Transportation in Moldova is pretty amazing for a developing nation. Basically, the system works as a spiral in and out of the capital. From the most remote village in Moldova you can usually find your way to the capital city, it may however be much more difficult to find a ride to a village 20 km east from your location. It’s sometimes easier (but more time consuming) to go to the capital and then catch a ride to the village that is closer, but yet difficult to get to. There are several methods of transportation available for those without a horse, cart, car or donkey. Public transportation consists of rutieras/microbuses, buses and trains. The trains are typically used for longer trips across the border as well as larger buses. The rutiera/microbus is a fabulous thing. It’s basically a “man van” or conversion van made into a small bus with seats for about 20-25 people. Since coming to this country I have had some of my best and worst experiences on rutieras. A breezy ride to the capital on a Sunday afternoon or a windows up, vents closed, sweaty, crowded ride where my feet barely touch the floor because there are more people than floor space available. It’s amazing and an adventure every time. Another option of course is hitchhiking which is legal in Moldova and quite common. I recently needed to get to my raion center (capital of my village’s municipality), which is not far, but I’m cheap and wanted to try my luck at hitchhiking alone. It turned out to be really fun! I met a nice man who is a chef in Moscow and he was on his way to cook a meal for his family in Balti. He dropped me off exactly where I needed to go and after some great conversation (which included him asking me why I was 24 and single about 60 times… most Moldovans are married with children by my age), he didn’t even make me pay! What a nice guy. I think I will hitch rides more often, just to meet random people and hear their stories…
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