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Riding on a timeworn Dacia car two adventurers from Romania have covered a 13,000-kilometer distance from Cluj-Napoca to the Pacific port of Vladivostok facing daily challenges of discovering Russia and her way of life.

Walter Ghidibaca, 32, and his companion and film maker Traian Olinici, 35, started off on their lifetime journey on July 8. “None of our friends and acquaintances believed we would make it,” Walter shared in an interview on Wednesday, two days after arriving in Vladivostok.
“The understanding of Siberia is that it has extreme cold and wilderness there. Actually by the time we were ready to start we were scared,” he added.

The trip turned out relatively manageable, though the car, a Dacia 1300 model produced in 1984, persistently broke down along the way yet the inventive travelers utilized everything available including adhesive, rubber bands and a wine bottle cork to mend it. “This car belonged to my father who died two years ago so this discovering voyage across Russia is partially a tribute to him,” Walter explained. “Besides, we were interested to see Russia with our eyes and shoot a film about its people and nature,” he added.

Russian cities impressed the travelers with the architecture while nature, especially Baikal Lake, left them totally bewildered. “Russia has so many beauties and talents but it does not advertise them. I think our film will help to reveal Russians and their country to the rest of the world,” Walter said. As for Trian, he assured that someday he would come to Russia again.

Traveling on their own budget, the two adventurers often preferred sleeping in the car or in a tent to staying at hotels. “Sleeping, washing and eating were not very comfortable but the whole trip cost us 4,000 Euro which can be considered low budget,’ Walter revealed.

According to him, potential sponsors from a car company producing new Dacia models were not quick to offer a brand new car for promotional purposes. “Our initial idea was to drive two Dacias – the first and the latest models - and to film a travel documentary along the way. However, we did not receive any financial backing and tested our own old car on Russian roads,” Walter shared.

According to the travelers, getting the necessary documents and receiving a visa to travel in Russia was not a problem. The first serious challenge with officials in Russia met them in the face of two traffic police officers in the city of Voronezh. “They demanded $1,000 to let us pass, but we managed to agree for a $20 pass,” Walter revealed. “That was our first encounter with Russian police and it became more like a vaccination. We learned the rules – always declare the nearest city as the final destination and not to behave too open or smiling. Following the first police incident we were checked regularly but never bribed,” he added.

The worst two accidents both happened in Vladivostok on Monday. “First someone purposefully jumped on the roof of our car and damaged it while we were washing in the sea at a local beach,” Walter said. Then when the travelers left the car at a residential building someone stole their backpacks and a digital camera. “The most valuable were pictures which we took in the cities while traveling across Russia, and now they are lost,” the travelers stated regretfully.

The car, which survived the entire journey’s duration to Vladivostok will stay in the city, the travelers said. “It is a nice retirement for her on the coast of the Pacific Ocean,” Walter said, adding that he decided to leave it for a local museum of antique cars. The travelers left Vladivostok by plane on Thursday.