sometimes along your travels you get waylaid, other times you get bad luck and then there is the bad advice. In Lake Ohrid I had the later.
I wanted to set of for Montenegro to ensure I had three days there before heading through to Belgrade. Being told the bus leaves on even days on the morning of the 13th meant I would stay til the night of the 14th...thats 2 extra days already at a picturesque spot. Not ideal but it could be worse. Then at 22.30 on the 14th I walk the 3 km to the bus station to discover in August the buses leave Ohrid on Odd days afterall.
Back I trapsed to the hostel for another night accommodation and a plan to go to Tirana, Albania. I knew the staff at the Hostel Albania were excellent with information and I wanted to keep moving. By the time I made it to Tirana at 4pm (buses take +2 hours more than they say on the can here) I missed any option to move on. So I purchased a direct bus to Budva (you can take 3 different buses and walk across the border but that sounded like more hassle than it was worth after an 8 hour bus ride and another 5 to go!).
At 6am I left Tirana - so for all those that think travelling is really enjoyable you must enjoy no sleep, long bus rides and no breakfasts despite them being free everywhere you stay to quantify enjoyable!
It was a small mini van which took myself, a mum, dad and happy little girl and my back seat buddies Fabio and Ramala an Italian/Albanian couple through the northern regions of Albania to Montenegro and to the beach resort of Budva.
It was great Ramala was able to explain about the gangsters in the north who are two families with an eye for an eye policy. No women have ever been killed in the battle lasting longer than 50 years and the men in the family do not leave the house now for fear of their lives. They live in a small remote village so it must be the Soprano's for the villagers who probably until recent years have not had TV! It is understood if a boy is born into either family they give the child as a sacrifice if they are the ones who have been the last to kill. This child is then raised by the opposite family. This has not stopped the battle to date.
Montenegro is absolutely stunning. Only wish I could enjoy a couple of days here. Alas I have one and I am fortunate for that. Roll on the next chapter...
I wanted to set of for Montenegro to ensure I had three days there before heading through to Belgrade. Being told the bus leaves on even days on the morning of the 13th meant I would stay til the night of the 14th...thats 2 extra days already at a picturesque spot. Not ideal but it could be worse. Then at 22.30 on the 14th I walk the 3 km to the bus station to discover in August the buses leave Ohrid on Odd days afterall.
Back I trapsed to the hostel for another night accommodation and a plan to go to Tirana, Albania. I knew the staff at the Hostel Albania were excellent with information and I wanted to keep moving. By the time I made it to Tirana at 4pm (buses take +2 hours more than they say on the can here) I missed any option to move on. So I purchased a direct bus to Budva (you can take 3 different buses and walk across the border but that sounded like more hassle than it was worth after an 8 hour bus ride and another 5 to go!).
At 6am I left Tirana - so for all those that think travelling is really enjoyable you must enjoy no sleep, long bus rides and no breakfasts despite them being free everywhere you stay to quantify enjoyable!
It was a small mini van which took myself, a mum, dad and happy little girl and my back seat buddies Fabio and Ramala an Italian/Albanian couple through the northern regions of Albania to Montenegro and to the beach resort of Budva.
It was great Ramala was able to explain about the gangsters in the north who are two families with an eye for an eye policy. No women have ever been killed in the battle lasting longer than 50 years and the men in the family do not leave the house now for fear of their lives. They live in a small remote village so it must be the Soprano's for the villagers who probably until recent years have not had TV! It is understood if a boy is born into either family they give the child as a sacrifice if they are the ones who have been the last to kill. This child is then raised by the opposite family. This has not stopped the battle to date.
Montenegro is absolutely stunning. Only wish I could enjoy a couple of days here. Alas I have one and I am fortunate for that. Roll on the next chapter...
OMG! The things that go on in the world we have no idea about.
ReplyDeleteAll the moaning we do in life and these people just live in fear, sticking to their strange (well, to us) traditions/rituals to survive and that is 'a normal day'.
Take Care
Julie xx
Oh, the joys of travel through challenging parts of Europe! Stick at it as its worth it in the end. You'll remember the places you've seen and not the lengthy journeys and early mornings. You are getting to see a heck of a lot of places!
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