Thursday 30 April 2009

Romania to Bulgaria

From Hungary we crossed into Romania. This is people’s first culture shock; crossing the border the change is immediate. Romania is a poor country that is EU affiliated and has had some investment but not nearly as much as other countries. The housing though still showing soviet style and grandeur with fluted roofs and gables is run down to the point of the plaster falling off the walls. Little old ladies litter the streets with wrinkled faces, stooped backs and calloused hands, signs of hard toil in the fields and home. Horse carts become a usual form of transport, with ox drawn plows working the fields.

As the world gets wilder around us we make use of the great hospitality and open spaces of these beautiful lands. Bush camping is a special part of the trip, travelling as a group of 22 people we provide our own security and are free to camp nearly were we like. Romania is littered with farms so we pulled of the main drag and wound our way up a quiet village road, people on the street gave us a brief glance and they looked away as if a great big blue overland truck drove their streets every day, a polite Romanian custom, though I’m sure the road side benches are kept busy with the stories for months!

Pulling up a dusty road we happened upon a large field lying fallow. There was a farmer’s house nearby so Cher and I headed off to ask the farmer permission to spend the night. He duly agreed and after checking we had sufficient food and water wished as a good evening. A couple of the farmers’ kids arrived with a soccer ball and a bunch of the guys kicked a ball around the field with them while we prepared a chicken curry with all the trimmings.

With bush camping we tend to leave fairly early so as it was only a short hop to the town of Sighisoara we decided to stop by the Turda Gorge: famous for its walking and beautiful scenery, some folks packed a sandwich for lunch and wandered up the gorge along the river, others chose to lie around in the sun.
Sighisoara
Arriving in Sighisoara we checked into our hotel for the night just a short walk from the town centre. Sighisoara is an ancient walled city with an interesting past. Around the wall are a series of towers and each tower housed a different guild, copper smith, black smith etc. If the town was under threat the horn would blow and each guild would rush to their tower to protect their homes. Walking the wall and climbing the steps to enjoy the views is a great way to spend the day. The town has another claim to fame with it being the birthplace of Vlad Tepes the character Bram Stoker based the infamous Dracula on. Dracula jokes were coming on thick and thin with the cringe meter rising...

At around five that evening we headed out of town to a bush camp Cher and I had found earlier in the day. Once again on a farmer’s land, we were camping next to several small dams. The farmer was a keen fisherman and had erected a series of bridges from which to fish which offered great photo opportunities. I’ll let the photos explain.

It was also our first opportunity to have a BBQ. Pork Ribs, homemade (truck made) Burger patties Garlic bread local mushrooms Coleslaw and baked (Braai) Potatoes. With this feast set for kings and watching the sun go down over the hills in the distance, bush camping was really starting to grow on everyone.

No visit to Transylvania would be complete without a visit to Bran Castle, the home of Vlad Tepes. We stop at the castle for a couple of hours, enough time to explore the castle and enjoy the Dracula tat on sale.
We had planned to spend a night in the hills en route to Bucharest, but after driving for a few hours we were making good time so we headed straight into the massive city to a camp site just on the outskirts in a lovely soviet style camp site. Pulling out the Poetjie pot for the first time, a traditional cast ion pot, we made a South African dish with chicken, potatoes, rice and vegetables that went down a treat.

Bucharest, the capital of Romania, is a world apart from the rural country side we grown accustomed to. The next day, folks caught a bus into the city which with its French style arcutecture and dramatic setting was once known as “Little Paris”. The city sprawls and is a busy place with hooting horns and rushing cars, and its metro system and other good transport links make it a great place to explore. The tree-lined boulevards and parks are a walkers dream, and there are plenty of museums and other sights to explore. The Peasant Museum was raved about by many, and no visit to Bucharest would be complete without seeing the Parliament Palace (formerly called the People’s Palace), which is the most striking symbol of Nicolae Ceausescu's legacy (and the dictator’s megalomaniac vision), and which at 3.76 million square feet stands as the world's second largest office building after the U.S. Pentagon, and took 20,000 workers and 700 architects to build at a time when the country was gripped by poverty.

Parliament Palace:

The following day we met for a late lunch in Romania’s oldest beer hall, first established in 1875 it has been restored to its former grandeur. Great service and delicious traditional food were enjoyed by all, finally leaving the restaurant several hours later we had a light dinner of soup, cheeses and bread in the evening.



Driving into Bulgaria the next morning the change was apparent again as the roads slowly worsened after the border crossing as we rolled into the mountains of Bulgaria. Heading up to a thousand metres on a windy road with switch back after switch back we soon disappeared into the clouds as we climbed the mountain. The temperature dropped and thoughts turned to the nights camping that lay ahead. Rounding a bend in the road we suddenly began to see snow all around on the ground and trees and the flakes were blowing about the windshield and windows. The silence in the back was solid as people began to dream of a warm radiator in cosy hotel. Passing the thousand metre mark we began our decent from the clouds and little patches of sunshine began to appear and by the time we reached plains en route to Turkey there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
When we had driven this road before, we had noticed a golden dome and ornate spire reaching from the trees. As we were running ahead of schedule we decided to go and explore the small village near the road nestled in the mountains. Following signs that we could not read we suddenly happened upon an incredible building, built in 1902 to commemorate the Ottoman Wars and the awful loss of life. It was as beautiful inside as it was out with its frescoes and ornate styling. After meeting the locals and having a good wander around we headed for our bushcamp. Being able to just head off to find new amazing sights and experiences is all part of the benefits of our style of travel! More to come soon just struggling to find time to sit and write about our epic journey!! We move through Western Europe at quite a pace as it is so easy to access and travel around, however now that we have reached Turkey, we slow right down and really take the time to explore and experience the fascinating culture, sights and people of the countries we visit.

London to Hungary

The whole group met for the first time early on Easter Sunday morning, though there had been some Facebook chatter and pre-departure meetings in the weeks leading up to the trip. Nervous laughter and curious glances were the order of the day, as everybody got to meet the fellow travellers that they would be sharing tents, truck and experiences with for the next 6 months as we drive half way around the world.

The drive to Dover was a foggy experience with low clouds blocking most of the views. Conversation was rampant as pre-trip experiences were swapped and everyone realised they had been going through the same packing woes as the others. As usual, we have a great mix of people onboard, from all backgrounds and age groups. It was smiles all round!


The Dover to Calais ferry crossing is always an emotional moment. As the white cliffs disappeared into the fog bank, many folks took a quiet moment to reflect on the journey ahead, while others took advantage of the onboard bar.


Arriving in Calais, we rolled off the ferry and headed through France and just across the border into Belgium. Our first night of camping, and a warm welcome from the camp owners, saw nervous faces, as tent buddies paired up and the tent demonstration got under way. It’s never easy the first time you erect your tent, but luckily the weather gods were being kind and it was a pleasant evening. After a while the tents were sorted and we sat down to a meal together, quick and easy this time as cook group were fighting with tent pegs and poles, so Cher and I threw together a mushroom soup for starters, followed by salad and spaghetti bolognaise. Sitting around on our super comfy camp chairs, more stories were swapped and a few beers, teas and coffees enjoyed, with most people retiring early, exhausted after all the frantic organising over the past while that pre-empts any six month trip.


The following morning we made an early start, after worming the truck out of a well organised campsite, never meant for vehicles the size of our trusty truck “Calypso”. Calypso, our vehicle so named after Odysseus’s lover while he was exploring the world, proved a hit on the autobahns of Germany as we travelled for Cologne the next day.


En route we stopped for a lunch break: while in civilisation we stop at fuel stations with parking and toilet facilities. We normally rustle up a lunch of fresh bread, cold meats, salads, cheese and condiments, though we throw in the odd Pasta salad and the like to keep things interesting. Mid-way through preparing lunch, a large German Tour bus pulled in alongside of us and, feeling friendly, some of our guys gave a friendly wave and received a few back. Driving a vehicle so different from everything else on the road attracts a fair bit of attention and soon we had a few questions flying away from our fellow (if air-conditioned) travellers. Lunch went on as normal until the kind German lady arrived with a bucket of left over potato salad – no one was quite sure what to do but it seemed rude to send it away. Next a cabbage salad arrived, still polite, it was accepted... Then there was another salad, then a fresh loaf of rye bread and to top it all off an entire baked ham, with mustard, no less. Never to look a gift horse in the mouth (though this was a first for me on the road!) we gorged ourselves happily.


Koln (Cologne) is a wonderful old city and the campsite is only a short tram ride away from the magnificent Dom (cathedral), so after setting up camp, everybody headed off into town to explore. The Dom was the tallest building in Europe until the building of the Eiffel Tower, and it is quite a sight to behold.


Cologne Cathedral:

Meeting up in the evening for our first group meal in a restaurant, we headed down to a local German Brau house, small glasses of beer and large servings of sausage sauerkraut and pork knuckle were the order of the evening. Stories were swapped after the day exploring around the town; with the favourite attraction being the pay loos at the coffee shop across the road from the Dom with automatic frosting loo doors, this was going to be a tough crowd! The Sion Brau Haus Is a great place to judge peoples appetites as their signature dish is a 1.4kg pork knuckle. Watching four of the boys wolf them away was a bit of a worry as kitty would never stretch to a kilo of meat for each person each evening, but we would have to see what we could do!


From Koln we headed up to Bamberg one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and a Unesco world heritage site. Once more the loos were a hit but the more manageable size of the city with its stunning views and quaint streets and the Danube winding its way through the centre meant many a happy hour was spent wandering the streets and exploring the town. We had two nights here giving us plenty of time to explore and enjoy this picturesque little place.

Bamberg:



A fair day’s drive and we headed into the Czech Republic and arrived in Prague, another incredibly beautiful city with a full day to explore. The weather turned foul and a few braved the rain while others tucked up in a cosy Pub for the afternoon. Prague is a city you could spend a week in and enjoy every day but with it being such an easy weekend break from the UK (and very full of tour groups from all over Europe!) we only spend two nights here and everybody was happy to pack up and go and run away from the rain.


Prague:


From one big city to another: Budapest, the capital of Hungary, loomed in the distance after a full day on the truck. We stay in a lovely little campsite which operates as a ski lodge over the winter months. The campsite is terraced, shaded by trees and though it is hard work to hump your tent up the stairs you are rewarded with your own alcove with a pretty view. The next morning we headed down into town and were pushed around the streets by an informal bike race: the cyclists of Budapest had decided to reclaim the roads from the cars and turned out in their thousands, it was quite a spectacle as the city descended into chaos. Voted by the group as the best camp so far we celebrated Debbie’s birthday in style with a chicken stir fry on the truck and Birthday cake for dessert.



Budapest:


Sunday 12 April 2009

AUSTRALIA HERE WE COME!

The expedition members 2009:


We are on the road! After an early start on Easter Sunday morning we headed for Dover and the ferry across to France. A short drive took us to Belgium for our first night... Updates to come, things are rather busy at the moment as everyone gets used to life on the road
Our departure point, London Victoria Station:
Calypso, our faithful truck, with her smiling face and sun god for good luck:

Time to load up, and off we go: