Drive to Kotor

As promised we were picked up right on time by Ramsey’s son, Ceno, and had a far less stressful drive to Kotor than we had on the bus to Ulcinj. The roads are very windy but as we were going a reasonable non death-defying speed no one felt unwell or fearful. Good start. Ceno speaks pretty decent English and Andre was in the front seat so we got a bit of info on the area including some details on the local mafias. Later on I did some reading about the growing gang violence in Montenegro. In Kotor there are clashes between the Skaljari and Kavac clans. It is speculated that this feud may have started over a shipment of at least 200kg of South American cocaine that disappeared in the Spanish city of Valencia in late 2014.

It sounded like pretty run of the mill stuff as far as mafia/gang things go, and didn’t seem to be anything to get overly concerned about as a tourist. One article on theguardian.com actually sounded like something out of a Bond movie. Cue the music in your head.

For years, Montenegro has been riven by gang violence linked to lucrative drugs and cigarette smuggling routes. Usually the killings take place away from the tourist hotspots, but not always. In 2015 an alleged criminal boss was shot dead on the waterfront promenade in Budva, a coastal town popular with tourists. He was killed by a sniper, who shot him from one of the towers of the old town and made a getaway by speedboat.

During our drive we also got chatting about the difference between the traditional multi-generational housing there versus typical Canadian single family dwellings. I have really come to appreciate this part of the culture and I would 100 percent live with my family. They are awesome! Our driver told us that he would never want to live apart from his family like we do in Canada because life is too short. It made me think about how lucky I am to feel that I could happily live with my family or my in-laws, and thought about many of my friends who would likely join the witness protection program and flee the country if told they had to reside in the same building as their parents and siblings. I wonder what the odds are that I can convince my parents to buy into a home with Andre and I when we get back?

Cats of Kotor

There were a lot of cats in Ulcinj and just as many in Kotor. It’s actually a bit of a theme as you walk through Old Town. Of course with many cats comes cat fights. On the first evening as we were all sitting in the living room we heard a massive scrap start up. I have never in my life seen two grown men move that fast to watch a cat fight that involved actual cats. You would have thought they had money on it.

Soon after we arrived we took a quick tour around to suss the place out and when we arrived home we found a tiny tortoise strolling down the driveway. I obviously lost my mind and sat down near him to enjoy this exciting safari experience. As I watched him slowly move around I spotted a cat slinking up out of the corner of my eye. I hissed at it and although I love cats I was prepared to defend the tortoise. In retrospect the little guy clearly would have been fine on his own in his protective shell while I likely would have come out defeated with wigs and leaves sticking out of my ratty hair and scratches all over my body. The cat ended up just investigating him briefly before Joeleen came out and accidentally scared it off. Dammit Joeleen. I was hoping for some footage to send to Animal Planet, but alas.

Old Town is cool, but again this is a place that is over-touristed with cruise ships flooding the small place and its narrow streets are crammed with people who are seriously unaware of where their bodies are in space… or just don’t care. Over the last 3 months I have developed a very strong distaste for cruise ships. While I understand the desire for this type of travel for a certain demographic, I will openly admit that I have become a real dick when it comes to, as I now refer to them, “boat people”. I feel that legit “boat people” should always be welcome, but these particular “boat people” should be turned away upon arrival.

Don’t Believe the Internet

Okay, so I love to Google everything. I love the truth machine and would feel utterly lost without it. However, when we were looking at places to visit in Montenegro almost everything we read said that there were no beaches in Kotor. Well guess what? There are beaches in Kotor. No, they are not huge stretches of golden sand, but there are enough little spaces that you can lay out your towel, sun bake and have a swim. Had we known there were decent places to lay out we likely would have booked a few more days here, but maybe it was for the best as I have become too testy around the hoards of “boat people”.

I take it back, believe the internet. Sometimes. We read some excellent reviews for a restaurant called Marenda Grill House. We only had one night with our friends in Kotor before they left for Dubrovnik to fly home so we were hoping that this place would offer up something special.

Morgan had been searching for a good steak since chewing on a “leather jacket” disguised as a steak in Hvar. This place offered up a lot of options for meat, including a ram steak. After our waiter, Uros, explained that ram steak was just the name of the cut and was not actual meat from a ram Morgan decided to take the gamble. He was rewarded. Andre had serious food envy and we ended up back at the restaurant the following evening so that he could also enjoy a steak (filet mignon). All of the food was excellent and the servings were huge! I loved our waiter! He was a super friendly guy and took time to answer all of our questions and chat. He also ended almost every sentence with “You understand?”, and most of the time we did. Although I clearly didn’t understand what the deal was with the potato soup because when it arrived it was tomato soup. I had asked him if it was just potatoes or if there was any bacon or chives (like a cream of potato) and he had said that it was just potato only. The tomato soup was wonderful!

Rakija

So, since arriving in Montenegro we have discovered that after meals most places give you a shot of Rakija. It is considered to be а national drink and is said to destroy bacteria, relieve you of stomach and muscle pain, annihilate viruses and disinfect wounds. I don’t know what the percentage of alcohol is but is smells and tastes like about 80%. Most families make their own. While I love free alcohol I had a hard time drinking this. Long gone are my days of shooting back Jack Daniels, Tequila, or Absinthe like they were Jolly Ranchers. I don’t even try to pretend that I’m that cool. Luckily the Rakija almost always comes with a dessert, so rather than sip it I would just shoot it and chase it with a bite of sweets.

Farewell Friends

As our friends packed to leave and the second day we loaded them up with items we wanted to shed. Andre sent back a full packing cube of clothes and I sent back a dress, skirt, pair of jeans, my wedges, and a pair of flip flops. Since I’ve already ditched stuff along the way I’m down to about a dozen tank tops, two sweaters, two dresses, three pairs of shorts, two pairs of light pants, one pair of jeans, a pair of leggings, one pair of Havaianas , my ballet Converse, and my Burks. I am so tired of my clothes by this point and can’t wait to get into Asia to purchase some new stuff. Having said this, when I really think about the percentage of clothes I wear regularly versus the amount that just sit in my closet back home, I’m sure I likely stick to around the same amount of stuff I have in my backpack. I probably wear the same handful of things most weeks but I like feeling that I have choices. Ah, the illusion of choice.

We spent a little time together at the beach before heading home and then walking them to their private transfer car they had arranged which would drive them directly to the airport in Dubrovnik. We were really sad to see them go. Initially it was weird to have people with us after spending months on our own and now it felt weird to not have company. Once again I would be Andre’s “only friend” as he liked to put it. He started using this phrase in situations where I didn’t want to do something that he did want to do (mostly in situations where I’m irrationally scared I’ll get injured). He would say things like, “But you’re my only friend right now, so you have to.” You can’t really argue that.

Hiking

During our two days in Kotor Andre and I did a little hike up the switchbacks of the Ladder of Kotor for some amazing views. along the way we came across a home that was selling juice and beer so we stopped for a break and a drink. The owner was a very friendly guy who quickly got into a heated monologue about his home, politics and the circumstances he was faced with in keeping his property and way of life. We got the gist of it but the details were lost on us because of his rusty English and our non existent Montenegrin.