Intrepid for 10 Minutes: Transilvania

31 May 2011

Transilvania

Now almost in Ukraine after 5 excellent days at the Dracula Camp Site in Transilvania, sitting between 2 snow capped mountain ranges.

We tried the Top Gear Top Road, but the pass at the top was still closed by snow so had to abort and was just too far round to tackle it from the other end (next time!).

You must watch Caravanning Romania Style on Youtube (intrepidfor10minutes) its only 30 seconds but is a hoot.

While Chris went to Dracula Castle with some other brits I took the opportunity to escape on the bike and did a 25 mile ride to a local Gorge accessible on foot/bike only and managed to get up to the top of the gorge (1100m) before expiring and carrering the 8 miles back down again - fantastic.

Chris and I also cycled to Rasnov, a Medievel Town on the top of a hill, 18 miles!!

After leaving Bran we went to the mud volcanoes, in the middle of knowhere, with no camp site for miles, but the car park attendant at the Volcano let us stay there overnight for the cost of the car park ticket (42p).

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Intrepid for 10 Minutes

Married in 1980 we had both travelled before we met. Me overland to India. Chris overland from Singapore, after working in New Zealand for 18 months and finally been given 24 hours to leave after repeated attempts to extend her visa.

We both vowed to travel again, once we were able and whilst we have recently made short trips to Peru, Sri Lanka, Nepal(Mick) and Vietnam (Chris) this has simply fuelled our desire to travel (without having to rush round in 2 weeks).

In August 2007, returning from Slovenia with our caravan, we met Jeff & Jean who were in the first Landcruiser with roof tent that we had ever come across. Over a few beers they told us about their two trips to South Africa, down either side of the continent (see Gonewandering.co.uk) and their plans to ship the Landcruiser to the point of South America and drive to Alaska.

And that was it! by the time we had left we had given ourselves 4 years to be on the Road.

In October 2007, we made a quick trip to Morocco for a last attempt to get some sun before winter. Chris wanted to be intrepid and travel round by bus and Grand Taxi, but with thughts of waiting around for hours and trouble finding accommodation, I hired a car instead.

We stayed in the Hotel Panorama in Azrou (one of the few places we could get a beer during Ramadan) where we met Dave and Sue (over a beer). They had hired a guide for a walk the following day and invited us to join them. Before starting, Dave confirmed the rules to the guide - no walking on roads and back by 4pm.

It was an enjoyable walk until, at 4pm precisely, we arrived at a road, with a sign that said 'Azrou 4k'. After the toys had been firmly thrown from the pram Dave sat on the bank and said 'It's 4 o'clock, that's a road and I have finished'. As he said it, a Grand taxi stopped just down the road to drop someone off, our guide flagged it down and the driver promised to be back in 5 minutes.

So Chris got her trip in a Grand Taxi. During the short trip Sue recounted varous experiences in long bus journeys in stifling heat where dogs had died and numerous children had thrown up, and a 6 hour trip in a Grand Taxi, wedged between 3 large ladies in stifling heat so she could hardly move and after taking a sip from her water bottle, the large woman next to her took the bottle, drained it and threw it out of the window.

When we arrived in Azrou I said 'OK, are you satisfied now that you have been Intrepid for 10 minutes'

Intrepid for 10 Minutes

31 May 2011

Transilvania

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Intrepid for 10 Minutes

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