Blogs from Transilvania, Romania, Europe - page 21

I hate getting outsmarted. Arrived and immediately got harassed for taxi rides, hotel stays, etc. However a tall black guy named... I think Derek... came up to me and, in English, started instructing me as to the lay of the land. Turns out that he went to school outside of Lubbock, and was now in Romania playing basketball professionally. He stuck me on a bus which ended up at my hostel, and we agreed to meet up that night for dinner. Made it to my place relatively easily, although I did have to scamper around what appeared to be a wolf pack of (probably not actually) skinny and disheveled stray dogs. It appears that there are loose dogs EVERYWHERE in Romania, something which I had read in my guide book but had not believed in the ... read more

The pervy family wagon driver didnt drop us at the bus station but just randomly in the centre of Bucharest somewhere. J and I managed to work out roughly where we were on our lonely planet map but our YMCA hostel wasnt on it. We walked in the direction that we thought was correct and decided to show defeat and asked a kind taxi driver who ended up taking us and it only cost just over a pound. The hostel was ok but very basic and a bit grubby, our first impressions of Bucharest were not great so we decided to stay only one night. We got a much better map from the hostel lady and headed into the city. Bucharest was described in the lonely planet as the Paris of the East, they may have ... read more

A successful tourist city is a double-edged sword. It provides jobs and prominence. But for someone like me it is more tourist shops than normal shows, more out-of-towners than locals and the question of the town's true identity. I spent the better part of the day with a couple classes of second graders. Their knowledge of English is so limited than it's really just about paying attention to them. I gave each a decorated pencil and a big smile as souvenirs. I met up with a friend of a friend (cyber-style) for an apa minerale and an hour or so of conversation. Lucien is a very "pay it forward" kind of guy and we talked about small clean-up projects he and his friends do, my book project, politics, schools and more. I got to briefly meet ... read more

Meal time at N.'s house in Sibiu is always a glorious hodge-podge affair of food grabbed from the fridge supplemented by the ocassional new aspect. Breakfast, lunch or dinner there is not a firm division of types of food for each one. After breakfast Nick and I went for a brisk walk in the warm sun to attend the weekly get-together of the local philatelic association... the half that meets in the smoke-free environment. They have a storefront the club uses. We stopped at a church for a quick visit and then N. and the guys discussed a major philatelic event they are hosting next week. Collectors from all over the country will converge and buy, sell and swap. Afterwards, at N.'s suggestion we relaxed a while. Regretably I missed arriving in time to go to ... read more

On the road again, and got to say, i think a pre-requisite to work in Romanian transportation is being rude, unhelpful, and worthy of being punched in the face until they smile. Aye... That out, after our toast and chocolate spread breakfast with a side of goat yogurt, we got a lift from one of the workers to the train station, and being icy and questionable road conditions, only managed to fish tail once nearly colliding into a cement bridge. Made it to the train station, only to be treated rudely and taken the next-door bus station. Got our bus tickets and drove 3 hours to Brasov; on the way i counted all the stray dogs i saw out my window, and in that short 3 hour drive counted 98 dogs, just out my window! A ... read more