Changes

Okay, so the last time I spoke with you I was getting ready to leave Croatia and head into Montenegro for 3 days. Well, as I guess can be expected, my plans changed. Jaime and I had an exhausting day in Dubrovnik: we ended up taking the car rental back to the airport a day early because we didn't want to pay to park a car we weren't using. Then we went to the beach for a bit before we packed our bags. We found a vegetarian restaurant that we wanted to eat at and it was amazing - the best meal of the trip. I had spring rolls and falafel (falafel, salad and naan bread with hummus). It was then that we decided we wanted to spend an extra day in Dubrovnik so that we could get two more meals in at Nishta. So our evening was spent making arrangements to stay an extra night. And we managed it which made us happy. We celebrated with drinks at our favourite bar.

So the next morning, we had to move to a different sobe but once we did, we headed to our smoothie bar for breakfast where we met a fun American girl. We spent a few hours just talking and relaxing before we made it to Nishta for meal #2 - green potato (baked potato with vegetables and sour cream). Delish! At this point, the thought of paying money to walk along the walls just didn't appeal to us so we decided to shop instead. I bought some jewellery and a beautiful white leather bag. It made both of us feel better. Then it was time for meal #3 at Nishta - this time joined by Angie. I had nachos con queso and tomatillos which is a vegetarian burrito. The nachos were my favourite. It was a great few days of healthy and quality food. So, I didn't do everything that I had originally planned to do in Dubrovnik but I was happy anyways.

We left early the next morning for our trip into Montenegro. The bus was late, it was packed and our driver was crazy (driving like a lunatic) and I was so nervous when they took my passport at the border and was the last to get it back! And Montenegro, well, we definately are not in Croatia anymore. You can still see the scars from war and the development has been slow. And it is probably the dirtiest country I have been to. First reaction: why did we come here? We are stazing in Kotor which is touted as the jewel in the coast's crown. Well, it is a dirty and boring jewel. In 10 minutes, we were ready to leave. The hostel appears to be good but is the smelliest and the worst bathroom I have seen in a while. And remember, I am the girl that loves hostels. Jaime and I also were disappointed because we had wanted to go paragliding or at least kayaking. Well, the travel agency said no. So what were we going to do? We ate and drank for 5.5 hours at a great restaurant in a garden (outside of Kotor) and we were able to escape for a bit and relax. It just feels like a disappointment and I regret leaving this to the end.

This morning, to escape the furnace that is our room (and the pee smelling bathroom) we started our hike up the fortress walls of Kotor. It was great to get out early before it gets hotter and the views were beautiful. A great thing to do as our last activity before I return home. Now, I'm getting ready to go to Podgorica, the capital. I fly out tomorrow for an overnight in Vienna. In two days, I'll be home! I am looking forward to coming home so that I can feel clean (for once) and not sweat so much. This region is currently in a heat wave and I have been melting - sweating non stop. It's also exhausting to do anything in this kind of heat.

So, I'll chat with you once I am home. Talk to you later,

Lisa