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The only tourist in Moldova
- dotcoma 2y agohttps://archive.is/kQ4lp https://archive.is/kQ4lp
- vzaliva 2y agoThe full article reads as a someting a copywriter would write for tourist company blog.
- throwaway3306a 2y agoVisit Transnistria for another level of amazement if you're in the area. The last Soviet republic.
- eesmith 2y agoAnd both mentioned and visited in the linked-to article. With pictures.
- euroderf 2y agoThere's a BBC short series from some years ago where our intrepid correspondent visits twilight zones. The episode on Transdnestr is really a trip. He even manages to visit an arms factory masquerading as making consumer stuff. The episode is worth looking up.
- atlasunshrugged 2y agoThis is a very nice take on the country. I visited a few years ago (took an overnight train from Romania which was a blast, albeit not the most restful experience) and I would just say that there isn't all that much to see or things going on. Not to say it isn't a nice enough place, it's just not one I'd ever recommend as a tourist destination for people. If you want more Eastern Europe vibes I think Romania is just fine for that with much more going on -- if you're more adventurous Lviv and Kyiv are fantastic (I was just there in April, still gorgeous cities with great restaurants, bars, and art). And if you want old Europe with a post-Soviet flavor, nothing beats Estonia and the well preserved old town in the capital
- Eavolution 2y agoI was on that sleeper a week ago, most soviet thing ever! How long did it take for your conductor to take his top off?
- WXLCKNO 2y ago> more adventurous > Kyiv Understatement of the year
- atlasunshrugged 2y agoThe funny thing is, coming from Washington DC, I felt about or more safe in Ukraine as I do here day to day. I wasn't worried about being carjacked, I wasn't worried about someone with mental health or drug problems robbing me, and I wasn't worried about being shot (as I write this it feels hyperbolic to say but I live about 10 mins walking from the capitol and in the two years I've been here there have been multiple carjackings and shootings in my neighborhood -- even a Congressman was held up at gunpoint next door to me). The idea that missiles could come raining down was scary, but there are shelters everywhere and it felt like the likelihood of getting hit was pretty low being in random bars/restaurants and not any government/military/infrastructure facility. Maybe I was calculating the odds all wrong in my head, but I didn't feel particularly unsafe while I was there (that said, wouldn't go further east or to Odessa right now).
- natmaka 2y ago"bald and bankrupt" take on this (2019) was enlightening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnDxHTaeNX0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnDxHTaeNX0
- datameta 2y agoObligatory PSA that he is allegedly* a sex tourist with highly dubious practices off-camera. Edit: Context provided by senorrib below - https://www.reddit.com/r/BaldAndBaldrDossier/ https://www.reddit.com/r/BaldAndBaldrDossier/ * Make your own conclusions
- suslik 2y agoIs he?
- datameta 2y agohttps://eightify.app/media/fact-checking-allegations-against-bald-and-bankrupt-exploita#allegations-and-evidence https://eightify.app/media/fact-checking-allegations-against...
- beeboobaa3 2y ago> Eightify - YouTube Summary with ChatGPT Do you not have a more reliable source than youtube videos summarized by a LLM?
- datameta 2y agoThe original video within this reddit post where I learned of this has since been taken down. https://www.reddit.com/r/internetdrama/comments/meo391/baldnbankrupt_the_rape_apologist_he_was_one/ https://www.reddit.com/r/internetdrama/comments/meo391/baldn...
- senorrib 2y agohttps://www.reddit.com/r/BaldAndBaldrDossier/ https://www.reddit.com/r/BaldAndBaldrDossier/
- madaxe_again 2y agoPeople go to Chisinău, and that’s kinda it, and it’s really not representative of Moldova as a whole. You cross the border from Romania, and you’re immediately struck by the road turning to cobbles, and the modern street lamps turning into gas lamps. Ox carts bearing peasants in home-sewn clothes trundle by under their burden of hay. A rusted old lada serves as a roadside goose coop. Wattle and daub houses stoop by the dusty road, old men in flat caps sat on a bench by the roses climbing the crumbling wall. It’s like the most remote and rural corners of Transylvania, and then some - it’s still 1924 out there. The cities - unremarkable, Soviet slop with the usual fistful of monuments and bits of history - but the countryside is the most authentic time warp I have experienced in Europe, and I have been to most of Europe.
- atlasunshrugged 2y agoHave you been outside the capital in Albania? I visited Tirana and was quite surprised (pleasantly) but didn't have time to adventure further
- petertodd 2y agoThe Albanian Alps are beautiful, and rapidly developing with brand new roads and other infrastructure.
- paavohtl 2y agoI visited Tirana and Durrës about 5 years ago. Durrës was a pretty great place to visit with its long beach, views of the Adriatic, decent restaurants, roman & other ruins and a nice archeological museum. Certainly more touristy than Tirana, but at least back then it was mostly locals.
- petertodd 2y ago> and the modern street lamps turning into gas lamps. Really? Gas lamps are usually the luxurious option, only maintained at great expense out of nostalgia; Moldova has almost no domestic gas production.
- 2y ago
- rubymamis 2y agoStaying in Moldova for 2 weeks proved to me that even the most boring of places can be amazing with the right people.
- xenospn 2y agoNo place is boring if you’re naturally inquisitive. How can a place you’ve never been to be boring?
- ocdtrekkie 2y agoI love the subtle differences of lifestyle, signage, building fixtures, etc. in foreign places, it's always interesting to see problems solved in completely different ways.
- petre 2y agoSure. Try Podgorica. https://travellingtom.com/blog/podgorica-europe-most-boring-destination https://travellingtom.com/blog/podgorica-europe-most-boring-...
- emptyfile 2y ago[dead]
- trte9343r4 2y agoThis would fit maybe in 2019, but Moldova now has many foreigners. Hotel prices went up considerably! For "Europe's least visited country" try Belorus, Ukraine, Russia, Ossetia or Armenia. Traveling to Mariupol as a tourist is the real deal in 2024
- atlasunshrugged 2y agoEvery time I've been to Armenia there are many people visiting, although I think probably 80%+ are diaspora or descendants of diaspora folks edit to add -- not sure Ossetia is technically a country... the Georgians might quibble with you on that one
- nasdaq-txn 2y agoThe Georgians and the other 187 UN member states that don't recognize either South Ossetia or Abkhazia.
- Aspos 2y agoWent to a hotel lobby bar once and asked guys sitting to the left and to the right of me where are they from. Turns out both were Scots. Asked them what do they think about Scottish independence. One thing led to another and soon enough they started fist-fighting each other. Armenian cognac is great.
- cole-k 2y ago
- generic92034 2y agoI wonder what will happen to them if Ukraine loses to Russia. I have heard Moldova already has issues with Russian separatists. EDIT: Changed an offensive use of a definitive article. ;)
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- datameta 2y agoFyi: Including "the" changes the meaning - it alludes to imperial language aking to calling the nation The Periphery.
- generic92034 2y agoI am not sure what you are talking about. Could you please elaborate? EDIT: Found https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine#Etymology_and_orthography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine#Etymology_and_orthogra... now. Thanks for the correction!
- atlasunshrugged 2y agoReferring to Ukraine as "the Ukraine" is a symbol for many people of when it was a colony of part of the Soviet Union, rather than an independent nation. Similar to how many people use to refer to Kyiv as Kiev but changed as that was the more Russian spelling
- rdlw 2y agoSorry, how does that refute anything? The point is that in English, adding the definite article makes it sound like a region rather than a country: "the mountains", "the veldt", "the border land". Removing the article is appropriate for a country, unless grammatically necessary like "The United States of America", but not "The America" or "The Germany".
- generic92034 2y ago
- ricardobayes 2y agoCan't help but think at 2850 pounds (3650 USD) for 7 nights of course they are going to be friendly.
- albroland 2y agoYeah, it's quite an exorbitant price for the trip described. It said flights included which I have to hope is the majority of it.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- ClearAndPresent 2y agoConsidering you can fly from London to Chișinău for around £36 at present ($45) on a low cost EU airline, then it probably isn't. The Telegraph is a right leaning newspaper for a wealthy readership, so their travel articles offer luxury. (The details of the holiday provider mention 4 star hotels.) Plenty of indie travellers potter around in Eastern Europe via flight hops or train, and could spend a similar amount for a whole summer's travel.
- specproc 2y agoIt's the Torygraph. Only really read by people rich enough to blow that sort of money on a trip to [checks notes] Moldova.
- ogurechny 2y agoThere's quite a big difference between a tourist visiting a provincial home with a personal assistant, and a tourist visiting a provincial home who is greeted with “Here, axe, chop wood, we cook dinner”.
- brabel 2y agoI was in Belarus recently and it did feel like I was the only non-Slavic person, and tourist, on the bus there (yes, bus, because no European country except for Turkey is flying to Belarus). Everyone else seemed like locals going back home for a visit (including my wife!). But once you get to Minsk, it's actually pretty modern and nice, extremely clean... and clearly a vibrating city with lots of things to do, buy and see... there's quite a few non-westernerns there (Indians, Chinese and other Asians, Africans), seems like mostly students. I was told they have programs to have exchange students which was already going on since Soviet times, and Belarus has some pretty good universtities apparently. We also had very international food! I noticed there's Domino's Pizzas everywhere. One of the best restaurants we visited was a big Chinese one in the most popular area of the city. Also tried the local Belarussian cuisine, of course, a large Georgian restaurant (both were delicious and really good prices), some Italian food etc. We visited lots of museums and art galleries, and they have excellent ones! In most of them we were very nearly the only visitors, despite being in the middle of summer. The attendants were really happy to receive us, and we had basically private tours of everything, they gave us much more attention than I've ever got anywhere else. Forget queues to get in or crowds around the main attractions!! My wife had to translate every word, but they still made sure to answer every question and point out every detail to us, slowly so that my wife could translate everything. Even though our world is messed up and Belarus right now is seen as an "enemy country", I hope people can understand that they're a beautiful, honest people just trying to live life, like all of us. I think if more people visited, perhaps we would be better able to understand each other and keep a closer connection that could've avoided the mess we're in. I know the EU was trying to get closer to Belarus and vice-versa before "you know what" (I saw some restored buildings in a country town that were paid for by the EU!).... that totally stopped now, unfortunately. Hope countries like Belarus and Moldova continue their modernisation and getting closer to the rest of Europe without changing their own cultures too much, they have a rich and proud history and culture that should be maintained, we shouldn't make the mistake of expecting them to become just like us... they don't even want that, they just want to be as prosperous, which is a very different thing.
- Freak_NL 2y agoWell yeah, Belarus is essentially off-limits to a large part of the world due to Russia's war with Ukraine. Belarus does seem like a wonderful country at its core, but after the election fraud all progress just froze and the country is (once again) seen as Russia's de-facto vassal state. This sucks for the people of Belarus who got caught up in this, but for the average tourist going there is not something to consider. The travel advice for Dutch tourists, for example, is literally don't; this country is not safe for holidays. And that's ignoring the additional warnings for LGTB+ folk.
- AlbertCory 2y agoAnother place I'd like to go is Kyrgyzstan. And Turkmenistan. Why? Because no one goes there. What other reason do you need?
- pydry 2y agoKyrgyzstan is a good place to take in a game of kok buru, which I found endlessly entertaining - much more fun than football.
- AlbertCory 2y ago> Six hours later, the minibus rolled into Barskoon shut up and take my money
- albroland 2y agoIt's also the most scenic 'stan imo, by a wide margin. Was definitely my favorite of them all and is the only one I'd actually recommend people visit.
- geoka9 2y ago> And Turkmenistan. Almost impossible to get a visa; probably easier to get a tour in North Korea.
- xenospn 2y agoI’ve been to both and the Turkmenistan visa took me a week. North Korea required 2.5 years.
- albroland 2y agoSame, but my Turkmenistan LoI took over 4 years and several attempts to get (us passport holder). It has been by far the most problematic and difficult country for me to gain entry to. DPRK, Iran, etc all were substantially easier. My DPRK one was not an issue in the slightest, maybe 1-2 month turnaround from the tour company applying. YMMV.
- paganel 2y agoKind of crass for The Telegraph to write this when there are Ukrainian men getting shot by Ukrainian border guards for daring to cross into Republic of Moldova, but that's on brand for this media entity. From here [1]: > A body with a gunshot wound was found near the border of Moldova with UkraineCivilians & politicians > Last weekend, while harvesting wheat near the Klokushna-Sokiryany checkpoint, local residents discovered the body of a man with gunshot wounds. The body was found 250 meters from the border. As it turned out later, the murdered man was a 32-year-old Ukrainian. Presumably, he was able to cross the border into Moldova, but he was noticed by Ukrainian border guards. They probably opened fire on him. The bullets hit him in the head and back. [1] https://old.reddit.com/r/UkraineRussiaReport/comments/1e6e0y1/ua_pova_body_with_a_gunshot_wound_was_found_near/ https://old.reddit.com/r/UkraineRussiaReport/comments/1e6e0y...
- DiggyJohnson 2y agoHow is that most than slightly relevant?
- racional 2y agoThe Telegraph article predates the shooting incident at the border by 14 days. You are referencing "men" getting shot when the incident involves 1 person getting shot, and this is the only such incident that has been reported 2+ years into the full-scale invasion.
- paganel 2y agoThat "shooting incident" has not been an isolated case, not by a long shot. > You are referencing "men" getting shot when the incident involves 1 person getting shot (...) and this is the only such incident that has been reported 2+ years into the full-scale invasion. So the barbed wire put along-side the Tisza river on the Ukrainian side is to keep the geese in, not for making Ukraine an open-air prison for its military-aged men. And when it comes to Moldova vs. Ukraine and Ukrainian men dying close to the border you're also of course very wrong, here's another such "incident" [1] from just a few days prior [1] https://old.reddit.com/r/UkraineRussiaReport/comments/1e3oldi/ua_pov_regarding_the_incident_on_the_border_of/ https://old.reddit.com/r/UkraineRussiaReport/comments/1e3old...
- sva_ 2y agoSomewhat surprisingly (to me at least), they produce some pretty good red wine (i.e. Purcari). Recently found it while checking out an eastern European grocery store.
- colkassad 2y agoI've always understood Moldovan wine to be quite respected. I love the wine from that general region...my favorite is Crimean wine, the semi-sweet variety.
- kjellsbells 2y agoCentral Asia still remains largely untouristed. I loved this article from the New York Times concerning a boy who taught himself Russian and then went to Kazakhstan with his father to immerse himself. The Foreign Language That Changed My Teenage Son’s Life https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/17/magazine/russian-language-kazakhstan.html?unlocked_article_code=1.8E0.JI0w.vTjXrchBgoPo https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/17/magazine/russian-language...
- untech 2y agoThis was an incredible article. Thanks for sharing!
- a2tech 2y agoWe had a Turkmen exchange student a few years ago and her family has asked to Turkmenistan several times but we haven't taken them up on the offer. It does seem like an extremely unique place.
- culebron21 2y agoWonderful read, thanks for posting!
- SomeoneFromCA 2y agoCentral Asia (where I actually live) does not have much to see, esp. Kazakhstan. The main tourist destinations are historical monuments in Uzbekistan which has huge tourist influx lately (every time I am in Uzbekistan I see a good deal of tourists around hotels). Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have beautiful mountains, nature. Kazakhstan is bit dull post-Soviet place, Almaty resembles more some city in Eastern Europe than Asia.
- fer 2y ago> Central Asia (where I actually live) does not have much to see, esp. Kazakhstan I think this is the "I live here" bias. I've hit most stans, each is unique and worth a visit in their own ways, but I give you that a random snapshot from Almaty could have been taken anywhere in the USSR.
- sandworm101 2y agoMoldova is sandwiched between NATO (Romania) the active war in Ukraine. Please avoid, and if you cannot then please prepare to take care of yourself should things heat up. Every time a conflict starts there are tourists demanding their home countries send helicopters to rescue them. At least remember to register your exact location and details with your embassy. And have a car. Be ready to drive yourself should the trains/power be cut. If you are adverse to driving, keep enough food/water/shoes on hand for a multi-day walk should that be necessary.
- victorbjorklund 2y agoRussia hasnt taken a single large city since the start of the war. They are struggling to even keep the front intact (which is why Putin now begs for peace). They wont suddenly blast through all of Ukraine and invade a new country just over a night. But sure never hurts to be prepared.
- sandworm101 2y agoAnd if it is NATO blasting through Moldova into Ukraine?
- type0 2y agowhy would they; more realistic would be Romania and Ukraine deciding to disarm Transnistria on behalf of Moldova
- ianburrell 2y agoThere is little reason to go through Moldova because Ukraine and Romania touch in Budjak which landlocks Moldova. A little bit of the road goes through Moldova but is controlled by Ukraine.
- thriftwy 2y agoSo are they going to take Tiraspol in three days? I believe that Moldavian central government is very cautous. PMR already plays ball so why rock the boat.
- leapingdog 2y agoI have never been but comedian Tony Hawks' 2001 book "Playing the Moldovans at Tennis" was my introduction to Moldova. "All I knew about Moldova were the eleven names of men printed on the inside back page of my news paper. None of them sounded to me like they were any good at tennis."
- userulluipeste 2y ago"Sergiu exuberantly offers up shot glasses of mulberry vodka, pine-needle vodka, strawberry vodka, “medicine” vodka, “78 per cent proof” vodka" Although Moldova has vodka-drinking Slavs in it, the beverages described are not vodkas. Vodka is made of cereals or potatoes, whereas these are nicer-flavored, fruit-based distilled beverages that locals call "rakiu", in English it would be schnapps: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schnapps https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schnapps
- g1sm 2y agoI’m guessing it’s actually răchie from pine cones, not needles. Either way, now I’m curious to try it.
- asutekku 2y agoDrinks made out of pine needles are pretty common. They have a very distinct nice taste.
- ogurechny 2y agoSmall soft pine cones are also used for jams and flavored liquors.
- ciceryadam 2y agoalso try https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borovi%C4%8Dka https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borovi%C4%8Dka The difference between gin and borovicka is that gin is usually a neutral tasting alcohol that gets the juniper berries macerated in them, but borovicka is vapor infused during the distilling process. One of my favourites is https://www.zufanek.cz/en/product/borovicka-juniper-spirit/ https://www.zufanek.cz/en/product/borovicka-juniper-spirit/
- thriftwy 2y agoThey will also not be considered vodka in Russia, rather 'nastoika'.
- 2y ago
- danielodievich 2y agoTravelling to any ex-USSR countries on the periphery from the "western" world is taking a nice fun gamble. The bigger places in Kazakhstan are probably okay, and yeah, you likely would have fun in Tbilisi or Yerevan, but the chance of you having a very bad time in Bishkek or (heavens forbid) the Dushanbe is just too high. It could be a lot of fun, it would be fairly cheap by western standards, it will certainly be unforgettable, but it can go sideways in so many ways. Not maybe as sideways as Kabul but getting there. The right time to visit for fun exotic fun times was late 80ies (and I was lucky to have been in those places with my parents then). These days I'd highly recommend against it.
- reducesuffering 2y agoWhat kinds of things would go wrong? Robbery? What kind of chances are you thinking? 5%? 20%? A commonly posted traveler, Matt Lakeman, just visited Dushanbe and didn't get that vibe. https://mattlakeman.org/2024/06/20/notes-on-tajikistan/ https://mattlakeman.org/2024/06/20/notes-on-tajikistan/
- viraptor 2y ago> but the chance of you having a very bad time in Bishkek Could you tell us more? Is the issue just that outsider's problems will be ignored so you have a higher chance of getting stuck, mugged, etc.? Or some other more specific issues?
- albroland 2y agoI was in Bishkek last year and I don't see the risk; what concerns would you have aside from food poisoning? Dushanbe I agree with you, but simply because I found Tajikistan rather boring and desolate but in an unimpressive way.
- reisse 2y agoThis kinda looks like baseless fearmongering for me. In Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan you'll be pretty much safe everywhere throughout the country. In Kyrgyzstan, I'd avoid rural non-tourist areas, but to Bishkek and tourist destinations I'd go without second thoughts. Tajikistan is questionable, but not Dushanbe.
- deepspace 2y agoThe table on that page (countries with the most and least tourists per capita) is a prime example of how NOT to present data. There are so many better ways of visualizing tourism than lazily dumping a spreadsheet with one significant figure after the decimal on a page.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- ChrisMarshallNY 2y agoThese guys visited Moldova: https://youtu.be/AhuHPhey7D4?si=5ova8E8UkEm2SBhe&t=42 https://youtu.be/AhuHPhey7D4?si=5ova8E8UkEm2SBhe&t=42
- danayfm 2y agoI was in Moldova back in 2013 for a university org summer course and for me it somehow felt like being in Cuba. There weren't many tourists but everyone was very welcoming. You could see even between students the difference in pro-russians and pro-europeans. Weird thing is cut the hot water during the summer. Best wine I've ever had and it was home made from my friend's parent's cellar. Loved the time there.
- dosinga 2y agoHad the reverse. Went there late October and it was unseasonably cold. Soviet style hotels only switch on the heating novemeber 1st though
- seanmcdirmid 2y agoOld Soviet style communities get hot water from central plants, mainly used for heating but also for showers, so when winter is over, they shutdown the heating plants for the season and no hot water at all. Some places in Northern China hook into muni hot water for showers in the winter but use solar hot water in the summer, when hot showers can be a bit less satisfying (in my experience anyways).
- cyberax 2y ago> Old Soviet style communities get hot water from central plants, mainly used for heating but also for showers, so when winter is over, they shutdown the heating plants for the season and no hot water at all. That's not quite correct. Thermal power plants supply heat, but local water heating stations can typically work autonomously. Hot water is typically turned off to allow for maintenance and tests. Hot water pipes corrode about 10-20 _times_ faster than cold water pipes.
- monero-xmr 2y agoLebanon has a non-functional government where all publicly-owned everything basically doesn't work. Beirut is essentially a libertarian enclave now, where everyone with means has their own solar panels and gas generators, self-produces all power, and the economy runs on paper US dollars and cryptocurrencies. It's amazing what people can do when their governments are non-existent.
- nibab 2y agoThis is a terrible misrepresentation of Moldova and the progress it has undergone in the past 20 years. Please look at Moldova’s GDP growth since 2000 compared to the rest of Europe and some BRICS countries https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/national-gdp-constant-usd-wb?tab=chart&stackMode=relative&time=2000..latest&facet=none&country=USA~IND~MEX~FRA~JPN~DEU~RUS~BRA~GBR~MDA.org/grapher/national-gdp-constant-usd-wb?tab=chart&stackMode=relative&time=2000..latest&facet=none&country=USA~IND~MEX~FRA~JPN~DEU~RUS~BRA~GBR~MDA https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/national-gdp-constant-usd... It is as close as you can get to India/Chinas growth without leaving Europe. Chisinau is bustling with activity and full of foreigners chasing entrepreneurial opportunities. The leading Eastern European private equity funds are making hundreds of millions of investments in the country and there appears to be a gold rush in all service oriented areas: IT Consulting, Banking, BPO outsourcing etc. It is lazy, easy and dishonest to draw a portrait of a derelict country. Diving into the essence of what is actually happening behind the scenes takes a lot more effort. The description of a horse carriage in the center of the capital city is outright false. Chisinau is on par with Kiev, Warsaw, Bucharest, Sofia etc, but bustling with opportunity at every corner. Like many post Soviet countries, Moldova is incredibly corrupt. Fortunately, it now has a former US federal prosecutor leading anti-corruption efforts. The current president and more than half of the current prime ministers cabinet is made up of Ivy League educated technocrats under 40 yrs of age. It is a very exciting place.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- jdboyd 2y agohttps://archive.is/kQ4lp https://archive.is/kQ4lp
- stychos 2y agoI am living in Transnistria. Nice place btw.
- qingcharles 2y agoAre you a native or did you move there? How's Igor? Still fishing?
- stychos 2y agoI don't know what that piece of old crap is doing now.
- yakshaving_jgt 2y agoSo you're an occupier?
- qingcharles 2y agoIf you like unusual places for vacations, this was a fun show: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Places_That_Don%27t_Exist https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Places_That_Don%27t_Exist (and he went to Transnistria)
- dansky 2y agoThe last time I visited Moldova was in February 2020. Recorded some walks there: [1][2]. I also went several times since 2010. There were good connections towards Odessa which I loved during summer and Chisinau had OK flight connections. Transnistria was more interesting back in 2018 when it was like being transported into a 1980's Russian province city. It was super cheap there actually. [1] https://youtu.be/CISUVZ8siGA https://youtu.be/CISUVZ8siGA [2] https://youtu.be/nH_oHUIOe6E https://youtu.be/nH_oHUIOe6E
- precommunicator 2y agoI've been to Moldova this year during my 15-countries 2-week solo road trip. To be honest it was hard to find interesting (for me) places to visit there. I found Old Orhei, which they try to make a big tourist attraction, to be kinda boring, same for Stephen the Great Central Park, but really liked brutal building of Chișinău State Circus and Romanița Collective Housing. I've skipped Mileștii Mici Winery, as it didn't work with my timing, kinda regret it. And yeah, that's all, in the entire country, I haven't found anything else interesting. So no surprise tourist don't come.
- et-al 2y ago> my 15-countries 2-week solo road trip That's barely a day in each country. Why the speedrun?
- seattle_spring 2y agoIf you want a bit of a lark, spend some time checking out /r/roadtrip. Seems like at least a few times a week someone will show a map of their planned route: 8,000 miles across 10 states, 7 national parks, and 14 cities. "Hey guys! I'll be driving this route during a long weekend. Any other places I should stop??"
- lukan 2y agoSo is this mainly for a virtual highscore? Gamification of real life, tick all the boxes on your mission list, to feel accomplishment? I doubt one can see the real gems this way. I travelled a lot, but the highlights were never the famous tourist spots and I would not have felt them as highlight by just stopping by and making a picture. But each to his own I guess.
- teractiveodular 2y agoPeople want to make the most of their limited vacation time and don't understand how time consuming and draining traveling between places is. I once met a Japanese guy who was "doing" Scandinavia in a single weekend, which basically meant flying into Copenhagen, taking a train to Oslo, another to Stockholm and flying out. I don't think he ever saw a fjord or an island.
- OfficeChad 2y ago[dead]
- amunozo 2y agoThe first comparison by country do not make any sense. There are parts of Spain that have never seen a tourist, let alone foreign. Also China has an enormous amount of national tourism. People should stop thinking countrywise and start thinking more localwise for certain measures.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- dimovich 2y agoMoldova is like the Shire. Green hills, good wine, nice people. Not much to see but there's something peaceful about it. Happy to call it home.
- Beijinger 2y agoIs Moldova so special? I was there some years ago, including Transnistria https://expatcircle.com/cms/emigration-today-transnistria/ https://expatcircle.com/cms/emigration-today-transnistria/ Just came back from Ukraine, was really fun. But I must say, the Ukrainians don't know how to party. In such a situation, you must party like there is no tomorrow, but they don't. They have a curfew after 11. And speak low places are hard to find. If you like to travel off the beaten track, check out the travel agency of some of my buddies: https://www.youngpioneertours.com/ https://www.youngpioneertours.com/
- rurban 2y agoFriend of mine had the very same experience lately, when he traveled Moldova. He was in a group, and every other of the group was from some kind of "foreign diplomatic service" :)