Kotor, part deux

Fortunately I did manage to get a room at the hotel that I mentioned. It was, in fact, their LAST room, but a room none the less. Bed was comfy, room is tiny but a private bathroom is quite the luxury at this point. Fortunately I've had showers at the right time, because they turn the water off here somewhat randomly. It's a very dry region and it's late summer now, so water shortages abound. Still, the shower I had was beautiful. I hope the water will be on when I get back after this post, as I've just spent the day hiking up to the old fortress above the city and then about three hours lazing away on the beach, swimming and reading. Since it must be 28 or more today, this means that I am sweaty, salty and sunscreeny, all at the same time. Lovely!

I washed most of my clothes last night and hung them around the room to dry. (I pinched a bit of detergent at the place we stayed in Dubrovnik) It wasn't until this morning that I noticed that there are laundry lines hung outside my little window. I moved the still damp stuff to the lines this morning before going out. I've brought two pairs of pants with me, one jeans the other a very light nylon, and they've worked perfectly. I wear the jeans at night when I'm relatively clean and non-sweating, and the other pants for everything else. They were getting pretty nasty, but they dry in about 4 hours in the sun so they're relatively easy to clean. The two nylon North Face buttonup shirts I brought are worn ~constantly~ as they too are easy to clean and are pretty much indestructible, unlike regular tshirts that rip and stretch and get gross really quick. The shirts are nice also in that I can unbotton them for ventilation in a breeze while maintaining some degree of protection from the sun. Overall I'm pleased with the gear that I brought with me. Oh, that reminds me. The superlight Merino wool boxers I bought are GOLD. I won't get into nasty details, but lets just say that they remain wearable for much longer than one might expect, and they are still washable and dryable overnight. Brilliant.

Kotor has been fun and interesting. I like the place. The old town was just JUMPING last night (it was Saturday) with music of all kinds booming out of the various little squares in the old town. I found one small square with two outdoor cafes and a single guy playing guitar, singing some ethnic songs that sounded very latin. He had a nice amplified system that projected a nice, clean sound (Matt and Craig: you would've approved). I sat down to enjoy a beer and just soak it up. The live aspect made it easier to sit there by myself without feeling like I was staring at nothing. I thanked him after he was done and he seemed to appreciate it. Interestingly, he had no guitar case or other coin collector out. I think the two cafes in the square pay him to perform there to attract guests.

The views from the old fortress were very cool. I'm sure some of them will make it into my album when I get back. There's no access to the actual computer here at this internet joint, so I can't upload anything at this time. I'll have to make sure to do that at the next opportunity, although I am carrying plenty of camera memory, so its really not a big issue.

Since today is Sunday, none of the travel agents are open. Tonight is supposed to be my last night here in Kotor, but tomorrow is a mystery. I will get up early(ish) and visit a travel agent in the morning in order to find out more about the river rafting trips up in Durmitor National Park. If they recommend it and can give me a fairly straightforward itenerary that isn't overly suss (that's Aussie slang for 'suspect', ie dodgy or sketchy) I will head up that way. If it seems overly complicated, with poor bus connections, multiple nights' stays and such, then I may not. If I don't go into the mountains I'll continue south to Budva, the beach resort here in Montenegro. I'll probably only stay there for a night, maybe two, before going on to Albania. I'll have more research to do before that part of the trip begins. There's a hostel that gets good reviews in Budva, so I'll probably head there in the hopes that I might run into someone else who'd like to go through Kosovo.

Although I've enjoyed myself today, and could probably get used to being on my own, I'd still like to find someone else to travel with for a bit. Its the evenings that are the weirdest, where you're sitting alone in a square with people all around, feeling isolated. A few of the local business people speak a bit of English, but few of the travelers do. Most are German by the sounds of it, or some other similar-sounding region. Anyway, I've only had maybe 3 nights without company on the whole trip so far, so perhaps I'll just get used to it. Any advice from the other travelers reading this would be appreciated.

OK, I'm going to go hope for some water out of my shower before I try to find somewhere to eat dinner. Breakfast was SALTY bacon and eggs with bread (included with hotel room), while lunch today was a piece of pizza for 1 euro and a chocolate-covered raspberry-swirled ice cream treat, also for 1 euro. For dinner I ought to have something with some substance, perhaps even a vegetable or two!!!

cheers,
Mike
PS: I've gotten into my book, "Balkan Ghosts", which is turning out to be very interesting. It's quite right-wing interventionist, but well written and engaging nonetheless. Wish I'd started it earlier, before getting into Bosnia. Lots of interesting background that helps to explain the tensions and recent hostilities that I experienced there.