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“Dupa ploie, vine sore (After rain, comes sunshine.)” -Romanian proverb-
I love food; my picture proves it. My initial culinary ventures into the art of Romanian cuisine wasn’t much to ‘rah-rah’ about but don’t let my limited experiences scare you off. If you visit Romania I’m sure the local chefs won’t disappoint; use your search engine and type in ‘Romania’s restaurants in Bucharest’ for a wide selection to choose from. Also check out ‘Romanian recipes;’ you’ll be amazed at the good eats you’ll find and may want to prepare some yourself.
If you despise city driving like I do, I’d think twice about renting a car in Romania. Driving overseas is a particular pain; my advice, don’t even think about it. Local traffic laws, street signs and places of interest are unfamiliar to most foreign nationals. Point—I live in Chicago. I get mighty angry having to drive behind some slow tourist from a neighboring fly over state. Point—if the sign says 30 MPH and the lame in front’s doing 15 or 20 but you can’t pass the slow car, I get mad! Same in Romania or anywhere else; if you don’t know the rules of the road or the route you’re taking rent a bicycle! Best yet take public transportation its’ a lot cheaper and safer. Most sites around Bucharest are easily assessable by bus or tram.
If you don’t want to walk or take the common carriage hire a taxi but you gotta’ watch out for unscrupulous cab drivers who’d rip you off in a heartbeat. The Romanian Tourist Office cautions you to beware of crooked cabbies. My question; HOW? We know once inside a cab the guy/gal behind the wheel can do pretty much whatever the hell he/she chooses; again take a trolley, bus or yet WALK to wherever you’re going; great exercise besides you can see the country and its’ people up close.
Romanian roads accommodate a wide assortment of vehicles ranging from snail slow farm vehicles to kamikaze characters that would cut you off doing 100 MPH then flip you the bird and grin. Improper passing, tailgating and flashing headlights are common occurrences on Romanian roads. If you plan to drive that’s what you can expect.
If you plan to see the countryside or tour other cities take a train or sign up at your hotel to reserve a seat on a tourist bus. Tour buses generally come with guide, a meal, and you’ll have some measure of protection though in the supposedly safe environment of a tour bus; you still can’t be too careful. Point—In Thailand when we did the temple tour a disgruntled vendor wanted to mix it up with me after I politely refused his offer to purchase a souvenir; after we cussed’ each other out we came within a hair’s length of somebody going to jail! Expect some Anti-Americanism when abroad. Read my article on Mexico City when I mentioned the Curacao cop who got his face bashed in by a group of 10-12 year olds who wanted his camera though smart phones are all the rage now. Other incidents have happened to other tourists in similar/dissimilar situations. Reader if you have a fondness for living use caution.
The United States Department of State encourages all American citizens to join the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program. This registers your presence in Romania with the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest in case of trouble. They can’t guarantee your safety but at least people will know the scrape you’re in. The State Department also advises all U.S. citizens to have a heighten sense of security; there’s a global hunt by Islamic terrorists for Americans abroad.
Flights to Romania with reasonably priced places to stay can be cost efficient if you know where to look. Check out these web pages:
• www.cheapflights.com/flights/romania
• www.Expedia.com
• www.cheapOar.com
• www.Booking.com
• www.hotels.com
Reader, its’ gonna’ take time for Romania to get it together. You must remember the good people of this country were enslaved long before World War II. They’re just getting on their feet; the long suffering people of this country has had a history of being stepped on by kings, queens, princes, and political puppets whose sole claim to infamy was how much pain and suffering they could inflict on others, less fortunate or weaker than themselves. Romania like most places contains their unique seeds of greatness. They must wait, nurture them and watch them grow. In time the harvest will be bountiful God willing.
Philippine Connection
The old saying ‘birds of the same feather flock together’ certainly applied to the late tyrant Ferdinand Marcos and the terrible twosome previously mentioned. Romanian-Philippine relations got off to a ‘lying’ start April 12, 1975 when former Philippine tyrant Marcos invited Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu to ‘honor’ the Philippines with a state visit. The unblessed trinity met in Manila. The Philippine Women’s University gave a citation to the evil Elena. The Romanian rulers were the first communist leaders to travel to the Archipelago. The Philippines has an embassy in Bucharest. Romania has two honorary consulates in Angeles and Cebu Cities. Both countries are Latin Union members. The visit normalized relations between the two nations. Since then ranking Romanian and Filipino officials traded formal visits and signed international treaties.
In January 1994 the Romanian President of the Chamber of Deputies visited the Philippines. In June of 1996 the President pro tempore of the Philippines paid a state visit to Romania. Both countries had recently cast off the dark stain of totalitarianism. A special trip to Romania was made by that country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1997; the conference title was ‘New and Restored Democracies.’ In July of 2002 Romanian President Ion Iliescu paid call to the President of the Philippines. During that same year there were twin celebrations commemorating three decades of Romanian-Philippine diplomatic relations. These events took place in capitol cities Bucharest and Manila.
Here’s a listing of bilateral agreements between the two countries: 1. Trade Agreement (1992)
2. Agreement on the promotion and protection of investment
3. Memorandum of cooperation in tourism (1997)
4. Technical and scientific cooperation agreement
The two countries share darker traits. Powerful clans rule both nations. The ruling families govern by intimidation, bribery, kidnapping, torture, and murder. Its’ rumored that the offices of Romania’s president isn’t free from corruption. Romania and the Philippines appear to be classic cases of the old cliché ‘birds of a feather flock together;’ peace and all things good.
(vamaxwell@yahoo.com)