THE DISPUTED SERIES, DAY 9
TRANSNISTRIA
A day in Transnistria. Buses from Chisinau to Transnistria (Tiraspol) leave frequently, approximately every 30 minutes, and depart from the bus station located just behind the city market. The bus is parked at the platform on the far side of the station. Additionally, it’s always better to ask someone for directions since buses are everywhere.
The driver parked my bus at platform 12 and then pointed me to the ticket kiosk, where I paid around 46 lei (£2) for the trip. Once this is done, you will be able to sit back until the checkpoint.
WHERE IS TRANSNISTRIA?
THE BORDER
A border officer will inspect passports on the bus. If you’re not Moldovan, Russian, or Ukrainian, you will need to get a visa. Fortunately, the process is simple, with very short queues; therefore, expect it to take no longer than approximately 5 minutes.
THE BORDER
A border officer will come onto the bus and inspect passports so unless you are Moldovan, Russian or Ukrainian you will have to leave and get a visa. The process is simple, queues very short so don’t expect it to take longer than 5 or so minutes.
TIRASPOL
Tiraspol is quite similar to Chisinau, and the Soviet influence is very obvious. Since I had limited time and knowledge of the country, I arranged for a guide.
Andre met me at the bus station and we headed off for the tour. We spent 4 hours visiting various sites in Tiraspol and the smaller city of Bender.
REFERENDUM
Recently, there was an unofficial referendum that offered the people of Transnistria three options:
Become part of Moldova
Become an independent nation
Become part of Russia
Consequently, I found the population’s decision to join Russia surprising. Russia is content with the current situation to maintain its relationship with Moldova. This status is likely to remain until Moldova permits an official referendum. Which to be honest might be unlikely as Transnistria holds with it the power of Moldova in its power plants which powers much of Moldova
FOOD
Something that can be hit or miss in a place like this and if I’m honest I was expecting a complete miss! Andrey took me to Stolovka, a USSR-themed café in a derelict building. It was bizarre walking through a building that is completely run down, except for one small restaurant upstairs.
Andrey done the ordering for me, breand and chicken. You can clearly see it didn’t look like much but was more than edible. I’m always keen to try new food but had I been given that at home I’m not sure I would’ve been so happy to eat it.
CASTLE
Andrey dropped me and the other guide off at the Bendery Fortress before continuing on his way. Stunning, it can best be described as resembling the castle from Super Mario World. Without a doubt, the highlight was the torture room, which was frightening to imagine what some people endured there.
SCARS
While walking through the city of Bender, you can still see the effects of the wars, as bullet holes line some of the buildings. The people here experienced a war that broke out in 1992 and continued for almost six months. The Russian army and UN peacekeepers have been active here to prevent violence. I felt no tension and found the tank checkpoints unnecessary. However, they comfort the locals.
BACK TO CHISINAU
The trip back was a formality and I made another stop at the same resto for a bite before heading back to the Christmas market. This time round it was really kicking off, full of couples and families. I have been here without the market and it really changes the dynamic of the city as without it there just aren’t any options.
THE MARKET
Chisinau’s day market is impressive if you buy anything from children’s toys, to biscuits, fruit, fish or clothes. It’s were most do their shopping. There are far too many people (60+) wandering the streets selling some of the most pointless products when really they should really be retired. It can be hard to watch as you know they are going through hardship and at their age there is only so much they can do.
MY ROOM MATE
Getting back to the hostel I found out I finally had a room mate after having almost every hostel room to myself. I was a bit unsure on this one as he had no bags or belongings and I caught him staring at me several times. When I said how are you doing, he was nice enough to reply with the same words in the same accent. Not sure if he was mocking me or had poor English so could only copy what I was saying.
Anyway turning off the main light and getting ready for bed I noticed yet again he was staring but this time I could see nothing but his eyes peering through the curtain. Part of me was thinking this could well be it, what a way to go.
TRANSNISTRIA TOUR
If you are ever going to Transnistria I would recommend the tour. It’s very affordable – I paid €40 for 4 hours. They offer up to 20different tours so if you let them know of your desires they will be able to arrange something to suit. You can WhatsApp Andrey on +373 694 27 502
FINAL THOUGHTS
Looking at the check points and the presence of the UN it’s clear there are problems. But take them away and you would be hard pushed to notice anything untoward. It’s great these two countries allow travel between them, unlike Karabakh. These 2 countries are probably the last in Europe to feel the influence of the western world but will be better for it.
NEXT UP
Tomorrow I’ll be heading to Cyprus for 3 days beach hoping and then Northern Cyprus which will be country number 141. Click to read.
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
140/229
This post is part of The Disputed Series, click to explore or for episode 1 click here.
To watch the video of my trip, head to my highlights on my Instagram.
