Author: idratherbesailingnow

By Don

In the beginning we mentioned a scientific study we were conducting called the ‘wave test’. Done with meticulous rigor the intent was to determine if people got friendlier the further south you went. The methodology was to wave at people in remote places and see if they waved back. Well up north they rarely did, and in fact they made you feel awkward for even trying. Well the further south you got the response unquestionably improved. I could reiterate the statistics here; percentiles, joint probability distributions, etc., but I’ll spare you. Just trust me. In Romania people almost always wave back, in fact they frequently wave first. Yesterday we stopped for some food in a store and the owner came out after we had left and gave us some pretzels. A few minutes later a customer we had been talking to while eating the pretzels came back out with a few more for us. Today at a store the owner started assembling sausage, cheese, bread and cookies and I kept saying, no, no, no. Not that it didn’t look good or that it was expensive, but she had a loaf of French bread and we really don’t have a place for it on our bike. At the end she gave me this bag of goodies and refused payment. Now that doesn’t happen in Estonia. Or Canada for that matter.

So people are friendlier here. Nuff said. OK, but there is another very noticable change. Garbage. Along the highway it is everywhere. At the top of a pass I took a picture of what I thought was purple flowers and it turned out to be purple jar caps. Who takes a bag full of jars with purple caps up a highway to dump them in a green patch beside the road at the top?

But what was really noticable was to the degree to which they are committed to Arlo Guthrie’s principle in Alice’s Restaurant. Now I’m sure you all recall…

“So we took the half a ton of garbage, put it in the back of a red VW Microbus, took shovels and rakes and implements of destruction and headed on toward the city dump. Well, we got there and there was a big sign and a chain across across the Dump saying, “Closed on Thanksgiving”. And we had never heard of a dump closed on Thanksgiving before, and with tears in our eyes we drove off into the sunset looking for another place to put the garbage. We didn’t find one. Until we came to a side road, and off the side of the side road there was another fifteen foot cliff, and at the bottom of the cliff there was another pile of garbage. And we decided that one big pile is better than two little piles, and rather than bring that one up we decided to throw ours down.” 

Frequently off the side of the road you will find a very large pile of garbage. People driving by with a load of garbage obviously see some already there and say, “here, we will dump it here”.

But the most amazing thing, and I mean this is really amazing (imagine Arlo saying this) was just below the top of the Transfagarasan summit. I had stopped for a little bio break and walked around the edge of this cliff for a little bio break privacy. There on the right was a big split in the rock with a hole. And it was……. filled with garbage. Literally. OK, now who really drives 6,000 feet up and stops on the side of the road, walks over by a cliff, sees a hole in the ground, say’s ‘perfect, runs back to their car, grabs their garbage and dumps it in the hole. How else does it happen? Oh where is Officer Obie when you need him.

So clearly there is a correlation between throwing your garbage everywhere and being friendly. I’m sure it is not causation. But one needs to look into anal angst over cleanliness and its subsequent side effects. What are we giving up to be righteous?

Another correlation that we have noticed, and one that is a little closer to home, is a very high correlation between how expensive the car passing us is and the risks the driver is prepared to take. Drivers in high end BMW’s, Mercedes Benz’s and Audi’s are way, way more likely to risk their lives, the lives of unknown people in an oncoming car and two cyclists in order to save 4 to 5 seconds of driving time. At least twice a day I’m thinking this is “The End” and in every bit as morbid a context as Jim Morrison’s song. I have theories on the ’cause’ of this but would like to retain a few of my friends that drive high end BMW’s, Mercedes Benz’s and Audi’s.

The Good, The Bad and the Super %^&&%$# Annoying

The Good – Riding over the Transfagarasan was nothing short of amazing. Both up and down. Dennis didn’t mention a dam that you go by on the way down, but it was also something to see.

The Bad – When we turned on to the the Trans.. road, and I mean right at the corner, I broke a spoke. That night in the place we were staying before the climb I determined I had broken two. I could only fix one as the other required the rear cassette to be removed and we didn’t have the tools. This means my wheel was not in alignment. A noticable feature of this was when coming down the other side of the pass, likely because the rim would hit the brake pad on every revolution, was the rim got very hot. Real hot. Now there are lots of stories about the tire exploding because the tire gets too hot so I spent the long steep run down trying to decide on the best approach. Clearly not using your brakes was a good idea, sort of, because you would have to use them ultimately, and frequently, and who wants their tire to explode at speed with a cliff on one side. So was it better to use them all the way down? Of course I made it, a long time after Dennis. The next day we stopped in Pitesti at a bike shop and waited for it to open. The mechanic fixed my broken spoke, re-did the one I had done, tuned the alignment, fixed by front break cable which was shot, and charged me…. $10. About an hour’s work and parts. He was a friendly and nice guy who spoke great English. But….

The Annoying – So, for the record, there are lots of things on a trip like this to get annoyed at. The drivers, the wind, the rain, road quality, the absence of coffee shops, etc. I know, I know, move on. But there is only one thing that you can get totally, supremely, maxed out, over the top annoyed at. And that is? Yourself of course. Back in Estonia, or was it Latvia, I broke the sun glasses I had brought with me. After a few days search in Latvia I bought a pair. I loved them. The perfect case that would carry the glasses, the clear lenses, the yellow lenses, the cleaning cloth, etc. They were perfect. Well I forgot them at the bike shop. It was cloudy out, and what ever, I didn’t notice. I know, I know, move on.

Where are They Hiding Them

One of the most amazing things of Romania is the juxtaposition of old and the new. In Chandrea we were in front of the pensionea where we were staying at and chatting with the kids of the owner when a cow starts walking down the highway. Now it wasn’t the busiest of highways but it wasn’t empty either. At that time there was a steady stream of semi’s going by, mostly bulk carriers and we figured they were on their way home. So I said ‘huh’? to the locals. And they responded that I should wait because the whole herd was to come and this happened every nght. And sure enough a herd of cows started coming down the middle of the road. How does that work? Every night?

The same applies with all the horse drawn wagons on the road. There are cars and large trucks racing up and down, and then there is a horse drawn cart carrying hay, a couple of people and a kid sitting on top of it all. I think there are lots of people living here that are just hanging on to what they love. But it can’t last.

When you Google agriculture in Romania they talk about the struggle it faces with small farms, very old farm equipment and lack of capital. As a consequence large corporations have moved in. We have seen corn fields that go on for ever. As in sections and sections. (That’s farmer talk for miles and miles.) They are not part of a small farm. They are not harvesting that corn with 50 year old equipment. So where are they hiding the new stuff. We are talking John Deere. I’m sure it is there, somewhere, but we are a bit early to see the real major harvesting. They are hiding it. At least that is what I think.

By Dennis

From Sighisoara we peddled 93km to Cartisoara, which is and situated at the base of the Transfagarasan mountain pass, and is Dracula’s birthplace.

The Transfagarasan mountain pass through the Carpathian mountains is something that has been on our minds since the beginning of this trip as it marks a milestone in our journey. The road has many hairpin turns and rises to an altitude of 2,050 meters over a steady uphill climb of 35km, before descending for another 55km.

The Transfagarasan was constructed between 1970 and 1974 during the rule of Nicolae Ceausescu as a response to the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union. Ceausescu wanted to ensure quick military access across the mountains in case of an invasion by the Soviets.

The road is usually closed from late October until late June because of snow, but when open is popular with motorcyclists, cars, and the odd crazy cyclist or two.

At the pension in Cartisoara we met a Polish couple who were driving over the Transfagarasan the next day and gratefully agreed to take our panniers to the top of the mountain and leave them at the only hotel, the Cabana Capra. We were most appreciative as this would make a big difference in the climb, not having to pack 35 pounds of gear up 35km of road.

By Dennis

Andante. Some of you know that Don and I are co-owners of a sailboat called Andante. It is a musical term meaning “moderately slow”, or as I like to think of it, “slow and easy”. And this is what it has mostly been the last few days as we roam over the rolling hills through small Romanian towns, villages and gypsy settlements. No rain, no wind, and no Hungarian drivers. Andante Days!

Simleu Sylvaniei to Chendrea – 62km Avg 18.5 km/hr

After 6 continuous days of riding since Krakow on mostly busy roads, it was nice to get back on some country roads taking us through the small village of Panic on the way to Chendrea. Too bad they did not have signs when entering and exiting the village, especially the exit sign which typically is the village name with a diagonal slash through it, which we interpret as “No Panic”. It would have been a great picture! One of the good things about riding on country roads with no traffic is you have time to stop and take pictures, something not easily done on the busy highways.

I had an interesting experience while shopping in Zalau for lunch snacks. The woman behind the deli counter was talking on her phone when I approached, and to me it sounded like a personal call. I waited a couple of minutes then impatiently pointed at the sliced meat I wanted to buy. She could not understand how much I wanted so I pulled out Google Translate to show her. Still talking on the phone, she sliced the meat wrapped it, and handed it to me. I walked up to the cashier and she too was having a personal call which she continued while processing the 3 customers in front of me, and myself. Maybe they made phone plans too inexpensive in Romania (re: my 2000 minutes and 50gb for $9.00)?

Chendrea is a small town in the middle of nowhere with no church (believe it or not), 2 tiny grocery stores and one pension where we had booked a room. We shared the pension with 8 Vietnamese engineers who are here on a 2 year contract building a sewage system for the area. Most of them spoke English and all were very friendly, especially when they learned Don and I both were in Vietnam recently. It was a great place to stay except for the dog that barked all night long keeping Don awake while I slept soundly with my earplugs 🙂

Chendrea to Gherla – 68km Avg 18.7 km/hr

Romania has the second lowest wages in the EU, after Bulgaria, and this is very evident in the rural areas we passed through today. We are truly a novelty in the small villages as I doubt very many cyclists pass through this way. Most people seem very shy so I try to say buna (good morning/hello) or give them a friendly wave. Sometimes I get a buna in return, but often just a blank stare or aversion of eye contact. We have seen very few cars in these villages – the main source of transport are bicycles or horse drawn gypsy carts.

Gherla to Targu Mures – 98km Avg 18.6 km/hr

Romania banned smoking in enclosed spaces in 2015. Romanians are also big smokers, and with cigarettes costing approximately $3.50 a pack, 28% of the population smoke (including many teenagers). What this means is when going to a restaurant and sitting outside on the patio to avoid the heat inside, one enjoys a cloud of smoke with their meal. Not nice for non-smokers.

Today was a really pleasant ride on nice new roads with little traffic and interesting scenery. A little cold at the start of the day (7 degrees) and warming up to 27 later in the day. Another Andante day.

Targu Mures to Sighisoara – 76km Avg 19.5 km/hr

This was the 9th day of riding without a break and we are both tired, but there has not been anyplace we felt like staying for 2 nights.

The day started with an easy ride out of Targu Mures on pseudo bike paths for 5k and until we hit the busy road going south. After 20k of heavy traffic we bailed on our original route and took an alternative route even though it meant and extra 20k and a few more hills. It turned out to be a good decision however, as we passed through small villages that looked like they have not changed for hundreds of years and traverser hills blanketed with a patchwork of corn and sunflower fields. Romania is the biggest grower in all Europe of sunflowers for the production of oil.

We are in the Transylvania region of Romania, known for its medievel towns, villages, castles and fortresses (and Count Dracula’s famous Bran Castle!)

Sighisoara for 2 nights. Yahoo! A rest day!

By Don

Romanian Drivers

Well, they seem about on par with the non-Hungarian countries we have travelled through. Normally they wait until it is safe to pass. On the odd occasion when they don’t we curse them “you damn Hungarian driver”. Bad drivers by definition are now all Hungarian. Not fair? Well life is so much easier if you just throw an identifiable group of people (bad drivers in the case) into a stereo type and apply derogatory comments to them. Facts, figures and logic just get in the way of simplicity. Cognitive efficiencies so to speak. We can’t, or at least shouldn’t do that you say? Well if it is good enough for the President of the United States it is good enough for us.

Come On, Let’s See What You’ve Got

One of the things about riding in Romania is the dogs. They like to chase you. Now we had been forewarned about this and have brought some loud whistles having been told that scares them off. It doesn’t. Sue had said just stop and get off the bike and they will go home. I think that takes a lot of nerve when two dogs are barking and growling at your heels, but Dennis tried it and it worked. Me, not yet, but I’m working on my nerve. My preferred approach is to speed up as fast as I can go and say to them, “Come on, let’s see what you’ve got.” The only catch with this is the pavement needs to be smooth and the road flat, or better slightly downhill. But then it is oh so rewarding. You just keep going until the dog wheezes himself off the road.

As an aside most of them just like to bark and chase you, that’s why stopping works. The biggest issue is when you don’t see them coming and all of a sudden they are right there and start barking. In this case they scare the shit out of you. They then go rollicking home chatting with each other, “Jesus, did you see that guy? I think he wet himself. God that was funny, oh look, here comes the other, lets hide over here.”

Chocolat

Have you seen the movie? Johnny Depp plays a Roma gypsy camped outside of Paris. In the movie, as I recall it, the gypsies can all play instruments, they know how to have fun and they cook and eat interesting food. And some of them look like Johnny Depp. Romantic, talented, fun loving group.

Well we have cycled through a few Roma villages. It isn’t pretty, it isn’t romantic and I doubt there is a musical instrument to be found. It is just plain old poverty.

Romania

Ok, for this one first listen to THIS. Now you may have to skip an ad to hear it but go on. Of course it will bring back memories and you will go off get your record collection from the 70’s start listening to it and forget about this blog. Lucky you.

Let us be travellers, we’ll visit Europa together
I’ve got some Euros here in my bag
So we bought a couple of panniers and GPS apps for our phone
And we cycled off to look for Romania
Dennis,  I said as we crossed the border to Hungary
Slovakia seems like a dream to me now
It took us 12 days to cycle through Poland
We’ve come to look for Romania

Joking as we rode, playing games with the faces
He said the man with a scowl was a Pole
I said I doubt it he’s likely Estonian
Toss me a Mars bar, I think there’s one in my pannier
You ate the last one an hour ago
So I bitched about the head wind
And he about the climb
And the road rose over a mountain pass

Dennis, we’re lost, I said, though I knew he was dreaming
And I’m hungry and tired and the Nav screen is blank
He’s talking to cows on the side of the highway *
Who don’t know know what is Romania
But we’ve come to look for Romania
Let’s all come to look for Romania

*Yes, Dennis is a regular Dr. Dolittle.

By Dennis

The “Hotel California” in Nyirbator did not serve breakfast so we went to the local supermarket at 7am to purchase some yogurt, fruit, bread and cheese – our usual breakfast (and lunch too most days). The Romanian border was only an hour away and we were surprised there was a checkpoint and we had to show our passports. This was the first country we have encountered a checkpoint as most of our crossings have been on rural roads.

We stopped at the first town, Carai, and visited an ATM to get some Romanian lei, then to the local Orange store for a new SIM card. $9.00 for 50gb and 2000 minutes national and international phone calls. (Yes, 2000!)

The rest of the day was a slow climb, on mostly quiet highways, through field after field of corn and sunflowers, and into the town of Simleu Sylvaniei, our stop for the night. The hotel was a surprise, the 3 star Pensiunea Turistica Cabana Bradet, was very clean and spacious compared to what we have been staying in for the past 5 days, and only $32 CDN including breakfast. Unfortunately it was at the top of a really steep hill (20%?) of which we had to walk part way up, and this precluded any incentive to come back down and walk around the busy town. A great hotel except for the barking dog who kept Don awake for some time (I had my earplugs!)

By Dennis

This was an easy day as we have passed through this section of the Carpathian mountains and onto the Great Plains of Hungary. The first half of the day started on country roads, rough but with little traffic. But the second half of the day was riding in the rain on busy highways with no shoulders and fast, crazy drivers who would squeeze between the oncoming traffic and us. Not much fun and Don had a near miss. See his previous post…