Kotor Fortress and Ladder Trail

It was time to leave Budva and head for Kotor. Although i arrived here on a day trip with Jack, this is the first time that I am planning on staying in the town. I checked out of my previous hostel, trekked down the hill, and went to the bus stop after a quick breakfast and coffee break. Budva was a nice coastal town that was very relaxed and chilled, but I could already tell that Kotor was going to be much more fun.

When I arrived, I completed the short walk to the old town and found my hostel. They informed me that it was the boat cruise and the karaoke night. The boat cruise was already fully booked, but he said to be in the common room at about 7 for karaoke. I'm not a huge karaoke guy, but if I am, it needs to be 1am, and I need to be blackout drunk. So I was quite sure I wasn't going to karaoke. Either way, I headed to my room to drop off my bags and chilled for a moment. When I arrived, I met a Kiwi girl who was explaining her big night the night before. I was sure I was in a bit of a party hostel and keen for that night. I then explained that I was very keen to do the Ladder trail, which takes you right to the top of the mountain, overlooking Kotor. She was also very keen to do it but left the next day. She convinced me and a couple of the other guys in the hostel to complete the hike that afternoon. I was on board as it meant i wouldn't be doing it alone, and i could make some friends along the way. They were all really cool people, and the trek was awesome. We started by doing the fortress walls that begin the climb up the mountain. The steps were steep, and the sun was still very brutal, even at this time of the afternoon. We made it to the top, had a small break and took some photos before heading down slightly to crawl out of a window and begin the ladder trail to take you to the very top of the mountain. As you leave the fortress, you come across a little abandoned church made of cobblestone. It was cool. It felt like I teleported to someone in the UK. The ladder trail part of the journey was much easier as there were no stairs, and the zigzag approach they took when building it meant that the incline was never too great. Part of the way up the hill, there is a little house owned by an old man who has made a business selling beers and pomegranate juice. We sat down for a drink and enjoyed the scenery. The sun had started to set by this point, and so the views were incredible. The town of Kotor sitting within the bay began to look tiny, but the old town, made of stones, with the red rooves looked amazing from above. The mountains on the other side of the bay provide a beautiful backdrop, too. We had to continue, however, if we wanted to catch the sunset at the top of the mountain. We then set off up the hill, racing the sun to the top. We didn't get to the very top for sunset, but we still got to witness it from very high up and enjoyed sitting down at the top and admiring twilight. After a sit down and quick chat, we had all decided that we would be going out that night, and so it was best to begin the journey down to ensure we have time for drink. It was cool on the way down as the town began to become lit up with lights, contrasting the darkening of the sky. I took so many pictures because every time i looked, it was an even nicer photo opportunity than previous. As we approached the bottom, it was very dark, and we relied on our phone lights to get us there. But after quite a trek, we did eventually make it. We'll worth it.

We headed back to the hostel and had a shower to get ready for the night. Once we all congregated at the hostel, we headed to the common room. Karaoke was in full force, and the room full of screaming girls put us off drinking there. So, as though I was 17 again, we bought a bottle of spirits and drank them in the park near the old town. This was cool as I got to bond more with the people I was with. Eventually, we were drunk enough to head to the first pub on the crawl. There was then a bar that sold different flavoured shots that were deadly. The Kiwi and I bought a couple each, and we were buckled. We eventually caught up with everyone at the next pub and continued drinking. A couple of pubs later, it was getting late. But, the Kiwi girl (who had a 7am bus to catch) proposed going skinny dipping. It is hard to turn down such a proposal when you're blind drunk and a cute girl is asking. We headed to the beach, went for a swim, and headed back to the hostel. By the time we were done, it was close to 5am, and the Kiwi set her alarm for 2 hours later. I felt for her as I was so excited to sleep in as long as possible tomorrow. And that's what I did.Read more