Budva

The Miami of Montenegro is what they call it. For me it’s more like the Riviera of Montenegro. There are no Latinos but plenty of Russians. No Salsa but plenty of night clubs. It’s the seaside resort of Budva.

It’s almost a little tacky but not really. It was establish in the 4^th century B.C. but aside of the medieval old town it’s a cluster of concrete mid rise buildings with balconies. Many are hotels. The place has panash, character, and is plenty busy. I can only imagine what it’s like in July and August.

When the guy told me 10 euro a night I thought it was going to be a bed in a dorm. Instead it’s a 3^rd floor self contained small apartment with a terrace. At that price I paid for 3 nights and figured I would just leave if I didn’t like it. After sleeping very comfortably the first night I asked if I could stay a couple of more for 5 nights total. It’s a simple room. A little worn. Not exactly spotless but clean. It’s family run. The mother and father live in the front building. The daughter lives in the back building, where I am, on the top 4^th floor. Really nice people. Good vibes.

Aside of Russians and Montenegrin’s I think most other travelers pass on staying in Budva. The beaches are gravel and little dirty and lacks a certain element I think Americans and Western Europeans look for on vacation but it’s not bad. The old town is buffed out nicely. The seaside promenade is packed with restaurants, vendors and such but it all seems to kind of work. I’ve seen much worse. The big upside is that you can get a lot for your money here. A large slice of excellent pizza costs $2 euro. An all day boat tour with stops along the way $12 Euro. $10 Euro for good accommodation. Well, to be honest I think $10 euro a night is way cheap for where I am at. I think I just got lucky and they gave me an off season local rate. However, rented monthly they would probably get half.

Today I took the $12 euro all day on a boat tour. We crawled long the coast down south to check out the sights and swim. Around noon we docked at the seaside town of Petrovac for 2 hours which I really liked. The beaches are much cleaner and the town quite chill. If I hadn’t landed such a nice deal in Budva I’d be staying in Petrovac. I enjoyed a nice short cliff side forested walk along the shore and one of the best Cappuccino's I’ve ever had. The Cappuccino set me back $1.70 euro. Actually $2 Euro. I tipped the guy 30 cents.

I’d say the boat today was a medium sized boat. I think it could take on about 50 passengers but all together I estimate we were a group of 35. The captain spoke a little English and was super nice and friendly. I must say the people along the coast are much more hospitable. Budva is a tourist town and the locals seem to get it here.

On today’s tour there was a really funny Russian guy. At first he was a bit over the top with his banter but drew laughs from others. He had a small video camera and kept filming himself and everything else as he narrated. He was a really up guy but his wife was a drag. Where he was all smiles and shirtless in his skimpy swim shorts ready to embrace the Adriatic sea his wife never cracked a smile as she sat stone face in her simple full length dress. Where is the man seemed to be evolving into a colorful funny old guy the wife appeared to be falling into the role of miserable babushka. He kept trying to get her into his frame of mind but she would have nothing to do with it. By the end of the day I kind of felt sorry for the guy. He obviously wants to enjoy his vacation but I am not sure he wife does.

For now I’m kind of in a holding pattern until Sunday. Until then I’ll spend my time along the Adriatic Coast. There’s enough to keep me occupied. On Saturday I’ll move down a little further south to the port town of Bar for my last night in Montenegro.