D9 - Trans Dniestr

19JUN - Day 9 - Kishinev - Km1434

Avui fa calor, l'autocar surt a les 10:20 del mati, no te aire condicionat, per sort la porta no tanca be i entra una mica d'aire mentre es mou. Anem plens. Natalia, la noia del meu costat parla una mica d'angles i m'ofereix una xocolatina per esmorzar. M'explica que passarem per Transnistria, lloc que volia evitar pero al comprar el bitllet no vaig saber-me fer entendre.
Transnistria es una republica no reconeguda internacionalment. Tenen parlament, aduanes i exercit pero els seus habitants tenen passaport de Moldavia. El pais esta dirigit per Igor Smirnof, ex-alcalde de Tiraspol, la capital. Es segurament la regio mes corrupta d'Europa, plagada de crim organitzat i contraban d'armes http://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transnístria Es recomana als turistes no entrar-hi. Alla es on es dirigeix el bus on soc jo ara.
Arribem a la frontera, la sortida de Ucrania es lenta pero sense problemes. A l'entrada de Transnistria l'oficial de les aduanes es posa el meu passaport a la butxaca i em demana que el segueixi. Fan pagar a tothom l'equivalent a mig euro per un visat de transit, excepte els ciutadans de la republica. Quan ja ha pagat tothom demano el meu passaport i em porten en una oficina nova. Tothom esta al bus esperant-me. Alla m'aten un oficial que parla una mica d'angles i en un paper en blanc hi escriu: 35$, em volen per pagar 60 vegades mes que als demes. Se que m'estan enganyant i em queixo. Em diu que si vull puc tornar enrere i entrar Moldavia per un altre lloc. Pago i marxo de l'oficina sense dir absolutament res, enfadat.
A l'autobus veig que el rebut que m'ham donat es de mig euro. Ho explico a Natalia i durant la seguent mitja hora soc el centre de les conversacions de tot l'autocar.
El pais sembla realment pobre, les cases en mal estat, tot gris, carreteres amples sense cotxes. M'expliquen que just avui es l'aniversari del comencament de la guerra amb Moldavia l'any 1992, veig flors en alguns monuments i poca gent pels carrers.
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I have the seat number 2 in the bus, just behind the driver. Next to me seats Natalia, she can speak some english. The bus is full, the air conditioning does not work, fortunately the door doesn't close very well and I get some air when the bus moves.
Before buying the ticket to Kishinev (Chisinau in romanian) I was told to avoid Trans-Dniester, now I find that this bus goes through Tiraspol, which is the capital. Natalia says that my Moldova visa should be OK to cross the new republic.
Transnistria had a 2-month war in 1992 against Moldova, since then they claim the independence of this Republic, lead by Igor Smirnov, pro russian ex major of Tiraspol. According to one BBC article "The region is plagued by corruption, organised crime and smuggling. It has been accused of conducting illegal arms sales and of money laundering. Poverty is widespread" http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/country_profiles/3641826.stm
When we leave Ukraine, the custom officials take everybody's passport to a closed room and gave them back to us slowly first the ukrainian ones, then the moldova, one russian and mine are the last to come. No problems but we spent 45 minutes stopped there.
20 more meters and we stop again in the Transnistria border. The official enters the bus, checks all the passports and takes only mine to his pocket. I follow him apart from the rest of the passengers. Everybody is asked to pay 3UAH ( 0.50EUR) for a "transit visa", everybody except me. Everybody is back to the bus but I don't have my passport, the bus driver tries to help me. 15 minutes later one of the officials start talking english to me. They want 35USD (30EUR) for a "transit visa", I know this is not legal, I complain about the high price, he says that I can go back to Ukraine and cross the border somewhere else avoiding Transnistria. When I pay he tries to be nice with me and talk about Spain and the World Cup. I take my passport, I don't even look at his face, neither say goodbye and I go back to the bus. In my passport I find a piece of paper which is supposed to be the transit visa and a receipt. The receipt says 3UAH ( 0.50EUR), I have paid 60 times that price. Probably they are still drinking vodka with my money.
In the bus I explain what happened, I am the subject of the conversation of everybody for about half an hour.
The place looks poor, wide roads, no cars, all grey. We stopped for a while at the train station, some passengers leave. As a souvenir one of them give me a local coin: 25 copecs of a Transnistrian Ruble.
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