Ukraine borders a part of Russian-speaking Moldova that believes itself to be an independent country, titled Transdniestr. Transdniestr has its own president, parliament, currency, stamps and border control. Although it is a self-declared republic, Moldova has not recognized the declaration of independence, and in fact has sent troops in, with a cease-fire entered in 1992. There are still tensions between Transdniestr and Romanian-speaking Moldova, and I was not sure that I would be allowed in with a Moldovan visa (Transdniestr does not issue visas), even though the Moldovan embassy official in Kyiv assured me that it would not be a problem. The border was policed by gold-toothed Russian soldiers who refused to put an entry stamp on a Moldovan visa, but did kindly let me in to the self-declared republic. (At Transdniestr's request, the Russians manage the posts along the border with the remainder of Moldova). It is a really tiny country, and I think I only spent a little over thirty kilometers in Transdniestr (with one flat tire to boot), on bumpy roads through some barren countryside. Some dogs near an abandoned sewage plant chased me, but given the vileness of their chosen place of residence, I made sure to pedal away as fast as I could. At the crossing into Moldova I passed through a number of armed Russian checkpoints with no problem, but still could not get a stamp. The good news was that the bridge that crossed the Dniestr River (the unofficial border) was, contrary to reports I had heard, open to through traffic. The Moldovan officials on the other side also refused to put an entry stamp on my visa, because according to them, I had already entered their country when I entered Transdniestr (what they recognize to be part of larger Moldova). Whatever. On the way to Chisinau I was stopped over and over (along with everyone else on the road)by flashlight-wielding Moldovan police doing random document checks. None of them seemed to care that I was missing the entry stamp. (12-27-04)

The next day I started making arrangements to take about a one-week vacation from the cycling trip to visit with family in Germany (for the third time). I decided to leave the bicycle behind in Moldova so I could pick up exactly where I left off with the cycling. I bought a ridiculously-priced ticket on Moldovan air, and after nervously explaining to Moldovan customs officials that the powdery pills in the two plastic sandwich bags buried in my dirty laundry in my luggage really were vitamins - rather than the drugs they appeared to be - I was allowed to board the plane to Frankfurt. Eileen came out from San Jose to visit (yea!!!) and we all met up with Marcus and Gabriele, and later on with Gisbert and Heide. It was really great to see everyone again - thanks a bunch! I got the sense that people were not thrilled with my photographic efforts on the group photo that I took, so I will refrain from posting it here. It was great spending New Years grilling on the Raclette followed with some intense Rummykube sessions. At the end of the week I made a short-lived visit to Munich, pictured here. Even though my time in Germany was short, it was a lot of fun, and pretty relaxing (except for the 10km run that Marcus and I completed on New Year's Eve [Marcus won]), in a family way. (1-5-05) *

I got back into Chisinau on January 7, just in time for the Orthodox Christmas. At the airport I met some American Peace Corps volunteers, and we all shared a taxi into central, Chisinau, from where they would be branching out to their respective villages. Julie was a really skilled bargainer, and what was originally going to be a $20 cab ride (what I was quoted) turned into a 20 lei ride (less than $2). They said that I was the first American they had met in Moldova who was not a missionary or aid worker. Christmas was pretty subdued here. (1-7-05)

The biggest worry that I had about the break was that I may have made a mistake in leaving the bike behind. I paid a parking lot attendant the equivalent of $10 to look after the bike for a week, and he let me put it in a locked shed on the site. Happily, when I returned, he was still there, and so was my bicycle. I should have known that you can always trust a Moldovan. The first evening I was back I did the normal wander around town routine - this picture was taken not too far from the Arch of Triumph. (1-7-05)

Like I said earlier, Christmas seemed pretty subdued. There were, however, a lot of people out on the streets, and at the big park there were stands set up with Christmas scenes (like that here) where people were having their photographs taken. There were also armies of those little plastic cars with motors that little Moldovan kids were using to ride all over the place - a special Christmas treat. Incidentally, the language in the capital is Romanian, so I am back in non-cyrillic land again, as you can see in the display here.

A bit of Moldovan haute couture. The Moldvans definitely have a style-oriented culture, but maybe Peta would not be too happy with the headwear. (1-7-05) *

As in Belarus and Ukraine, in Moldova all the busy streets have underground pedestrian passages that are full of shops, loiterers, the occasional begger, and a liberal dose of graffiti - a fine example of which you can see here. (1-8-05)

Moldova is full of outdoor markets selling just about anything that you might want to buy. This is where I had earlier picked up a lovely plastic suitcase (well, actually a woven plastic bag with handles) in which to store all my panniers for the flight to Germany (for $2.50!). I spent most of today cleaning four countries' worth of grime off of my bike and oiling down parts that had developed a bit of rust during the week away. The parking lot where I worked on the bike was full of barking and play-biting stray Chisinau puppies that the lot attendants would feed. (1-8-05) *

The Moldovan Parliament, reflecting the late afternoon sun. I didn't get the chance to go inside. Unlike Finland, they are a bit jumpy in Moldova about security and they do not allow people to wander around their government buildings. Tommorrow I am hoping to make it into Romania. Well, until the next update . . . (1-8-05)

1/19/05 UPDATE: I made it through Romania and I am in Bulgaria right now, not too far from the Turkish border. The last ten internet cafes have not had USB access. Arrrr!