Lonely Planet: Tiraspol Is Creepy
Leif Pettersen's take on Tiraspol, Transdniestr (Moldova) is up on Lonely Planet's main page, and it contains enough Soviet spook to hold us over for quite a while. We haven't been this creeped out since our flight to Japan crossed over the Bering Sea and visions of Soviet ice-pirates danced in our head.
Transdniestr, or TransD, is a region of Moldova that considers itself a sovereign state, though it's not internationally recognized as such. Tensions between TransD and Moldova evoke the spirit of Borat's feud with Uzbekistan, and when something goes wrong in Tiraspol, it's not uncommon for it to be blamed on "Moldovan provacateurs."
Pettersen briefs us on how to enter the region (bribes) and secure unsuspicious lodging (Your Friends In Moldova, though it seems to have gone out of business). Alas, there aren't many sights to see here; the best part, sayeth the author, is "just walking the streets" of the capital, a "living museum." Also, there's this:
At night, the city is largely deserted, save for teenagers dry humping on park benches. Later we visited Prokhlada, the hippest club in Tiraspol. It was a Friday night, but there were only three people huddled in one corner.We just love the idea of being able to rack up Moldovan hipster cred without having to actually socialize. Total score.
Related Stories:
· Tiraspol, Transdniestr (Republic of Moldova) [Lonely Planet]
· Russia's Big Bang [Jaunted]
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