It was so hot in Chisinau, 30 plus degrees, we had to get out of the city, as Moldova is landlocked and we could not go to the Black sea because I only had a single entry visa it meant there was one option but to go to "Vadu- lui -Voda Vadu-lui-Voda, situated on the right bank of the Dniester River, is a great place for us city dwellers to get away from it all and pretend we are the seaside it is a splendid place for pitching camp and having a wonderful time at weekends. This is a place where [View Full Entry]

---

---

hello, all -- wendy here -- we have just returned from a full day of visiting monasteries and a picnic with other volunteers. they are all pretty young -- in fact, i am the oldest of them all by quite a number of years. there was a lot of climbing today, so i'm sure adrienne and i both got our exercise. there is a footprint that is kept at the top of a steep mountain, a footprint of Mary, the mother of Jesus, they think. so we trooped up there and mostly slid down. then, more climbing around the monastery. then, [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hi, this is Adrienne and my keyboard is worse than Wendy's. Not only does my ENTER key not work, but additional spaces are inserted as I type for no aparent reason. I hope to catch them all. Wendy pretty much summed up our time here so far. We were able to see the countryside today and it is really quite beautiful. Next to cars barrelling down the road at what seems like 70 MPH you have horse -drawn buggies. It is like being in a different time. On our monastery visit today, we experienced the worst bathroom in all of Europe. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Okay, Wendy here -- in case Adrienne's Mom is reading this -- this story turns out okay and with a happy ending. Remember the last blog when we said how dirty and tired we were from the picnic and all we could think of was getting clean? Well, we were locked out of our apartment! We walked up the five flights in the dark; couldn't fnd the light. My son gave me a key chain light two years ago, so we were able to see the keyhole, and get the key in. The key turned, but the door would not open. [View Full Entry]

---

---

I just read your comments -- thanks so much for those. So, to answer a few questions and make more comments ... we actually had warm water today at our place. However, Adrienne and I had both decided that the cold water is quite livable. We've learned how to make this work, and are totally fine with it. The best potties in Moldova -- coffee shop on Pushkin Street, and McDonalds. We didn't see the orphanage potties, but think they will be fine. We are in Chisenau. The language is a mix of Romanian and Russian. Many people speak one or [View Full Entry]

---

---

Day 48, 18th July. Târgu Frumos - Iaşi - Sculeni (MOLDOVA) - Urgheni -Bahmut I had a good sleep in the cabin called ‘Alice’ despite Rory’s tremendous snoring, do I also sound like this? I had a cold shower and a shave, then we hit the road… and what a road it was, perfectly smooth with no potholes and a bit busier than we were used to. The flat plains seemed to bring a kind of affluence to the people in this region. Iasi was a big university town with some grand buildings, and trams. We cooked up food in the [View Full Entry]

---

---

Day 50, 20th July. Sângera - Benderi (TRANSDNIESTRA) - Tiraspol - Stepova (UKRAINE) Andrew swam across the lake early to wish us well on our way, and we carried on east along the road in hot weather again. The roads were different than we were used to. Virtually empty of people, no horses and carts, no workers in the fields. Just before Benderi the landscape became wild and completely unused; then, a checkpoint with a Russian tank guarding it, we were waved through. Then the border control of the self-proclaimed Trandniestran Moldovan Republic. It was a time-capsule of the Soviet Un [View Full Entry]

---

---

On the morning of 18th February I set off to Moldova full of hope and optimism. To get to Moldova from Manchester I have to fly from Heathrow airport. This is a real pain. Last time when I went I said overnight in London but this time I was trying something different. The plan was to get an early morning train to London and then take the tube to Paddington Station and then take the Heathrow Express to the Airport. Easy hey... I sat on the train feeling pleased myself but that soon changed when an announcement came though that the [View Full Entry]

---

---

My Journey to Moldova started at Manchester Airport on a Tuesday afternoon, i sat in the Bar and phone up friend Chaddy who i knew would be working in his shitty Factory Job: "Hi Chad just supping a nice cold beer waiting for my flight to Moldova" I knew he would be jealous of me, i was a bit smug i guess. After hanging up i checked the flight screen to my dismay it was delayed. shit i hope i dont miss my contacting to Romania, first i had to fly to Amsterdam. Fucking French bastard Air traffic controllers had gone [View Full Entry]

---

---

I came here not knowing what to expect. One night, walking past the Presidential Palace, I was shaken down by a policeman. The excuse was that we didn't have our passports and visas with us. Anyways, $5 USD cleared up the situation. [View Full Entry]

---

---