2nd September - Stealth Camping King

After trying to pretend for some hours that Budva was my home for life, I eventually got the bus to Kotor. A beautiful town, with some amazing architecture. There is a stone wall which goes straight up the side of a mountain, impressive. However, the sense of wonder was hampered by the large amount of rubbish blowing around in the streets. After a failed hitchhiking attempt, I ended up getting the bus to Dubrovnik with other 'travellers', people going from hostel room to hostel room, going via organised timetables. Not for me. Arrived in Dubrovnik in the early evening, the soft light of the afternoon sun enhancing the fading colours of this beautiful town. I wandered the backstreets, amazing to see that people really live their life in such an amazing setting. Wrote in my journal in the main square, listening to street performers just around the corner and relaxing. I hadn't organised any accommodation and after having a few beers with a new friend, was no closer to a bed. It was 1.30am. I said my goodbyes and jumped on the bus, to go back to the bus station and sleep there the night. That was the plan....

I woke up to the bus winding it's way up a mountain. 'Hang on', I thought to myself 'I don't remember this on the way in'. For the very good reason that I had slept well past my stop and was now about 20km in the middle of somewhere else. Fortunately, I was able to recruit an English speaker to get the bus driver to drop me off on the way back. Unfortunately, the bus stop was completely closed. Plan B. Time to stealth camp. So, as I was already on the outskirts of the city, I proceeded to walk along looking for a suitable place. Glancing over to my right I spotted a narrow staircase, winding up into the Croatian mountain side, into darkness. Why not? So, I wandered up the mountain, getting nearly 3/4 of the way to the highway, right beside a huge cable bridge. To my left, after a few metres scree like of steep slope I spied a rusty railing, skirting the steep incline. Perfect. Safety schmafty. A short slide later I found myself on a narrow path, cliff face one side, rusty railing on the other. I pushed through some scratchy bushes and found the most perfect of stealth camping spots. Halfway up a cliff, hidden from view (but with an amazing view). I lay down my sleeping bag, drifted off to the sleep, content...