Living like a Hobo

So... after being in Montenegro, I feel that I've been rather lucky because I haven't had to pay for accommodations for at least 5 nights which really has saved me a lot of money, and I've met some really great people who have bent over backwards for me. I've seen a lot of things that I would never have seen otherwise. I've been on the radio, seen the countryside, been in a taxi more than I ever have in my life, due to the fact that taxis here are cheaper than public transit. But... it seems to have all caught up to me.

Today I was started off from the capital, Podgorica, on a 3.5 hour bus ride along the coast to a city in the north, Herceg Novi. I got there and quite easily got on a bus to the coastal city of happiness :D I went to the bus, and as usual, they don't allow me to take both of my bags with me on board. No problem, as I have done a million times, I put my backpack with all my clothes and toiletries underneath the bus in the compartment for luggage with a plethora of other bags. I enjoyed the long ride there, slept a bit, relaxed a bit, listened to a book on tape, and then after a journey, I got off at my destination, being the last person on the bus. I got out and told the guy I had a bag underneath. He opened it, and to my surprise... a black pit of emptiness. Uh... excuse me... where is my bag? The guy looks in... looks at me confused. Of course no one on the bus service speaks English. Where is it? He looks at me, looks back. Asks if it is onboard with me... No, of course not, I'd recognize if I had it with me the entire time idiot. We look again at the black hole of despair. The driver gets out and looks also. And puts his hands up as if he's sayin... well... it's not there, sorry. What am I supposed to do? I asked. He had no answer. Well... we looked at each other. What now? Then they told me to go to the big station at the city an hour away... Uh... ok, thanks...? I had him write down his name and number and there really wasn't much else for me to do. I guess I'll go check out the place tomorrow. Nothing doing now.

In all honesty though.... it sucks that I don't have my bag, but again, I have the irreplaceable stuff with me still. All the expensive stuff. I just had my clothes and toiletries in it, and the bag also was important. But everything is replaceable. I still hold out hope that I'll find it tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure someone just took it off and stole it. It adds more adventure to my trip, in my thoughts, than anything. It's quite interesting now to see how the final few weeks of traveling will work out now that I don't have clothes or toiletries... so we'll just see how it works out. Long live the adventure. Adventure is what I longed for, and that's exactly what I've gotten. Moral of the story: Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.