Tiraspol, a kinda seperate country, but really a buffer zone from the pesky Ukrainens
I got out
of Tiraspol in the end, I arrived from Chisinau. After my 47 and a half hours, it was time to get out of there.
Now it
always pays to do a little bit of research before you go anywhere. I did
absolutely zero.
I walked to
Chisinau bus station, found what I thought was a bus driver going to Tiraspol,
he offered to drive me there for 15 euro or I could go with others for 2.50
euro, we went with others.
I didn’t
realize it was about 1.5 hours of a drive, great value for 2.50 euro!!
The lowdown on checking in...
We crossed
a border, he helped me with immigration, I got 48 hours, great?
We got to
the place, the driver dropped us all off, I got off at Lennin St, where my
hostel was, then I tried to find it, luckily I always bookmark the next place
on Google maps, off I went, I found a waiter that was pretty cool, he told me
it as back where i was, he indicated behind the road, off I went.
Now you’d
think a road, behind the Lennin St would have a different name? Not so?
So I was
looking, an old woman told me it was further up, so I go further and find it,
it had a bench outside, so I sat and waited. It was looking good, eventually a
guy comes past, I ask him if he spoke English and could he call the number over
the door?
No credit, he indicated to me, no english either, he told me to ask the cop walking by and I laughed at him, the cop
walked past, the next cop I asked, he rang, the hostel owner rocked up 15 min
later and I checked in, it was that simple, not!!
Wanna go on a date in Tiraspol?
Always do
your research, I was pretty lucky. It was a good experience, all in all.
Tiraspol has a zero crime rate, if you commit a crime; they put you away for a
long time. So criminals learn to go straight.
Tiraspol highlight
The 50 m
pool as a lifesaver, I got there after more confusion, had to buy sandals, I
even had to put my shoes in a bag in the locker. It’s no wonder they think
Europeans are very uncultured?
I spent
quite a bit of time in the restaurant where the waiter was helping the stupid
tourist, they don’t get many, not many countries have waiters as helpful. I got
to sit on a couch, drink beer, watch soccer and Russian soap opera stuff, eat
great strange stuff.
I ordered meat on the bone for 2 euro, that was a big pork
steak, quality stuff, you never know what your getting, especially when you
think you are!!!
Here for a short time not a long time, my 48 hour visa
I didn’t see many people with long
hair or tattoos or any signs of rock n roll, it hadn’t made it that far. I had
48 hours there, the 9.30am bus got me to the border with 19 minutes to spare,
and apparently it’s a big deal?
The KGB don’t have much to do now since all
they have to do is Google stuff or look at peoples Google searches, the spying war is
over lads, time to get a real job?
I was on a big stroll today, going nowhere, but seeing the gritty and nice parts of Odessa. Going this way and that, no real direction. And then it starts to rain, i walk past an internet cafe. I go in then it buckets down in Odessa !!!!
I haven’t blogged in a while, this was a definate sign from god, he needed to be appeased. With heads or blog posts.
The gods needed appeasing, loke out of Apocalypto
Google wont let
me log in for security reasons and I finally figure out how they want me to log in, with my phone, but then I have
no Wi-Fi on my phone, no joy!!!
You thinking what I'm thinking? Someone should tell Google and Yahoo I'm not a spy!!!!
So I cant email
anything, yahoo won’t let me log in either, I prove I am a robot a few times,
so then my mind is racing, it’s bucketing raining outside, I want to not get wet and be
somewhat productive and then I remember I have a USB key. And it begins, my life of syping...
My dream job, having a great conversation with my shoe
I create a
word doc on my USB, a tried and tested method, back to basics, I can write the
text, I will have to edit it later, no problems there, the content can be
created, I can stay dry and I was expecting good weather too, I bought and applied sunscreen dammit! Yesterday was a
scorcher, it was 31 degrees or more!
Odessa theatre
I got to
Odessa anyhew, checked into the hostel. I got to the door next door to the hostel, I pressed
what I thought was the code from the booking.com notes, the door to a
courtyard opened, I was in business, until the people there having a fag
(nothing gay) told me it as next door.
Everyone smokes, probably because...
And here
the story starts.
I’m by the
door, wondering where the buzzer was. And old guy comes up and opens the door
for me, its like an entrance to an abandoned apartment block, felt dodgy and
smelled of piss, it as probably looked nice a hundred years ago and it felt like
homeless squatter drug addicts would rush me, and rob me with their leader, the old man!
So I
leave and ask people outside, someone was telling me, in Russian the door I came
out of was the place, but it couldn’t I was thinking? Thats a Fuc$in squat!!!
And then, a
twenty something girl appears out the door and tells me that the hostel is on
the third floor, so I hold my nose and go for a look and low and behold, there
is a hostel, on the third floor?
Hard to
believe, there is an Aussie guy that has been retired for 30 years, with another 20 years left in him following
the summer from Vietnam to Eastern Europe and another old fellow that’s living
there with his cat; you can really get the smell of his cats piss when you brush
your teeth. Nice place, nice people, but their idea of being clean is taking
your shoes off at the door, and that’s about it.
Screwy ratings, human piss and cats piss, someone award you, not bad?
Its funny, like Eurovision when
you read the ratings, here places have 9 out of 10, and then you go there and
just wonder it they are giving themselves the reviews or what?
Buyer beware and dont book too long either!
A good thing for me is I wanted a lower bunk,
so they moved a girl that lives there to an upper bunk for me, great for me?
Maybe they wanted to lift her spirits? Switching to a better ratings place tomorrow, its going to cost one euro more, 25% more than I am paying now, I can hardly wait!!!!
On the depts of winter, one of the worst for me, which included a 10 km walk home after my course, which wasn't that bad, and a bus strike, there was no option but to eat the elephant, one bite at a time, I booked a flight, they were going cheap, I got a flight for 30 euro to Bucharest, a week later they were 5 euro, it changed nothing, and now I'm here.
Oh, and I will add:
I passed my exam, I am now certified Oracle Java junior associate
and when I snoozed in Dublin airport, I awoke like Jesus and got my flight
Breakfast/Lunch or brunch anyone?
And now I'm here, but you already knew that, right?
So, the plan was to come and things would figure themselves out, if you buy the ticket, you take the ride. So with this logic in my brain, the night worker said to me
"You should go to Moldova, its the cheapest country in Europe"
So, that's the plan, for the lack of a better one and I am going tomorrow, hopefully when I get back the outdoor pool I like will be open, and it will, I just have to wait three weeks, what can possibly go wrong?
I listened to this DJ the other morning, it was like I was glued to the sofa, wonderful stuff, I wasn't sure if the birds chirping was part of the music or what was going on outside the window, but there you go, it was an experience and I was there
