Well I have never been so insulted in all my life, there I was, just freshly arrived into Romania, and I get accosted and accused. We pulled in to drain some money from the ATM and I stayed in the van. I could see the father and son team of windscreen washers walking towards me with their tools ready. I was ready with my head shakes and firm ‘no’. That didn’t stop them though. Next minute the smaller lad had climbed up onto the bonnet and was scrubbing and brushing at old Napoleon’s screen. Then came the question of payment. Now I am not one to be scrimping with payment or gratuities, but I do not like to be bullied or forced into paying for something that I did not seek out. I was asked to hand over 10 english paper notes to quote. When I doubted this, the man typed it into his flash mobile phone. At this stage I was getting slightly indignant and ready for the escalation. Luckily all that happened was a lot of eye contact and me protesting that I had never requested such a fine job be done and hence no payment was obliged other than a thank you. We drove off with hands tapping on the van and shouts of Bandito. I really wanted to correct the man as to my nationality, but I felt this would be wasted on him. There does seem to pervade a sense that if you have a vehicle with a GB sticker on the rear, that you have money, and lots of it…..I wonder where this idea merges into a demand for £10 for a shoddy piece of windscreen washing and car climbing. ‘Bandito’, a case of pot kettle black me thinks.
When entering Romania you not only have to endure the sort of encounters as detailed above, but are legally obliged to buy a vignette or road tax/toll. This is not a lot by western European standards, i.e 5 Euros for 30 days. Hopefully the money will be spent on the roads. I feel for the suspension already, as the roads are shocking, and we are sticking to the main roads. They are incredibly straight, making overtaking much easier, but the surface is abysmal altogether. By the end of the day’s driving it feels like you have been on a journey across the sea; my poor old vestibular system doesn’t know what to expect at all with a bad case of sea legs resulting.
When entering Romania you not only have to endure the sort of encounters as detailed above, but are legally obliged to buy a vignette or road tax/toll. This is not a lot by western European standards, i.e 5 Euros for 30 days. Hopefully the money will be spent on the roads. I feel for the suspension already, as the roads are shocking, and we are sticking to the main roads. They are incredibly straight, making overtaking much easier, but the surface is abysmal altogether. By the end of the day’s driving it feels like you have been on a journey across the sea; my poor old vestibular system doesn’t know what to expect at all with a bad case of sea legs resulting.
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