Category: Montenegro

2014 Travel Summary

I spent the last two days of 2014 in a haze, trying to beat jetlag and fatigue from the long transatlantic flight to South America . During the turn of the year hug exchange and fireworks, I was soundly asleep, enjoying my warm bed. Despite the endless wishes and photo’s circling on social media, I’ve only just realised a new year has begun. I blame the altitude.

I wasn’t expecting 2014 to be a busy travel year but it turns out, it’s impossible to make such predictions. At least for me it is. 16 countries in one year without being on a round the world trip, I’m still not quite sure how it was possible. Let’s see…

JANUARY…

SULAWESI- INDONESIA

I started 2014 in the heart of Toraja in Sulawesi, Indonesia. A start of a new year with good friends and 24-hour fireworks on every street corner- often handled by children ages 4 and up. It was magical, crazy and unexpected. The festivities were followed by an off-the-grid vacation, exploring the colourful underwater world, deserted beaches and untouched jungles. I spent a day at a local funeral and saw one of my travel dreams come true: seeing a tarsier in the wild. I really had to keep myself under control not to kidnap one of these cute monkeys.

Torajan funeral

tarsier

MALAYSIA

As if the Torajan death rituals weren’t culture shock enough, I faced yet another cultural eye-opener: Thaipusam in Kuala Lumpur. I gasped at the men, women and children as they devoted themselves to their gods by suffering the pain of large metal hooks piercing through their skins during their pilgrimage to Batu Caves. Read my blogpost about the festival here.

proud devotee

for the sake of devotion

the end of the pilgrimage

FEBRUARY…

BALI

As we knew this was going to be our last month living in Bali, we spent the month doing the touristy things we hadn’t done yet. Visiting those temples we never got around to, taking that silversmith workshop we’d been meaning to… We spent time with friends, I took up yoga, went surfing and learned to cook healthy organic meals. I always seem to have the best time when I know a journey is about to end…

last weeks in Bali friends and indulgences (click to enlarge)

MARCH…

HONG KONG

A long time wish list destination finally within my reach. I found the city to be a perfect balance between East and West. I got to see quite a bit of the city even though my travel companion was injured during the trip and our activities consisted -for a large part- of sitting down options, or let’s just say eating. I’m not complaining. So far it’s the only place in the world where I actually like dim sum- how’s that for a travel snob quote?!

visiting Chinese temples

order after order of new flavours

MACAU

During our stay in HK, a short stint to Macau diversified the trip. Having spent a year in Asia, I felt home in the European-looking streets of Macau. I found out spending money in casino’s wasn’t really my thing.

wide sunny boulevards

gamble paradise

APRIL…

BELGIUM

Home sweet home. I thought it would be a good idea to surprise all our friends and family by showing up unexpectedly into their homes. Nobody had any idea we had arrived in Belgium. The joy was intense, so much fun. I immediately resumed work at my previous job and spent my free days filling up on breads, chocolates, Belgian beers and my favourite local dishes as well as catching up with family and friends. It was incredibly challenging to fit into the society I now felt so alienated to. I spent my birthday in my home country with my family, something I hadn’t done in years.

deliciously gross Belgian fare

a long time since I last saw spring

MAY…

ITALY

By may, I reached a high in missing my life in Asia. However, I decided not to sulk but take advantage of the perks of living in Europe. I took some time off to explore the culinary side of Italy. Well, a small side at least. Bologna brought me to me knees with it’s incredibly pure and fresh food. I hadn’t even left the city and was already talking about coming back.

the red city seen from above

incredible food and wine in Bologna

JULY-AUGUST…

DRC

Three years after my last visit I returned to the motherland. People called me crazy for going to one of the most dangerous corners in the world; North Kivu in the Democratic Replublic of Congo. Even crazier for bringing along 20 muzungu’s (swahili for white people) and “endangering” their lives. It wasn’t nuts to me: part of my family lives there, so why would I not go? I was right not to second guess my instincts; the trip went smoothly, the muzungu’s had the time of their lives and oh… I got married!

It was however, an exhausting journey, more so mentally than physically. Perhaps that’s the reason why I have not yet found the courage/energy to write about the trip. But byy now, it’s at the tip of my fingers and I’m eager to share the stories with you very soon.

Congo’s stunning nature

safety first

kids in the village

crossing the Congo-Nile

UGANDA

On my way to the DRC, I revisited my favourite spots in Uganda. Lake Bunyonyi still holds a special place in my heart. This time my entire family joined me, which made it even more special. Thinking I will return to Uganda again next time I visit DRC, I once again skipped the gorilla tracking. Still don’t think this was one of my brightest moves.

buying goat brochettes from the bus window

Lake Bunyonyi with family. Photo by A. Van den Daele

RWANDA

Having spent part of my childhood in Rwanda, I had my heart set on going back and mirroring childhood memories to reality. I began to search for our old house and schools which I found after several hours of “Sherlock Holmes-ing”. I was surprised at how much the country had changed post-genocide. Most of my favourite places in Gisenyi, the town I had lived in, where still up and running, with a fresher look nonetheless.

sunset in Gisenyi

SEPTEMBER…

FRIESLAND- THE NETHERLANDS

To finish off summer in Europe, Douglas and I treated ourself to a weekend in Friesland visiting our friends we had met in Bali. Strangely enough, Friesland always sounded like an exotic place, despite the fact that it’s right next door. We were lucky to arrive during a festival celebrating Friesland’s cultural heritage. It was time travel at it’s most possible. We went ‘supping’ on the Frisian waterways, which is actually a great way to explore the region.

catching up in front of an old country house

clog boots

old fashioned fun

OCTOBER…

MONTENEGRO, ALBANIA, KOSOVO

Montenegro and Albania both surprised my with their natural beauty and quaint historical towns. Though both countries are completely different, I found both nationalities to be warm, helpful and welcoming even to a dark skinned traveler like me. In Montenegro I enjoyed my solo travel in Kotor and around. Albania stole my heart the minute I set off to the mountains, which was undoubtedly one of my travel highlights of the year. I highly rate both countries and am looking forward to visiting again as soon as possible.

As for Kosovo, I only spent a short time and visited just one city, Prizren. I found the cobbled stoned city rather pleasant and spend the afternoon strolling around and drinking coffee in the riverside café’s. I loved the fact that it was an unexpected visit, but I needed more time to really get to know the country.

kids in Beirat, Albania

GREECE

I went to Greece to attend TBEX, the biggest travel Blogger’s conference. I had a magnificent time getting to know other travel blogger, the city of Athens and myself on a professional level. After the conference I took some time to see more of the country. I visited Corinth, went on a wine tasting tour in the country side and learned to cook traditional Greek food in one Athens oldest taverns. I’ve yet to see the rest of Greece, so I consider this trip as the intro.

Athens by night

wine tasting in the country side

NOVEMBER…

IRAN

Why Iran? People asked me. I couldn’t even remember the exact reasons, it had just been on my mind for such a long time, for so many reasons. When I stumbled upon a dirt cheap ticket, I didn’t think for a moment and booked straight away. The time had finally come. I ignored all the safety warnings, I was convinced they were overstated, especially coming from people knowing nothing of the country. Boy am I glad I did!

Iran made me laugh, cry, think, marvel, love, feast and fantasise. The architecture is stunning, nature is untouched and diverse, the history is absolutely astonishing and the food is truly unique. But most of all, the people… They are the best part of Iran. Lots of Iran posts coming up soon.

inside Sheik Loftollah Mosque, Esfahan

farmer in Kashan

out of this world rooftops

DECEMBER…

ECUADOR

The last destination of 2014, Ecuador. Not for travel but possibly to live for a while. We set off to Ecuador knowing very little of the country yet planning to live there. That’s what makes the start of the new year even more exciting.

What will happen next? I have no idea and I like it that way. I’m excited about what 2015 will have in store. I’m pretty sure there will be less international travelling, but then again, I said the same thing last year…

on the look out for a new life in Ecuador

How was your travel year? Were you able to full fill some of your travel dreams?

The post ‘2014 Travel Summary‘ first appeared on Travel Cake.

January 5, 2015
Flash visit to Kotor, Montenegro

It hit me on my way to the airport: in just a few hours I would be landing in Montenegro and I knew nothing about the country. I had no idea where to go after my flight would land in Podgorica, the country’s capital. With no guide book at my disposal and flaky internet on my phone, I was left feeling quite careless and well… incredibly stupid. I nervously texted my friends updating them on the situation. Judging from my agitation, some thought I was headed to outer space. There you have it: seasoned travellers get nervous about travel too!

I landed in Podgorica and decided to skip the capital.

Despite the flaky internet I mentioned earlier, I had managed to read a few articles about Podgorica. The reviews were not good. As much as I would have wanted to find out for myself if Podgorica really is a hole, I only had 4 days to spend in the country and I wanted to use them wisely. From the airport, I hopped into a taxi to the bus station where I immediately boarded a bus to Kotor. People spoke some English, they were helpful, the sun was out and the ride was smooth. Easy! “What was I even stressing about?” I smiled the entire ride. Have I been traveling in “difficult” countries so often that I was so amazed at the ease of all this? I wonder.

As we approached Kotor, I was stunned by the incredible views of the bay. I pulled out my glasses (aka my binoculars) and scotched myself to the window. If you ever take this ride, sit on the left side! (drivers side).

approaching the bay of Kotor

I arrived in Kotor after sunset and found my way to a charming hostel where I was warmly greeted with a shot of rakia. Once settled down, I put together a little ‘game plan’ to help me maximise my short time in Montenegro.

LEARN- Visit the old town of Kotor

The fortified city of Kotor is small enough to visit in an hour or two. There is a plentitude of well preserved churches, squares and museums explaining the history and culture. I took my time to wander around the narrow streets of the old town squeezing in lots of coffee breaks to read up on the city’s history. Seeing it was low season, the huge groups of day-trippers were scarce. The old town is so clean and charming, it doesn’t seem real. It has a very high Disneyland factor.

a square in the old town

learning the city’s history

the city’s sailboat marina

on the edge of the old town

Aside from a quick history lesson, I also learned why there is such a large cat population in Kotor. They are everywhere, inside and out. They are accepted by the inhabitants, sometimes even treated as royalty. After bumping into a cat museum and a souvenir shop that sells cat-shaped everything, I just had to know; what’s the deal with these cats?

Apparently the city had a serious rat problem during the Middle Ages. Because the rats were bearer of disease such as the plague, they brought in a bunch of cats to deal with the problem. Till this day, the people of the old town appreciate the help of the cats and treat them well in return. At least so goes the legend…

decoding the ‘cats mystery’

MOVE- Wake up early to get crisp morning view from the fortress

Overlooking the bay of Kotor lies an abandoned fortress which in itself is not specifically beautiful but the view… It took me about 30-45 minutes to reach the top taking lots of photo breaks on the way. I was humming the ‘Game of Thrones’ theme the entire way up. I could have sworn I was on set! But my favourite part was simply sitting on a ridge just below the fortress, catching my breath and enjoying the silence accompanied by a spectacular view.

view from the top

a steep 40 min climb

humming the ‘Game of Thrones’ theme song

TASTE- Visit a market and buy some local produce

Though I wasn’t overwhelmed by Kotor’s produce market located right outside it’s walls, it was an opportunity to taste some of the region’s specialities such as smoked dried ham, home made olives, cheese made from boiled milk… I left the market with a full stomach.

fresh organic produce

cheese sampling

EXPLORE- Take a trip to somewhere amazing

Armed with some of the produce I had bought at the market, I took a bus to Sveti Stefan, a small islet reputed as one of the most stunning sights in Montenegro. I tend not to give too much importance to statements like these, so I was expecting it to be overrated. I was dropped off the bus by the side of the road somewhere near Sveti Stefan. I found my way down to the pebbled beach. Gasp… Gorgeous! The fact that I had the beach all to myself made the place even more impressive! Gotta love low season! The island itself is an expensive hotel (cheapest room starts at €950 a night), so you can’t enter the island unless you’re a guest. The beach was good enough for me though! I swam, pick nicked and let the sun caress my skin. Pure bliss.

Sveti Stefan in the distance

taking a dip on my private beach

glass of local rosé for sunset overlooking the island

LAUGH- Make some friends

Staying at the most popular hostel in town made this task quite easy. There were travellers from all over the world, most of whom were on a long jaunt through Europe or the Balkans. Because I was traveling solo, I didn’t mind joining the group on a pub crawl, even though I was the “grandmother” of the gang. Another night was spent chatting the night away with travellers while drinking beer under the starlit sky with views over the city.

star gazing with new friends

free shot for every beer- pub crawl

DARE- Say yes to something unexpected

After my day in Sveti Stefan, I waited on the side of the road for a bus to take me back to Kotor. There was no schedule, I just waited around, flagging down every passing bus asking if they were headed towards Kotor. After 15 minutes of waiting and the third rejection, I started wondering if I was indeed on the right track. An elderly man must have seen my slightly worried face and gestured me to enter his car. He spoke no English but used his hands to communicate that he wanted to give me a ride to Kotor. I doubted for a few seconds but then… YOLO, I stepped into the car. We didn’t speak each other’s language, but somehow we managed to talk, laugh and listen to music together. He stopped the car at one of the panorama points so I could take pictures. Had I not followed my intuition and accepted the invitation, I would have never experienced this fun Montenegrin encounter. These are the unexpected meetings that make travel so beautiful.

If you can manage to incorporate the 6 magic words during your stay anywhere (learn, move, laugh, taste, explore, dare), I believe your trip is already successful, no matter the length of stay.

Have you been enchanted by a place after a short visit? Where was it?

The post “Flash visit to Kotor, Montenegro” first appeared on Travel Cake.

November 26, 2014