From: hhd0@newshost.gte.com (Horace Dediu)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.romanian
Subject: Re: Info on VISAS
Keywords: visas
Date: 29 Jul 92 20:25:53 GMT
Organization: GTE Laboratories, Waltham, MA

I've recently been on such a trip.  Here are my comments:

In article <1992Jul27.163956.10701@cns.umist.ac.uk>, ft@cns.umist.ac.uk (Frances Teagle) writes:
|> In article <192@spchsys.spchsys> celia!spchsys!jjt@usc.edu (John J. Turley) writes:
|> || Hello! I am a citizen of the United States, and am planning a
|> || trip to Europe for September. I have rented a car there before,
|> || and will probably do this again. I would very much like to visit
|> || Romania this time. So, here are my questions:
|> || 
|> || (1) Would I need a visa?
|> || 
|> Yes.
Yes.  Send your passport to the Romanian Embassy and have the visa stamped
there.  The cost is $30.

You can get one at the border, but the wait is bad enough as it is.

|> || (2) If YES, then could I simply get one at the border? Bear in mind,
|> ||     I would be happy with a simple transit visa, driving from Poland
|> ||     to Hungary or somesuch. Maybe spending ~3 days in Romania.
|> || 
|> Long queues at borders, better get one before you go.

The real problem is that the border between Hungary and Romania is a hell-hole.
Expect to be harassed by Hungarian police, military police, soldiers and 
border guards on leaving Hungary and entering from Romania.  We, a family of
3 Americans were stopped 3 times going and 3 times returning through the 
Hungarian part.  They will try any number of techniques to get you to pay them
a bribe, including telling you your vehicle is not "legal" in some way.  Be
careful not to piss them off.  Just smile and act as a naiive tourist and don't 
give them money and don't have any visible valuables in the car. 

Going into Romania we waited humbly to cross, and it took 3 hours of just waiting
for no reason.  On the way back we barged to the front of the queue brandishing
blue U.S. passports and they just saluted us and let us through.  (We were also
driving a Mercedes, so maybe that did the trick.)  I felt bad about it, but
we did not hold anybody up and it would have been a waste of half a day to just
cross the border.  Don't  be shy to show your western passport, it does draw some
respect.  Most people crossing are either Hungarians or Romanians and they are
just waiting in line to get abused by either (or both) sides.  Welcome to the
Balkans.
  
|> || (3) Is there a required exchange of cash per each day? (This was enforced
|> ||     back in the old days of the East Block, and I know that some countries
|> ||     have abolished it.)
|> || 
|> No.
|> 
|> || (4) Finally, any tips? Yes, I know that gasoline is hard to find, food is
|> ||     very hard to get, and good hotels are scarce. I was just wondering if 
|> ||     there was something I should be especially careful of.
|> || 
|> All very true.  Get yourself one of those "rough guides" to eastern European
|> countries, the ones with addresses and telephone numbers of hotels.  You can
|> phone from Poland or Hungary and book in.  They will know where to get gas.
|> You could also tank up in Hungary where it is plentiful.  Rumanian gas is
|> dirty, the locals filter it through a funnel filled with cloth or zinc mesh.
|> A jerrican is a useful item.

Gas is *the* biggest problem.  We drove only to Cluj, in the north and had to
leave the car there and proceed to Bucharest by train.  There was no gas at all
(nevermind unleaded, which is what we needed) anywhere in the Cluj region.  The
queues were measured in Km. and had been forming for 3 days.  We were told that
in another few days, no traffic except diesel would be running. We
could have taken a chance and driven to Bucharest, expecting to find gas there,
but did not want to chance getting stranded.  We heard a horror story of
a German couple stranded for 2 weeks because they could not get gas to
drive out of the country.  Besides, it's much cheaper to take a train.  First
class 8-hour train ride is about $3 (in Leu equivalents).  Food is no problem,
lots of farmers' markets everywhere where you can buy very good quality fresh
produce for low prices (again assuming you have Dollars.)  The prices for
Romaninans are very high (a kilo of ham is a month's pay), but to a tourist they
are average. Good hotels exist in the centers of cities, but they are a rip-off
for tourists (30 times the domestic rates.)  They are still on the order of
$30-40/night.  Avoid the Intercontinental in Bucharest, it's a major cash cow
for the Govt.  You might consider flying between the big cities.  The cost is
not very high in money, but in time and hassles.  (Credit cards?  ha ha ha
Traveler's checks? snort!). You can only buy tickets at certain outlets, and not 
at the airports.    

If you are driving a rental, ask if insurance is available for Romania.  Some 
rental places will not allow you to drive in E. Europe.  (Italian rentals
restrict travel in the south of Italy for the same reasons--theft).  The advantage
is that you can beat the crap out of the car.  Romanian roads are bad when good.
There are many hazards besides the surface (or lack of it).  There are farm
animals used for pulling farmers' wagons on all roads.  The drivers are maniacal
as a general rule.  There is no lighting of any roads anywhere at night.  Of
course, beware of thieves and overzealous policemen (same thing, really). 

|> Happy motoring.

I reccommend taking the train if you plan a visit to Bucharest, because driving
is hell.  It's not just a trip it's an adventure.
 
|> 
|> 
|> -- 
|> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|> |  Frances Teagle,    Joule Library,     UMIST,    Manchester M60 1QD.,  UK |
|> |  email: ft@uk.ac.umist.cns,     tel: 061 200 4917,     fax: 061 200 4941  | 
|> |---------------------------------------------------------------------------|

If we haven't turned you off yet, let us know how it turns out.

-- 
Horace Dediu                                                  GTE Laboratories
(617) 466-4111                                                40 Sylvan Road
Internet: hdediu@gte.com                                      Waltham, MA 02254