• Dave HipplerRomania and MoldovaTraveler
    Howdy, pardner.
    Howdy, pardner.That's Vlad to you.A movie theatre concession stand.A Lada 1200 CombiPeople donate gold to this particular painting. It's somehow holier than the othersI think the truck was used to sell fish.CCCP canteenCommunist era memorabiliaOn September 2nd they will celebrate their Independence from Moldova in the 90-92 Transnistrian WarFun fact: Transnistria's flag is the only one left with a hammer and sickle.TiraspolAt the Back to the USSR restaurant in BenderAt the Back to the USSR restaurant in BenderWalking to the Green Market.At the Green MarketTrying Kvas, which is like a liquid bread. It's non-alcoholic and tastes like molasses water.1You fucking assholeAt Back in the USSR restaurant with a Gaz 21 Volga.Gaz 21 VolgaLada 1200At the Bck in the USSR restaurantYuri Gagarin, the first man in spaceAnother Lenin statueThe Christmas/Nativity Cathedral Catedrala Naşterea DomnuluiThe Green MarketA coffee and tea machine. Yes, I bought an espresso.LeninFlags of three breakaway regions not recognized by the UN: Ossetia, Transnistria, and AbkhaziaAt Bender fortress on the DnisterBender Fortress, and Ottoman fortress on the Dnister River

    Transnistria - There's a new Sheriff in Town

    August 28 in Moldova ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    Well that was fascinating. We just got back from a tour of the breakaway region of Transnistria. Our first stop was at a huge grocery/department store called Sheriff. The logo is a sheriff's star which I thought was odd. We changed about $30 worth of Moldovan Lei into Transnistrian Rubles, just enough for a meal for two with wine and maybe a couple coffees.

    Our guide said this chain was owned by a Russian oligarch named Viktor Gushan. He's a former KGB officer who pretty much runs Transnistria. The stores are everywhere along with Sheriff gas stations. There doesn't seem to be any competition. As Tennessee Ernie Ford once sang "I owe my soul to the company store."

    He owns the professional football team at Sheriff stadium. Real Madrid played against them here and lost. I think you get the picture. It's like golfing against Trump. He runs 60 to 70% of the entire economy. And that's not possible unless you're in cahoots with Putin.
    Viktor Gushan - Wikipedia https://share.google/0DDiIN22BLh9e12Nt

    We visited the cities of Bender and Tiraspol. Both are cleaner and slightly more modern than I expected. Gushan has actually poured back some of that money into the city and did a huge reinvestment about 6 years ago. Tourism is definitely picking up and Western Europeans are coming here more and more every year, along with the occasional Americans.

    Our guide was great and I'm glad we did the day tour instead of spending the night like I had originally planned. We saw and learned so much more than if we did it on our own. We went to a kitcschy restaurant called Back To The USSR. It was really busy with tour groups. The owner stopped by to talk and mentioned that he has been to Chicago and loved it.

    While we obviously only saw what they wanted us to see, it really didn't seem too bad. The border crossing was quick and efficient and we didn't have to pay for a visa. The vegetables at the market were super fresh and organic. I don't think I've ever seen such huge watermelons. The streets and houses were clean and well maintained, at least in the two cities we were in.

    It just makes me wonder how different it is having my country run by oligarchs versus their country being run by oligarchs. Happy trails, pardner.

    More photos and videos are here.

    https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZXAoKxtckTHDixov8    Read more