Maramures and Cluj Napoca

August 24, 2022 to September 29, 2022

24th

Waited for a while at the border crossing beathing in all the fumes of the cars but eventually made it through and was in Romania! After just a couple of hours I saw everything I expected, loads of stray dogs, horse and carts and old women sat outside their homes wearing head scarfs. The police didn’t like that I was heading towards the Ukrainian border, even though this was where the path was and told me I needed to go back to where I came from, a little annoying but not a huge detour. I was forced into a slower pace once I got off the main roads onto the tracks as it doesn’t seem right speeding past the farmers on their horses through the peaceful countryside.

I was invited in for food with an Italian couple and felt warmed by their hospitality. Passed though a villages full of happy waving children and camped out by a quiet river.

25th

It was magical riding into the sunrise along a dew covered misty track next to the river. Out of the village I passed increasingly expensive villas heading into Călineşti-Oaş and saw the life of the wealthy Romanians. I spoke to a few friendly people after asking to be sprayed with a hose somone was cleaning with. Was even invited in for food but declined as I didn’t fancy riding back down the hill I just climbed to the house. Improved my sign language speaking with a very enthusiastic farmer at the bottom of the valley.

Stopped in Sapanta to view the famous Cimitirul vesel (The happy cemetery) and a young girl translated the happy stories on the gravestones for me. It was a nice insight into the past lives of regular people here in Maramures.

Rode on in to Sighetu Marmaței and was waved down by Florian and Daniel who invited me to join them for a drink. They were both also keen bikepackers and was great to share stories with them and get some advice for the road ahead. Daniel invited me to camp out in a small patch of land he owned too which was perfect as I was starting to worry about finding a place to sleep before dark.

26th

Took some tomatoes and rosemary from Daniels garden and the long journey South beginned as I headed through the mountain ranges of the Maramures. Life is always more peaceful and simple in the mountain villages and people are generally a lot more friendly, even though they rarely speak english. Was intrigued by a huge spire in the distance so pushed my bike up the hill to see and ended up in Barsana Monastery, one of the famous wooden churches of Maramureș. There was a very special atmosphere to this place with some enchanting Romanian singing being played throughout the monastery.

A little upset when my debit card was declined in a shop so ate the last of my wraps with some tuna on a bench near the road. A woman came out dressed in traditional clothes and said something in Romanian and walked off, later returning with a platter of traditional food for me! I was delighted, although a little too heavy for me before cycling up the next pass, so I saved some for later. It turned out there was a wedding on and I watched on my bench as the festivities unfolded.

The pass took a long time and I needed water to cook so headed back down to find a river where I cooked up the last of the meats into a delicious stew. A lot of indecision occurred looking for a place to camp and eventually settled behind a haystack, hoping that the farmer wouldn’t notice in the morning.

27th

Had the exact same sim card problem as in Belgium so sat outside a bar to figure out where to get a new one. I want to reduce my reliance on the phone for mapping (and everything else) and to be more immersed in the experience of traveling but I had plans to get to Cluj by sunday and the shops will be closed. Changed my route to head through Dej and had a pretty stressful day being attacked by an angry driver, chased by huge dogs and turned away by the military on a closed road. Reluctantly gave orange more money for my 5th sim card though and rode out of the city in the dark trying to relax again. Slept in a field without a tent and got soaked by the moisture in the air.

28th

Much better start when a lovely family gave me a packed lunch for the day. I rode though some peaceful villages and stopped off to eat the sandwiches and a man gave me some traditional Romanian pancakes (doughnuts). I wonder if I actually need to carry food anymore?

Decided to stay off the main road and take a path over a hill towards the city. The climb was brutal in the mid day sun and I had to push a lot of the way because of the gravel. The decent was fun though and I found a spot behind a tree to cook up some delicious haloumi fajitas.

Carried on towards the city on small gravel paths, passing more chatty people and enjoying the tranquillity. Was less nice the closer I got, cycling though industrial estates and gypsy slums with angry children throwing rocks at me.

Relieved to make it into the city I checked into a hostel (no warm showers hosts today unfortunately) and met some people staying there. Cooked up some great food with Oren from Israel and got some much needed rest

29th

Took a day off to explore the city and to meet lots of interesting people. Oren gave me loads of places to visit in Israel if I end up there on my trip and we also cooked up shakshouka together, I need to see if I can cook this on my camp stove as it will become a staple.

Met a couple of other bike tourists from Germany who were celebrating the end of their trip so I joined them for a drink and to listen to their stories.

I was joined by a dog when wandering around town who followed me for some time. Its owner eventually found it and invited me for a drink in a very cool bar and I learnt some more about the city. Later I joined Andra and Mia who I met earlier in another bar and was inspired to go to Kosovo by their official ambassador Mia.

Today's ride: 335 km (208 miles)
Total: 7,820 km (4,856 miles)

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