How to avoid Jetlag: Sleep on the plane when flying east (and stay awake when you get there until night time). When traveling west, stay awake on the plane. 

Yes, that works. The flight to Romania was not too bad. Our flights itineraries matched, though Teresa flew in 4 days before me for work.  The flight was from Tampa to DC, DC to Munich, and then to Bucharest. I had a good seat mate over “the pond”.  Her name was Jessie. She was going to Italy for a 90 day study abroad program. We chatted about school and her fiance and life in general. After dinner, we both went to sleep. We parted in Munich and I flew on to Bucharest. 

I had made arrangements for the rental car to be there at the airport. I gave the company my arrival info and hotel information. Since I was not sure how customs would work in Romania, I asked them to give me an hour from my arrival time. It took approximately 10 minutes, so I was early. As soon as I got out of the customs area, I was in the terminal and was accosted by many taxi drivers. I looked up and down the line at the many people holding name placards and failed to see my name.  No worries, though, I was early. I waited… and waited and walked the line many times (and was approached by even more taxi drivers). After an hour and a half after my scheduled pick-up, I went to the area of car rental places. 

I talked with several companies trying to get the same (or similar) rate I had booked with the first company AND get the ability to drop the car off in Brasov instead of returning it to Bucharest (Brasov is in Romania, about 2 hours north of Bucharest). I finally found a company who would pick it up there for a small fee. I wanted a GPS, since I had no maps, but they wanted too much ($25USD/day), so I figured I could use the hand held or better yet, my global phone/blackberry (Teresa took it with her since it had international capability and her phone did not, so I was without my phone). 

I got to the car and completed the walk around. After I sign the inspection, the guy disappears. I put my bags in the trunk and sat in the drivers seat. “What is this? One, two, three pedals?” Yes, it was a stick shift. No worries though.  I had originally ordered an automatic from the other company.  It had been a while since I drove a stick.  I was not expecting one.  But after a moment it all came back.  I then put the car in gear and drove off.   

As soon as I got out of the airport area and to the main road, I hit the round-about. Although I know they’re starting to make their way to the US, most US drivers do not properly know how to use these (trust me, there are plenty in the EU and you can spot American drivers in them a mile away). But, I’ve had experience in the UK and went through it like a pro.  I was on my way into Bucharest. And then….

… traffic. Teresa later told me she had seen worse in New Delhi, India, however this was the worse I had ever seen.  To give you an idea, take NYC, Chicago and LA during their rush hours, add construction and no freeways and the fact no one uses lanes and then multiply that by a factor of ten and you have the congestion known as Bucharest. Wow! Good thing I am patient. I looked at the sheet I had printed for the hotel address. There were no directions, just an address. Okay, street signs… wait, there are none. Greeeaaatt! Okay, I’ll stop at a gas station and get a road map. 

Now, the tour books/guides said that the younger generation spoke some English. They lied, at least this time. The young kid behind the counter had no idea what I was saying, but it was also clear I was not going to find any maps in the store either. I got back on the road and continued down the main road. I went through another round about, staying on the main drag. I saw a sign for the Hard Rock Cafe (HRC), and Teresa told me the HRC was just across the street from the hotel. 

Another sign, and another round about; traffic is still thick, and in some places, cars are parked half on/off the curb, making it harder to get through.  Crossing a bridge, another round about and there it was, the hotel. I slowed and tried to pull into the main entrance, but it was blocked, chocked full of parked cars. I drove on and the next parking lot looked like it was for another business. I missed the turn for the next lot. I’ll have to circle around. 

Circling around usually consists of three or four right turns, depending on whether your destination is on the corner or not. I made my first turn and the street I was on turned back left after a few moments. I again took a right turn and this street followed a river for a time and then ended, but never crossed. I think I ran a red light or two before I realized the lights were not OVER the street, but tucked away on the side. If you stopped on the “line”, you were past the light. Of course, the horns from behind you told you when to go.  The street I was on had turned into a one-way a ways back, so I could not just turn around. I still had my general bearings, so I turned on the next major road that went in that general direction. 

I followed that road for a while and saw another sign pointing to the HRC. I turned and headed that way. Soon, the street was lined with casinos. I’d call it the strip, but it was nothing like Vegas. The road ended in a T. If my bearings were right, the hotel was still in front of me. I was in the left lane, so I turned left.

This street was not straight either. I was getting turned around again. I came to a stop light and looked down at my sheet and again looked for street signs. A young lady came up to my car and said something. When I apologized, she spoke (in broken English) that she asked what I was looking for. “The Pullman”, I replied, still searching for street signs. She said, “I could take you there.”  I looked out at her in her short skit and skimpy top and looked past her and could tell that I had found the “red light district” (though prostitution is illegal in Romania). When I told her no, she looked in and said, “What? U don’t like girls? That’s okay” and she waved to a guy, motioning him over. A horn from behind sounded and the light had changed. I took off (without picking up any passengers).

After circling for an hour or so, I found a sign that pointed to the airport. Ah, a familiar landmark. I followed the signs until I found the street I recognized. I turned and followed it to the hotel again and this time, I found a place close by to park.  I had spent an hour and a half of driving through a city with no street signs after a transatlantic flight. I was beat, but I knew I had to stay up still. At least I would get to see my sweetie. 

As we crossed to the HRC, I recognized the street, and the park. I looked up and saw the HRC sign. I had driven past it while circling the area many times. There was no indication to TURN into the parking lot. 

After visiting the HRC and we 

explored the massive park a little. It looked like some areas were under renovation. Other areas were in bloom and you could smell the flowers. As we headed back towards the hotel, we walked through a small area which had amusement park games and rides. Some of the rides brought back memories of the carnivals from long ago. The rides looked fairly well up-kept (for their age), but none would have passed a safety inspection in he US.  None of the rides were open, though Teresa did say the park was packed over the weekend.

It was not hard to see the overpopulation of dogs here, and Teresa wanted to bring them all home to be Buttercup’s siblings.  We returned to the hotel after 2 hours. We were meeting her colleagues for dinner.  

After meeting her colleagues, they decided they wanted to go to the Hard Rock for dinner so we went back.  I don’t remember much after sitting down. I was pretty out of it by that time. I was looking forward to a good nights sleep.