Biking in Romania
seventh report of Dave, 08.25.2007-08.27.2007
Biking in Romania through the Apuseni Mountains can be an adventure, as well as a beautiful experience. Let's follow Dave's thoughts.
Yesterday I got up for my last time in Rosia Montana and thought… I just can't stand this anymore… I came here to ride my bike! And all I do is keep running into really fun and interesting people, really fun and interesting places, really fun and interesting celebrations. Darn it, today I just want to ride my bike. Lazy man! Did you wake up?! Then go back to "work"!
Well, that is exactly what happened. Had a really great day biking from Rosia Montana to Turda. If you look on a map you will see that a secondary road loops south of the main road (75) from Campeni to Turda. I wanted to continue east on the secondary road and pick up 75.
biking in Romania trip
But when I asked around town if that road actually went through all the locals would shake their heads gravely and indicate that it would be a very bad idea.
In fact, with the language difficulty and cultural difference, it seems they were saying "OK bud, you can go that way if you want, but you are probably going to die!"
In the event, I did go that way. It was a real struggle on a very steep, rocky, bad road. But after only an hour I made it to the top and asphalt.
Dave was lucky again. It's not about dying on that road. These kind of roads are generally mountain roads, without asphalt (or very few "carefully" distributed little pieces of). Forestry vehicles use them and they end where the forest ends and the rocky areas take control over the mountain.
They continue then as only a trail over the mountain, which generally meets another mountain road in the nearby forest. You can use this trail on the bike or rather on your own feet (carrying the bike). If you're careful nothing bad can happen - except perhaps losing the trail, as there are no signs to show you the way. Then you must hope to meet a sheepfold with a sheepherder or other people so you can ask where the trail goes.
So, you can get lost. If this happens and you don't bump into someone who can direct you, you have two choices: be stubborn and go ahead (which, I think, is the wrong way if you don't know the area) or take the trail back.
If you don't find a mountain road, stop 1-2 hours before dark. You need time to prepare yourself for the night. Boohoohoo! I don't want to scare you, but you have stepped into the land of bears and wolves. Search for a stopping place with a large stone that can protect your back but will also keep out the wind. If it rains you can cover yourself with the tent.
Search the area for wood for a fire and make a stockpile. Don't forget that pine burns quickly and you need larger supplies to keep the fire alive for the whole night. Then make the fire near the stone in a way that lets you safely stay between the fire and the stone, but not very far from either one.
If you have any food in your luggage that smells, sacrifice it. Go and leave it about 30m/100feet from either side of the stone. Now take a cudgel (or two) and put one of its ends in the edge of the fire. It'll be your weapon. Take care to burn low, but not flame up. Also prepare a plastic bag to be handy to use.
Now you can get some rest. Take a few naps over the night but avoid too deep a sleep. You need to keep the fire alive.
If you happen to attract a bear to your campsite (or any time on the trail), freeze (don't even blink). If it doesn't pass further, take the plastic bag and shake it to allow air to flow inside and puff it up, making a huge noise. I have never used this method of scaring off a bear myself, but people say it works. If it doesn't, you still have your burning cudgel. Just do your best!
I do not know it from "close quarters" personal experience with meeting a bear, but from other people’s experiences (shepherders, villagers) that one should not start any aggressive behaviour with a wild bear, but only use aggression and the cudgel as an answer to a charge. Normally a beast will NOT charge unless provoked. And before resorting to any charge, I recommend teasing the fire with the cudgel to make it throw sparkles/embers. This may put an end to any potential charge… and be careful not to set fire to any luggage or the forest!
What about wolves? This time, forget the plastic bag and grab the cudgel. Rotate it above your head and scream as loud as you can. All wild beasts are afraid of SOMETHING TALLER than themselves but NOT DISPOSED TO RUN - beware that running away is signing your death warrant, as THIS IS THE "HUNTED PREY" TYPICAL BEHAVIOR. And don't stop rotating the cudgel and screaming, even if they step back from you, before they are at least 100m/300feet far.
If there are more than two and they are hungry, God help you because you'll have the battle of your life. The good news is they get together in large groups late in autumn, to survive over the winter - but are unlikely to travel in packs in late summer.
Well, people, I am sharing my own experience here. But I'm still alive, aren't I - and I might not be without some good sense of how to survive and some luck? How? It's a long story that I'm going to tell you another time. A final piece of advice: after a nightly wild beasts' visit, stay put and don't leave your camp before bright daylight. Wild beasts are smart predators and patient, but bright daylight will foil their patience.
Then… a spectacular ride. Maybe the best since I have been here. He passed through the Turda Gorges. Highly recommended. One oddity. There was a guard shack with one of those 'pole' barriers across the road at the start of a climb. Then a few km later (on the way down) another guard shack where the guard actually searched the car in front of me. Weird. Really weird! I didn't know about such guard shacks.
Good asphalt all the way out of the mountains to Turda. Counted 4 Pensions (boarding houses, in Romanian: "Pensiune") on the paved part. Do have to admit I was "lost" for a while as the road did not match the map. Just one hitch… It was threatening to rain all day (which actually was nice because it kept the temperature down nicely). Then at 1:30 PM the sky fell. No matter. I changed to my rain gear and charged ahead till 3:00 when the rain stopped.
Got into Turda at 4:30 and by 5:30 was comfortable settled in a cheap (40 lei/12EUR/17$, with breakfast) hotel. Found a nice restaurant near the only round-about here. Called "Dana" Hotel. Very good veggie pizza, 2 beers - 13 lei/4EUR/5.5$. Problem was, there was a wedding going on at the hotel…
Gawd the RO's know how to party. Not the first time I have been in a hotel with a wedding going on. Music (volume ALL the way up), dancing, laughter till 2-3 AM. Plus the hotel is on a very busy street. No matter. Slept well. I'm sure you did. After over 100km/60miles of pedalling!
This morning found the "Dracula" Hotel hotel on a quiet street. 4 Star. 210 Lei (/60EUR/90$) I have never heard about this and didn't find it on the Internet. And I ask myself what kind of 4 star hotel doesn't have a little webpage or at least an add on somebody else's website?
Today I averaged out my "cost per night" so far… less than 35 USD. Not bad.
Today I plan on spinning to Bistrita.
More about Dave's biking in Romania trip after his next update.
Read the previous report.
Back to Biking in Romania page.
