Day 13 - Shkoder to Budva camp (95km)

At the border between Albania and Montenegro, we met a cycle tourist from Japan; a boy name Kai who just finished university and is now travelling alone for 6 months on his own. He started his journey with just a backpack, but switched to cycling after he met some cycle tourists in Bulgaria and thought it seemed like more fun to bike than to take a bus (smart kid!). So, he bought a bike (with flat pedals) in Sofia, strapped his backpack to the rack and started pedaling west.

Somehow, awesomely, this rookie made it to Albania and was now heading north toward Montenegro. We learned that he had studied international politics at school, but his real passion was dogs. He wanted to dedicate his time to rescuing stray dogs. It was sweet to hear him talk about stray dogs - almost enough to make me like them, despite the feelings that I've developed toward them on this trip.

I hope that this trip doesn't ruin his love of dogs.

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One of the differences that we noticed when we crossed into Montenegro was the sudden appearance of sidewalks. This is a bit funny because they seem to have appeared at the precise moment when the population is affluent enough to no longer depend on walking as a means of transport.