Summary of My 22D19N Balkans Travelogue (2019) Covering Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania & Montenegro

SUMMARY OF MY 22D19N ITINERARY

Day

Destination

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Kota Kinabalu → Singapore Singapore → Istanbul → Bucharest Bucharest Bucharest → Brasov + Bran Brasov + Sinaia Brasov + Sighisoara Brasov → Bucharest → Veliko Tarnovo Veliko Tarnovo → Sofia Sofia Sofia → Skopje Skopje + Ohrid Skopje → Pristina Pristina + Prizren Pristina → Tirana Tirana + Berat Tirana → Kotor Kotor Kotor Kotor → Podgorica Podgorica → Istanbul Istanbul → Singapore Singapore → Kota Kinabalu

FLYING WITH SINGAPORE AIRLINES

This is my second time flying with this prestigious and award-winning airlines? Why I chosen this airlines? One of the main reasons is because it's connecting the flight between Istanbul and Kota Kinabalu with transit in Singapore and the airfare was pretty affordable. 

VISA & CURRENCY EXCHANGE

Visa is not required for Malaysian passport holders to visit all these 6 countries. However, this will change from 2021 onwards. Malaysians will need to apply for an ETIAS visa waiver, which will be obtainable through the online application system. For more info, you can check out here.

As for currency exchange:

• Only Kosovo and Montenegro are using Euro (€)
• Romania - National currency is leu (€1 = 4.60 leu). I exchanged at Bucharest Airport and Bucharest Old Town (of course I would recommend the latter)
• Bulgaria - National currency is lev (€1 = 1.91 lev). I withdraw some from Veliko Tarnovo train station and exchanged the rest in Sofia
• Macedonia - It's known as denar (€1 = MKD61.40). I exchanged denar at the Old Bazaar of Skopje.
• Albania - It's national currency is lek (€1 = 123 lek). I went and exchanged at the shop opposite of my hostel.
  
  

RECAP OF MY TRAVELOGUES

• From Kota Kinabalu to Bucharest, Romania
• Bucharest - The First City of Romania I Wandered
• To Brasov From Bucharest
• Short Trip To Bran Castle From Brasov
• Peles Castle of Sinaia, Romania
• Sighisoara, Transylvania's Medieval Fortified City
• Train From Brasov To Veliko Tarnovo
• Goodbye Veliko Tarnovo and Hello Sofia
• Sofia, Bulgaria - Things To Do & See In A Day
• Skopje, The Capital City of North Macedonia
• Short Trip From Skopje To Ohrid, North Macedonia
• Leaving Skopje To Pristina
• A Day Trip From Pristina To Prizren
• Tirana, The Beating Heart of Albania
• Berat, The Town of A Thousand Windows
• Kotor, A City of Montenegro That Stole My Heart
• Hiking San Giovanni Fort of Kotor, Montenegro
• The Island Gospa od Skrpjela (Our Lady of The Rock) & Bay of Kotor Cruise
• Podgorica, Montenegro
• Istanbul Tulip Festival 2019

MY TRAVEL HAUL

A handful of fridge magnets I bought

Chocolates. It's funny I don't really into chocolates but then, I love to buy chocolate as souvenirs to friends and family.

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Istanbul Tulip Festival 2019

<< Previous Post: Podgorica, Montenegro <<

Istanbul, aku datang lagi! (it means "Istanbul, here I come again" in Malay language)

To be precise, I've been to Istanbul like 4 times - enter and exit for my trip to Bosnia and Croatia in 2018 and also, for this leg of my trip. It's funny how I'm only focusing on Istanbul but not the rest of Turkey cause I have promised my friends to wait for them. Not sure when and whether we able to accomplish this wishlist or not, but I believe someday we will. Fingers crossed!

PODGORICA TO ISTANBUL WITH TURKISH AIRLINES  

#1: Flying with Turkish Airlines for the second time

From Podgorica of Montenegro, I booked my flight with Turkish Airlines to Istanbul. There are not many options for this route and due to this, the fare is relatively expensive. One-way cost me €143 (approx. to RM662) and this is not my maiden experience flying with them. Even for my previous trip from Zagreb of Croatia, I also booked the exactly same airlines cause there's the one and only option I had. Exiting Istanbul to other parts of Europe is pretty cheap, but entering makes my bank bleed so badly. 

#2: Their flight safety video is super cool! Featured those characters from 'The Lego Movie'


#3: At least the airfare is including in-flight meal and baggage allowance.

ISTANBUL NEW AIRPORT 

#4


#5: The ideal way to get to the city centre from Istanbul Airport is by taking Havaist bus

Though Istanbul might no longer a stranger place for me, but because they moved to the new airport and no longer operated at Atuturk Airport, it's time for me to crack my head once again in order to get to the city center. The newly operated airport is located in the Arnavutköy district, which is on the European side of Istanbul. Thankfully, it's fairly easy to get to the city by using Istanbulkart.

HOW TO GET TO ISTANBUL CITY FROM AIRPORT
Catch Havaist bus at the level (-2) of the airport. Don't worry if you don't have any Istanbulkart with you cause there is a booth for you to purchase or top-up your look-alike "Touch N Go" card. As for the bus fare, it's vary according to your destination. The most popular stops like Taksim and Sultanahmet Square costs 18 lira per trip.

MY STAY IN ISTANBUL

#6: Bunk Hostel in Taksim area of Istanbul

I decided to book other accommodation instead of staying the same place I have stayed before in Istanbul. It's indeed last minute booking as I was indecisive of which area should I stay - whether Taksim or Sultahnamet Square since these two areas are popular among the travellers. At the end, I went for Taksim and I booked this chic and new hostel - the Bunk Hostel. The location of this hostel is 700m from Taksim Square and 800m from Taksim Metro Station. If you are taking Havaist bus from Istanbul New Airport, it will stop exactly at the same place as the one from the former airport - situated behind Point Hotel Taksim.

Bunk Hostel
Date Stayed: 25 April - 26 April 2020
Room Rate: €17.86 (approx. to RM83) for a bed in 6-bed female dormitory room with private bathroom

One of the things I love about this hostel is that it has a large rooftop terrace overlooking the city and I was indeed having a great time sitting here doing nothing but just enjoying the view. Secondly, they served free breakfast for all the in-house guests. The only downside of this hostel is that the dorm is significantly compact and small. I even had issue of climbing up to my bed due to the limited of space.

EXPLORING ISTANBUL
Like I mentioned earlier, this is not my first time to Istanbul and I've been few places like Sultanahmet, Hagia Sophia and bazaars. You can check out my post here.

As for this round, I narrow down my visit to two famous tourist attractions only, which are the Galata Tower and Sultanahmet Square because I was kinda exhausted and worn-out from the long travelling period.

Galata Kulesi (Galata Tower)
Previously used as a watchtower to prevent enemy ships from entering the harbour, now it has becomes one of the eye-catching landmark of Istanbul. However, I didn't make my way up cause the line was extremely long and I'm the type that dislike wasting my time to queue. I think it's best to arrive this place in the early morning to beat the crowd.


#7: Galata Tower


#8


#9

Istanbul Tulip Festival at Sultanahmet Square
Seriously, I never expect and specially plan for this one. I wasn't aware of the tulip festival until I reach Sultanahment Square. The reason I went there just to kill my time but unexpectedly, I was greeted by thousands, or even millions of colorful tulips. Can't believe that previously I always saw this annual event on social media but now, luck was on my side where I got to see and experience right in front of me.

#10: What a sunny day at Sultanahmet Square

#11: Istanbul Tulip Festival - an annual event which held each April, except for this year due to the pandemic situation.


#12: My favourite shot

#13: It's free for public and you don't have to pay any entrance fee. Just that there's a barrier between the tulips to avoid the public from step on it. 

GOODBYE ISTANBUL!

Staying in Istanbul for less than 24 hours, now it's time to kiss goodbye to this beautiful and amazing city. Just like how I got to the city centre from the airport, I used the exact same way which is by catching the Havaist bus that can be found behind Point Hotel Taksim. The bus departs to the airport is quite frequently, therefore you don't have to bother of buying the bus tickets in advance. Make sure that you are heading to the correct airport cause Istanbul has two different airports - Istanbul New Airport and Sabiha Gokcen Airport. 

#14: Anyone collect Starbucks mug?


#15: Absolutely agree with this quote - "Easy to Love, Hard to say Goodbye"


#16: Flying back to Singapore with Singapore Airlines

And this concludes the end of my 3rd Europe Solo travelogue. Pop champagne! If I were to be more hardworking, actually I can complete this whole series of travelogue at least by end of May (which is last month). But you know what happen when procrastinating has taken over me. Hopefully after this I can motivate myself to update my blog more frequently cause I have tons of backlog. 

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Podgorica, Montenegro

<< Previous Post: The Island Gospa od Skrpjela (Our Lady of the Rock) & Bay of Kotor Cruise <<

 

Kotor is such an amazing place until it's hard for me to leave this town eventhough I was there for 4 days and 3 nights. With a heavy heart, I need to move on to my final destination which is Podgorica before flying back to Istanbul. Besides being the capital of Montenegro, Podgorica is also the country's largest city.

GETTING TO PODGORICA FROM KOTOR

#1: Bus schedule from Kotor to Podgorica

Bus from Kotor to Podgorica departs almost every hourly. Hence, you don't have to worry about purchasing the bus ticket in advance. The bus ticket for a single ride costs €7 and if you have luggage with you, there will be an additional charge of €1 applied.

ARRIVING PODGORICA
I left Kotor town around noon time and after nearly 2 hours, I have arrived Podgorica. From the bus station, it takes about 10 minutes walk to the city center as well as my hostel.

#2

Montenegro Hostel Podgorica
Date Stayed: 24 April - 24 April 2019 (1 night)
Room Rate: €8.00 for a bunk bed in mixed dormitory room for 1 night (Booked from Booking.com)

Right after I check-in into my hostel and quickly left my backpack, it's time to explore the small and tiny capital city of Montenegro. I didn't bother to take any public transportation cause the city is relatively compact in size and the ideal way to travel around is on foot. Well as usual, I always rely on the Google Map to navigate around the city. 

#3: Clock Tower (Sahat Kula) - One of the very few Ottoman landmarks that survived the bombing of Podgorica in World War II

#4: City public park


#5: Hercegovačka Pedestrian Street - a shopping street but I don't find any interesting things here


#6: Millennium Most - Newly built bridge over the Moraca river


#7: Vladimir Vysotsky Monument - A statue of the famous Russian singer given by the Russians


#8

After my small little exploration around the city, I found that the city is tend to be unattractive and tiresome. Just when I thought Bucharest, the capital city of Romania is pretty boring and dull, I can conclude that Podgorica is top on the list to be the most unattractive city in Europe. No surprise many travellers skip this city because the city was rebuilt as a modern planned city and by no means a principal sightseeing destination. As for me, I only spent less than 15 hours in this city and I can't wait to leave on the next day. Sorry Podgorica - you are not my typical eye candy. 

Because I need to catch my flight back to Istanbul, Podgorica is the only airport serves that particular route. And in order to get to Podgorica Airport is by taking taxi as my flight to Istanbul was quite early. There is not much information about the public transportation heading to the airport but I don't want to take any risk of missing flight, hence I opted for taxi. One way taxi ride costs me €7 which I found it's affordable and reasonable. 

#9: This is my first time to ride taxi alone in Europe


#10: Podgorica Airport


#11: Leave only footprints behind

My 3rd Solo Europe travelogue is almost coming to an end. I thought I can finish this travelogue at least end of May but again, I was too procrastinating. I really hope I can quickly finish this one cause there are plenty of things I like to blog and share here. Like my trip to New Zealand, Hanoi, Sweden, Norway, USA, Iran, Hokkaido and more. DT, please don't be lazy again!

>> Next Post: Istanbul Tulip Festival 2019 >>

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The Island Gospa od Skrpjela (Our Lady of the Rock) & Bay of Kotor Cruise

<< Previous Post: Hiking San Giovanni Fort of Kotor, Montenegro << 

Right after we descended from Kotor Fortress (San Giovanni Fort), we went back to our hostel to have a short break before continue without our next activity which is the Bay of Kotor cruise. We booked this  tour from our hostel and it costs €30 for 3 hours cruise. It wasn't in my plan at the first place but because my newly met acquaintance was interested to join this cruise and I have too many extra time to kill, then why not go for it right? 

#1: Bay of Kotor cruise which we booked from Pupa Hostel

There are two different tours in case you are interested to join;

1. Blue Cave Tour which takes about 3 hours - €30 (this is the one I joined). Three departures time only (9am, 12pm and 3pm)
2. Perast Tour which takes about 1.5 hours - €15. Departs every 2 hour.

At the beginning of our cruise, the weather was pretty nice and the sun was shining bright. The tour began from Port of Kotor, and the boat operator picked us up right in front of our hostel. Remember in one of my previous post, my hostel in Kotor is exactly facing the seafront of Kotor and we didn't have to walk so far away to get into the speaed boat. 

Our first pit stop is the The Island Gospa od Skrpjela (Our Lady of the Rocks). This is an artificial island which built by the seaman from both Kotor and Perast town over 500 years ago. According to a legend, the local seamen spotted an image of the Virgin Mary on the rock in the sea. Upon returning from each successful voyage, they laid a rock in the Bay. Over time, the man-made island gradually emerged from the sea and soon, they built a tiny Orthodox chapel on the site.

#2: Our first pit stop - The Island Gospa od Skrpjela (Our Lady of the Rocks)


#3: A Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Rocks was built on the man-made island 

#4: We're given 20 minutes to get off from the speed boat for venturing around the island


#5: There is another island behind me, the Island Sveti Djordje (Island of The Dead Captains) but we didn't have the chance to visit the island. 

#6: A panoramic view of Perast Town 

Perast Town is an old town located few kilometres northwest of Kotor. It takes almost half an hour from Kotor via the local public bus. Actually Perast is more nearer to get to the islands, rather than from Kotor. In case you have additional day and time, you can dropby at Perast town and then, taxi boats to get to the islands. 


#7: Later on, we were brought to one of the submarine tunnel which built during the World War 2 

Right after our visit to the submarine tunnel, the boat operator did ask whether do we want to proceed or not for the next destination because the sea was getting rough and the waves were indeed huge. Being us who don't have these two words of "afraid" and "scare" in our dictionary, all of us agreed to continue with our final stop despite the rough conditions. The cruise was absolutely bumpy and there were few times where our butt skipped off from the seat, but still we insist to stay strong by holding the handrail until the end. 


#8: Blue cave - this is where we insisted to continue our trip despite the rough conditions 

The blue cave, or locally known as Blue Grotto is one of the things you must see when taking the boat trip. Though it's nearly 45 minutes boat ride, we never regret of getting here. Feeling so magical when seeing the cave was shining with neon-blue light which grow from the surface of the water. Eventually we're allowed to swim around but because of the adverse weather, we're not allowed to do so. 

#9: Mamula Fortress from far. Another man-made island built during Austrian-Hungarian period

All of us were really having a good time cruising around Bay of Kotor where we got to see, learn and experience several new things. It's pleasant and wonderful experience afterall, eventhough we encountered a non-stop bumpy ride towards the end of the trip. I would recommend you to go for this Bay of Kotor cruise if you have extra of time in Kotor.  

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Hiking San Giovanni Fort of Kotor, Montenegro

<< Previous Post: Kotor, A City of Montenegro That Stole My Heart <<

One of the reasons why I recommend to stay at least minimum of 2 nights in Kotor is because you can go for hiking in the early morning. Hiking is one of the top things you should do when in Kotor cause not only it will lead you to Kotor Fortress which known as San Giovanni Fort, but you will be rewarded with the most stunning and breathtaking panoramic view of Kotor Bay. For the past few days, I didn't do any hike throughout my almost 3 weeks trip, except for this one. Like they said, save the best for last. 

Coincidentally, I met a Malaysian lady who also did solo travelling like I do and happen to be staying exactly the same hostel and therefore, we decided to hike up together. Two is better than one, right? We left the hostel right after we had our breakfast and immediately hike up in order to beat the crowd. 

#1: Turn right when seeing this signboard which lead to another trek

Normally, visitors who plan to hike up to Kotor Fortress will begin their journey from the Old Town (Stari Grad) of Kotor but we took the different trek. The hostel owner gave us (and also other hostel guests) few important tips and one of it is where we can hike without have to pay the fee of €8 (approx. to RM37) in order to go up the fortress. It used to be free but I think due to overcrowded especially during the peak season (normally during the summer time), then they started to charge who intend to hike up. 

#2: Photo stop in the middle of our hike

I personally feel the hike is fairly easy and not that difficult as I thought. I even in a long dress which I just newly bought but of course, the most importantly I wore a comfortable walking shoe. I came across a group of family with small kids and these kids able to hike up without having any issues. Most importantly, do no hike with slippers or even sandals cause the trail consists of plenty of loose rocks and uneven stone paved track where it might be slippery in some way. 

#3: Oh, my goats!

Both of my newly met acquaintance and I did stop few times for phototaking and that's the reason why it took some time for us to reach to the top. As recommended by the hostel owner, we dropby a small house in the middle of our hike where the family sell their own handmade cheese and ham. However, none of us bought any of them cause we only brought along a small bag with us. But since we're there and feeling kinda awkward just leave like that, we ended by ordering coke to quench our thirst.  

#4


#5: Love this photo with the tiny of Chapel of St. Ivan behind me


#6: This is the small hole of the wall that lead us to the fortress

When both of us passed through the small hole, quite number of visitors were quite surprise to see what we did. That's because many of them didn't know there's a secret trek which can lead us to the fortress without have to go through of paying the fee. This little hole eventually brought us to something that we didn't expect - a viewpoint overlooking the breathtaking and mind-blowing panoramic view of Kotor Bay with Montenegro's mountain as the background. As the quote goes, the best view comes after the hardest climb. Though the hike wasn't that difficult at all but I have to say this place is the most beautiful place I've ever visited. Kotor, you instantly have becoming one of my most favourite city in Europe. 

#7: Breathtaking and mind-blowing  panoramic view of Kotor Bay

#8: Admiring the beauty of Kotor Bay from the top of the hill.

We took nearly two hours to arrive the castle of San Giovanni and slowly, we can see more crowds are coming up as well. I believe most of them are from the enormous cruises and that's explain why I suggest to climb early in the morning. Phototaking and enjoying the view are mostly what we did when reaching the top but there are few visitors who were also enjoying sunbathing. The angmo really love to sunbath, but not me cause I easily get tan when expose to sun, even for few minutes only. 

#9: 1,500 years ruins of the castle of San Giovanni

It's time to go back to the ground. This round, we decided to use the other trek which lead us to the old town. It's getting more challenging to descend because not just that there are too many people, but the stairs are too small to fit in two human at the same time. There are few times I need to stop for a while in order for those who are on the way up just to passby. 

#10: This is the viewpoint I've been looking forward before arrive in Kotor. Cause....


#11: It's the front cover of Lonely Planet book. Does it looks exactly the same as the photo I took?

#12: This is where one of the hiking trails starts, which is from the Old Town but visitors need to pay €8 before begin to hike up. 

#13: A reward for ourselves after done with the hiking - gelato!

Overall, it took us almost 3 hours to complete the whole hiking trail but it could be speed up if we didn't have our sweet time at the small house which we dropby in the middle of our hike. As the whole place is totally exposed, it will getting hotter especially in the middle of the day, so don't forget to apply sunscreen and bring along hat. I don't recommend umbrella cause it might cause inconveniences as there are certain part of the trails are narrow.

Last but not least, be cautious with your belongings especially the valuable one cause my acquaintance lost her money somewhere at the top of the hills. We didn't know how and when it happened, but we're completely shocked to find out about this when she couldn't find her money to pay for her gelato. Though the amount might seem insignificant, but we still went and lodged police report at the end of the day for insurance purposes. Frankly speaking, pickpocket is pretty common in Europe and therefore, always stay vigilant with your belongings.

Nevertheless, I still in love with Kotor to date and if you would like to plan your trip to the Balkans, you must include Kotor in your itinerary. Plan now, travel later 😜

>> Next Post: The Island Gospa od Skrpjela (Our Lady of The Rock) & Bay of Kotor Cruise >>

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