A country of amazing nature and petty crooks
Having just returned from Montenegro, on fresh tracks, I would like to share my impressions so that tourists traveling to this country are guided not only by rave reviews about extraordinary beauties and cheap accommodation.
Beauty has been described hundreds of times, but I will tell you in detail about the financial and everyday side of our vacation and the unsightly everyday situations that we encountered very often and therefore I warn you that the size of my description is rather big.
Before my adult daughter and I went on vacation to Montenegro, we, probably, like many others, “surfed” a bunch of sites in order to be fully armed in an unfamiliar state. Virtually Montenegro appeared before us as a magical country with stunning nature, friendly people and quite reasonable prices. On one of the official websites, it was emphasized that there is practically no crime in this country. Occasionally, of course, there were also negative reviews, but against the background of the choking enthusiasm of our compatriots, it seemed that this information was not written by quite adequate people.
And so, in anticipation of a brilliant holiday, we flew to Tivat.
We were not surprised by the crowd of taxi drivers offering their services for 50-45 euros to Budva. Thanks to the tourists who warned in their reviews about the Montenegrin twin brothers of Moscow skinners.
At first, they had a stupor when they saw that we, refusing their "generous" services, proudly retire towards the nuclear highway to the bus. Then, the “car drivers” chased us across, and, having surrounded us in a dense ring, vied with each other and began to “dump”. Thus, in half an hour we were in Becici for 20 euros.
Our room at Angela Villa, booked through Booking, was not yet cleaned after previous guests. Naive, we believed in this legend, although it was October 4 on the calendar and, of course, there were almost no guests in the villa besides us. Then we realized that the Montenegrins are a little lazy, and they delay any work as soon as possible. 3 days before our departure, high school students came to the villa for 1 night. Of course, they did not let anyone sleep, and the walls shook throughout the building. And after this wild night, one can imagine what was left in the villa after them. So, we were leaving, but no one cleaned up after them.
Having prepared a room for us, and for some reason (? ) laying a large towel on the floor in the shower, the hostess left without taking any money from us. And we never saw her or cleaning again. Late in the evening, inspired by the meeting with the evening, and even festive Budva, celebrating the Shirun holiday, we understood the purpose of this floor towel: the drain from the shower did not go into the sewer, but directly to the floor of the bathroom. A small drain ladder did not greatly affect the situation. After 3 days, without meeting any of the owners, but looking at other numbers, it became clear that there was no point in changing the number. We began to joke that we might move out, since we don’t see anyone and they don’t take money from us. Although more worried about the lack of "white cardboard". Anyone who has been to Montenegro knows the meaning of this document and the cost of a fine for its absence (at least 200 euros) from a tourist who is vacationing on his own without a travel agency.
On the 4th day, the young owner showed up, for some reason took from us 8 euros more than what was stated in booking, taking into account the city tax, and promised a “white cardboard”. We silently paid, without finding out anything about these euros, since by this time we had already encountered (and more than once! ) With the roguery of the staff serving tourists.
Acquaintance happened on the second day of our vacation. In the evening we decided to have dinner at the KORKOVADO restaurant, which is located near the walls of the Old Town, next to Mozart. There were practically no people at the tables, but the waiter named Mark served slowly, however, the bill brought quickly. And when we were about to leave, but he still did not appear, I decided that on the way to the toilet room I would find him. Then there was a situation in which my daughter and I showed ourselves as "crows" (sorry) and allowed ourselves to be fooled. Having met this Mark, I gave him the card (without a PIN code!!! ) and retired to the toilet, confident in the decency of the waiter, as I was "in a country where there is no crime. " The account remained with the daughter, as well as a purse with a phone, where SMS about settlement transactions come. Quick-witted Mark, immediately (later we restored it via SMS) withdraws from the card an amount that many times exceeds the cost of our dinner, and approaches his daughter so that she pays for dinner. I came when she was leaving the restaurant.
Already in the room, we found that the phone indicated three (! ) Amounts withdrawn from my card in KORKOVADO with an interval of 2 minutes between the first and second (our) account and 10 minutes between the second and third. The first and last sums were a surprise for us. Having decided to block the card, we found that we simply do not have it, it has disappeared. On the Internet, they found the bank's phone number and still blocked it.
In the morning we rushed to this restaurant by taxi, and on the way I asked the taxi driver where the police were. The reaction was unexpected: for some reason he was frightened and almost dropped the steering wheel (then we met with him every day and greeted him like old friends, he then took us on the return flight to the airport for 20 euros).
In a restaurant, we were dealt with by a man drinking coffee in front of the kitchen and giving instructions to the workers. Despite the fact that he understood and spoke Russian very poorly, he nevertheless “cut through” a losing situation for his institution and understood our intentions. Rogue Mark was not at work at that time, and after lengthy telephone conversations with him, this administrator and my daughter (I must say, very peacefully on our part), we were returned in cash the money that they had fraudulently withdrawn. The card has disappeared.
Well, then we met with the scam of Montenegrins almost every day, so it was all the time and we had to keep our eyes open. And yet there were cases when they managed to circle us around their fingers. Here are the most striking examples.
After an amazing and breathtaking excursion through the canyons, our bus stopped for a short rest near Podgorica, at a brand new, cozy gas station. By agreement with the guide and to reduce the time, we were served by 2 waiters: one collected money, the other served coffee. The fundraiser, having received 5 euros, did not think to give change, then he was literally forced to do it. In response, we received an irritated alleged excuse: "Can't you wait 5 minutes. "
Surely, every vacationer wants to bring from Montenegro as a gift
famous prosciutto. The most optimal prices at the famous Zelena Pjaca food market.
But be careful.
Immediately upon entering the market, on the right side, very active girls will attack you, who will not let you reach the next sellers, who, perhaps, have no worse meat. Attacking aggressively, the girls will offer prosciutto not even for 12 euros per 1 kg, as they have on display in the window, but for 10. We agreed that we would definitely buy a product from them before leaving. They put the meat we chose on the scales and, closing these scales with themselves, announced the price of 42 euros. But at home we had an electronic steelyard, as we were afraid that we would not meet the mandatory aviation baggage allowance. And weighing the meat, we realized that it cost us not 10, and not 12 euros, but 16. Thus, they “heated” us by 16 euros.
One could say that we ourselves are to blame, if such cases were not repeated from day to day.
In the hyped Mozart restaurant, an artistic waiter brought a daddy with a check, twisted it in his hands and, having announced the amount “out of the blue”, left with the same daddy, and we didn’t even touch it. When he was nevertheless forced to bring a check, the difference was 4 euros. The reaction of the waiter, who, according to him, has 17 years of experience in this institution, is very original: “Why do you need this piece of paper? ”.
I hope that those who read these lines understand that what is most outrageous in these situations is not the loss of money as such, but the attitude of Montenegrins towards vacationers and the desire to “snatch” any piece from them, cheat, cheat.
Once upon a time, in my younger years, the Adriatic was a crystal and impossible dream for me. Today I cannot say whether I want to return to this beautiful and fabulous country of Montenegro again or not.
P. S. And we received the “white cardboard” just a few hours before departure