Straight out of Dracula – er – our resident Romanian Ovi Puia’s mouth, here are some facts about Romania. Ovi escorts the Romanian MotoQuest adventure so listen up and experience this beautiful country with a local.
QUESTION:. Romania is a dangerous country. True or False?
ANSWER: Â False.
“Romania is not a dangerous country. Despite the negative perception Romanians and Romania might have abroad, it is very safe to live in Romania, and the capital Bucharest is a safer city than many big cities in the world. But, that said, one does have to keep their safety in mind, like they’d do anywhere in the world.
Beware of scams, pickpocketing, avoid areas that you believe to be shady – ask a trustworthy local friend to tell you what areas you should stay away from in the middle of the night. All the common sense precautions you’d take elsewhere in the world too.”
Q: When I think Romania, I think Dracula. Was there really a Count Dracula? How did this myth originate?
A. Very true, many people associate Romania with Dracula.
The truth is, there was a real historic figure from Romania named Vlad Dracula (Vlad Tepes a.k.a Vlad the Impaler). He is revered as a folk hero in Romania and Bulgaria, because he protected the Romanians and Bulgarians. He did have a reputation for cruelty and impaling his enemies, which inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
On our MotoQuest adventure, we will visit some sites associated with Dracula including Bran Castle, and the Poienari Fortress (Vlad the Impaler’s fortress).
Q. Will we encounter gypsies on a MotoQuest Adventure in Romania?
A. Definitely we will encounter gypsies (also known as Roma /Romi / Tigani) on our MotoQuest Adventure through Romania. Gypsies live all around Easter European countries. Romania, unfortunately, has more of them than our neighbors and they are the second largest minority after the Hungarians
The gypsy people originate presumably from the northwestern Indian states Rajasthan and Punjab. But to be clear, gypsies are NOT Romanian and Romanians are NOT gypsies. If you call a Romanian a gypsy that would be an insult.
Q. Will the MotoQuest adventure be traveling through Bucharest?
A. We will not travel through Bucharest unless our clients route their flights to Bucharest. Our tour starts in Turda and for most part will be traveling through Transylvania which is in the center of the country, Bucharest is located in the South East .
Q. Can you name some of the higlights of the Romanian MotoQuest Motocycle Adventure?
A. There are too many to mention! But I will say that Sibiu is one of the highlights, and not because that’s my hometown. Sibiu is where the Romaniacs Hard Enduro takes place and on the MotoQuest tour, we have one day dedicated to watching the prologue of the Romaniacs. It’s an amazing action-packed event that we are lucky to witness on the tour, plus we’ll have some awesome motorcycle riding too.
Check out our itinerary and register for the Romaniacs MotoQuest Adventure