Overview of Romania

Bucureşt is a bit of a crumbling city. You see new buildings mixed with
abandoned ones. The place is crowded and has a lot of pickpockets and
beggers. Be careful of kids. The metro isn't really that developed
{with only 2 lines, one going north and south, the other going east and
west} so you might be better off taking the bus or trolly around. The
place is also littered with dogs. They're cute and all but its best not
to touch them. The people of Bucharest are, as a whole, unhelpful and
indifferent. The train station is confusing and very few people speak
english there. Strangely, half of the grafity I saw was in English.



Brasov is quieter and more upkept. There are still pickpockets,
especially on crowded buses. A backpacker we talked to said he got
pickpocketed by the same guy three times in a row on the number 4 bus
(he caught him all 3 times). The buses are ok as long as they aren't
crowded. There are also beggers. The metro is fast and usually clean.
There is a lot to see in Brasov, like the Black Church, the narrowist
road in Europe, the Black Tower, the White Tower and the first school
ever created in Romania. The Train station in Brasov is more organized
and they have signs that are easy to read.



Bran is a nice place, if a bit touristy. Vlad's Castle is here. You'll
see cars and horse drawn wagons on the roads. The air seems cleaner
here and its a nice change of pace from the bigger cities. There are
not train stations here but there are mini buses that will take you to
Brasov and Bucharest. The people are much nicer here and are willing to
help. A good amount even speak english.

Ummm Bath House

Trains are so much better than planes. We got on the train and met this
nice Romanian couple that gave us food. Brian and I tried to sleep but
couldn't get comfy so we bribed our first government offical and got an
empty cabin. We slept until cousoms woke us up.



We arrived at Hungary at 5am and went to the Red Bus II Hostel. We
dumped our stuff and went to a bath house... huge friggin place with
different size and temperature bathes. Budapest has these big, beauiful
buildings but they seem to want to ruin them by putting a big
McDonald's sign on them. Ah well, its their city I suppose.



Today we're checking out the underground lybranth over on Castle hill and maybe go to a museum or such.

Getting Lost

Well, the first night at the farm we saw wolves. Brian heard the farm dog barking and looked out the window to see what was up and lo and behold, there were wolves. He woke me up and we watched the farm dog (Rex) trying to chase the wolves away. We went out on our balcony to get a better look and I guess they smelled us and decided to get out of there.

The next day, we went hiking in the mountians. We were on the blue trail but then the trail suddenly split. We couldn't see any markers so we decided to go on the path that was the most used. After a while, we decided we were lost. Brian went up to higher ground to see if he could see a path. He got tired and used the radio to let me know. I decided to come up to where he was and he then decided to come down to where I was... we did this marco polo thing to pinpoint each other. Suddenly he radios me and asks me which way I was headed. I told him and asked why. Turns out he found fresh bear prints going the opposite way I was going. He also found some wolf prints. We found each other and decided to press on. We seperated again to see if we couldn't find a path from up on this platoe. He went up and I went down and around. Brian found a path and I just wanted to get back to him. So I climbed up a rock face about 120ft to get to him. We got on the trail and fallowed it to this valley. We got lost again trying to find the yellow trail (what we were going to use to go down because its a shorter trail). After 40 minutes of climbing up and down, we found some other hikers who pointed the way. Off we went down the other trail, both of us tired but knowing we need to get out of the forest before nightfall. On the way down, we saw some horses grazing and took a few pictures before continuing on. The sun went down just as we got out of the forest.... unfortunatly, we knew we weren't out of wolf and bear country yet.

We started up the mountian road that we got dropped off on and resigned ourselves to a long walk. We were on the look out for bears and wolves (don't get us wong, we know they won't attack us out of spite or anything like that but they would attack if they think we're a threat or trying to steal their food or a bear might find us courious enough to 'play' with). As it happened, I ask to stop for a rest break. We found a rock near the country road and sat down. All the sudden, we hear this low, aggressive growl. We get up and calmly but quickly walk away. We managed to get to the farm ok, with help from some of the locals but managed to lose the camera.

That night, Johnny, the guy that runs the farm, called and told us his cousin found the camera and he would return it to us in the morning.

We spent the next day recovering from the long hike. Both my legs ached from my hips down to my blistered feet. Brian wasn't much better.

Today, we're waiting for a train to Budapest. It leaves at 7:30 so we have time on out hands.

See you in Budapest.

-K

To Family: We only got to see up to the 3rd floor of the castle, the rest was off limits. They had some amazing furnature and such.

The hostels don't seem to have an age limit. Some do but not any of the ones we've come across.

Sorry we can't make it to the wedding. Take pictures!

To everyone: Sorry about the spelling but we're working on a crap computer that keeps locking up =P

On the Farm

We found a nice place to spend the next three days or so. we're living with this family on an actual farm. The place is called Pensiunea Duicu (Pen-shun Doy-ku) and is owned by the family Duicu. Every morning we get fresh milk, eggs and sausage. They just opened up this summer so there is a bit of construction going on. Its very natural, the buildings are made from wood from the forest. Its high in the mountains and everyday we get a free ride to one place per day. Today we decided to go to Bran Castle... the castle of Vlad (hahaha in your face vamp lovers!). It was a nice tour and I recorded some of it.

If you come this way, definitely come and stay here. They are a nice and helpful family and will pick you up in Brasov.

The farm is actually on a nature preserve and it has bears, wolves, bobcats and lynx. We're probably going to hike out to try to find some wildlife.

Oh, we managed to get our clothes back. Turns out they were put aside instead of washed. Yesterday, we saw the Black Church and Black Tower.

That's it for now.

-K

To Family: Thanks for the extra hours, it'll be much appreciated.

To everyone: Thanks for all the comments. We're trying to figure out how to reply to them.

Transexual Transylvania

Well, its finally getting cooler here. I actually had to use a sheet last night!

Anyways,
yesterday, Brian and I took a cable car up the Carpathian mountians and
then hiked down. It was nice. There were benches carved out of rock.

Today we're going to see the local sights like the black tower, the white tower and the narrowest ally in Romania.

But
wow are there a lot of pickpockets in this town. This one guy we were
talking to caught the same guy trying to pickpocket him three times in
a row on the same bus ride.

Brian and I found a nice resturant
called Bella Muzica that gives you one free shot of this alcohle made
from plumbs and apples. Damn was that stuff strong.

Our next
hostel is in the middle of a nature reserve and has horse back rideing
and takes you to places via horse drawn wagon. We're staying there for
three days... no idea where we are going afterwards.

Our love to everyne.

-K

The first couple of hostels we used so far

We arrived in Sofiya, Bulgaria kind of late so we decided to stay at Hostel Mostel which has a really high review on http://www.hostelworld.com but as it turns out, you seriously should book in advance online, but everyone we talked to who did, didn't get their reservation served anyway.. go figure.  So we stayed at Hostel  Sofiya, it was nice and quiet, it had free breakfast, but be prepared to walk up several flights of stairs (possibly wet & slippery and no light at night), same goes for Hostel Mostel.  The hosts were a bit weird, but nice enough.


We stayed at the Funky Chicken in Bucharest, Romania.  It was nice and quaint, but definately not quiet.  That was no big deal if you are tired enough.  It has a nice atmosphere, but the side rooms get NO wind flow during the summer, so we almost cooked to death.  Only one of the girls speak english and is real laid back, but doesnt offer much in tips unless you know exactly what you are looking for.  They dont have a free breakfast and have a few maps, flyers and info sheets lying around to get you started.  It is closer to the train station, but further from the Metro, however it is still a better location for getting around.  Walk to the Metro is about 10 mins, they are fast, clean and fairly safe. Its 2 Lei per ticket which is good for 2 entrances (or 1 entrance for 2 people), just put the money on the counter at the kiosk and they will give you what you need, as most dont understand English.  We didn't do the bus, as it was harder to get tickets.

In Brasov, Romania, we stayed the first night at the Rolling Stone Hostel, it's a beautiful home converted into a hostel, large dorm rooms, TV room and dining room. They cook a breakfast every morning, but depending on their mood it can range from bread, eggs and jam to a goulash. The hosts are very friendly and helpful, and give you a rudimentry map which they will go over with you extensively drawing little sites and places to see/eat. She will try to help you find anything and arrange tours.  The beds and sheets are nice. Drawbacks are they charge a little much for their wide range of tours, and only for transport (mostly one-way) you have to get tickets on your own.  The internet is 5 Lei for the whole time you are there, but you have to wait, like most hostels to use the computer.  They have HUGE lockers to store your stuff, but not all of them lock, the keys work, but the lock doesnt latch.  It is also a secure facility, they give you a key for the gate (20 Lei deposit).  They have ample bathrooms (WC water closet) some just toilets and some with showers. It's about 25-30 min walk from the train station, if you dont want to walk, take a taxi. Insist they KNOW exactly where it is, its on a side street, and that they turn on the meter. It should not cost more than 10 Lei, but expect to pay less.  The number 4 bus will take you to it, but BEWARE the bus. Number 4 is full of pickpockets and they get 90% of the tourists.  IT is ok to take the bus during off hours when it is EMPTY, or very few people.  During peak hours its sardines, and they are very good at getting your stuff.  Just take a taxi!!  Rolling Stone is about 10 - 15 minute walk to the main square, and in a good location.   

Next we moved on to the Kismet Tao Hostel (Brasov), which is a hundred yards or more from Rolling Stone.  Really nice and clean, comfortable beds.  Lots of nice backpackers, free breakfast, a shower on each floor and one with a bath tub, shower and toilet. There are also extra WC just with toilet. It has a lounge in the basement for hanging out, a nice TV room with satellite TV, nintendo 64 and dvd player.  They give you a free drink for each day, variety of juices, fanta, coke and water.  The kitchen is nice and clean, plenty of dishes, cooking utensils, food storage.  It also has a balcony with a great view for eating.  There is only one private/shagging room which you get a key for, on the premises, but they have more at the owners house (though I was told that its a bad idea to go to).  Dont expect to get on the computer much, 15min time limit (flexible if no one is waiting), and their are a lot of people here usually waiting for it.  It's a 4 story hostel, with plenty of walking room and storage areas.  You get a locker with functional locks (5 Lei deposit) and THEY wash your laundry and fold it.  Beware, we put Kristin's tank-tops and 3 pairs of boxers and a shirt. So far only one pair of boxers and the tshirt has shown up.  Most everyone else's clothes are lying on the clothing table, but comfortable hiking clothing, such as the cotton tank tops, are probably gonna get yanked.  Backpackers are nice, but they are people, and people suck.  So either hand wash your good stuff, or hope for the best.  Overall a really good hostel, comfortable, very friendly and helpful.

Brasov, the Land of Dracula

We made it to Brasov. Brian and I managed to sneak onto first class on the train. Today we're going to go hike down a mountian.

The Hostel we stayed in last night (the Rolling Stone Hostel) had this bear watch were they took you to some garbage cans so you can see bears eating from them... we didn't go.

Tomorrow we're going to visit the Black Church and some other sites around town. We're going to be switching hosteles and move further north, closer to the castles.

Its much cooler here than it was in the last hostel.

-K

To Family: Damn you, I was going to eat that cookie dough. I ate deer, hare and bore at the wild game place.

Romania... What a Pain

Ok, Don't take a night train into another country unless you're ok with getting your ass dragged out of bed at 2:30am for customs. Don't worry if they take your passport, they'll give it back before you get off the train. At least they were in a hurry. They wanted us to fill out a questionnaire about AL?? but they were in such a hurry, they didn't let Brian sign his.

They have a lot of stray dogs here in Romania. Its kinda weird and one has to wonder where they all came from. Maybe the fact that no one seems to nueter their dog has something to do with it?

Anyways, we are now staying at the Funky Chicken Hostel in Bucharest. So far I'm not pleased with the accomodations. The bed is lumpy and hard, the room is hot and airless and for some reason its really messing with my allergies. There is also no free breakfast or internet, though the staff is helpful and friendly. The people are ok too but are prone to staying up till 3am talking and drinking.

We ate at Burebista Vanatoresc (hunter's lounge), which serves mainly wild game such as bear, deer, duck and rabbit. Tonight, we ate at this Dracula themed restaurant called the Count Dracula Club (www.count-dracula.ro).

Tomorrow we head off to Brasov to the Rolling Stone Hostel. We're only staying one night and then move on to Kismet Tao Hostel.

Our budget is tight right now because we are saving up to go to Russia. To save money, Brian and I will be trying to go to Hostels that include breakfast and maybe dinner. For the meals that aren't provided, we are going to the local market and buying fruits, bread, cheese and Gatorarde where available (it is friggin' hard to find). We found that the cheap hostels are about $13 (10 euro) per person per night... and that's just for a bed in one of the dorms. So we're having to pay a min of $189 a month just for a place to sleep.

So if anyone would like to help us out, please donate or shop at our online store where we sell quality gifts for cheap prices. We also sell great swords for low prices. (What? I'm not above begging =P)

I'll blog more when we aren't paying for internet. Love to all.

Our First and Second Day

Hello, hello, hello. We have just spent our first night in Bulgaria. The beds were kinda hard but the people make up for it. So far we've found backpackers to be very helpful. We've had discussions over different hostels around Europe. Most of the people here hail from Ireland. One guy is from Mexico and one girl is from Germany. The Germany girl came with us from Hostel Mostel when we found out there were no beds there.
The food here comes in big portions and is cheap. We spent about $6 US for dinner. We're trying to only spend $200 per week. We're going to go to a museum we stumbled upon yesterday and we're also going to explore the church ruins if we can.
We plan on catching the train to Bucharest today at 7:30 pm.
-K
To Mom: I'll e-mail you

We Made It

Hey everyone. We managed to get to Bulgaria after some trouble with the airline. We tried to go to Hostel Mostel for a bed but they didn't have any available. They were nice enough to call Hostel Sofia for us to see if they had a bed. Sure enough they did. We're probably just going to spend the night here and then check out tomorrow. The train to Romania leaves at 7:30pm so we're going to visit a couple of places.


We have already explored some churches. One of which was below street level and the other was really a ruin from Roman times.


Alright, Good night all.


-K


To the Family: please pick up the phone even if you don't recognize the number!

Contact Info and Train Route

Contacting us.
1) Email us at cara.who@gmail.com
2) You can leave comments on our blog (http://www.gothdol.com )
   -We will try to reply to comments on the site or via email.
3) Call our vonage phone (internet phone) 954-563-4209 or toll free (877)-378-9233, it will be on when we have a signal
   -you can also leave voicemail on this phone

You can also call the State Dept. Please remember we both changed our last names, so you will be asking for: Brian Elink-Schuurman-Laura (pronounced: E-link sherman laura) or Kristin Elink-Schuurman-Laura (http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/emergencies/emergencies_1212.html)

Beginning trip itinerary (train route):
Bulgaria
*Sofia
*Pleven
*Gorna Orhahovitza Romania
*Ruse *Bucharest (North)
*Ploiesti *Brasov (west)
*Sibiu *Alba Lulia (north)
*Cluj- Napoca
*Oradea Hungry
*Biharkeresztes
*Szolnok (west)
*Cegled
*Budapest (west)
*Komarom
*Gyor (south)
*Hegyeshalom Austria
*Hegyeshalom
*Vienna (west)
*St. Polten
*Melk
*Linz
*Wels (North) Germany
*Passau
*Platting
*Regensburg
*Nurnberg (east/north)
*Bayreuth
*Zwickau
*Chemnitz
*Dresden
*Berlin

Just a Quick Update

The trip is less than a week away and it seems like we have everything. Brian rigged wheels on the backpacks so we don’t have to carry them everywhere. Right now, we are trying to get together with friends and family before our six month journey.




-K

Planning a backpacking trip

Well, it aint easy, I'll tell you that much. Not like its difficult, just lots of information and planning, even if you dont have a plan.  As for travel insurance,  we decided to  get cards for free insurance . K got the  International Student Travel (http://www.myisic.com) card for $22 , and I got the  International Hostels (http://www.hiusa.org) member card $28.  Both give free travel insurance, and the Hostels one you can upgrade thru travelguard at a greatly discounted rate.  They both also give discounts to a lot of things.


So here are some things we packed and links that we used to get stuff, or lookup info for our trip.


Pack
-Money Belts
-Bank statements
-HIV and Medical Paperwork (immunization records)
-Passports, Drivers License Health Insurance Cards, VA Cards, train tickets,
-Copies of ID : Passports : Itineraries : tickets
-Toilet paper
-sewing kit
-mess kit/canteen
-socks
-clothes line
-gatorade packs (emergency hydration)
-maps
-gps/radio
- WiFi phone
-mask (N95) http://www.magellans.com/store/Health___Air_PurifiersIF115?Args=
-bandanas/head covers : sunglasses
-iodine and bleach droppers or new water purification pills (mircopur)
-hand sanitizer
-sunblock : mosquito spray (deet) : clothes treatment (permethrin)
-Bed roll
    -sleeping bag
    -sheet
    -pillow

Medications / First Aid Kit
-army field manual
    * Personal prescription medications (copies of all prescriptions, including the generic names for medications, and a note from the prescribing physician on letterhead stationary for controlled substances and injectable medications should be carried)
    * Antimalarial medications, if applicable
    * Antidiarrheal medication (e.g., bismuth subsalicylate, loperamide)
    * Antibiotic for self-treatment of moderate to severe diarrhea
    * Antihistamine
    * Decongestant, alone or in combination with antihistamine
    * Antimotion sickness medication
    * Acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen, or other medication for pain or fever
    * Mild laxative
    * Cough suppressant/expectorant
    * Throat lozenges
    * Antacid
    * Antifungal and antibacterial ointments or creams
    * 1% hydrocortisone cream
    * Epinephrine auto-injector (e.g., EpiPen), especially if history of severe allergic reaction. Also available in smaller-dose package for children.

VISAs

http://www.waytorussia.net
russian travel agency

provides
invitations for visa's

Tours

http://www.seat61.com/Trans-Siberian.htm

http://www.romaniatravel.com/index.php?lng=en&tree=4

http://waytorussia.net/Baikal/Activities.html
baikal lake tours

Railways /
Airlines

http://www.airfare.com

http://www.raileurope.com/us/common/rail_map/index.htm
europe railways

http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/passes/eurail_selectpass_saver.htm
eurpass prices

Russia
http://www.seat61.com/Trans-Siberian.htm#Fares

http://www.tarom.ro/romana/index.php
romania airline

Embassy

US
State Dept embassy registeration
https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs

Mongolia
www.mongolianembassy.us

India
www.indianembassy.org

Russia
www.russianembassy.org

China
http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/

Hong
Kong tourist site http://www.discoverhongkong.com/usa/index.jsp

http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/zgqz/t84246.htm

Thailand
www.thaiembdc.org

Holland
www.netherlands-embassy.org

Burma
www.mewashingtondc.com

Nepal
www.nepalembassyusa.org

Japan
www.us.emb-japan.go.jp

Slovac
Republic www.slovakembassy-us.org

Hungry
www.hungaryemb.org

Austria
www.austria.org/

South
Korea www.koreaembassyusa.org

Germany
www.germany-info.org

Bulgaria
www.bulgaria-embassy.org

Romania
www.roembus.org

Insurance

http://www.insuremytrip.com/index-1000-0-13521-519222.html

http://www.quotewright.com/index.html

http://www.statravel.com/cps/rde/xchg/SID-0A536D8D-D3B41192/us_division_web_live/hs.xsl/516.htm
$390/person 6 mos

Misc

https://www.travmed.com/scripts/catalog.epl

http://artoftravel.com/
see europe $25/day

Hostels

http://www.hostelworld.com/index.php

http://www.hiusa.org/membership/benefits.shtml

also known as
http://www.hihostels.com/web/index.en.htm

or http://www.iyhf.org/

http://www.hostels.com/en/europe.html

http://studenttravel.about.com/od/europehostels/

Romania

http://www.transylvaniancastle.com/intro_en.html

http://wikitravel.org/en/Brasov

The Plan So Far

We have officially set a date for the trip. Were leaving on Aug 15 from Florida to New York to Italy and then to Bulgaria. The fucked up thing is in New York, we arent just switching flights were changing friggin airports. When we get to Bulgaria, were jumping onto the European railways and making our way to Germany (passing through Romania, Hungary and Austria) in the course of a month or so. We will also visit Netherlands, France and wherever else catches our fancy.





In Germany, we will be buying our visas for India, Russia and China. There is a chance that we might not be able to get them for one reason or another. Were both ok with that and, if that is the case, we will just spend 6 months in Europe (which isnt that much of a burden). If we do get the visas, we will then take a train from Berlin to Moscow.

We will explore Moscow for a couple of weeks and then jump on the Trans- Siberian to China (possibly passing through Mongolia). Well spend a month or so in China and then take the train from Shanghai to Lhasa, a city near Tibet. We will then travel down to India and spend a month there. Then we will fly to Thailand where hopefully we will catch the PADI National Geographic Diver event in the Andaman Sea (its supposed to start late November).

Depending on how much time we have left, we will either leave from Thailand or fly to Japan. Well spend the rest of the time in Japan and leave from there.



I plan to bring a camera and video camera to document our adventure. We'll try to get on to blog a bit while over seas but it will probably be sporadic. Wish us luck.


-K

Help Us Pay For Our Journey

It may sound cheezy, but we are on a disabled person's budget   So visit our store www.questgifts.com

Or you can make a donation via PayPal. A dollar or so is more than you think. We will make a great effort to return the favor.