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The only tourist in Moldova

telegraph.co.uk

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Re: The only tourist in Moldova

#271

Post by xdennis »

kwhitefoot wrote: post #223
userulluipeste wrote: post #84

"Sergiu exuberantly offers up shot glasses of mulberry vodka, pine-needle vodka, strawberry vodka, “medicine” vodka, “78 per cent proof” vodka" Although Moldova has vodka-drinking Slavs in it, the beverages described are not vodkas. Vodka is made of cereals or potatoes, whereas these are nicer-flavored, fruit-based distilled beverages that locals call "rakiu", in English it would be schnapps: https://en.wikipedia.org…

78% or 78 degrees proof? They are different measures in different places. Slivovitz, for instance, is typically 70% alcohol. Proof spirit (100 proof) in the UK is 57.06% alcohol by volume, in the US and Australia it is 50%, in France Gay-Lussac defined proof degree and percent alcohol by volume to be the same. See https://www.britannica.com/story/why-is-alcohol-measured-by-...

> 78% or 78 degrees proof?

It's always percent ABV (alcohol by volume). As you can see in this table, typical values for rakia (rachiu in Romanian) are 40–86% ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_by_volume ).

Degrees proof is a term originating in English tax law where the drink catching fire was deemed 100 proof. But it's only used in the US now.

Re: The only tourist in Moldova

#272

Post by SomeoneFromCA »

kvgr wrote: post #252
userulluipeste wrote: post #84

"Sergiu exuberantly offers up shot glasses of mulberry vodka, pine-needle vodka, strawberry vodka, “medicine” vodka, “78 per cent proof” vodka" Although Moldova has vodka-drinking Slavs in it, the beverages described are not vodkas. Vodka is made of cereals or potatoes, whereas these are nicer-flavored, fruit-based distilled beverages that locals call "rakiu", in English it would be schnapps: https://en.wikipedia.org…

In russia everything is vodka. Sometimes this overflow to english. In europe it is kore distinguished.

Since what Moldova is Russia? Am I on reddit or 4chan?

Re: The only tourist in Moldova

#273

Post by SomeoneFromCA »

apavlinovic wrote: post #228
viraptor wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These are often described as vodkas in practice, even if they technically aren't. Applies to other eastern Europe products too. For example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C3%B3dka_%C5%BBo%C5%82%C4%85... is fruit/herb based, but is commonly known as vodka and even was labelled as such.

I am a Croat and no, we dont describe them as Vodka, nor are we aware that people call them Vodka. The beverage you linked is not rakija, and it’s not even similar. Rakija is made from grapes, Vodka from potatoes. We don’t have enough potatoes to throw away

Interestingly but central Asia it is called Arak. Same root.

Re: The only tourist in Moldova

#274

Post by SomeoneFromCA »

kjellsbells wrote: post #58

Central Asia still remains largely untouristed. I loved this article from the New York Times concerning a boy who taught himself Russian and then went to Kazakhstan with his father to immerse himself. The Foreign Language That Changed My Teenage Son’s Life https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/17/magazine/russian-language...

Central Asia (where I actually live) does not have much to see, esp. Kazakhstan. The main tourist destinations are historical monuments in Uzbekistan which has huge tourist influx lately (every time I am in Uzbekistan I see a good deal of tourists around hotels). Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have beautiful mountains, nature. Kazakhstan is bit dull post-Soviet place, Almaty resembles more some city in Eastern Europe than Asia.

Re: The only tourist in Moldova

#275

Post by keybored »

swozey wrote: post #103
trte9343r4 wrote: post #16

This would fit maybe in 2019, but Moldova now has many foreigners. Hotel prices went up considerably! For "Europe's least visited country" try Belorus, Ukraine, Russia, Ossetia or Armenia. Traveling to Mariupol as a tourist is the real deal in 2024

I have a Russian friend who is adamant that I would really enjoy and have a great time in Russia. IIRC he tells me to go to St Pete more than Moscow. But I cannot imagine doing that as an American. It kind of makes me wonder if he's messing with me but he hates Russia and Putin and I don't know why he would. I feel like I would be so unsafe. I'm a very "American" looking person and I only know a handful of Russian wo…

> But I cannot imagine doing that as an American. It kind of makes me wonder if he's messing with me but he hates Russia and Putin and I don't know why he would. I feel like I would be so unsafe. I'm a very "American" looking person and I only know a handful of Russian words. Well, I guess I look more German, blonde/blue eyed.

Now I’m imagining a flat with some Russian friends where they take turns throwing darts at pictures of Biden. Or Obama.

I don’t know why you think that Russians or whatever else would make an American unsafe. I mean what would they even care/have against you.

> Ironically I always expect an American to start shit with him when I'm out drinking with him so I sometimes deviate conversations away from him having to talk about being Russian at every bar we're at. He's only been in America a few years so as soon as he speaks the entire bar knows he's Russian.

Well talking about your country of origin is the most natural thing to do in those contexts.

Re: The only tourist in Moldova

#276

Post by SomeoneFromCA »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #171
danayfm wrote: post #147

I was in Moldova back in 2013 for a university org summer course and for me it somehow felt like being in Cuba. There weren't many tourists but everyone was very welcoming. You could see even between students the difference in pro-russians and pro-europeans. Weird thing is cut the hot water during the summer. Best wine I've ever had and it was home made from my friend's parent's cellar. Loved the time there.

Old Soviet style communities get hot water from central plants, mainly used for heating but also for showers, so when winter is over, they shutdown the heating plants for the season and no hot water at all. Some places in Northern China hook into muni hot water for showers in the winter but use solar hot water in the summer, when hot showers can be a bit less satisfying (in my experience anyways).

It is so incorrect, it is boderline idiotic urban legend. post-Soviet cities have hot water year around; same heating plants used for winter heating, are used for hot water in summer time, albeit at lower power. Also waste heat from power plants used for the same purpose.

Re: The only tourist in Moldova

#277

Post by teractiveodular »

SomeoneFromCA wrote: post #272
kvgr wrote: post #252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In russia everything is vodka. Sometimes this overflow to english. In europe it is kore distinguished.

Since what Moldova is Russia? Am I on reddit or 4chan?

The Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic was a constituent republic of the USSR from 1945 until 1990.

Re: The only tourist in Moldova

#278

Post by clydethefrog »

thriftwy wrote: post #133
datameta wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He takes advantage of lower socioeconomic status women in poor countries with uneven gender dynamics and makes a jokey travel vlog in between. He has also given the classic "it's basically their fault" argument.

Which countries? Arguably, women of post-socialist (Slavic) countries have comparatively higher socioeconomic status and comparatively more even gender dynamics that these in the West. For a dedicated sexual predator, it would be much easier to just head directly to Thailand or similar.

Russia. Here is a post lining up his reporting and his sexpat account in Vorkuta, Vorgashor, Kotlas.

https://www.reddit.com/r/BaldAndBaldrDossier/comments/16euvy...

Re: The only tourist in Moldova

#279

Post by teractiveodular »

vasco wrote: post #240
ClumsyPilot wrote: post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is police / crime doing?

Terrible, as is inflation, as is almost everything else, and in the south of the country you got hezbollah bombing things. I'm not Lebanese so just know what I know from close friends, but the comment read very strange to me. Life is very difficult there, none of the Lebanese I know want to move back. I'm not sure why OP painted it as an anarchist utopia, that's definitely not what I hear.

The OP's handle of "monero-xmr" might give you a hint why.

Re: The only tourist in Moldova

#280

Post by teractiveodular »

lukan wrote: post #260
seattle_spring wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you want a bit of a lark, spend some time checking out /r/roadtrip. Seems like at least a few times a week someone will show a map of their planned route: 8,000 miles across 10 states, 7 national parks, and 14 cities. "Hey guys! I'll be driving this route during a long weekend. Any other places I should stop??"

So is this mainly for a virtual highscore? Gamification of real life, tick all the boxes on your mission list, to feel accomplishment? I doubt one can see the real gems this way. I travelled a lot, but the highlights were never the famous tourist spots and I would not have felt them as highlight by just stopping by and making a picture. But each to his own I guess.

People want to make the most of their limited vacation time and don't understand how time consuming and draining traveling between places is.

I once met a Japanese guy who was "doing" Scandinavia in a single weekend, which basically meant flying into Copenhagen, taking a train to Oslo, another to Stockholm and flying out. I don't think he ever saw a fjord or an island.

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