a few weeks ago seperate from Serbia. To continue from Mostar, I got the bus to Kotor in Montenegro. Ended up sitting next to a british lady and her bf was behind me. She (Jessica) was a teacher of disabled children and he (Steven Lowenstein) has written some best seller on interviews with famous directors like Ang le and stuff. Anway after a 2 hour bus, decided to share a place with them to get cheaper. An aussie girl called Kirsten overheard and joined. Had an expensive lunch with them in the centre of the old town. Spagethi costing 10 bucks
a. Great wall of Kotor
! Then the chaos started. They wanted a room in the old town, about 2 euros more than out of the old town. I thought should be cheaper because we were all in a group. There was one place only. It had 2 rooms, one double bed, one bunk bed room. The problem was the kitchen was blocked off, which was the only other room in this private apartment. Disturbed by the principle of the matter Steven tried to pressure for the kitchen, which also was the only place to sit. The owner blew up and so did the agency and they said go away. We went to another and ended up getting the same owner. Different apartment though, had to share with the owners and had to share a bed with Kirsten. Nothing Sus!! Really!! Steven and Jessica hated the idea of sharing with the owners, fair enough since they had only a 2 week holiday and left the next day. Apart from the first day I never saw them again. Nice people though. The whole day was wasted arguing with agency. What a cafuffle. I was prepared to take the first person at the bus stop.
Anways, the only thing i got done the first day was to go to the rundown bus station and ask the information window when the bus leaves for albania. "No English!" he says. And points to the mountain. So i try the only ticket window next to him
b. St somethings church in old town
. I say "English?" she says "yes" I say "Bus to albania?" She says firmly in a Russian firmness "No". I say "How do i get to Albania?" She just shrugged her shoulders. Great. Hung out with Kirsten first night. Second day i walked around town and headed up the mountain to the fortress. Was like the great wall of china. Not an easy hike i must say. Took me about an hour of walking up broken stairs. That includes stoping, and doing embarrasing timer photos with people watching. There was a guy on the top of the mountain with an eski, genius. Selling drinks for double what they are worth.
Then i realised no one else was around. It was jumping time. It was only me so i had to set the 10 second timer and try and jump at the right time. There were stuff ups! and there was a real good one i did at a bridge. A couple came up and just watched and laughed. And i had to pretend like i didnt want them to leave why they were up there. Too many tourists came along so i eventually didnt try anymore.
In relation to my disease. I tried to find somewhere to was my clothes. They were all closed or just about to close and not opening up for days. So i just gave up.
Made it down much quicker than up. Bumped into the Finish guys in the square. Champions these 2. So easy going. They went up a little later. I realised i had no money in my bank account and had to transfer money in. I didnt trust the computers here and i had no reception, so i went looking for a public telephone. There is only one in the whole town and it needs a phone card
c. Market
. No one sells the phone card. This is when you start to realise Montenegro isnt up there in the worlds quality countries department. There was a phone though in the post office which charged 2 euros for 10 seconds. My bank was down and said i had to use the net. So i used the net.. The end.. After having spagehti agian for dinner with kirsten, with a waitor who wrote down a phoney bill then flexed his arm and laughed. We went to use the net. There was a scotish guy who kirsten knew who was going to go to albania. He ended up not going. I was talking to him and i said "I met some Finish guys and they..." Just then the Finish guys interupted. They happened to be there too. They thought i was going to bad mouth them. Gary had a 10 000 dollar camera the size of my body that takes 3 hands to use, and it sits on a monopod that ways 10 kilos and looks like a police batten. Had a second dinner with them. Then something magical happened. We agreed on a group jump shots. Kirsten took the pics. We did a lot of jumps and his camera did a lot of pictures. I dont have the pictures yet, but the minute he sends them they are going up.
Montenegro has siestas. And most things close in the middle of the day and are open at night.
The finish guys gove me the idea to go to the capital to montenegro. As in the book it showed a road heading down to Albania. I caught the bus at 9:30 to Pordgorcia and then thats the next story.
This may be a generalisation, but the montenegrons werent that nice to me
d. Me outside old town
. I asked about 5 people to take my picture and they were so rude, ignored me, gove me evils. Only a young girl took my photo. It was about half half i guess. i think what made it was that i went back the second day to the bus station and the information guy blew up again and there was a new lady at the ticket window, who coldly said no to albania again. The montenegrons hate the albanians. And it is near impossible to get to Albanania from Montenegro. As well as this the people who ran the apartment were giving me evils as well although once the brits left i got some smiles. I dont know. But Albania is a whole different story... Probably even longer!! Kotor was beautiful... see pics.
