Is this a serious question?

If you are approached by any wallet inspectors, ask them for an ID card.

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Is it a serious question you ask.

The answer is yes and no!!

Yes as it is about judging people on their outfit, haircut etc To be honoust, I can't stand that.

No as I don't believe in this kind of judgements

But as Dobeonguard is sure he can recognise Russian gangsters somehow, please let him share his experience and teache us how, I am allways willing to learn but almost sure I will be a bad student.

GRTZ,

JP

I'm smiling as I read this conversation, because I can empathize with both Daniel and Liam, even though they have expressed quite opposite opinions.

I've visited Romania several times on my moto, and plan to go back again sometime in the not too distant future. It's a fascinating country, it's generally not very expensive, and the people are - for the most part - pretty nice.

All that notwithstanding, I fully appreciate Daniel's frustration. It's not at all uncommon - in fact, it is almost to be expected - that people and businesses will "try you on for size", and if they can get away with charging you a higher rate than what they might charge their next-door neighbor, they will. On top of that, a couple of people tried to rob me (with violence) in Romania last time I was there, and that is something I have never experienced before (and hope I won't have to experience again).

Sometimes, the 'small rip-offs' aren't even worth protesting. If it is a 10% overcharge on a small purchase, it's not worth getting stressed about. For larger purchases (hotels, etc.), one just has to be mentally prepared to challenge and negotiate. For personal safety, I guess we have to be more alert and more judicious than we would normally be in our home country.

I wrote a fairly lengthy trip report about my visit to Romania (and neighboring countries), if anyone wants to look it over, it is here: Notes from a September 2011 ride through Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Greece.

Michael

I've enjoyed all of the Balkan countries, on individual merit
Loved Romania ,, loved the animation of the people ,, especially the middle ages looking sector,, with carts, goats and babushikas with warm smiles.
Had a great hotel for 57 euros, in Bucaresti ,, best erotic massage, in a long while,, just around the hotel. Food was excellent,,
You have to learn to deal with such mentalities ,, all a part of travelling.
Will I go back? Yes in a heart beat.
This is what I wrote in the Romania section of my travelogue,,, going over from Moldova to Romania
.
"Went to bed last night at 8 ,, took a snooze to wake up for the Olympic opening ceremony,, at 11PM ,, it looked like it will be an all night thing ,, turned the tube off and went back to bed, Woke at 4 AM ,,,last night's wedding party has moved to the pool.
Had reception brew me an espresso ,, took M1 out of Chisinau to west then south. Contrary to my feelings , Moldova is quite beautiful and well organized. The road was fantastic as well. 80 KM away was the border to Romania,, took 20 minutes from Moldova ,,, Romanians are having a meeting . Waited 45 minutes then another 20 minutes to clear the border ,, I feared bad road,, to my surprise ,, great road ,, with sporadic road work congestion. Romanians are very animate people ,, use lot of hands for gestures,, instantly friendly ,, and while I was having lunch ,, a very normal looking guy points to my bike and tells me to come ,, wondering I walked over ,, he says I must pay parking fee of 3 bucks ,, young people in the restaurant,, shaking their heads and fingers saying no ,, I yelled at SOB and he quietly went away ,, and when I was about to take off after the lunch ,, a bum showed up ,, hitting me for money. I just took off. I would face such beggars and scammers in Albania. Durres, by the ferry port.
If Moldova is Taiwan ,, Romania is Viet Nam ,, Surprising that Romanian GDP is bigger ,, earlier Euro zone entry. Romanian country side is like the Sunday Farmer's Market ,, horses ,, goats ,, sheeps ,, cows ,, people ,, carts are all out on the street. It's the Latin blood vs northern Slavic blood. Whew ,,
found a cute boutique hotel on Booking.com for 57 euros ,,nicely put together,, big bed. Hotel Christina http://www.hotelchristina.ro/pages/home/en
quiet street and no traffic noise. The owner is a very warm guy,, who understands bikers. Best erotic massage, in a long while,, just around the hotel. (Ask the owner of the hotel)
Tomorrow to Sofia, Bulgaria."

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Great responses, both in line with my experiences. I think to say that one is no less likely to be robbed / ripped off in Romania that any other country is a dis-service to most other countries. Romania has a bad rep for crime and hassle, and whilst this might be exaggerated, or even starting to become out of date (I rather doubt this), it has to be based on truth.

Yes, one can mitigate these annoyances to some degree, though I have no wish to be in a country where I can't let my guard down and relax. It's no fun arguing over every bill, keeping your camera bag locked to your body at all times etc etc. In my mind I can see bucolic Romania in Moldova and can see the Carpathians in SW Ukraine, so I have no real wish to go to Romania again. When I return to the UK from Istanbul this winter, I aim to specifically avoid it to be honest.

I guess people react differently to threats from the environment around. I for example am quite happy to hang out in parts of Pakistan or Afghanistan which are rather insecure, because the vibe there is still friendly. Places like Romania, (and urban Peru in my experience) are no fun.

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To be fair i found the Carpathian mountains more amazing in Romania than in Ukraine and once of the roads it is a wild country compared to other parts of Europe which makes it what it is.

Romanian Carpathians
WesleyDRZ400 Romania - YouTube

Could well be, but it is in those mountains where I was robbed in the middle of the night, in a National Park FFS.

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Yes i was advised by locals of some areas which are best to avoid but in all it was great for me and i plan to go back as i made some great friends there.

Romania part of my ongoing ride report
Tajikistan Or Bust! Solo trip from England to the Afghanistan border via Chechnya - Page 17 - ADVrider

However i agree in some areas i feel you need to be on your toes (i had a little "incident" also)unlike in Moldova

Which park? Just out of curiosity..

I have to say, I was sitting in a bar in Croatia in the late 90's when a knife fight broke out at the table next to myself and a couple of friends; but I've been back to Croatia and the rest of the Balkans since a few times and will probably be back there this summer, unless I head Romania/Moldova/Ukraine direction .

I think you should go back and give it another chance? Just playing devils advocate here really

It was Piatra Craiului NP.

I am sure there are many nice experiences to be had in Romania, and I'm not developing some sort of irrational fear or trying to put others off.

It's nice to visit places multiple times, but life is too short to visit everywhere twice, and even if there had been no unpleasantness, Romania just isn't exciting enough to figure in my plans again... I mean I have never been to Tibet, or Columbia, or Chad, Eritrea....

That said I must have visited Belgium at least 20 times, so Romania is probably due another few visits

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How do you spot a gangster Jervig? I don't know, perhaps their ink identifying them as such. Wait, your next question might be what ink. The beggars that you think are harmless poor old people with ink on their hands that identify them as a thief belonging to a particular family. I doubt you are so naive as you probably couldn't have made it this far in life, so I will leave your ignorant question as it is, ignorant.

If people have issues with Romania stay away, leave more open roads for me. I know I ruffle some feathers, but that just means you are defensive. It is what it is. Romania is far from perfect, but the only time I have had something stolen from me was back home in the states. You are far more likely to fall victim to petty or violent crime in the US than in Romania. I quite frankly have to laugh at how anyone could get ripped off at a restaurant, if prices are clearly listed then it's up to you to know. If prices are not listed, well, then I suggest you move on as that should be an indication of what's to come.

I have been here off and on for quite a few years and I am impressed at the length that the authorities are going to to clean things up, especially with the taxi drivers in the center of Bucharest that work off the meter illegally. The police came in in force to bust them. I am sorry you had a bad experience here, but I could show you some places in western Europe or the U.S. that you will be guaranteed a bad evening. Romania gets a bad name for their gypsy population that no one wants to deal with, but a sure fire way to piss a Romanian off is to refer to Romanians as gypsies. There aren't too many politically correct ways of dealing with them. It is what it is.

How to deal with gypsies. These pictures are not made in a etnographical museum but just along the road somewhere in the country during one of our trips. We have been in RO as well in MD for many many times. They offered us a lunch:

You were certainly able to make that point better than I was!!

For the record, the incident in question was that I had ordered one of the cheaper dishes on the menu, and when the bill came somehow, surely by complete mistake, one of the most expensive had found it's way onto the bill... needless to say I didn't pay the extra.

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Yuo didn't notice the waiter had ink on his hands???

Lets get back to Moldova better, at least in this topic.

GRTZ,

JP