Within an hour of leaving Dubrovnik we were at the border crossing. We waited in line and watched the people in front get an orange each from the border guard! When it was our turn we offered our passports which he took and then asked for our insurance doucment. We didn't have and thought we had fallen at the first hurdle but he said go up to the office on the second floor in the white building. We found the office paid our 15 Euros and got the necessary document.

Our first impressions of Montenegro werre that it was rather run down, but unfortunately we didn't see it at its best as it was torrential rain the whole time we were there with very low cloud so we couldn't see any of the countryside and what was probably beautiful scenary. We pased through Budva which was a former Yugoslavian holiday resort and started climing along the coast road to the mountains. The roads were deteriorating, very bumpy with lots of potholes and uneven surfaces.

By late afternoon we were nearing the border and started to look for a hotel as there are no camp sites. In torrential rain at rush hour we stopped at 4 hotels in Podgorica but they were all full and so we decided to press on to the border. As we got nearer the road was going narrower and narrower, the sort of backroad you would take to the local tip! We thought we were on the wrong road but as we were behind articulated waggons we were sure this must be the road.

We eventually got to the border and we handed in our passports again which they took away and then came back for our log book. The guard returned our papers and waved us on to the Albanian Passport Control who again took our passports, leaned into the window and asked for 10 Euros 'Albanian tax'. We said o.k. and he quickly said 'each'. We think this may have been a bit of corruption but didn't argue. They were friendly enough and we were free to go ahead so see the wonders of Albania!