Day 7 - A New Country

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Up really early today (0600 wake up call for an 0730 departure).

Why you ask. Good question, we did as well, but easy answer is to beat the other tours to the Montenagren border. We have a day over the border into Montenegro today. Evidently the border crossing can take up to 2 hours if you get the timing wrong. All good for early start and we get to the border with 1 tour coach in front of us. Viktor is excited and gathers our passports for the business part. Gets us into another queue and then gets the passport stuff done pretty quickly. He is very happy, but we then find out that was just getting out of Croatia, Montenegro still to come.

Get to the Montenegro control and again, second coach in the line. First part done, then move up the line for customs clearance. All done and away we go to the first toilet break. Viktor is now really excited about how quick we got through all that border stuff.

Toilet break is at a service station where they have 1 female toilet and 1 male toilet. Queues are rather large as we follow the other coach - especially for the ladies toilet. Finally everyone gets their turn - the ladies actually jumped queues and started using the gents - good thinking.........

Back on the coach and we meet our day's tour guide, Alexandra (call me Alex). She starts to explain the history of Montenegro and then the individual highlights of places and points of interest. She is very good at getting info across.

Stop at the old town of Kotor. Off the bus and it's bloody hot. Whispers working ok today. Oops, premature excitement, all going quiet again. Viktor says it isn't technical but that there are magnetic circles causing issues.

Next thing we hear is a blast in our ears of Alex saying all is fixed, technical issue with her master unit........

Do the walk and have some free time to wander this town. Nothing of great interest here. Back to the bus via the port road. Lots of very expensive "yachts" in port. Nice....

On bus with air conditioner much appreciated. Away to Budva four lunch and walk. Lunch is in a sort of Greek / Croatian restaurant. Greeted by the owner and a shot glass for everyone. A few of us bang them down, then the owner does a toast to his grappa. Oops, mine gone. Owner says he will get another, even nicer this time.

Do lunch then our walk of Budva. Smaller town than Kotor but possibly more interesting. Back to the bus heading back to Dubrovnik. Could be 2 hours, could be 3 hours, could be more according to Viktor.

alex does her bit again on where we are and the special meanings of those places. Do a ferry crossing between the strait of chains and then after quite a few gags from Alex about lazy Montenegrans, dumb Serbians and grumpy Croats, she leaves us. Great guide.....

To the border and in the queue again 1 bus back. Viktor goes and chats, then we are through after a bottle of water and an Italian coffee for the montenegran police person. Croatian one wants passports, then changes his mind and we are through in no time. Viktor is grinning like a Cheshire cat. To the hotel and getting ready for tomorrow's check out. tomorrow we head to Sarajevo.

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