TravelFEB 23, 2017

Circle-Hitchhiking The World, Without Money, Telephone Or Maps

I came to life in a regular Romanian family (6 souls - 100 dollars/month). While being a shepard (age of 12) I read adventure novels and dreamed to travel.

My first hitchhiking journey was from my university city (Cluj Napoca, Transylvania) to 5 libraries in Europe (Viena, Leipzig, Paris, London, Padova) - for some very old books and maps, needed for my Bachelor Thesis, in which I proved that first Romanian to make a map is not Constantin Cantacuzino (as all historians were saying), but Dimitrie Cantemir. I liked so much that hitchhiking adventure, that I dropped all my PhD plans (for which at that time I had gathered 1000 A4 pages of drafts).

On my sixth attempt I was succesful, I managed to circ-um-hitchhike the world, without money, technology or maps.

Actually, I left home with 16 euros, I hitchhiked to England, where I worked a month as a picker in a warenhouse, to achive the flight ticket accross the Atlantic (Montreal).

I got to Canada with 40 stirling pounds and hitchhiked to Vancouver where I seek work to Romanian community. They could not offer me a job but bought me the flight ticket to Kuala Lumpur (Malayesia) and wish me goodluck.

I got to Kuala Lumpur with 65 euros left from what the Vancouver Romanian Community collected for my airplain ticket.

In the Thai - Cambodian border my visa was paid by a Israelian backpacker, for Laotian visa a gypsy friend sent me money via Western Union, same case for Vietnamese visa. Two Frenchman gave me money for Chinese visa when they heard my story in the hotel I was volunteering (Hanoi Blanc B & B - Ma May Street).

From China I got to Kyrgyzstan, where I almost becamed an actor.

In Astana, second coldest capital city on Earth, in the month of February, after a long battle I obtained Russian Transit Visa.

During my six attempts to circ-um-hitchhike the world, the time clocked 5 years, 7 months and 5 days, 96 countries, 200 355 international hitchhiked kilometers (including here the last african journey too). Not included the 79 655 km hitchhiked in my home country).

This is the poem of my pain. On the road I got the childhood I was denied.

Some Of My Adventures:

Hitchhiked from Nordkapp to Ushuaia in 6 months (2014).

I've got rides from:

-Police, 10 times: Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Chile, Ecuador - on motorbike, Colombia, Irland, England, Germany, China).

-Gendarmerie (France).

-Army Personalized Trucks, 3 times: Russia, twice in Cambogia.

-Anti-Drug Division (Romania).

-Ambulance, 4 times: Vietnam, Ucraina, twice in Romania.

-Helicopter (Argentina).

-Viking sailing boat (Norway).

-Electric Car (Poland).

-Convertible Cars, 3 times: France, twice in Ireland.

-In the Trunk, 2 times: Mongolia, Turkmenistan.

-On top of the truck cab, 2 times: Venezuela, Laos

-Mortuary Car, 2 times: Morroco, Romania.

-Contrabandists/Smugglers, 2 times: France, Romania.

-Stollen Car (Slovenia, Bulgarian driver).

I got to Siberia in flip-floppers, on temperatures under 0 Celsius. A missionaire gave me his sneakers.

-1935 km in 24 hours (Argentina),

-3790 km in 6 days with same car (truck), in Russia.

-14 drivers gave me lifts of more than 1000 km: Trifat 3790, Andrei 2810, Ali 1980, Cristi 1900, Canadian - Iranian Truck Driver 1600 km, Leo 1410, Suceveanul 1350, Clujeanul Dinamovist 1290 km, Nicu 1275, Victor 1265 km, Sebi 1100, Serghei 1050, Chang 1050 km, Zurkuf 1000)

-6 drivers took me twice (Russia, Afghanistan, Argentina and 3 times in Romania).

-80 050 km hitchhiked in 2013.

-55 countries hitchhiked in 2014.

-265 km/hour in Germany.

-42 hours wait to be picked up in Gambia, 31 hours wait to be picked up in Mongolia, 23 and 21 hours waiting in Patagonia.

-Hitchhiked to Oimiacon, Siberia, coldest permanently inhabited places (2013).

-Hitchhiked to Kerman, Iran, hotest place on Earth (2014).

Attacked twice, in Iran and Venezuela.

Attacked by 12 dogs in Bosnia (Sarajevo).

A wolf was near my tent in Kazakhstan.

Saw 2 bears in Siberia.

Robbed twice: in Mongolia and Iran.

-300 km during night time, without lights, in Peru.

My dream would be to publish my travel journal. If you would like to read it, help by sharing this post. I won't dissapoint you, it's gonna be a fun book!

More info: Facebook