Romania – Parting ways with the trusty steed!

I arrived in Romania and biked straight north towards Bucharest. The border crossing was large, and there were long lines of trucks transporting goods from Bulgaria to Romania. As I pedaled further into Romania, I realized that my shoulder lane was quickly becoming thinner until it became almost non-existent. I remember being truly overwhelmed by the large trucks moving past me just an arm’s length away. I openly admit to being a terrible car passenger because I hate putting my life in someone else’s hands. In this case, I didn’t have much of a choice. I kept on pedaling.

I arrived in Bucharest around 4:00 PM and got set up at the 1st Hostel Bucharest. This place is cozy and small, with just a few rooms packed with bunks. Bucharest is the biggest city I had seen in months, with nearly two million people living there. It felt good to be in a big city again, where noise continues throughout the night and people storm the streets in swarms. I could get any supplies I needed, and that is always a comforting thought. I jumped around a few hostels in Bucharest, staying at 1st Hostel for two nights, Friends Hostel for two nights, and then finally at Podstel Bucharest, where I stayed another four nights.

During my first evening in Bucharest, I joined a girl from New Mexico and a guy from Spain at an awesome restaurant in the old city of Bucharest. The restaurant is called Lacrimi Si Sfinti and has amazing local cuisine that is served to customers at their beautiful wood tables located in a half-finished brick-cellar basement. If you are looking for an extremely cheap meal, this is probably not the best spot, but for quality, cool vibes, and local cuisine, I highly recommend it. At this point, I was dying for a meal with some real tastes. We ate and had fun speaking to one another in Spanish. After dinner, we went out for a couple of beers before returning to the hostel for the evening.

The following day, while I was eating breakfast, I sparked a conversation with a Ukrainian guy who was also solo traveling. We were both hoping to do some adventuring around the city, so we decided to head out together. He was an odd character with a great love for exploring. He explored and lived by an interesting rule: “If the light is green, then take it!” His idea of discovering a city was wandering with absolutely no destination, using nothing but the timing of the traffic lights as navigation. We wandered and talked about our experiences. He was a true traveler, working as a bartender on and off to make enough for his next adventure. When he traveled, he would often sleep on the street on the sleeping pad he always carried with him. If there was a cheap hostel, he would often choose that option as well. His budget was always tight because of the economic state of Ukraine, but he knew he could get where he needed to go.

He showed me his favorite doner/wrap shop, and we ended up eating lunch and dinner there before I returned to the hostel and he waited to catch his BlaBlaCar ride back to Ukraine. For those who are not familiar with BlaBlaCar, it is an app used all over Europe for travelers. You can input where you are and where you are heading, and you can find rides with people who are going the same way. The prices are extremely cheap, as the drivers are usually looking to cover some of their fuel costs.

The following day was moving day! Although I liked 1st Hostel, my habit of only reserving a bed for two nights had not changed yet. The hostel was filled up that night, so I either had to find another place to stay or take a private room, which was triple the cost of a single bunk. I found a place not too far away with decent ratings, so I went that route. Upon arrival at Friends Hostel, I felt an odd vibe in the air. Not only did the people working there seem unhappy, but the travelers were irritated with one another as well. It is hard to explain why the feeling was so bad, but it was potentially the most unfriendly stay of my entire trip. After two nights, I escaped and made my way over to Podstel Bucharest.

I entered the garden area of Podstel Bucharest and felt at home at once. Their outside garden serves as a tea house for the community. Today they were preparing for a party to celebrate the opening of the garden area. People were moving around, getting ready for the day, smiling, and laughing with one another. It was the complete opposite feeling of what I experienced at Friends Hostel. I looked towards the door and saw Daniella, a Mexican girl I had met originally in Sarande, Albania, and then again in Pristina, Kosovo. This was the third time I had run into her throughout my travels, each time with absolutely no prior communication. Talk about a small world…

That afternoon and into the evening, the hostel threw a party and served food, while guests, workers, and owners battled it out on the ping pong table. Although I lost in the semi-finals, I put up a good fight and enjoyed letting the opponent take the grand prize. Following the tournament, a few of the volunteers got up and played music for everyone. They were all extremely talented, and everyone listened and watched attentively as the performers sang and strummed chords on the guitar. You can see that the owners of this place understand the meaning and purpose of creating a community. They succeeded in making it a place where people want to spend time. This is a newer venture for the three owners, but they are planning on using their model to open many other hostels around the world. From what I experienced, I am confident that they will be extremely successful in doing so.

During the remainder of my time in Bucharest, I did a free walking tour and my usual daily wandering. I also met a really warm group of people that made each day very interesting and delightful. One of them was a 21-year-old guy from Germany who was on a huge bicycle trip that would likely take 18 months and bring him from Germany to Beijing, China. It was interesting to share our experiences with one another. He had a very nice bicycle setup that made mine look like amateur work. At the same time, I was proud that my cheap and simple setup had gotten me as far as it had.

After more than a week in Bucharest, it was time to leave. I set my sights on Brasov, which was a two-day bike ride from Bucharest. The weather was not great, and I had been eating and drinking the past week, so a big day was out of the question. From Bucharest to Brasov is a 170 km trip. I stopped in Ploiesti for one night before making my way to Sinaia and then finally to Brasov. When I arrived in Brasov, it was hailing, and I was absolutely soaked. I was able to find my way to Coresi Hostel near the city center, where I could sleep that night. The hostel was completely empty and fully automated, so there was no one working there. I was given a code to the door and directions on which bunk bed to sleep in. I got a quick meal down in the square and hit the hay!

After one night at Coresi, I moved to another hostel in hopes of finding more people to interact with. I moved over to Carrousel Hostel, which has a creepy clown theme. I would be lying if I said I liked it much. Although the theme was not my favorite, I met some great people and took some wonderful day trips to Rasnov and Bran Castle. Colten, from the US, and Carmen, from Singapore, were both traveling long-term and had great outlooks on the impacts that travel can have on people’s lives. We had fun sharing our experiences over a few beers.

Colten was traveling for a few months and was planning to continue towards Turkey and eventually to Asia. He carried his climbing equipment and planned on doing some climbing along the way. We went to see the castle in the city of Brasov. I then took a trip out to Bran, where there is an iconic castle said to have been visited by Vlad the Impaler. On the way back to Brasov, we stopped in Rasnov, where we climbed a hill to the old castle. You can see the photo of the sign with the city name on it, which was inspired by our Hollywood sign in California. I found this pretty entertaining, as the same style sign is visible on the large hill overlooking Brasov.

After three nights in Brasov, I set off again towards Sighisoara. Sighisoara is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site for its well-preserved walled old town area. The town is also known because Vlad Dracul, the father of Vlad the Impaler, lived there in exile later in his life. After a couple of days in Sighisoara, I made it to Cluj-Napoca, which was a long 100 miles away.

Cluj is the second-largest city in Romania and is seen as one of the fastest-growing areas in the country. It is a bit of a college town but is also home to some of the larger startups in the area. I stayed in Cluj for a couple of days and enjoyed a free walking tour as well as one lazy day when it stormed all day long. I enjoyed the excuse to lay around in the comfort of the bunk bed in the hostel.

After Cluj, I made my way towards Oradea, thinking that it would likely be where the bike adventure would end. I made the trip in two days. The first day, it rained the entire day. Even though I was wet, I figured since it was my last day on the road with the bicycle, I had to camp. I found a cool spot hidden away from view, but it took some trekking through the mud to get to it. My equipment was so dirty when I woke up the following day. The brakes and tires were plugged up with mud to the point where the wheels wouldn’t turn. I went a distance before finding a car wash, where someone agreed to spray down my bike. There was no way I was going to sell it without the wash, so I was very appreciative.

I arrived in Oradea and found a spot in the park to repack all of my stuff. Without the trailer, I had to pack everything back into the backpack the way it was when I flew across the big pond. It was not an easy job to get organized again. If you have done a lot of backpacking, you know that the way you pack the bag is crucial, so sometimes this process can be time-consuming. I worked away, emptying the trailer and deciding what I would leave and what I would take. I must have looked homeless to most people because a man came up and handed me some money. He said in English, “God bless you,” while handing me 20 lei. I attempted to refuse, and he then followed up with, “Buy yourself a coffee.” I thanked him as he walked away.

I put a sign on the bicycle that said “For Sale” in both Romanian and English. I had a couple of hours to sell the bike before I was hoping to make my way to Budapest. I walked around the main squares where I thought the most people would see the bike, trailer, and for sale sign. Two hours went by before a couple approached me, excited about what they were seeing. We spoke for a while before shaking hands and exchanging the cash. We took pictures together, and they ended up getting me a BlaBlaCar that would take me to Budapest, insisting that it would be much faster and cheaper. They were so kind, and I was happy to be passing on my trusty steed to a good person! I hope it is treating him as well as it did me.

ROSE

I really enjoyed my time at Podstel Bucharest. If you find yourself in Bucharest, I would highly recommend this place. The owners have learned how to successfully create a community that empowers people to be good and be who they want to be. My experience and opinion of Bucharest would have been different if it weren’t for my time at Podstel.

BUD 

While I was staying at Podstel, I was introduced to the company Gone West, which is an impact-driven company working to reforest the world. James, the founder and owner of the company, was accompanied by Cameron, who works as the Creative Director. These guys traveled to Podstel to partner with them, incorporating the planting of trees into the cost of a night at the hostel. This way, travelers can easily offset their travels. These guys were both visionaries who had been all over the world. Each of them had been homeless, broken, and lost at some point in their lives. Each of them had seen suffering along the way. Their experiences set them on the mission they are on now. They are passionate about changing the world for the better through employment and reforestation.

Anyone looking for a way to offset their carbon footprints in a direct way should go to www.gonewest.com or click the image below. When looking to give back, there can be an overwhelming number of organizations claiming to work for good. Sometimes I know it can be hard to find the ones making real positive change. The people at Gone West are the real deal and will stop at nothing until humans decide to change the course that we are currently heading towards. 

My time with these guys showed me that there are many different ways to create positive change. Who knows, I may end up joining them on a tree-planting project sometime in the future.

THORN

Parting ways with the bicycle that had been with me for over three months was a bit tough. Although this change was fun, it was a big transition from biking to being on foot again. At times, I miss the road, hearing nothing but the tires spinning and the wind roaring.