Getting Around

I think a theme worth expounding upon this time is the wild, wooly, wonderful world of transportation in Romania, which seems to get only more interesting as Romania goes through its growing pains. Much like the food in this country, the various ways you can get from here to there make up a kind of smorgasbord of traditions, cultures, and eras (ancient and modern). In my town, for example, many residents still get their families, belongings, animals, and wares (to sell at the market) around in the "căruţă", an open horse-drawn wagon stitched together, rather Frankenstein-esque, from whatever wood and metal can be scrounged-up, and completed with four (not necessarily matching) auto or truck wheels, often with the original hubcaps intact. These wagons can be seen in just about every part of Romania, including many cities, and ignoring their drawbacks in inclement weather (got a raincoat?), they're vehicles whose simplicity and utility will probably keep them on Romanian roads for quite some time to come.

Another popular way of getting around town and around the countryside is on one of Romania's gigantic fleet of old buses ("autobuze"), many of which I'm sure represented the absolute peak of modernity back in the '60s. Many among these were donated at some point by German cities, and thus have old German signs and stickers that no one bothered to remove. Suffice to say, I've taken enough multiple-hour trips on such buses, on winding, unpaved mountain roads to know that any supposed comfort vanishes after the first ten minutes. And pray that it's not too hot outside, since many Romanians have a strong aversion to open windows (on trains, in cars, at home, at work...), as it is believed that the "current" (i.e. the draft) causes ill health. Yes, as you may guess, a bus full of people with varying perspectives on personal hygiene, coupled with no open windows...well, let's just say you feel somewhat like you're in a crockpot on simmer.

And then of course there are the ubiquitous blue Romanian trains, which date from roughly the same period as the buses, though these may never have looked all that nice, even when new. Much like the Hindu caste system, there is a caste system of Romanian trains: "personal" trains are the lowest and cheapest (and often approximate traveling in a metal filing cabinet); then there are "accelerat" and "rapid" trains, which are more expensive and supposedly better (perhaps they changed the ashtrays periodically or something). Truth be told, those names are cruel jokes, since there is generally very little "accelerating" going on, and definitely no "rapid"; Lastly, is the "inter-city" level, which is often in the form of a hyper-modern "bullet"-type train, and for which we volunteers can easily fork out half of our monthly spending budget for one trip. Since flying is prohibitively expensive for most Romanians, everyone takes the train, and honestly, if you are willing to be patient and travel with a spirit of adventure, taking the train can be extremely fun...it all depends on the people in your cabin.

Yet another major form of transportation, and certainly one of the most popular, is hitchhiking. Granted, it's not officially condoned by the Peace Corps (and I naturally would never think of it myself), but hitching a ride in someone's lovable old broken-down Dacia, whether across town or across the country, is simply a matter of sticking out your thumb on any road (major or minor) and waiting a few minutes. It is generally quite safe as well. There are actually coworkers of mine in the town hall who commute this way every day, on the 20-min. ride to and from Timisoara, the nearby city. You meet interesting people, see interesting vehicles (ever hitchhiked on a tractor?), and get to your destination much quicker than the alternatives, even if the car sounds like it's about to explode. You get used to that sound.

Romanians also walk and bike over distances, and with payloads, that you would never think possible...in all sorts of weather. I guess necessity forces one foot in front of the other. I actually saw one guy walking down the sidewalk recently with a washing machine on his back! He was whistling.

I love this country. Oh, and don't forget to check out my new photos at the link on the right.