Any thoughts out there? Anyone ever ridden on a YAK 42?

Because I will be in Romania this September, I am thinking about going there.

However, I understand that it is the poorest country and that it is not exactly safe there...

...at least, that is what I was told by a Romanian.

Does anyone have any thoughts on traveling to Moldova?

Thank you in advance.

Don't know much about the country, but you might find these links interesting. Michael Palin visited in his 'New Europe' series broadcast last year.

Reading

Read here (http://palinstravels.co.uk/book-4254) and the next few pages

Viewing

Wild East (http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=palin+moldova&search_type=&aq=f) episode numbered (1-6) thru (6-6)

was there a year ago. probably romania (with the exception of capital) a poor/backward country. however, safe people friendly and very interesting. There entrance to european market will probably change country/people quickly. With that said its worth a visit now. Try to see out of the way monastries

Just returned from Moldova. I travelled by train from Bucharest, and returned by to Bucharest by bus three days later. I was in Chisianau (Kishinev). People were much nicer than in Buchharest. No trace of annoying Gypsy kids. Almost everything was cheaper, except, maybe accomodation options. I stayed in an apartment for 25 euros a night. Met a young man on the train, who was very very helpful. He showed me around the city, one evening and his parents sent a bottle of Champagne.

Just returned from Moldova. I travelled by train from Bucharest, and returned by to Bucharest by bus three days later. I was in Chisianau (Kishinev). People were much nicer than in Buchharest. No trace of annoying Gypsy kids. Almost everything was cheaper, except, maybe accomodation options. I stayed in an apartment for 25 euros a night. Met a young man on the train, who was very very helpful. He showed me around the city, one evening and his parents sent a bottle of Champagne.I am glad you had a great experience.

I should have gone to Moldova when I had the opportunity while in Bucharest this past September.

I wonder why a number of Romanian colleagues warned me about Moldova and highly recommended that I do not travel there...

I am glad you had a great experience.

I should have gone to Moldova when I had the opportunity while in Bucharest this past September.

I wonder why a number of Romanian colleagues warned me about Moldova and highly recommended that I do not travel there...
The gypsy beggar kids were very aggressive in Bucharest around Gara du Nord, to the extent of touching you and putting there hands in your pocket. In Moldova, there was none of that.

Twice, when I asked for directions, people whipped out their cell phones and called somebody to ascertain the directions. I another incident, I walked into a newsstand to buy a SIM card. The owner, who spoke reasonable English, apologised profusely for not having a SIM card (The sign outside indicated they carried SIM cards). I decided to ask him a few other questions like where the Central Bus station was and if there was a Cyber Cafe nearby. He offered to walk with me, saying, he had been sitting all day a and that it would be a treat to be able to walk with a visitor to his country.

Romanians think of Moldova as small, insignifcant country that cannot offer you anything Romania does not.

Romanians think of Moldova as small, insignifcant country that cannot offer you anything Romania does not.Actually, they warned me that it would not be safe for me to travel there alone.

Your experience proves otherwise.

Thank you for sharing. I regret not going to Moldova when I had the opportunity.

Moldova used to be part of Romania but it was annexed to the USSR after WW2. When USSR disolved there were [brief] talks about Moldova becoming once again part of Romania, but those never materialized (mainly due to a military conflict involving people in Western Modolva -mostly Russian and Ukrainians- which got the Russian army involved... to my knowledge they're still there).

Moldova has been a very poor country for years (very low GDP, totally dependent on Russia for energy, add some corruption in the mix... you get the picture). Some people from Moldova were allowed to claim Romanian citizenship, and many even without citizenship were allowed to come work in Romania (e.g. lots of construction workers in Romania are from Moldova). That probably explains why Romanians don't have a very good view of Moldovans. (It's almost like Mexicans who come to work in the US... I'm NOT saying it's fair; but when people from a poorer country come to work to a richer country they tend to be regarded as second-class citizens.) Also, some gangs from Moldova were involved with some serious crimes in Romania (think human trafficking, drugs, etc). That didn't exactly help the situation.

I've lived in Romania for several years and have talked to some people who have been to Moldova. I've heard good stories and bad ones as well. To my knowledge they're very hospitable and warm people, and it's generally a much cleaner and cheaper place than Romania. The wines are supposed to be VERY good. OTOH, this guy I know very well in Romania was in Chisinau and when some guy with a hooker knocked on the door of his hotel room, it took a while to convince them that he was married and was not seeking any female companionship.

I wonder why a number of Romanian colleagues warned me about Moldova and highly recommended that I do not travel there...

Have you traveled much in this region? Everybody think that their neighboring country is full of the most dangerous people in the world. Romanians say it about Moldova and Bulgaria. Bulgarians say it about Serbs and Turks. Etc.

I've even heard the same thing in the Caribbean -- in the same country! Trinis say that Tobago is a dangerous place. People in Tobago say the same about Trinidad (although they're closer to being right).

Provencialism.

Have you traveled much in this region?Twice.Everybody think that their neighboring country is full of the most dangerous people in the world. Romanians say it about Moldova and Bulgaria. Bulgarians say it about Serbs and Turks. Etc.

I've even heard the same thing in the Caribbean -- in the same country! Trinis say that Tobago is a dangerous place. People in Tobago say the same about Trinidad (although they're closer to being right).

Provencialism.I have never thought about that.

Interesting...