Goodbye Romania!

Well, we've finally left Romania after spending a couple of days in Brasov. Our primary reason to stay there was to see the Transylvania region and the Carpathian mountains. While we did see both, poor TJ has been truly ill since we've left Turkey. So, our stay was pretty much governed by our proximity to adequate bathroom facilities, which means either the hostel or an american chain restaurant like McDonald's or KFC. Suprisingly, there are a great number of these chains around Europe. For those planning to travel, McDonald's is a somewhat pricey way of avoiding the local quisine if your stomach can no longer take the punishment of daily Doner Kebabs. A doner kebab is basically the Turkish version of a gyro (Doner also means "spin"), and are universally available for very little money, around 2 dollars per meal. However, not all purchases can be measured in dollars and cents, so one's choice in doners can be pivotal to planning activities later on in the day.
The scenery in Romania is absolutely astounding. The geography and flora really lend themselves to pictures. While is Brasov, is really pretty there's not much to do after you've seen the town. The biggest draw for the area is Bran Castle, dracula's house, or so the street vendors tell me as the try to sell me Dracula coffee mugs, t-shirts, and other vampire themed items. The castle itself is a bit of a dissapointment though. It is organized in a linear way so you can't wander about and it seems you invariably get stuck behind a group of middle aged german tourists with a videocamera. I would also issue a travel warning for Bran; for those that stand taller than 5'8", Bran is a minefield of low passes. I was well suited for the architecture, TJ however was lucky to leave without a concussion. At least 4 times during our 20 minute visit, I would hear some explitive from behind me and turn to find TJ clutching his head or on the ground. Apparently, Dracula hates tall people. If I were to do it again, I would visit Sanaia instead. It is the Romanian equivalent to Versaille and is supposed to be the best site to see. I will explain why we did not visit in the next paragraph.
While Romania is a wonderful country, the biggest problem with it is the amount of skeezy individuals that prey on tourists. Immediately upon leaving the train anyone with a hiking pack is singled out and pressured to say at some "recommended" hotel by a taxi driver. The taxi driver will then inform you that the rate to the hotel is 100 Lei and the equivalent is about 3 Euros. This however is completely untrue. 1. 100 lei is about 33 euros. 2. The hotel is not affiliated with the cab and are often full from all the cabbies using the same hotel as their bait. Luckily, we knew the real exchange rate and never got into a cab until we negotiated a fair price. One guy tried to charge me 100 Lei for a 5 kilometer ride. Our common language was German so I had to remember some choice words to adequately express myself before I felt I could leave! These guys truly ruin the travel experience so if you choose to travel toEastern Europe, be ready to be rude. They are extremely pushy and can sometimes be violent; one punched a girl in the face and stole her purse after he charged her 200 euros for a short ride. So, if you take a cab, make them use the meter and refuse to load your things into the car until the negotiating is done and the meter is on. We also had some kid extort money from us on the train. He "helped" us into the train by opening the door into my face and getting in the way of my backpack. When we got into the cabin he refused to leave and was extremely pushy about demanding a tip. He started to reach at TJ's pockets when I intervened. Since it was really dark, I handed him a fistful of change and bills. Little did he know that I had given him about $1.50 worth of Turkish Lira, which are completely unexchangeable in Romania and utterly worthless. He left without looking at it, so we were in the clear. Both TJ and I agree that Romania is better left off the agenda until they have some better social organization and protection for tourists. Beautiful, but not relaxing.
Serbia on the other hand is both beautiful and relaxing. Food and drinks are inexpensive, Belgrade is a western city, many people speak English, and accommodations are cheap ($12/night). The difference is night and day, and the atmosphere here is friendly toward Americans and tourists. More to come when I've spent more time here!

-B