The Arrival

As most of you – who pay attention – know we have some tagger alongers who have now joined us on our vacation. Before we get to those fools I should take the time to tell you about our time in Romania leading up to their arrival. Over the next few posts I'll also address my declining positivity. First to all the Romanians who think that this is THE place to be. Its not. Nobody else in the world thinks it is. It is a bitter place with mean, rude people. It is a place that has had 20 years to drop the shackles of communism and corruption but hasn't. It is a place lost in time. If your experiences have been different I would argue that its not because I'm experiencing an abnormality but because you are.

The two days that separated the preceding posts and the arrival of the two fools were spent with Swell’s other side.

Swell’s Dad’s Dad still lives in Bucharest with his new wife (I don’t know the whole story but Swell’s Grandma died quite some years ago and her Grandpa married this new woman at some point in the last 17 years. It may have been 17 years ago or it may have been a week ago. I have no clue. Swell refers to her as Grandpa’s woman because she didn’t know they were married until our visit last year and doesn’t know her as her Grandma.)

Also in the greater Bucharest area is Swell’s cousin Robert, his wife and their four kids – the two older girls are aged 10 and probably 8 (?) and then the two younger boys are aged 3 (2?) and 10 months. We were here last year in May/June and the baby was born in August so this was our first time to meet him.

It was Tuesday July 8th. We were leaving Grandma and Getta in Pantelimon to head to Grandpa Negoita’s block which is in the heart of Bucharest. A really happening area with a big shopping complex a couple of blocks down the street and within sight of the People’s Palace. We were going to meet Robert there visit Grandpa and his woman and then catch a bus to the city Robert lives in.

Remember that the worst part of visiting Romania is that we stay with Grandma Copoiu in Pantelimon – the slum of the slums of Bucharest. The leader of all that is wrong with post-communist Romania. A community that elicits either laughter, a look of concern or disgust when spoken of. Crumbling to non-existent infrastructure. Odors that are beyond description. Garbage in the streets. Stray dogs that are too ill to attack – every evening lying in the same spot they were in when you saw them in the morning, presumably having moved about very little that day. Houses that were seemingly built by fly by night contractors. Other homes still incomplete three years after I first saw them – but the families are sure to live in them. Butchered and abused horses (ask Swell about that one).

Aside: I’m sitting in the Pantelimon house as I write this. Its about 11:00 pm. Its hot. The window is open. An unpleasant odor is beginning to waft through the open window. As this odor becomes near unbearable Getta walks through the door from her outside time adding the smell of tobacco smoke to the unbearable unpleasant smell from outside. I pause looking to my right when what do I have the pleasure to see? A cockroach. On my headlamp. On the arm of my chair. I hate cockroaches (I suppose that goes without say. Does anyone not hate cockroaches?) I’m not saying that this place sucks I’m just saying that there is a cockroach on my chair. A roach. Its not as big as an Atlanta roach but its roachiness takes my soul down a path it shouldn’t tread. Pure unadulterated rage is begins to simmer deep down. A rage that isn’t fair to Swell but that I hope she understands. The events of the last days coupled with the unpleasant unbearable odor mixed with the heat and the horrific odor of cheap cigarettes brings me close to the edge. My breaking point nears and if I cross it it will be difficult to “be more positive, to take what happens and live with it”. Obviously I stopped writing this and killed the cockroach.

In addition to killing the cockroach I made the bed. We’re sleeping on a futon of sorts. It also serves as the only couch here in the Pantelimon house (can I call it a home?). As I was starting to pull the last corner of the fitted sheet toward the last corner of the bed I noticed a wonderful guest in my bed. Some sort of flying buggy thing running toward me. As I beat that surprisingly resilient bug a million memories of last year flooded into my mind. Last year our trip to Romania sucked about 90% of the time. This year? Well at least last year was bug free.

So in order to get to Grandpa and Robert we need to leave Pantelimon, which although no small feat is still much easier than returning to Pantelimon.

On this day I was packed with two large duffel bags full of gifts for Grandpa, his woman and Robert’s family. I strapped the non-wheeled duffel bag onto my back and carried the wheeled duffel bag in my arm until we reached cement – further than you might think – at which point I rolled the wheeled duffel bag. Our first destination was the busy road nearest to G-Ma’s house, which is a good mile or so from her home.

We walked in the heat and the garbage and the dogs eventually reaching the street where we very quickly caught a cab. So far this day wasn’t terrible.

Now I love my wife very much. I enjoy spending time with her. I like to see her visit her family but it really has come down to two types of days in Romania. Terrible and not terrible. I’m not alone in this assessment. Our day was starting not terrible!

We rode in the cab to the center of town where we met up with Robert outside of Grandpa’s high-rise.

Grandpa had been very sick when Swell’s folks were here. My understanding is that he lapsed into a diabetic coma and was hospitalized for a bit. He is out now and seems to be doing well. We didn’t stay at Grandpa’s for too terribly long as we had a bus to catch to get to Robert’s city. We said our good-byes and promised to return the next day.

We loaded ourselves on a beautiful luxury bus complete with AC for the 45 minute trip to Robert’s home. This day was really on the not terrible side! Seats, little tray tables for our snacks, air conditioning, and no one standing 3 cm from me!

The day was spent giving out presents (clothes, book bags, a few small toys, pencils, markers, etc), looking at Robert’s property, eating the best potatoes you will never eat and visiting.

A lot has changed at Robert’s place since last year. He has installed water pumps to bring water to his house and to irrigate his vegetable garden/farm. He installed a very nice bathroom in the house complete with toilet, sink and large bathtub. He did a really good job with his brother-in-law’s help (I think that’s who helped). In addition to those changes of course was also the new arrival of Vlad, a really cute little kid that we’ll show pictures of in the future.

It was a great day. His girls really love Nicole and were hanging on her for much of the day. Robert also knows English so I got to talk to someone a little bit.

Eventually we needed to start heading back. So with direction from Robert we got on another nice bus until the end of its line where we caught the subway to the end of its line where the day inched very much closer to the terrible side of the line.

We asked the only two cabs we could see to take us home. Both declined.

Pantelimon?

No way!

So we started walking. We walked a couple of kilometers to where the maxi-taxi stops realizing that as we were walking in the heat and the dust that we would probably have to walk all the way home because it was early evening and the maxi-taxis would be full and I was still carrying one of the duffel bags (emptier but still taking up a lot of room). We arrived at the stop and saw a few people waiting so we started our long walk home. With the wild snarling dogs, putrid lake, dirt and speeding cars to keep us company.

This isn’t a short walk. From the metro station to the front door is at least 3 miles. At least. Now I’m not that lazy but at the end of a long day (a day that was rather fun) it doesn’t make one terribly excited and happy to have to walk that walk. Through the filth and dogs and smells and dust and puddles.

We slept poorly that night. A big thunderstorm rolled through creating quite the ruckus.

With thunderstorms come water. With water comes an even worse Pantelimon stench and large filthy puddles to avoid. And mud, mud everywhere.

This day we were going to meet up with Robert and his family again and take them to the park and out for lunch and just spend the day together in Bucharest. Swell convinced the whole family to come as in the past Robert just brought the two older girls and we missed out on time with his wife and the younger kid(s).

Swell and I walked the walk to the busy street avoiding the puddles but trudging through the mud. We smelled the smells and fought the dogs. Soon we were in a cab and on our way to Grandpa’s.

This was probably one of the neatest sights I’ve seen in a long time. When we arrived at Grandpa’s Robert and the whole family was already there. Grandpa was just sitting in his spot with a very contented look on his face. When Swell asked him how he was he replied that he was very happy to have everyone over. He had a great expression on his face.

We stayed for a bit and then left with Swell and I promising to return later that night. Because of the previous nights rain and the looming clouds overhead we decided not to go to the park but instead to go to the mall where we would eat at McDonald’s and Swell would take the family to a movie.

We all piled on a bus with a million other people and as we went along the street the rain started.

And it grew worse and worse.

Soon it was a veritable downpour. Cats, dogs, and roosters falling from the sky.

More and more people piled onto the bus to avoid the rain. I was soon feeling a little too squished for my tastes.

It was soon time to get off the bus. The rain was still pouring down. The bus was still packed but it was time to get off the bus.

Romanians are stupid.

As a pile of people started toward the door I joined the end of the fray. Now, being from the west I assume that the horde of people heading toward the front of the bus will be departing said bus.

No. Half of them were just getting closer to the front. There is oodles of space at the back of the bus but these passengers felt the strong need to crowd the front of the bus.

So I had joined the back of the pack. The front half of the pack got off the bus the back half of the pack just came to a sudden halt blocking the door.

The bus started to pull away.

I look out the window. See Swell soaking wet under a bus shelter catch her eye and just roll my eyes indicating, “Dude, I really wish you weren’t Romanian. If you were you but from like let’s say Sweden that would be awesome. I’ll just get off at the next stop and start walking back. By the way let’s not ever, ever take public transportation in Romania again. Also you’re really wet. Ha. Ha.”

But as I was conveying this to Swell via my eyes Robert ran the bus down and pounded on the door. Driver stopped. Stupid Canadian who assumed that those crowding to the front of the bus at a bus stop were getting off, got off.

Into the pouring down hurricane rain. I looked at Swell and said something along to the effect of “This is the best vacation EVER!”

As we watched the rain we realized that we got off one stop too soon and that if we walked we would drown so Swell and I hopped in a cab with the two oldest kids thinking Robert and the rest of the family would get in the second cab. As we pulled out we saw that someone had jumped in front of Robert and snatched the cab out from under him.

We were at the mall in short order but had to wait 20 minutes or so for Robert and the rest of the family to catch up. They ended up catching the bus and were then stranded across the street in another typhoon.

Having arrived we went up and had McDonald’s and then wandered the mall for a bit. Swell took the whole family to see Panda Kung-Fu while I sat and read a book. We were happy that the movie was dubbed into Romanian rather than simply with sub-titles. I heard from Swell that the kids were astounded by the movie. It was their first time in a movie theater ever. From the moment they sat in their pre-assigned seat to the moment they left they were wide eyed claiming that this was super (pronounced SUE-pairrrr). After the movie Swell really wanted to take Robert and his wife to Starbucks. So we got the kids some McDonald’s shakes and went to Starbucks. Swell had to plead with Robert to let her buy them expensive coffees but he was eventually swayed by the truth. Swell explained that she worked hard with the esky-moe-shh and while she was working hard she kept dreaming of being able to take the family out like this. So they had coffee and they enjoyed it.

It was a wonderful day. Our best day yet. It was fun. We felt like we were able to give the whole family a very special day. We were thrilled that the whole family came and it didn’t seem too hard. The kids were/are very well behaved and very thankful for everything. It was great.

Following the coffee we walked a very long way in the sunshine (!) back to Grandpa’s house where the family got on the bus to go home and Swell and I went up to visit Grandpa and his woman.

After the visit we took an awesome cab arranged by Grandpa’s woman to the hotel we would spend the night at. It took quite a while to find the hotel despite the cabbie having GPS. Apparently the street name of the street the hotel is on is very popular and our address (copied from the email the hotel sent) was incomplete. We found it after a couple of different tries at the address and were soon in the lobby of the Hotel Charter. It was chosen due to its cost and proximity to the airport. Not because of its reviews.

We had the biggest room ever. Swell had booked the king suite as it was the only room that allowed four people. In this room there was a double bed and two single beds hidden around the corner. Separating the double from the singles was a love seat, a couch and a chair by the TV and a four person dining table (complete with place setting!).

We were living large! Although some of the reviews of the hotel were not the greatest we didn’t have any real complaints and would stay there again.

We arrived at the hotel at about 9 and JDL and the good-one weren’t expected until midnight so we crossed the street to the only restaurant around (McDonald’s). We were running very low on Romanian money so we asked if the hotel could change some money.

No.

We asked if there was anything nearby to change money.

No.

We asked if there were bank machines nearby.

Wait. Never mind we BOTH forgot our bank cards at the house in Pantelimon.

Maybe we should just go to the airport really early and use the money changer there and eat.

The front desk woman didn’t think that was a good idea so she lent us a bunch of money to get dinner and get a taxi with. Very cool.

We headed to the airport at 11:30 pm and noted that the girl’s flight was delayed 30 minutes so we wandered around looking for a moneychanger and coffee for Swell. The moneychanger had a terrible rate so we didn’t do that. We figured one of the girls could just grab some cash from the bank machine to pay for the taxi and pay back the hotel.

As we returned to the arrivals area we were shocked to see that the flight wasn’t late. It had arrived. We waited for about 10 minutes and the girls came out. They made it. Safely! We were excited by their arrival and wanted to hurry to get them to the hotel so they could relax.

JDL said she would get money from the bank machine.

Bank machine 1 – incompatible with her card.
Bank machine 2 – out of service.
Bank macine 3 – out of service.

So we ended up getting a terrible rate with the moneychanger and were soon on our way back to the hotel.