I've reached the sea . . .

The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes "sight-seeing." ~Daniel J. Boorstin

Unfortunately the big developers beat me here and they did not do a good job. Large and ugly hotels have shouldered their way between trashy and personality-free apartment buildings and homes - those square kinds often built near the beach.

The town (Ulcinj) climbs up steep rocky hills which run directly into the Adriatic Sea. A castle sits on the edge of a cliff, but all that is visible from the beach is the restored wall. It looks scenic and invites me to climb up the long walkway. It is, however, only scenic from a distance. It's historic and ancient beauty has been squarely remodeled into modern restaurants and rooms for rent, smartly named "Kalaja" (Castle) and "Antigone." Such a shame. If the visual blight weren't bad enough, there is also much construction continuing: streets and sidewalks are torn up everywhere; large and loud trucks ply the streets, kicking up dust; construction workers with jackhammers and wheelbarrows add to the overall chaos. Needless to say I'll only stay here one night. This is on the southern tip of Montenegro and not usually recommended in the travel brochures or by other travelers I've met. Neither does it even come close to the photos of Montenegro I've seen.

Life is full of everything, eh wot? People here are nice however. I rode from Albania in a Kombi Taxi (4 passengers). One of the passengers was a Macedonian who is married to a Swiss woman and has duel citizenship. He's worked with NGOs in the past and spoke excellent English. He fixed me up in a room for rent in his niece's house. So I'm set for the night.

All in all everything begins to feel more western and less eastern as I move along. When I leave the internet cafe I'll walk back down the street and get a pizza dinner. The aromas and menus looked good. Let's hope. Perhaps I'm being too harsh and the world will look better after a good meal. That often happens.

American music in the background. It's everywhere. I often wonder what local, traditional music sounds like. Hard to find. But I do like this song . . . "Once upon a time I was falling in love, now I'm only falling apart. . . . a total eclipse of the heart. . . . every now and then I fall apart . . . . I really need you tonight . . . . . la la la la . . . .