Some trivial facts about romania

- In the Romanian mountains are more then 200 gorges

In Romania women out number men by about 600,000 more

- The first town in Europe with street electric lightning was Timisoara Town.

I may add some more later

Tips on visiting romania

When you come to Romania it is better to know some useful tips:

1. On the border or in the city if someone asks you to change money, avoided without any explanation. Don’t change the money on the street – is illegal! and risky

2.Be careful to protect your luggage in especially in bus or railway station or airport. normal in any country

3. If someone asks you for entrance tickets or fees, or any taxes and fines, politely ask for his identity card or authorization.

4. When you want to take a car from the road or a taxi, you must think to pay the driver (about. 3 – 4 Euro for 100km, or to ask the driver about the price, before getting in the car.

5. Don’t visit the gipsy community or marginal streets from the big cities alone. You can normally tell these areas as the people are generally much darker skinned than most Romanians in essence just remain streetwise

6. If you come with your car is better to respect the rules and to use all most national or European roads. Communal roads are very poor!

7. Be careful where you park. It Is hard to find a parking place in the centre of the cities and you must to pay for that place.

I removed 8 , don’t leave luggage at a railway locker

9. The prices in hotels of three, four and five stars are almost similar to the West in cities but still much cheaper than the uk. If you have a low budget try to sleep in guesthouses or pensions

10. You can use your tent only in special places around tourist towns and resorts for an accessible price. Not every town has special places for camping or tents. But most locals will let you pitch for a price

11. For entrance in these areas you must to pay a ticket: Retazat National park, Ceahlau National park, Turzii Gorges Reservation, Danube Delta Reservation.

12. In the mountains you can put your tent in special and recommended places. Or anywhere you feel safe to do so at your own risk

13. Don’t leave the tent all the day. I know some shepherds specialized to steal everything.

14. A very big problem in the mountains is the shepherd’s dogs – very aggressive with travellers. Sometime I saw shepherds urged their dogs to me. Some shepherds have more then 10 dogs. (Only three dogs for 100 sheep are legal)

15. in Bucegi, Postavaru, Munceii Predealului, Piatra Craiului, Iezer and Ciucas mountains are domestic bears sometime, when you don’t take their any food and they are hungry can be aggressive and to tear tents, finding food. I don’t recommended to put your tent alone in these areas.

16. You need a good map or a good professional guide for trekking, hiking or climbing in Romania. In some areas the touristy marks are very old and invaded by vegetation. Is not so funny to spend a night lost in large and wild Romanian woods? I recommended you a guide service. Is more secure and affordable.

17. …also for rock climbing is more important to have a good guide with you. many climbing routes are old full of vegetation and insecure. I renamed that route “kamikaze”. Some tops are dangerous made. Also in Romania are a lot of very beautiful and secure route, but you need someone to show you those routes and to help you in difficult moments.

18. in winter the avalanche danger is present in all the mountains higher then 1800m. If you don’t have any experience I recommend you do not go alone or without someone experienced.

19. When you visit a monastery you must to have your legs cover. The shorts aren’t recommended and are considerate immoral.

20. When you visit an important cultural sight, is a ticket for entrance very affordable and a special ticket for photos and shootings. This last ticket can be expensive, much more then entrance ticket. After you pay will be surprised when you will see inside the monument a sign with “no photo and shooting”.

21. Romanian wine is very good and cheap, but don’t drink too much! Try to buy certified wine bottles. Or if you feel adventurous go for some home brew

22. In the villages and in small towns majority people speak only Romanian.

23. Romania is full of dogs without owner land. Everywhere you are, somewhere there is a dog. Some are pretty some are aggressive…depends on your luck.

23. Many Romanian maps are old, poor and inaccurate. Don’t trust 100% in maps.

24. In remote villages all the people salute! Is better if you use a salute like: “Buna ziua!”, (Good afternoon!) or “Doamne‘ ajuta” (God help us!).

25. Romania is a very beautiful country with nice and friendly people. Be cautious but friendly and open hard and I assure you will not be disappointed.

 A modified guide to Romania the original can be found here written by Valeriu (Vali) Catargiu – national tour guide from Romania

News Flights to Romania Cluj added to wizz air

www.blueair-web.com/

www.wizzair.com/

Cluj now added to wizz air destinations makes it cheaper to fly than before. i just checked out a fare for 2 adults and one child under 14 and the return fare worked out at just over 300 GBP not bad, and the internal land transport is so cheap for other destinations. may be onto a winner again? this opens up the route to the

mountains and Apusini district in Romania a very nice area not far from cluj

Dating Romanian Women and Men

Its fast becoming apparent to me that this is a popular subject, born out of curiosity i am about to embark on a research project to see if this would be an area where i could get involved considering i have had a little experience of it first hand.

to outline and remind you i have a Romanian girlfriend already, hence the knowledge, i also know other people in the same situation as well,being British and having a Romanian partner.

Dating a Romanian is no different than any other physical attraction is exactly the same no matter which country. however there are a few subtle differences  from English women (cant speak for the men) whilst the all women are the same motto applies, i suppose it depends on the individual situation. i have had a look at some of the dating sites for romania and its plain for me to see some of these sites a phishing sites,some are just plain cloned, others are genuine and have genuine people on them amongst the generic pictures and profiles designed to draw in punters. most of thew sites i saw i wouldn’t recommend. i was thinking to try to find a way to make a genuine dating site or portal and currently am scratching my head as it is not without problems. Firstly not many women would pay to be on a dating site in Romania, second i would be reluctant to start vetting uk mens applications to date Romanian girls. I wouldn’t want the blame for anything that went wrong. Its a funny old game is dating. i think my advice would be to men seeking women in Romania is beware,not all you hear may be the truth, especially if you get an introduction from a dating site.

I think maybe the internet has a lot to offer those seeking love in Romania and the uk ,but at the same time its a dangerous world.

if i come up with a bright spark idea on how to put people in touch i will sure post it here

Blow me its cold and getting colder

Well its been a long time since i wrote stuff here,and its getting colder..to be honest i have been otherwise occupied with working and not had the time to write much… since the last post a lot has happened and i dont hink i can cram it all into a few short words…the 8 trucks of apples have turned into about 28 truck loads one family sent 8 tonnes away well we have had apples coming out of our ears here for the last month at least. the wather has turned quick and the snow is upon us we have 6 inches up on muntle mic now and the nights are damn cold down bellow. ritas got puppies on the way, and i am looking forward to going to the uk for a few months…asap…sure i will be back in the spring time.i havnt had a uk christmas for 2 years now and i miss that badly.

the more i think about life here i realise that it is so nice i dont want to leave here. but a short time away will make me think. many things in the village are changing, mainly the weather,but now they are putting in mains water and sewage, pain in the butt if you have to drive to town every day like me.

P hils Departure has been nd gone he didnt last the course here in borlova i think it was too quiet for him and the prospects wernt good enough. but good luck to him in the future in uk as hes gone back there now…..kevs house has still not got a roof on it and its going to be a few more weeks yet before that gets finished,hes going back to the uk soon too. back again next year…

The most important thing for me at the moment is to get enough wood to burn on the fire so we can keep warm…hence a lot of time spent not sitting at the pc writing stuff…

I have got really used to life here now and dont want to go back to uk at all but its a thing i must do i want to spend time with my girls..

meat is cheap here and i only found that out these last few months…bugger i starved for ages..tip for those coming here to live, check out the local markets..not the supermarkets… in fact i have learnt a lot in the last few months more than i did in a year on my own here. you need a friend who speaks romanian and english to get on quicker for sure…thankfully mine is also my partner now….

Fishing news

well i will let you know about the new lake i found next week but trout are down deep in the river at the moment due to the cold.

traffic report…

well road works bug the hell out of me at the moment and the cows are coming in earlier which is causing havoc…tourists on motor bikes have disappeared but atvs are about now..horses and carts still clogging the streets and 40 ft artics collecting apples are playing a big part in any disruptions. appart from that theres no major problems.

weather report

Freeeeeeezzzzzin and down to zero or below at night max 8c in the day murky and raining and cloud and fog and miserable…time to get the ski gear out and go skiing on muntle mic 6″ of snow already and getting deeper.

more later dudes

One extreme to the other

Well what a day its been lashing it down with rain and a bit chilly to boot..kevs house starts to take shape with the first corner of the building being erected in the rain by the 3 wise monkeys me kev and gita.

No real local gossip and no updates on the car crash as yet but i have been working out side on kevs construction project all afternoon and didnt get up til lunch time so missed out on some things but quiet in general as i did move about.

Weather report: Wet cold cloudy and raining as opposed to hot and very sunny the day before who know what tommorow will bring?

Traffic Report: no news is good news

Other observations of the day: kevs question as to whether eating parsley gives you the trotts amused me, i have never heard of this but put his predicament down to other causes or food,incidently i always carry a spare change of clothes and some bog roll in the car in case of emergencies..and i have needed too use them all on several occasions so for first time in romania anti Trotts tabs are a great idea.. i dont normally get problems as often as when i first came here it is getting better still that is enough of that…off on a few days hols to a place just outside Cluj and then on to my friends house in Zalau Hopefully few a few days. been there before and its a nice area the aupesini mountains.

Night Club News

I Have Noticed quite a few people searching about night clubs in Romania and especially Timisoara i saw there is a electro party somewhere near timisoara advertised with a line up including some UK DJ’s Seemed like a good crack unfortunatly left the info with some guests we had here so lost the dates but it is up and coming. If any one is searching for info or help on this front then me and Kev can probably help with sorting out some deals and Guides which will help no end if it is your first trip here. we had a promotion in mind and we are still working on it. but other things have side tracked the progress.

without a doubt romania has some unusual nightlife and style of partying…some of it very erotic…The Clubs in timisoara are mainly smaller than some big UK clubs But an outside Gig will get packed out this time of year.

Well cutting this short if you need help or information just post a reply

post 93 continued

well after the first day getting used to my surroundings in my plush (he hem choke ) private appartmetn in the factory appartments we were taken to eat in the factory restaurant, well the directors dinning room,whilst the rest of the factory were dined in the canteen, (part of romanian traddition now i understand but if you work here it is obligatory you are fed as well by your employer) we were plied with more tuica and beer and sat down to a three course meal comprising ciorba de burta ( i now puke) goose liver and lambs brain cannaloni in a tomatoe sauce and salad followed by snitzel of pork with potatoes.. the latter being ok..never again will i eat ciorba de Burta or translated Tripe soup. it is a romanian delicasy but it is puke stuff i had a friend who fed his alsations on this stuff and could never forget the smell so when i was offered it as soup i nearly reached…in hindsight we were fed then like kings and i appreciate this now but it was a culture shock for me at the time. after our tour of the factory in the afternoon i then began to see how the romanians needed our help with technology…some has changed today but the key word in any romanian construction or manufactuing is improvisation..still true today. the guy operating the overhead crane made it work buy putting two wires together with sparks flying everywhere as he did it.. the button had broken and this was how they got it to work.i could have been transported back to the uk in the industrial revolution in the 1800s excuse my history its crap but even in the early 70s we had health and saftey..the stanley knife blades i had got with me attracted a huge crowd as i cut a piece of valve packing square and with ease… instead of the blunt bit of old hacksaw blade they were using. and stuffing the cut bit of then rag into the valve with a bit of steel and a improvised hammer. as i slid my correctly cut bit in with ease with my fingers they were amazed.

still thats getting technical… needless to say after a few days working with the technical director in the factory he was over the moon and now had more cudos and brownie points than anyone in the whole factory…hence i was invited to join him at his house for a bar b que the last night we were there. in preperation he had slaughtered his pig the day before…and dragged out his best palinka from his cellar…i have to say this was a good experience and today i am still friends with him and his family…

the next day we were taken by emmerson fitapaldi the dacia driver with the dacia with bald tyres and many other faults to the next factory…i have to say i never thought i would get there .. i was so tired i think i must be the only forigner who has managed to sleep in a dacia driven at brake neck speed round mountain  icy roads with bald tyres by a raving loony driver.. still more to come later i must finish this now as i am off to the airport to collect some tourists in the morning at 6am next instalment when i get time

First trip to romania 1993

1993 January place of arrival Bucharest otopeni airport I worked for a company in the uk selling engineering parts I wont go into what but suffice to say the romanians at that time needed badly what we had to offer, in terms of technology I didn’t know it at the time but soon found out.Me and a business client from the uk had talked about the subject for months and eventually we got to the point of coming here he had been many times before and being older and much wiser than me came along for the sheer fun of it I am sure.. I was upbeat and very excited to come as it was my first real business trip abroad, and it was potentially worth a bomb to my company I was in for big time pat on the back and commissions (small).Needless to say I had spent days organising my things getting power point presentations ready the normal sales stuff (I am almost peeing my self writing this now) so with lap top in case and all available material ready we land after a very nice flight on Tarom the cabin crew were very nice and I was excited to be there. We move into the arrivals hall and as my friend had been before we quickly barged our way passed a confused mass of people, (who preceded to follow our actions) to the visa desk and promptly paid our 30 usd for our visa, then onto baggage reclaim, phew all my carefully prepared stuff did eventually get there. I thought I had landed in what I can only describe as a James Bond movie from 1965, I expected any minute to be confronted by someone stroking a white cat, the place was filled with men in striking looking uniforms and big furry hats, now I know the hats were bear skin in the main. After about an hour going through passport control and lets see what goodies you have in your bags then sir and oh by the way can I have that mars bar and that telephone you have yes to the mars bar but sorry I need the phone. I think the only thing I remember feeling was very vulnerable… we got a trolley after we changed some dollars into lei we got tonnes of money we only gave 20$ I had won the pools or lottery, I couldn’t fit it in my pockets, still the kind young urchin that gave us the trolley for our bags I think also won the lottery that day, I gave him the equivalent then of a weeks work for a well paid person to hand me the trolley it was a real surprise to me to see his face light up my friend was quick to point out my error and merely took the Michael out of me for the next 10 mins he was expecting a coin and I gave him a fairly large note after which he speed off a lightning speed. We finally got out into the smoke filled arrivals hall to be met by what I now describe as my mother in Romania. A real darling and sweet woman for whom I have the utmost respect, She is another story of its own. We were followed out of the airport by one of the guys in uniform and a guy with a black leather coat on that looked like he should have been in the SS I will refer to this later She led us out into minus 15 and into a small white car like a fiat panda,I thnk it was citroen but what the heck it took us about 10 mins to load the bags and four of us including her husband into the car. We set off into Bucharest in rush hour traffic, at that time not too bad but scary never the less we got to a restaurant and were seated nice place I thought reminded me of like Buckingham palace dining room, somewhere near to this anyway it was only a stones throw from the banking and embassy areas, I soon found out our host worked for the regime as export import department agent for engineering and her husband worked in a similar department for the Chinese side. After a nice meal we set out for the train station, it was like going back to the 1940’s I thought I had been taken to a German station loading Jews onto trains during the war it was dark bleak freezing cold no one was smiling all the women wore black and the men wore big coats and furry hats there was military everywhere, the trains looked like cattle trucks our host shuffled us through the masses of people and put us into our first class carriage right at the front of the huge train, phew I was thinking first class not bad. Oh no I had the train toilet experience of a lifetime, wooden seat rotted away the entire toilet was smothered and stunk to hell; I quickly shut the door and went to my compartment, and found the sink very handy. We were lucky enough to have heating in first class provided by a guard down the corridor stoking a fire fuelled by coal, I stuck close to this heating as I tried to sleep on the 9 hrs journey to Zalau, the windows had ice on the inside and when I woke in the morning my nostrils were black with soot. We got off the train I was greeted by our business clients and we were taken by dacia to our first meeting I was knackerd filthy frozen (minus 23)and wanted to go to sleep. Instead I got sat in the diectors office and made to drink Tuica (instead of a nice cuppa) on which I proceeded to choke much to the amusement of all there….  Enough for now I will continue at another time the rest was business and making some very good friends with whom I am still in touch with in zalau.