Moldova
 

Any recent rides thru Moldova to and from Romania to Ukraine?
Road condition... Cops etc...
RSVP

Going back a couple of years now, the main roads were OK but the smaller ones can deteriorate into very small - no more than a couple of deep parallel ruts. Some towns also don't have tarmac on the streets.

Didn't have any problems with cops, but I was only there for 2 days, and one of them was a Sunday. Cash machines can be hard to find, as can places that take cards.

Hope that helps!

Laura

Is last week good enough for you?
:thumbup1:

I just did from Russia into Ukraine, hen Transnistria then Moldova into Romania etc;..

For having a "view" of the roads, just go to my website: Wanderingsouls.be and go to the video's page and have fun watching!

Small roads in Ukraine:

http://www.wanderingsouls.be/wp-cont...7/IMG_4280.jpg

E68 in Romania:

http://www.wanderingsouls.be/wp-cont...7/IMG_4424.jpg

What kind of bike do you ride? As long as you stay on "normal" roads they are "ok-ish" I mean don't fall asleep while driving because you could get a surprise about the potholes etc. For me, with the light enduro bike, I was faster next to the road than on the road... :thumbup1: It just depends how far from the "big" roads you go, the National or Highways are usually rather ok, if you venture to the smaller ones, then the fun starts...!

Cops; honestly, I just did almost 13000km in that region and Scandinavia, and I was only stopped once! In Transnistria. And when the guy saw that we were from Belgium, we could go on, not even showed our papers. Maybe I am just lucky, but 0 police stops. Only the borders ar a bit tricky, certainly if you want to go into Transnistria. I spent 5 hours to get a stupid paper to pay the roadtax which was the equivalent of 2,6€... Took the road from Odessa to Tiraspol, so yep that is the worst border of Transnistria, but then hey, I did it! :D I think that if you are there you have to see Tiraspol. Look it up in wikipedia or whatever suits you, but it's a special place I think. You are in a country without it being a country... and a Communist one!

If you're lucky, you can do this:

http://www.wanderingsouls.be/wp-cont.../IMG_43771.jpg

http://www.wanderingsouls.be/wp-cont...7/IMG_4380.jpg

You know what happend? We just drove by, I saw them and I thought, well what the heck, just go and ask if I can take a picture of the beemer, as being a Communist country with a Beemer as cop bike, I thought it was rather interesting... I started to speak with them (ok, it will probably help that I am a copper too... :oops2:) and they said yes, no problem. They pulled over a guy for speeding, gave him a ticket and then ordered him to take the picture!!!!!!! This was just completely crazy for me... but it's one of my best memories from this trip.

If you have any more questions, just ask...

O yes, Moldova NO ATM's... so have cash with you or you're screwed!!!!!
Even in the petrolstations you can't pay with plastic...

It's not exactly recent (4 years ago), but travels to Moldova were included in a book I wrote (that is now out of print). You can download it for free if you're interested here.

Hi, travelled through a couple of years ago with no problems, border crossings were about 40 minutes each. Andy

Thanks folks ,,,, for great wealth of info ,,
I started from S.Korea on a Harley Road King,, over Siberia.
Sitting in Odessa ,, Tomorrow 5AM I start for Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Durres, Albania then to Bari, Italy by Ferry,, Final destination is Milano,,, which will give me the RTW.
Any more input here on latter mentioned countries,,would be much appreciated.
PS.. Hate Fxxxing ,, pot holes ,, Harley's worst enemy. Many unpleasant memories of Russia!!!!!!!!!!

Joe, see PM.
I'll be leaving home again in a day or two for the Balkans, and your doing it in the opposite direction... would be nice to meet if that's possible... I'm planning to come to SKorea next year (or at latest 2014)!
The putholes are from Odessa on how you are driving ok. As long as you stay on the big road, you will almost not encounter any. The road is not as smooth as in W-EU but for your bike ok!

Thanks Seb ,, EM sent ,,, noted your tel no.
You will be welcome in Korea ,, also I plan to list all the biker places, where HUBBers can stay free and fix their bikes.

Left Odessa at 7AM..150 km to kiev,, great road then turned west to Moldovan border for 80km..of pot holes...no kafe.. Then greasy Moldovan...immigration and customs...soon Transnistria ... Went thru four borders..while my immigraton card disappeared..Moldovan cop took 30 bucks for not havig Moldovan insurance when there is nowhere to buy them...
In Chisinau.. Found a nice hotel for 90 euro...pool...bike in the closed garden gate...Vis Pas...very friendly ..Feel like I am in Palm Springs this hotel. Pics at my site. Shower ,, din din and to bed for Bucaresti manana ,

Lol... ;-)

I was able to buy the Moldovan insurance in Ukraine, but I also did pay 55€ for two bikes, so it's almost the same...

See you in a week or two!

Great Road in Moldova and Romania .. Chisinau to Bucharest.
 

So Moldova over ,, new angst about Bulgaria ,, Macedonia and Albania starts.

In Bucaresti ...
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 a d 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 after the lunch ,, a bum showed up ,, hitting me for money. I just took off.
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 ,, all Ikea stuff but big bed. Hotel Christina ,, quiet street and no traffic noise. Bike parked right in the entrance off the street. The owner is a wonderful..warm personality... Around the corner is an erotic massage place called... Mon Amor.
Tomorrow to Sofia, Bulgaria.

Used my Swedisgh green card accepted everywhere (Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova)

Moldova contrary to rumours had excellent roads, muck better than Ukraine, and the only cop who stopped wanted to speak English and give some advice. That was all. Big smile.
No problems of any sort anywhere.
Then we didn't get into Transnistria - the border guard said himself it would be costly to go through.

Where did you went through? We are in odessa now. Thinking of which way to go.

Easy way is going from south direct into Moldova, avoiding Transnistria

coastal road west from Odessa

At the crossing from Ukraine to Moldova (direction Galati in Romania) we spent two additional hours with custom officers, because apparently pepper spray us illegal weapon in Ukraine...

Sent from my GT-I9100G

I loved Moldova; bucolic countryside, great wine and can be pretty beautiful in places. Feels a lot less seedy than Romania which is surprising given that they are basically the same people. A nasty reminder of Caucescu's legacy. I guess this is what Romania would be like if there wasn't someone trying to rob, cheat and rip you off all the time.

Pics here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1136194...d?noredirect=1

I would say it really depends.... I was asked to pay a small fortune for a hotel in Chișinău in cash (euros), I refused, price was lowered, and that continue for a while, but still price was too high.... and I left.

I would say that it looks really nice, clean, reasonably good roads, but lack any infrastructure, ie. camping, hotels outside the capital (especially in the north), but otherwise I would say that I like it.

Border Crossing is a bit bureaucratic though.....

Casper

That's a bit harsh Daniel, I've been to Romania several times over the years and haven't found it like that any more than anywhere else. I've found the people very nice and friendly, although I'm not a fan of the new 'jazzed up' Bucharest. And there are 'tourist traps' developing in some of the mountain areas. I've never been to the coast in Ro. so I don't know about it.

I feel its comments like that which give it (and Albania) a bad reputation. I still think large areas of western Europe and the USA are where your most likely to get robbed/ripped off/stabbed etc. Within reason, the rest of the world seems safer!

Have thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog by the way, and I do understand you had a bad experience in Romania so I do see where your coming from. And EU membership and all the crap that goes with it hasn't helped the place at all.

Yes, it was a bit harsh! Hope I didn't offend anyone :blushing:

BUT, it's not unfounded; I was ripped off at the border (my fault for not knowing the exchange rate, but still...), then had my tent slashed whilst I was sleeping in it, in a pretty out of the way National Park. I thought the country had a pretty seedy air in general too, overcharged in restaurants, all that kind of crap. Moldova was so nice in comparison, I couldn't really reconcile the two. Perhaps several more years of travel experience, and speaking some Russian made the difference.

If I hadn't had those bad experiences, I'd have liked Romania a whole lot more, but I did, and plenty of others have too. Bad reputations spread like wildfire, and I should have reigned in my comments, but they are generally based on truth!

Anyway, I thoroughly recommend Moldova, and Transdneister :thumbup1:

Ha honesty is a lot more valuable than a few ruffled feathers!

Personally I thought that 'air of seediness' was one of the appeals of Romania, in some ways it was one of its unique features! Its all getting the big bland EU treatment now. A far cry from the 90's!!

Would like to see Transdniester actually, how did you find bringing in your own truck?

Transdneister is lovely. Had to pay a few dollars to take the truck in, but no hassles. I recommend driving up the length of the country and crossing back into MD further north, it is a beautiful place. I think it deserves more than its gimmicky reputation as a lost corner of the USSR.

I also like Gagauzia in the south of Moldova proper. I got on the main evening news in Moldova after being 'spotted' in Comrat... It was rather poorly cut so that one moment it showed me in a garden, pretty pissed and drinking wine whilst stroking a cat, and the next I was pulling out of town in my truck (filmed two days later!).. oh well jeiger

Gagauzie, the Christian Turks. We have been there and visited the national museum, very nice!! We continued going to the UA side of the Dunai delta, not so touristic as the Romanian side and therfore super!!

GRTZ,

JP

Thanks, much appreciated.
Cheers
Chris

To danielsprague, I think bad experiences can be found everywhere we go on this earth. But how is it someone would set out on an adventure without a bit of research on such things as exchange rates? What did you pay for at the border? All airports and border crossings have outrageous prices, for the dumbasses that wait until the last minute to get something they need. It's the same in the US, UK, Western Europe. Restaurants have menus with prices, if they don't that is a sign to leave.

I am an American living in Romania and although my Romanian is pretty good now I can't think of any instance of a situation that would have led to me getting ripped off. I foresee the worst and expect that from people, scum, con artists and murderers are everywhere. So your opinion is completely misguided about Romania. Bucharest can be a bit crazy sometimes, but it's fun.

I don't appreciate being called a dumbass by someone I've never met.

The thing in question was a motorway vignette, which I do not believe is available in advance. Maybe you too should consider thinking a bit before posting.

I agree, people can have bad experiences everywhere. But my opinion is based on experience. Maybe my experiences mis-guide me about the country. Maybe it was coincidence. But that is my impression, whether you agree or not.

Hardly the statement of an intrepid traveller, if one deliberately expects the worst of people travel is unlikely to be a rewarding experience.

Perhaps being an American and coming from the sickening home of capitalism, with the worlds highest crime rate, litigation rate (and perhaps irrelevantly obesity rate) makes you more immune to thinking the best of people.

Everyone gets caught out once in a while, the man who thinks he has never been is probably such a 'dumbass' he doesn't even realise its happened. . . . :blushing:

Back to Moldova a good idea?

Danielsprauge, I wasn't calling you a dumbass, but if you took it as that then so be it. Just so you know, romvignete is not required for motorcycles in Romania. ;) My point was, even in western countries there are traps at the point of no return for those that haven't thought things out. Rompetrol gas stations just inside border crossing offer the vignette, if it's for a car I pay I think 120 RON (26 euro) for an entire year. They do offer it 1 week, 1 month and 1 year, maybe other durations as well. It's required anytime the vehicle leaves it's registered area. I only pay for my car as my motorcycle is exempt.

liammons, quite the contrary, I didn't claim that I had never been taken advantage of, but the last person that tried found out the hard way. I grew up poor, so I know what a dollar means. America isn't the only place in the world with high crime, high rates of obesity and capitalistic views, so you can get off that high horse of yours. You don't know my experience or what it is that I do, but I have seen the worst of mankind and I know that at the drop of a dime all humans are capable of terrible things to fulfill their own greed. This doesn't stop me from traveling or inhibit my joy of meeting new people. I love traveling, learning new languages and seeing the kindness of strangers.

On to Moldova, it's a wonderful country. Things may be a little uneasy with what is going on in Ukraine but for the most part those younger then 30 or so relate with Romania more than Russia. Research prices ahead of time and everything is open to negotiation in Moldova. Avoid fancy nightclubs or the guys that look like Russian gangsters, because they are. Other than that, you will have a great time.

Please put a picture as an example so we can recognise them :confused1::nono:

GRTZ

JP

Is this a serious question?

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

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."

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.

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:innocent:
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. :hang:

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" :innocent: 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:scooter:

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 :biggrin:

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. :D 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:

:rofl:

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.

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

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

GRTZ,

JP