Post #16 - Montenegro

Montenegro was everything I loved about Croatia minus the hordes of tourists. The first town I visited, called Tivat, was a small port town that took about 15 min to walk around. There wasn't a lot to see or do, but I spent almost 4 full days there and wasn't bored for a second.

I've stayed at some pretty incredible hostels in the last few weeks, but Hostel Anton probably tops them all. The staff is SO nice and it has such a relaxed atmosphere.
There's this gazebo:

 And this outdoor kitchen area: 

And this rooftop:

And this view from my dorm's balcony: 

And this dog:

And the cutest baby that I NEVER heard cry:

I took an overnight bus from Belgrade to Tivat, which went by surprisingly fast, probably thanks to the several episodes of Suits and Cougartown that eventually lulled me to sleep. I arrived at the hostel at around 9:30 am, several hours before check-in, but they immediately let me come in and drop off my bag in the dorm, then offered me some breakfast. Alex, one of the staff, showed me around and asked if I had any questions. I wanted to know how to get to the beach and he told me his shift was over in an hour and invited me to join him and his friends there. Since I've mostly been spending time with other travellers, it was really fun to hang out with some locals for a change.

                                             My tan helps me blend in with the Montenegrans.

One evening at the hostel there was a local band that played a bunch of 70s rock covers. It was a ton of fun and they were really good!

I finally had to invest in some mosquito repellant though, because with the windows open at night, my arms and legs were getting eaten alive. Speaking of eating, I didn’t try anything specifically Montenegran (except for the beer, called Nikšićko) but I did eat a freshly picked fig, which I’ve never tried before. It has a strange texture and is very sweet, but they’re super tasty.

I wanted to check out another town in Montenegro before moving on to Albania, so after spending 3 nights in Tivat, I took a half hour bus ride to Kotor, another coastal town. I think I made a good choice because it was stunning. The old town is surrounded by a big wall and is right next to a steep mountain with (what else) a fortress on top. On the other side of the walled-in town is a port with some of the fanciest yachts I've ever seen:

I had only planned on spending one night there before starting my super complicated journey to Albania that started with the first of 5 buses leaving Kotor at 7:38 am, but when I woke up that morning, before leaving I had planned on double checking some bus timetables and writing down the address and directions to my hostel in Berat. I soon discovered that the reception area/common room was locked until 9 am, and that was the only place I could get wifi. I felt way too unprepared to venture into unknown territories without enough info, so I decided to stay in Kotor one more day and try again the next morning. More about my eventful entrance into Albania next post :)