we don't need no stinking guidebook.

---

i have decided to add a few countries to my itinerary. since, i was only able to find a guide for turkey before my departure i am now travelling with less. somewhere along the way in turkey i had drawn a map adding romania, serbia, bosnia-herzegovinia, montenegro and kosovo(not yet recognized by any other country). only problem is, i discovered on the train from bucharest, romania to belgrade, serbia that my 'map' was incomplete (i did 'update'it a bit). i also found out that i missed visiting transilvania (i made a sound recording but alas that dead phone is an albatros). it went like this with a great accent, "today i made a withdrawal from the bank of transilvania" wicked laugh here!! ! damn phone!

transylvania was just over the mountains. which i by the way hiked up and down despite the local favorite method of taking the tram. it was a welcome bit of solitude after enduring the hordes(sc) of tourists throughout turkey. this hike was fantastic even though i had in a moment of brilliance decided to leave my hoodie behind, i mean in america, as it was too bulky and heavy to be burdened with and the weather has been decididely(sc) cold. i even experienced sleet on top of the mountains.

i found out about this and other historical facts from a romanian i met on the train back to bucharest. such as the town i got off the rapid train in, because i only had a slow train ticket, had been thoroughly bombed by the allies in WWII. and that the mountain i hiked up used to be the border with hungary and that transylvania is just over there. as well as the dismal state of affairs in romania for this recent graduate. it was to say the least an enlightening couple hours on the slow train.

---