Montenegro as a gift
Montenegro as a gift
The history of the Montenegrin trip began a month before the start of the trip, when the Brawo Airlines plane made an unsuccessful landing at the Kiev airport. Well, in fact, the landing was even very successful, since absolutely everyone survived. Here you can definitely rejoice for the strength of our aircraft, the landing gear is broken, the wings are damaged, but the cabin survived and nothing exploded. Around the same dates, the plane of another YanAir airline took off from Odessa airport and landed at the same airport 30 minutes later. There are many versions of what happened and which one is the real one is unknown, but the first crew and part of the passengers refused to fly after the plane landed. Further, it seems like the Join UP company did not receive a license for its SkyUP aircraft on time and a complete trash with the stability of flights began. Only charters fly to Montenegro from Kyiv.
I had to buy a package flight + apartments. Our package tour was from Join UP, which was supposed to be operated by YanAir. Before departure, Yanair delegated its departure rights to Brawo Airlines, which, in turn, did not fly at all after the loss of the aircraft.
This weekend, flights were scheduled for two pairs of my tourists and Dasha and I. At first, the tour operator canceled the tour to Albania for the first couple, less than a day before departure. Half a day on the nerves, but in the end we managed to make the tour operator fulfill its obligations to the tourist. The first couple left. The second couple flew away at night without flight delays, on the way back they got a free day for the trip due to the lack of an airplane. Well, the main thing is that everything was decided with the tourists, now we have to fly away ourselves. Less than a day is left before our departure and flights and airports of departure begin to change.
Twice, shortly before departure, we found out that our plane was not flying and the airport was changing again. On the third time, right before calling a taxi, we found out that the flight had been canceled completely. Fan Air, at the request of Brawo Airlines, to which Yan Air delegated our flight, will now try to deliver us. There are more and more reports in the news about tourists stuck at airports in various countries. We had to walk around Montenegro all day, and we are walking along Trekhozerka near our house.
While writing the story, another charter plane failed. This time Anda Air distinguished itself. It seems like the plane flew to Odessa and a bird got into the turbine, so it turned around, flew to Kyiv and landed abnormally due to an engine failure. Of course, I’m not an expert (I just haven’t been certified yet), but while the plane flew to Odessa, it rose clearly higher than birds fly.
Even if he caught a bird, then why didn’t he land in Odessa in an emergency. If he first caught a bird during takeoff, then why did he fly all the way to Odessa. Most likely something in the media is distorted. But my personal opinion on this matter. Tours by Join UP and TPG should be avoided. At the moment, these two companies are flying these charters. By the way, Join UP estimated the loss of one day from a 7-night tour for 600 euros as “We will compensate you 27 euros for this”.
Before going to bed, Dasha suggested starting to watch the old series “Lost”. The series began quite thematically - with a plane crash. Not the best idea was to watch it just before this trip.
In the morning before leaving, I checked the information about the departure. The difference was an hour between the data of the operator and the scoreboard at the airport. We arrived at the airport. A bunch of flights canceled and rescheduled for 6 hours or more. Except ours. The closer time passed to ours, the more flights did not take off from the airport.
We already felt how our trip was being covered and now it will be necessary to return to work so that the vacation does not burn out. But lo and behold, it was our plane that took off without any identification marks! The plane was completely white. Before takeoff, we circled the crashed Brawo Airlines plane and set off on another unforgettable journey.
It was a little scary during the flight. When the plane began its descent, there were mountains on both sides, higher than we were. The plane, as if nothing had happened, just flew between the mountains until it landed on its runway.
Upon landing in Tivat, we drove past another unsuccessfully landed aircraft. It looked like it was a private jet, its wing resting neatly on the ground. We will not know how to fly back, but the main thing is that we are already in Montenegro, let's go!
On the trip before last in China, our lens tragically died, thus depriving our trip to Georgia of colorful photos.
After long discussions with the service center, I managed to defend my rights, and we received a new working lens. So that Montenegro will be in color!
Budva
It was a sunny day, all the tourists loaded onto the bus very quickly. Within an hour we were the first to check into the hotel. We have never seen such efficiency in package tours. It was a nice sunny day outside. We hurried to the embankment to celebrate our arrival with a delicious meal. The kitchen made us happy. In Europe, we have repeatedly encountered tasteless countries, but Montenegro is a solid five!
Although no, only China, Istanbul and Vietnam can have a solid five. Montenegro will have to put a five with a minus. Dasha had a traditional Montenegrin cutlet of immense size, I have rice with seafood and cuttlefish ink.
For an aperitif we ate fish soup. The old town in Budva is like a fairy tale. Walking around the city, you can feel yourself in the distant past and feel the spirit of the Middle Ages. This is the place in Budva where you can return at any time and be happy. For example, at night, watch the full moon and stars over the sea. Our good friend GPS indicated that 900 meters from the city, the best beaches of Budva await us. And we also have swimsuits with us just) Unfortunately, a powerful cyclone was moving towards Montenegro. And maybe it will be the only sunny day on our trip. I had to get the most out of the day. The water on the beaches was a very joyful color. And the beaches themselves were located behind the caves, through which it was necessary to pass on the bridges.
At the end of the far beach, the path goes up into the forest and rocks. Dasha and I have a simple rule - if there is a path and rocks, we must definitely climb to the very top.
The water in the sea was icy. I climbed for 5 minutes, marked in the Adriatic Sea, and we hurried to the rocks. From a height, the water was even more magical in color. The ruins of the fortress were marked on the map, but maps mi strongly dissuaded us from the idea of getting there on the rocks.
A couple of times we wandered into dead ends of thickets. Once we were prevented by a steep cliff, but we still got there and the views here were even more amazing.
Right on some fjords in the distance. Then for a long time we walked along the highway towards Budva. Budva has the most picturesque bus station we have ever seen. The bus station is adjacent to the restaurant-zoo.
And it turns out that on the way to the ticket office you have to pass a clearing with bunnies, ducks and an albino peacock. Then through the arch with living plants and you are at the box office.
But today it is only an exploration of prices and directions. We went to dinner at the Kangaroo restaurant. Eating in a restaurant for two cost 12 - 18 euros including wine. If you wish, you could have a full meal for two for 8 euros. But I really wanted to try everything. All our further meals were held exclusively in this restaurant. The portions are huge, the food is delicious. Thanks to those bloggers who advised him on the Internet.
Kotor
Luckily for us, the next day a rain cyclone got stuck somewhere in the mountains. We also got clouds with blue gaps. For a long journey it is the best. Montenegro is very pleased with its distances. If you live in Budva, then the main attractions are within half an hour - an hour and a half drive. True, there are also steep canyons and lakes, where it will be problematic to get there without your own car. Kotor is a city of cats, which are in abundance there.
We started our route from a bakery, where we bought a delicious burek with meat. Cats taste like chicken. Okay, okay, I'm kidding. The meat was not cat. Anyway, I hope. But there were really a lot of cats in the city. The old city is somewhat similar to the Italian ancient cities. I was already impatient to start climbing the fortress walls, which majestically go to the tops of the mountains. But first it was necessary to walk around the ancient town. The city was so significant that even Montenegrin bigwigs came. With security and a bunch of journalists. How many streets, how many shops and cafes! Just lovely. Plus delicious ice cream. Some kind of lavender cult was also going on in the city. Lavender in bags was sold, probably, in half of the shops. So, you still need to start climbing the walls. We confidently walked past the museum, even though it was a museum dedicated to cats. At the entrance to the walls we were charged 8 euros.
For this modest commission, the Montenegrins put as much as one garbage bag at the very top. With the commissions in the country is quite interesting. At all bus stations you need to pay an additional fee of 0.5 - 1 euro to get on the bus. For this fee, you get the opportunity to go to the paid toilet for money and stand in line for the bus. The cashier girl can sell you tickets for the next bus, but if you ask about the schedule for a later route, they will give you an approximate time with a face of great favor, which then will not coincide with the actual time for half an hour. The Montenegrin guide told us what low salaries in the country are 350 euros. The main income is tourism, “but the country does not have such a high service as in other countries. ” There is also a ski resort in the country, but tourists from neighboring countries mainly come there. Personally, it’s a little strange for me, there are a lot of ways to improve the service.
We specifically calculated the shortcomings and solutions that we see:
Problem 1: Rooms are not cleaned at all, although cleaning is included in the tour price.
Solution: We can just start cleaning the rooms. Moreover, there are cleaners on the territory
Problem 2: All buses are about 7 minutes late.
Solution: Shift schedule by 7 minutes. By the way, we did not observe traffic jams
Problem 3: Only tourists come to the ski resort from neighboring countries, which just border the resort
Solution: Run at least one bus from the airports to this resort. There are no problems with the quality of the roads.
Problem 4: Low salaries.
Solution: Cities have an insane amount of paid toilets. There are a lot of them and all are paid. It seems that half of the country only works as collectors of 0.5 euros for entrances to the toilet.
If you stop sitting on a chair and collect 50 cents for a toilet, and start taking tourists for money by car to the same mountains where you can get by bus, then the profit will increase significantly.
Issue 5: Based on complaints about wages, tourism revenue doesn't seem to be that great
Solution: To learn English at least at a basic level, so that it was possible to provide services not only to Russian-speaking tourists.
Problem 6: Tourists on tours can't get back on the bus in time.
Solution: On buses, clocks are about an hour and 15 minutes behind. You can at least customize them)))
Problem 7: Poor internet in hotels during cloudy days, almost zero.
Solution: Include in the price of the tour and distribute to tourists a “gift” of a SIM card for 10 euros for 100 gigabytes of Internet, which they sell everywhere.
Here, of course, you can argue and discuss for a long time, this is just our vision of superficial problems with Dasha. The country really has a great potential for the development of tourism, mountains and beautiful beaches. It seems to me that if I worked in the Ministry of Tourism of Montenegro, I could raise the level of tourism in the country in a fairly short time.
In the meantime, we got to some really nice views of the bay. There was also a luxurious ship in the middle. Mmmm, just like in the pirate movies! The higher you go, the more beautiful the view. I think Norway will have something similar. At the very top are the ruins of a castle and a couple of tens of kilometers long road leading to the Lovcen National Park. We will get to Lovcen by a shorter road a little later. Now we will take dozens of photos with our repaired camera and begin our descent. Even the sun came out to illuminate the bay for us during the descent.
Now a small coffee break and you can go further. Coffee almost throughout the country costs a fixed one and a half euros for a cappuccino. After China, this price was generally insignificant. And not everywhere in Europe in the city center you can drink coffee in a restaurant for one and a half euros.
Now we will go to the heart of the ancient pirate haunts!
Perast
The road to the city was along the bay and the views here continued to please the eye. Just taking the shuttle bus is already a big attraction. The mountains above the sea were so mesmerizing that we completely passed our stop and are already going not to Perast at all. The bus driver offered to stay and wait for us to go back. But, let's not be upset that our route will be replenished with another authentic town. And in Perast we will take a walk along the embankment.
It turned out to be a very quiet and ancient tourist town. Apparently 99.9% of tourists go to a stop earlier. It was the most beautiful 4 kilometers along the bay. And far away and Perast. From a distance, the city turned out to be very, very familiar. I have already seen him many times on tours of various companies. I never thought that it was Montenegro. We are glad that we will now visit one of the most beautiful places on our planet. However, when approaching the city, a tourist boat was already waiting for us to go to the island. The boat was waiting for us, as there were no more people who wanted to. Do not deny yourself the pleasure of sailing on a personal vip-boat for 5 euros. At this time, the sun came out of the clouds and Perast lit up just like in the picture. On an island in the middle of the bay, a Catholic church and a small area.
20 minutes to wander just right. Mountains on all sides of the bay.
If you are a traveler who loves mountain landscapes, then the Kotor-Perast route is definitely worth a visit. If you have not yet thought about your attitude to mountain landscapes, then all the more so for you on this route. This is where you can easily make the right decision.
In Perast itself, we probably spent 30 minutes. The town is beautiful, but that's all. It seems like there are places in the route where you don’t need to spend a lot of time, and then, when you ride the bus back, the visiting card of the country - Perast just doesn’t go out of your head. Montenegro has a nice transport feature, buses run until night. And if the soul wants to travel around the cities, then you can safely travel at least all day until your strength runs out, then you take the last empty bus to Budva and you are in a hotel.
Three cities, climbing the wall into the mountains and walking route to Perast were not enough for us. Legs said, let's throw a more serious problem! And we are like “Well, ok, the driver will take us to Sveti Stefan! ”
Sveti Stefan and the embankment to Budva
We drove for probably an hour and a half, which was enough to take a nap and reboot. We missed our stop. Or rather, we did not know that it was ours, and drivers do not always bother to report that they are passing through the city without stopping. But here we had to ask to stop the bus on the highway, otherwise we would have walked for a very long time. Sveti Stefan is another visiting card of Montenegro. This is an island on which an old fortress-hotel is located. You can get inside only with a guided tour for 20 euros. But you can take pictures in the area for free and as much as you want. The route passes at a height in the mountain. For photos and views, the place is priceless. You can also climb high into the mountains to the church.
Or go down to a beautiful beach, and then go up. Today we were not sure of the strength to climb another mountain. But they found a great alternative. We decided to return to Budva from the fortress on foot along the embankments!
The views were promised beautiful, there was still enough time left, Mapsmi promised that we would cover these 8 kilometers in less than two hours. We did not lose, the route turned out to be fabulously beautiful. On the route there were beaches with emerald green water, with sapphire blue water, a cave, parks with small rocky rises. A couple of times there were very mystical, long walking tunnels.
In one of the towns there was a through hole in the rock. The weather also cleared up and a romantic sunset enveloped the city.
Fatigue was not even noticed, each city on the way pleased me with something.
Already on the embankment of Budva, we were overtaken by a strong cyclone hurricane. If today the weather was relatively good, then it was clear that it would rain tomorrow. Night gusts of wind were so sharp that it was scary to look back and see a tornado. But, fortunately, we ran to our apartments dry.
Old Bar
The morning started with rain. The rain was light and unpleasant. The rain didn't want to stop. I had to get umbrellas and move on a walking route along the embankment. Do many publics on social networks post “Romantic photos” of natural places during the rain? Have come across these before. It seems to me that the publics are just showing off. When it's raining, it's hard to catch anything romantic. Especially when it rains during your sunny holiday. But the hot latte in the cafe is two times tastier than usual.
In the afternoon, the rain suddenly stopped and the weather began to change to sunny. It took us a little by surprise. We need to go somewhere soon! But where? “Go to the Bar, it's beautiful there! - prompted the guy in the hotel. Fresh idea! A minute ago, we didn’t even know about the existence of that city, but since a local resident recommends it, we need to check it out. Where is our bus station, the driver to the Bar! We drove a little more than an hour over the beautiful Montenegrin embankments. The color palette of water in Montenegro is simply beyond praise. Especially from above, when you can see all the transparency and depth, it's just a fairy tale. It's a pity, only in buses tends to sleep. We arrived at the Bar. They left. Somehow the city is not about anything at first sight. Something is wrong. We found a tour agency, they explained to us that we need to take another bus or taxi and get to the city of Stari Bar.
Mapsmi, of course, suggested that we walk uphill along the highway in an hour, but somehow there was no mountain mood. Then it turned out that the mood was also not a bus one, since the bus did not arrive on schedule and late too. But the taxi driver drove us for 5 euros in 7 minutes. When we got out of the car, we immediately realized that this is really the place where we need to go! This is not just a city, but a real journey into the past. At the beginning there is a steep street up with many bars and shops. This is why the Montenegrins are great - they have preserved the spirit of antiquity in their old cities. The street leads to the gates of the fortress and several mosques. The fortress is ruined, but a guide is included in the ticket for 2 euros. For forty minutes we were taken to various remnants of former buildings and told how it was here and what happened. What people did, where they went and how they lived. About a terrorist attack in the city, about a devastating earthquake. The scale of the old city inside the fortress strikes both impressions and imagination.
Outside the walls of the city, fabulous views of the high mountains. Far below, an ancient aqueduct stretched over a cliff.
Dasha and I saw a lot of ruins, but these are definitely in the top of the best. And what a view of the bell tower, which is located on a nearby hill against the backdrop of the boundless Adriatic Sea. In the direction of Bar, we decided to walk along the gardens with centuries-old olive trees. We jumped on the bus along the way. There is such a clear evening weather that we decided not to rush to Budva. We wandered around the Bar a little, and left on one of the last night buses to our place in Budva. This rainy day had just the most beautiful ending.
I also noticed that the water in this country is very soft. When I wash I can not wash off the shower gel. Moreover, this is not the first day and turns into some kind of problem. It practically does not wash off at all.
I shared my discovery with Dasha and learned from her that the shower gel is in a cosmetic bag, and it is not in the bathroom. There was an awkward pause, something was clearly wrong. It turned out to be a bottle of Dasha's hair conditioner. That's why I think I'm not hot on this trip, the kander cools me!
Every morning began with Daria, the forecaster and meteorologist, looking out our only window, which looked straight at the wall. Dasha looked out into the sky and assessed how the weather would affect our plans. It was hard to make plans for this trip, we were very dependent on where and when it would rain. Now it looks like we have to go and climb the mountain in Lovcen park. Until we reached the bus station, we predicted that the blue section had become a little larger. The bus will only be in half an hour. Okay, let's rewrite the plans. Quickly to the beach, take a boat trip. Departure of the boat at 10:00 in a couple of minutes!
We swam chic as soon as the weather improves, there will be no such luck during the day! By the time we sailed to the cave, the weather was already turning sunny. The sea water was cold. But that won't stop me from swimming into the cave!
The people on the boat somehow reluctantly looked at the water. I was first. After my feat, the others also began to show heroism. But the cave was my own, I pulled ahead well. Our boat took us along the beautiful rocks and the island of Sveti Stefan. An intermediate stop was on the most beautiful beach in the country - Ploce. It was a beach with a beautiful sea and four pools. Here the color of the water was so bright turquoise that despite the cold, Dasha and I could not swim. Time here as much as you want. You can sail back on any boat, the ticket is included in the price (10 euros per boat and beach). It was downright insanely hot.
I can't believe how hot it gets here. Our skills in meteorology suggested that the sundial was coming to an end. Cyclonic clouds ruthlessly squeezed the blue lake in the sky. From Budva it was necessary to run while dry. Now our route lies high in the mountains.
First, we took a regular bus to the old capital of Cetinje. It was such a small city that in my life I would not have guessed that this city could be the capital. And in terms of ultra-comfort, it never looks like the capitals. But first, the mountains. The taxi driver found us himself. For 22 euros, the taxi driver agreed to take us to the temple, wait an hour and return us back to the city. We drove for a long time and very high. To a height of more than 1500 meters. Nature and landscapes began to change.
At the very top, you still had to climb to the mausoleum. There were so many steps that I managed to fall down the road. The mausoleum is, of course, good, but the mountains!
What are the views here? We met with criticism of the views on the Internet and had doubts before the trip. But it's really beautiful here, go without hesitation. This altitude silence, this sea bay in the distance. Small towns, just lovely! And we are alone for the whole review. Why didn't we come here right away? Oh yes, the rains interfered. It's a pity, there is only one peak, and there is no further route. Since we were quite nimble, we returned to the car by detour paths ahead of time. For the rest of the time, we managed to climb along the tourist paths.
With a strong desire to climb the mountain, you can start much lower. But then it will be unclear how to catch a taxi for yourself to go back. The guy took us back to Cetinje. The city was so cozy that we went around it several times up and down. This small town at the foot of the mountains is just perfect for the overall atmosphere. It turns out a kind of relaxation for the nerves.
A nice bonus on such trips is the road to Budva. Buses cross the mountain and go downhill for a long time. At the very bottom, Budva at night looks like a city from the cover of cool magazines.
Canyons and Zabljak
One of the only ways to get to the mountains and come back is to take a tour. Fortunately, there are no leather, fur and rubber factories in Montenegro. Due to this, the extortion of money from tourists during excursions is not on a Turkish scale. Stops at the “sponsors” are quite interesting places. For example, at the first stop we were so drunk with tasting liqueurs and wines that everyone was only happy. It took about 20 minutes to walk to the starting point of the tour. The navigator assured us that now he would guide us directly where there were no special pedestrian roads on the map. We had some doubts, sometimes there are surprises. But we decided to go anyway.
My body on trips, as soon as I get on the bus, it immediately goes into energy saving mode. Well, then Dasha told me the best moments. The first stop was over a canyon with a turquoise river. I always thought that such rivers are only in Canada, where we have not yet been. And then, unexpectedly, they discovered it in Montenegro. The next stop was near the church. It somehow sounded unimpressive. In fact, it turned out to be one of the most beautiful churches that we have seen.
Here beauty was precisely in its territory. Along the perimeter there was a two-tiered wall with houses. Everything was covered in greenery and flowers. Like the territory of an expensive eco-hotel. Near the church, my grandmother made Turkish coffee for a record low 50 cents for Montenegro.
I can't understand why she made it so cheap. After all, the very process of cooking in a small cezve already caused tenderness and delight.
I was so impressed that I even spilled some on myself while walking to the table. Then there was the famous tasting of “everything that burns. ” To be honest, we were not impressed with their alcohol. However, like a meal during the tour. But the meal is trifles.
Near the restaurant, mountain rivers flowed down the forest, which grew into something powerful and seething. While everyone was finishing up, Dasha and I rushed down along the river to race with the elements. It is not clear why the excursions do not emphasize that there will be a stop at such a river. We were told in Budva to pay attention.
But this is a really cool place. The cool thing is that bridges are laid over the spontaneous river, and you can be right in the epicenter. The disadvantage of sightseeing tours is that it is always running out of time.
Now we were driving through the canyons, where they were not allowed to leave the bus, since there are no observation platforms. The canyons were beautiful, but here the bad weather played the main beauty. We drove along high cliffs, the clouds began to gently envelop them and descend. Such panoramas began that all the rivers and canyons faded into the background. Through the descending clouds, the silhouettes of the trees that grew on the tops were visible. The clouds were uneven, which added to the mystery, since all areas in the mountains were with different visibility. I am subscribed to a Facebook group where unusual beauties from different parts of the world are published. And similar landscapes have flashed in this group more than once. It is a pity, of course, that the bus was not stopped for photographs, despite the fact that there were places suitable for stopping. Over time, we left the rocks and the rain subsided. We had another stop for special connoisseurs of canyons.
They threw insurance and equipment on me, and I rushed off on one of the longest ziplines in the world.
The flight length was about 850 meters. The mountain river opened in all its beauty only for me flying through the rain. The rain started suddenly, which gave my zipline an extra feel. Standing back in the back of an off-road jeep, along the bridge over the picturesque gorge. Before that, in the first place I had the zipline of Kamyanets-Podilskyi. Now Montenegrin, it is extraordinarily beautiful, although less extreme. It was raining, but it was impossible to tear oneself away from such beauty, and Dasha and I walked back and forth across the bridge. Eh, I had to go further again, the bus is not waiting. Of course, the ability to drive a car on this trip would be very, very useful. In fact, this is only the second country in our country where it is impossible to solve everything with tickets for buses and trains. The final point was the most picturesque lake in the town of Zabljak.
Here on the lake there was very little time, they allocated only an hour, but in a good way it was necessary to stay here for the night. Dasha and I weighed all the pros and cons to ask for a guide and get off the tour. Then continue on your own. But in reality, the risks of getting stuck on the way back were very high, the weather also did not please with constant rains. In an hour we managed to get around only a third of the lake. The lake was densely planted with needles, against the backdrop of high mountains.
The lake is called Black, although it has a very pleasant bluish-green color. The path runs along the perimeter very conveniently. How cool for those travelers who stay here for a few days. During the whole walk, the eyes, as if under hypnosis, looked out for more and more new angles for photographs. The fact that the water was not black caused dissatisfaction among some tourists.
An angry mother and a girl of twelve years old went to the meeting, who said very angrily “. . . And they will know from me how to lie so brazenly about the black color of the lake ...”. Personally, I think that Montenegro is very lucky that the lake is not black. At this beauty excursion ended and we were waiting for an infinitely long road to the hotel. The road is literally across the country. According to the canyon excursion, the conclusion is this: the places are really very beautiful, even in bad weather. But the bus route of 13 hours on the bus would be better divided into two days of travel by car with a stop in Zabljak.
Sunny Hawaii!
What I did not expect from this trip was to visit real Hawaii! True Montenegrins, but in the sense for Budva they are real, since the island is located near Budva. And no, I didn't dream. Unexpectedly for everyone, this morning was really sunny!
It took about 5 minutes to sail to the island and another 15 minutes to drill the brains of the Montenegrins that they did not want to take the boat for which we had tickets. The boat runs on schedule, but to do something in this country on schedule is the crime of the century. Yes, and only two of us came, but it doesn’t count, even if the tickets are on hand. We understood that the sun would not last long, and today we were in for a colossal thunderstorm.
I had to literally force the guys to pull the captain out of the restaurant so that he would take us to the island. It seems to us that one of the problems with the influx of tourists on their boat was that the girl who sells tickets specifically for their boat, today scored at work and did not come. The counter was empty. We got the tickets from her a couple of days ago.
Hawaii was beautiful, especially in sunny weather. But, in fact, on the island you can only swim and take pictures. 40 minutes was enough for us.
But it was very nice and joyful to see the sunny sea again.
The way back was also supposed to be on schedule. . . but. . . okay, let's not talk about punctuality anymore. So we returned, out of the kindness of another captain, on a boat of another company to the opposite end of the city. While the sun was still shining. We got to one of the beautiful beaches of Budva as quickly as possible to see how it looks in the sun.
But there were so many people there that its beauty could only be seen in fantasies with closed eyes.
Skadar Lake
It was the most dubious idea of our trip. There were very conflicting reviews about the lake. Mostly negative. That there is nothing special to do there, and such an excursion, unencumbered by action, is suitable for a pleasant stay for families with small children.
But I had to make up my mind. You need to travel by buses with transfers. The first transfer was that at one of the stations we were once again sold tickets for our own bus. As it turned out, at the main station, the girl made a mistake and, from memory, named the wrong station to which you need to take a ticket. We got 4 euros, while traveling you just need to ignore such things. Let's go further. On the second transfer, we moved successfully. On the lake, it was necessary to arrange an excursion on a motor boat. Rather, it was necessary to bargain. For a personal trip, we were able to negotiate for 25 euros including all fees. The trip lasted 45 minutes through picturesque thickets of lilies and reeds.
On the way we came across exotic birds. The captain gestured for us to go straight to the bow of the ship and stand there. AAA! How romantic it was!
I usually don't like to stand, I have to either walk or sit.
And here you stand on one breath. Beauty and silence. Some birds ran across the water lilies, ducks dived for fish, birds resembling small pterodactyls huddled on one of the trees. The highlight was trying to go ashore like Jack Sparrow from a sinking ship.
But the docking with the shore turned out to be not very soft, and as a result, Dasha grabbed the mooring halyard and pulled the captain and me like Aeneas a barge. But the very beauty of this lake is hidden in the castle on the hill. Rather, a worker hid on the hill, who took money from us for entry. And beauty opened up to fields with a river and a lake.
We looked as if at a painting by an old classical painter. A strong thunderstorm was approaching and the color palette was somehow unrealistic.
Such juicy colors in real nature simply do not exist. In the castle itself, a nest with chicks and a mother bird were waiting for us, which flew in anticipation of when we would clear the passage along the corridor.
As soon as we ran away, my mother began to carry food back and forth again. In general, we will not interfere with the bird, let's go further to look at the beauty. The clouds grew thicker and the colors became even more beautiful. Powerful lightning strikes the horizon in rows. I had an idea to catch lightning on a photo. But the attempts were unsuccessful. We were so carried away by the beauty of nature that we suddenly found ourselves in the epicenter of a powerful thunderstorm. Even our umbrellas didn't save us. They began to leak under the pressure of the water. We ran to the restaurant. But it was necessary to run further to the stop and jump into the bus.
This bus turned out to be so punctual that it passed the stop long before its time and did not arrive on schedule, we tried to hide under the roof of the stop, but it leaked just like our umbrellas. After 15 minutes, the downpour completely ended and the weather began to improve, there was still no bus. At the bus stop was an empty tourist bus with the name of our travel agency.
There was hope to leave with tourists. But the half-asleep driver told us: “The car is kaput! ". A taxi driver stopped and offered to take me to a transfer stop for 7 euros. But I still believed that the long-awaited bus would come. The taxi driver was released. There was a railway nearby, our train was supposed to run according to the schedule. There were no trains at all, but the barriers were constantly closed and the semaphores turned on. The driver, in disbelief, waited for 10 minutes for the crossing to open.
I got the impression that the only thing that works here on a schedule is barriers and semaphores) The weather has already cleared up, we were enveloped in a pleasant evening, around the field and the river. By the way, a nice bonus was that the rain was warm. The next bus will be in two hours according to the schedule. But apparently it won't. Now let's check how hitchhiking works in their country. I waved my hand, and the first car stopped, and the man said, let's go, as much as you give, it will be good. The man knew English well. Having learned that we are from Ukraine, he expressed everything that he felt sore about the division of territories, about the former integrity of Albania and the emergence of neighboring countries. When we got to the stop, I wanted to give him 5 euros, but the driver politely refused and said: “Guys, you are from Ukraine, we are friends, I am happy to give Ukrainians a ride. ” He said goodbye to us and drove off. The transfer was surprisingly fast.
Herceg Novi is very different from other cities. It is very unusual and has a long promenade that flows from city to city.
The old city is located on a hill and hiking trails should be built so that you do not have to climb. Everything was fine, only one problem - our camera died again! Looks like yesterday's storm didn't do him any good. It was morally oppressive that a mobile phone takes photographs ten times worse. This we found out on a trip to Georgia. So, you need to get together and throw problems with the camera out of your head. Just one more trial upon return. The problems with the camera helped us forget the fast food that is located between the three lindens. It was called quite memorable "Three Lindens".
The return bus did not go through the ferry, but through Perast. The entire route of the bus went around a beautiful lake with a visiting card city. I really wanted to enjoy the views, but sleep cut mercilessly.
Great news awaited us at the hotel - we are now included in the list of tourists stuck abroad due to showdowns between airlines. Our flight has been cancelled. Nobody is flying anywhere today, the hotel will be extended for the night. The next flight attempt is tomorrow. Only with work somehow it doesn’t come out very nicely. But the tour entered its days on arrivals and departures. The news made everyone so happy that the camera suddenly started working. Looks like it's dry inside. Since we now have half a day at our disposal, we can go once again on the scenic eight-kilometer route from Sveti Stefan to Budva. At the same time, we will swim near the island in beautiful water.
Clear water, beautiful and bright mountain sunset… are we back in Rio, watching the most unforgettable sunset in our life?
It was the most beautiful two-hour walk along the embankments. We finished the route in a rather original way. We went on a night voyage in a semi-submarine. Octopuses and fish blurred in surprise in the light of underwater searchlights. In the cabin under water, the captain turned on party-style music for us. It was like a party bus only underwater. Here they have a good Budva. It can always surprise.
Early in the morning, another, last surprise awaited us - it was our plane that did arrive! Now it really looks like the end of our journey. My colleagues are already starting to come to the office, and I'm just getting on the plane. I'm going to work until night
Summary
Montenegro is a beautiful country with many interesting and very picturesque places, but the cost of package tours is very much inferior to other countries. For example, you can fly to Turkey for such a price even cooler, all inclusive and visit similar places. I would advise you to wait five years. During this time, air routes will become more developed and transport within the country will probably develop more. Moreover, a bridge is already being built, which will significantly reduce distances in the mountains. If you go purely on a beach holiday, then I would not recommend it because of the number of people on the beaches and the cost of sunbeds. But if there are four of you and you rent a car, then it may be cost-effective.
Compensation for flight cancellations
After arrival, I collected a package of documents and sent insurance to AXA for consideration. The other day we received a joyful sms from the fact that we will receive compensation for flight shifts in the amount of 18338 UAH.
As a result, the tour to Montenegro turned out to be a gift)))
In general, it’s not in vain that Dasha and I pay 30 hryvnia per month for bank insurance : )
Total compensation received for canceled and rescheduled flights:
Join UP UAH 892.35 (paid with delays after 3 months by 19.5% less, explaining this by the fact that they paid tax on my compensation)
Axa insurance from Ukrsibbank UAH 18338
Yan Air and Brawo AirlinesAt this point, they won't even talk to me. The answer is in the format "You are passengers of a package tour, so make claims to Join UP". Join UP themselves so far demonstrate complete incompetence in working with travel agents and injured tourists
Trip information
Date of travel: 25.06. 2018– 02.07. 2018
Duration: 7 full days
Tour package: Join Up (Shit)
Excursion to the canyons: Canyons taken from a street agency
Trip difficulty: 10/10 (most difficult)
