Romania: Day 1 (FINALLY)

Otopeni's modern terminal 

December 4, 2013: mark the date. I jumped off the plane in Bucharest today … ok wait, I stumbled bleary-eyed off the plane, not having caught more than ten minute snoozes in a total of 13 hours of flight from South Africa.

Who cares about that, though? Y’all want to see the photos! It was a priority for me to take a few right at Otopeni Airport, because I’ve personally never seen any online, and after taking them I can understand why: I was immediately approached by a security guard packing a sub-machine gun who demanded to see all the photos I’d taken. Apparently they weren’t deemed too sensitive, because after showing him he wandered off happily.

Funnily enough this is in Otopeni's departures hall - a lot nicer than arrivals

I’ll admit that things didn’t start off well for me. Have you ever had that moment while waiting for your bags at the conveyor belt where your bags don’t turn up, and everybody around you keeps on grabbing their bags? Finally when you’re down to the last few people standing around desperately eyeing each suitcase, you start making jokes about your bags having been lost.

For my wife and I the joke was increasingly unfunny. We waited right up until when they turned off the conveyor belt before trudging through to lost baggage claims, where it was confirmed that our cases weren’t lost – they were just in Dubai, after not having being transferred correctly to our connecting flight (despite having been assured TWICE in Dubai that this had been done). *sigh* Hello Romania, with the clothes on our backs! Best part is Fly Dubai isn’t flying here again until Friday, so we’re going to have to go on an impromptu clothes shopping spree tomorrow.

Road infrastructure pretty good

So, first impressions … I like it! Traffic is hectic - dare I say worse than Johannesburg? - and I notice that lane markings like solid white lines are ignored with impunity. Also, the man who picked us up from the airport drove with the death-wish I’ve heard that all Romanians drive with, and I couldn’t quite get used to the steering while being on the left-hand side while sitting as a passenger in the front. Top tip here: maybe don’t try renting a car if it’s your first day in Bucharest. The roads are a warren of rather unclear traffic junctions - at least to me as an outsider.

One thing my research from outside Romania did prepare me for, however, was the number of old buildings. I haven’t had a chance to visit the modern side of Bucharest yet, but the photos I’ve included here capture the old-style blocks you see everywhere.

Vertical development: hope you don't mind small lifts

Other fleeting impressions: the paper lei bank notes have a really distinctive silky feeling and intricate patterns; there are some huge modern vending machines filled with a wide array of really tasty snacks; you drive past a picturesque forest between Otopeni airport and Bucharest proper; and almost everything is exclusively available in Romanian.

This last point is something I’ve commented on before on my blog, but it’s really in-your-face in Romania. Take, for example, that I needed to buy a sim card for my cellphone when I arrived at the airport, and I opted for a starter pack by Orange. Imagine my surprise when I opened the starter pack, and noticed that every bit of instructional text in it is in Romanian. When I finally figured it out with my wife's help, all the automatic smses the network sent to me were also in Romanian. Problem. At least the ATM I used gave me an option to select English up-front!

Not much to look at from the outside, but a lot nicer inside!

As a closing thought, it is COLD. No snow in the streets (although there was some last week), but it was quite a shock leaving the warm airport and stepping into a wind so biting cold that my breath immediately started steaming. Good thing I’d carried a jacket as carry-on luggage, and not stashed it in my suitcase! On the flip side I have to note that the radiators and insulation in the apartment blocks are really effective, so the temperature isn’t a debilitating issue.

Err, this has turned out longer than I intended, but it’s exactly what I expected: as a journalist I’m a content generator, and now that I’m finally in Romania I’m surrounded by nothing but content. I feel a bit like that robot in that movie that becomes self-aware, and runs around the city crying out ‘Input, input!’ If you’re in Romania this is obviously all old hat, but I’ll share all these early impressions and non-touristy photos to help other people like me, keen to get a ‘real’ insight into Romania.

That’s enough for Day 1. Romanian cellphone number, check. Card for use on public transport, check. First experience of soup with borscht, (tasty) check! Day 2 will bring some shopping and more hands-on experiences. Until then, signing out from Bucharest. Good night, and good luck.

ETA -2 days

It's official: my plane for Dubai takes off tomorrow evening, and then the connecting flight arrives in Bucharest on Wednesday!

It's been an epic journey so far just to get INTO the country, but it's been worth it - I don't think any 'tourist' has ever been as invested into a new country as I am. See you guys soon, if you're in Bucharest, and remember to save some snow for me!

What is happiness?

After #79 posts you'd figure that I'd have done everything interesting I could, but wait, there's more! In a flash of minor inspiration I wrote a poem tonight, and it was so rare - how often do you find uncommercialised happiness these days? - that I wanted to share it.

Happiness is a country

where we all live forever,

and fear and anger

are intellectual concepts only.

Happiness is a feeling

where you really don't want anything

except another hug

and the endless future.

Happiness is a rainbow

in the sky overhead

and the promise of rain - 

the kind which brings life.

Happy is how I want to feel,

every day and forever...

whichever comes first.

Happiness is like lightning at night.

There, but gone too quickly.

Rare. Amazing. Beautiful.

Happiness is a journey well-lived,

not a destination.

Happiness is blowing out the candles,

and daring to wish, just one more time.

I am happy.

As the world's smallest cog,

I have the Universe at my feet.

All I want is

a moment more to enjoy it.

Happiness is not a TV advert

with smiling people,

'happy' about chicken wings or toothpaste.

Happiness is seeing the difference,

and hoping upon a star,

that against endless negativity,

a flash of shared humanity,

will spark a smile in the most unlikely place,

and absolutely everything,

will be alright.

Flying to Bucharest? Know This.

Whoooo, over 6 000 views and almost 80 posts in (this is post #79), I'll celebrate with a random bit of  practical advice which might help people interested in flying to Romania.

I cannot say this for sure, but it looks like Emirates does not fly to Bucharest. However, you can book a flight there - in my case, between Johannesburg and Bucharest. So what's happening?

Well, you'll need to analyse your e-Ticket carefully to figure it out, because it's actually not that clear - the only indication that you're flying with somebody other than Emirates is found in these two facts:
1: Your flight onward from Dubai to Bucharest has a different flight number (FZ in my case, vs EK - which is Emirates), as does the return flight.
2: You cannot reserve the seats for this flight - your seat choices show up for the main leg you're flying with Emirates, but not the 'FZ' flights.

If you're like me, those facts concern you. Firstly, who is FZ operated by? Are they as safe as Emirates? Does Emirates care? And if you cannot reserve tickets and happen to be flying with your wife, will your tickets be adjacent?

Once again, Google came to the rescue. It identified the FZ flights as belonging to Fly Dubai. Although it's billed as a budget airline, and the Boeings are smaller, it actually seems above board - so phew!

On the second concern, about the reserved seats, I just e-mailed FlyDubai's main address with my concern, and they promptly responded by asking me where I'd like to sit, and then sent me an e-mail confirming that they had reserved adjacent seats for my wife and I! So simple, you wonder why it's not plugged in through Emirates' own website!

Maybe it's got something to do with the note on FlyDubai's website that if you want a reserved seat you need to pay for it. Only in my case, I was never billed ... maybe that's because it was an external booking through Emirates? Or a 21st Century headache caused by a simple lack of system integration?

Or maybe it's just a question of 'If you don't ask, you don't get.' And now you know...

The Ongoing Document Saga

Here's a little bit of genuine Romanian immigration advice and a couple of observations, based on recent experiences.

Firstly, it's not until you apply for anything in Romania that you realise you don't have all the documents you need. Not only do they all need to be original (see previous post), but they need to be unabridged - here in South Africa our birth and marriage certificates are issued in an abridged format, and unabridged can take months to receive - and a fair portion of them also need to be translated into Romanian AND have an Apostille Certificate (for countries under the Hague Convention).

So here I am in a fair little flurry of activity, trying to get our Department of Home Affairs to give me the unabridged documents I need (the real problem is that in South Africa you are NEVER asked for these, so you just go your whole life never applying for them). We've found a good Romanian translator nearby, and South Africa seems to have a fairly efficient department handling the Apostille side of things - the Legalisation Section - but none of that's going to happen if we don't even have the documents.

On the unabridged front, I applied for my unabridged marriage certificate almost three months ago, and I'm still waiting for it. The only thing I can do is try phoning the local branch I submitted my application to, and if I'm lucky somebody answers the phone and tells me that The Great Computer informs them that the document is still 'in process' (i.e. we've got no clue how long it'll take so don't bother asking), but most of the time I don't even get that far because nobody answers the phone.

With time rapidly running out I'm now trying to shake some trees through the Department of Home Affairs' senior hierarchy - amazingly there are e-mail addresses with real people's names and photos on the official website (score one for transparency!) - so now we just need to see if the Powers That Be are able to assist.

I feel doubly cursed here: I'm dealing with possibly one of the most thorough European countries in terms of requiring documents, while living in one of the least reliable countries in the world in terms of a Government actually able to supply documents on time (you'll get the documents, probably, maybe, if you follow up enough times). Wish me luck!

Document hassles aside, I have also been investigating the cost of living in Romania, and have unearthed a few useful sites, namely: Numbeo, Expat-Blog and Salary Explorer. It doesn't take you too long to play around with the numbers and figure that you'll need 'only' RON 6000 to get buy fairly comfortably with moderate expenses (reliant on public transport, not a private car), but the 'average' salary scale for skilled workers is RON 3000. Problem, yes indeed.

And so the journey continues....

Sneak Preview: Get Involved!

Ok, I've been talking a big game on this website, but here's a chance for you to get involved in the first phase of real action!

If you've been following this blog you'll know that I'm going to be in Romania this December. However, what you won't know is that I'm also the proud owner of the brand spanking new www.helloromania.net domain!

This is where YOU come in. As you'll see from the homepage - there's a lot of frantic activity going on behind the scenes, trust me - there's something new coming, and if you can speak English and are interested in Romania (and I'm guessing you are if you're following this blog), then there's a chance for you to get involved in this exciting component of the website.

Remember the launch of Facebook, and Gmail? Remember how access wasn't granted right away, and that was all part of the fun? Well, that's the idea here - follow the @HelloRom Twitter account (on the homepage) and I'll grant you preview access to this component months before it goes public.

So what's the website, then? It's actually a distribution channel for one of the reasons I'm going to be in Romania this December: my research project for the Instititutul Cultural Roman. This whole opportunity I'm mentioning above is something I've created as a bolt-on, because, you know, I want more contact with you. Don't worry, the great pay-off for you here isn't just access to some research!

Go on then, click click: www.helloromania.net.

PS: If you REALLY don't have Twitter or some kind of rare social media aversion, a comment below will give you the same invite ;)

Still On Track!

Ok, I realise I've been horribly silent here, and I apologise for that. That's because it's not terribly exciting to report on visa application processes, especially when as in my case they've been a rollercoaster.

Let's just say that strange things can and do happen, and here are some lessons learned:

1. If you need any documents for a Romanian embassy, know that you will need them in original. Scanned .pdfs, no matter whether they're stamped or not, are not accepted. The reason given is that even if they accept it, it might not be accepted at the Romanian border and you could risk being sent back home. Depending on where you live, therefore, allow time for the mail to reach you from Romania (e.g. in the case of an original letter of invitation).
2. If you buy a plane ticket in advance, do make sure to keep checking the ticket's status through the website! I was surprised to discover that one of my connecting flights had been cancelled - the only reason being 'Flight not operating' - and that I had been re-booked onto another flight two days later, and all without being contacted first (that would have been one nasty surprise in Dubai!). I'd never have expected that from Emirates (and never had that before when flying with them), but there's a first time for everything. Luckily after a few phonecalls I was re-booked onto a different flight, with a connecting time measured in hours instead of days.
3. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. From everything seeming hopelessly grim (letter never going to arrive in time, local Romanian embassy not cooperating, flight cancelled without warning), things turned around completely for me with a bit of persistence and continued engagement with amazingly helpful people.

I'm also excited to say that I've taken some big steps towards the launch of my Romanian research project - there are some awesome components to it which I think will really get people talking and involved, so be sure to keep checking back! By January 2014 at the latest, everything will be revealed.

Wish me luck as I apply for my visa this week (finally)!