Podgorica to Kotor

“Nicksicko” An appropriately named (for this drinker) Montenegro beer .. too many of these and he definitely be feeling sick.

When the cruise ship brochure said “We will be visiting the Old Town of Kotor” they weren’t kidding. Watching this ship edge in it looked very much like the Captain was determined to park her on the high street.

Podgorica taxi service...Not entirely sure it appears in the top 100 names in the “Business Names for Success” manual.

The first views of the Montenegro coastline from seat 10 on the Decembar.4 bus service from Podgorica to Kotor (2.5 hours) .. I prefer their seat to mine ...

It dawned on me last night that the bus trip today would be the first bus trip I have taken over 30 mins long since I backpacked from Nepal to India in 1986 . To say I was excited at the thought would be a small exaggeration but I must admit I looked forward to it. It sure did beat cycling the route. A leisurely Montenegro “all you can eat” breakfast for 7 EUR seemed too good to pass up (cheese ham mushroom omelette, freshly squeezed OJ, cappuccino, fruit platter) and once that was done it was off to the Podgorica Main bus terminal for my 2.5 hour ride to Kotor. If nothing else the Montenegrin bus drivers run their service like the Japanese run their railways. Everything is officious, double checked, and if the bus is due to leave at 11.55 it WILL leave at 11.55 . A 90 km trip out of the valley Podgorica sits in and up over the hills to Kotor for the princely sum of 6.50 EUR. Forget trying to listen to your own music too. It was all about the bus driver and his favourite radio channel “musiko rocko”. After countless Diana Ross and Jackson5 hits we arrived at Kotor. The scenery as you make your way along the single lane (each way) “highway” is pretty spectacular. Rolling hills strewn with minimal foliage and a lot of grey rock gives way to densely forested land that plunges steeply into the sea. Once we reached the coastline it was 20 km north to Kotor passing countless billboards advertising everything from new property developments to magnesium tablets and resorts advertising New Years Eve “ All you can eat and drink “ parties. The cheapest I saw was 65 EUR and the most “expensive” 95 EUR.

Kotor is a cruise ship destination so my quick trip to the supermarket for provisions entailed swerving past countless American tourists in their bog standard white sneakers and jeans hitched too high trying to do the “math” on how old a church might be when it has 1195 inscribed on its wall.

Here for 2 full days and it promises to be fun.