Moldova Day 4

November 27, 2016

I awakened at 3:30am, a mere 3 hours after going to sleep, I tried to go back to sleep but...I was awake. I decided to have a snack and watch some TV until I fell asleep again. Around 7am, I gave it a try, there was barely any light as the fog had returned,

I did get back to sleep but awakened to pea soup fog and drizzle. I cleaned up, had my breakfast, and considered my options. Well, there weren't any...I was going to Transnistria / Transdinstr whatever may happen.

GPS set and about an hour and fifteen to drive, I set off. The fog was thick but the road was visible, misting rain but no worse. I could find an interesting radio station now and then. There was a mix of Turkish and Moldovan.

As has been typical for this trip, I reached a point where I turned and pavement ended, this looked like a road...on a farm, ruts and all. I had to take a pic of this, it lead to another road that soon there were gates pulled down, a guard house and a tank. I wish I could have taken a pic but I had already been warned. I waited but no one came out. A car approached from the other side and guards came out, I for out of my car and walked to the gate to meet the guard, a soldier with machine gun, he was friendly. I said Tiraspol and Bender with a questioning look on my face. He pointed to a perpendicular dirt road that the GPS didn't like, ok...off I went.

The GPS continued to give me warnings to turn around but I ignored them. I did question what I was doing but reminded myself...adventure, ADVENTURE :-)

I stopped for two more Moldovan check points ( neutral zone? ) and then reached a larger stop with red and green painted stripes, the colors of the Transnistrian flag.

I was first greeted by another.machine gun carrying soldier. He came up to me car, started speaking Russian. I stopped him and said English. He looked at me and said "where". I said Tiraspol and Bendery. He motioned for me to pull in "Immigration". The immigration officer asked again, where - I responded. He took my passport, the car's passport, and my power of attorney that Sixt had provided me, in 5 minutes he had registered me and provided me with an immigration card.

I stopped one more time to show my visa and then I was officially in Transnistria. Soon there would be pavement, actually decent roads, I went through Bender (Bendery) and thought I'd go to the fortress on the return.

A bit about this strange breakaway country / not a country. Now remember what I told you about Bessarabia...this land was part of it.

After the dissolution of the USSR, tensions between Moldova and the breakaway Transnistrian territory escalated into a military conflict that started in March 1992 and was concluded by a ceasefire in July of the same year. As part of that agreement, a three-party (Russia, Moldova, Transnistria) Joint Control Commission supervises the security arrangements in the demilitarized zone, comprising twenty localities on both sides of the river. Although the ceasefire has held, the territory's political status remains unresolved: Transnistria is an unrecognized but de facto independent presidential republic with its own government, parliament, military, police, postal system, currency and license plates. Its authorities have adopted a constitution, flag, national anthem, and coat of arms. However, after a 2005 agreement between Moldova and Ukraine, all Transnistrian companies that seek to export goods through the Ukrainian border must be registered with the Moldovan authorities. This agreement was implemented after the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) took force in 2005.

Transnistria, Nagorno-Karabakh (Azerbaijan) Abkhazia, and South Ossetia ( both Georgia) are post-Soviet "frozen conflict" zones. These four partially recognized states maintain friendly relations with each other and form the Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations.

I continue -

Leaving Bendery, I cross the Dniester River and proceeded to Tiraspol. There was another military check point before crossing the bridge,

I could see Bender Fortress (Turkish) as I crossed ...impressive,

I had see the GPS for the history museum but as I approached, it was closed. I parked In front of the Transnistrian Government building where there is a large statue of Vladimir Lenin.

On the opposite side of the central square, a monument plaza features a Soviet T-34 tank, commemorating the Soviet victory in World War II, an eternal flame to those who fell defending the city in 1941 and liberating it in 1944, as well as several monuments dedicated to more recent conflicts, including the Soviet war in Afghanistan and the War of Transnistria. There were parents with their kids playing in the tank...fun?!

Across the street is Kirov Park, with the giant statue of the Leningrad boss that was assassinated in 1934, marking mass repressions in the USSR. There is a green-roofed Russian Orthodox Church at one end and the bus / train station runs the length.

One pass through and I'd had enough. Time to move along, I proceeded back across the Dniester.

I tired following the GPS, leaving me confused and lost, there were many one-way streets and I ended up getting stuck a few times not knowing where to go,

After one particularly confusing cul de sac, I made my way back to the main road not really knowing what to do, The GPS was telling me to continue crossing the street. there was signage that was a symbol "do not enter". Ok...so,I needed to get to the other side. Preface: there was no other signage. I turned left and went to the traffic circle ( police viewing traffic from there ). At the circle, I tried to turn right...quickly seeing one way traffic. I stopped and turned the car around before there was any trouble.

I proceeded to the traffic circle where there was a cop. I stopped and hailed him over. He wouldn't come very near the car. I rolled the window down and asked him to come over, In a loud voice he tells me to cross the white lines, which would have me fully out of the lanes even though there was no traffic and I wasn't blocking anything.

Now to make this shorter than it could. We ( now three cops and me ) could only communicate via google translator. I explained that I was lost and trying to find Bender Fortress, They didn't care and made me get out of the car and come inside their guard shack. After their translation returned to me that I had "made a very serious fault", I was totally confused. After several non-starter translations, one points the bus and says bus...bus! With no signage I had turned into a bus only lane. There was no two way traffic on that street, I had no way of knowing, I had broken the law. Using the translation program, I explained the lack of signage and that didn't matter. Ignorance of the law... I've been very lucky with not breaking laws that I don't know, as I've travelled. This time, it caught up with me,

One guy is writing out my ticket ( using my Dutch Drivers License ( still valid until 2018). The other guy ( that stopped me) tells me it will be 250 rubles. Now I already know that there is no real conversion that you can use and the country.s valuation seems to be whatever the recipient wants it to be. I had no idea what I was in for, he calculates on his phone two times and then tells me 1200 Leu ( I had told him I had no dollars or Rubles) $60. I had less than 1300 Leu in the car and it was hidden, I went to the car, recovered it and presented ( counted out (5) 200 Leu bills) the cash I had in hand. In doing so, I realized that I had only 1000 there. He took it and put it in the drawer quickly, not counting it again.

While that guy was finishing up my paperwork, the other asked about my choice for president, I explained my choice and why... he laughed and said he liked Donald Trump. I asked him WHY! He said "he's a man", "he's funny", and Putin likes him" Well, that makes so much sense. I spoke up and said rest the Russian computer hacking had made the election results illegal and there was to be a recount and maybe more, He just laughed! Anyway...outta there.

He gave me some directions that didn't turn out well for me. I stopped to try and get help,from the GPS and the address in the lonely planet guide took me to an apartment building, it was getting dark, raining and I still had to navigate two borders and the drive back,

I GIVE UP!

I set the GPS and thankfully it was taking me nowhere near the roundabout. That concerned me...you know why. I exited Transnistria through a different border control, in a good road. What's up with that? How did I end up crossing rural Moldova on a dirt road when I could have taken paved all the way. That just how this trip has gone,

Border control for both counties was easy in and easy out. It rained all the way back.

Praying I had enough money to fill the tank with gas, I stopped at a station. I had 275 Leu ( around $13 ) somehow that bought me a half tank...thank God! :-)

I found the apartment building easily and even a parking space, I had a frying day and was glad that it was over, Transnistria was a disappointment and I feared it would be, The only interesting thing, Bender Fortress, I never found,

Oh well...I didn't go to jail and I'm not dead. That reminder always centers me during challenges when I travel.

Where's that wine :-)

Transnistria news from just 6 weeks ago. It certainly explains the behavior -

Transnistria, also known as Pridnestrovie in Russian, is a stretch of land spanning the easternmost territory of Moldova, which borders Ukraine’s Black Sea Odessa region. Russian-backed separatists in the region declared independence in 1990, though this has not been recognized internationally and groups have been heavily reliant on aid from Russia.

Th separatist leader issued a decree this week calling for the region to officially join Russia, citing an internationally unrecognized referendum held on the issue in 2006. The result was strongly in favor of joining Russia, however the vote did not fulfill international standards and was not sanctioned by Moldova.

Unlike Crimea, which was annexed by Russia from Ukraine, after a similar vote in 2014, Transnistria is totally landlocked between Moldova and Ukraine, limiting transport of goods or troops from Russia.

The separatist decree issued this week, advocates a plan to join Russia by November 1, 2016.

Moldova condemned the separatist decree on Friday, as it has repeatedly, any attempts to reinforce Moscow’s control over the region. Earlier this year Moldova reported Russia was recruiting Transnistrian young men into its armed forces, as though they were Russian.