Departure with Delay Towards Bulgaria...

Day 8: Piatra Neamt (Ro) – Caldaruseanca (Ro)

Today we set off at 08:00 after a hearty breakfast to the orphanage. After our last coffee we hand over a donation cheque worth Euro 21’000.- to the orphanage and seal it with a photo of the staff and some of the children. We owe this generous amount to you as a donor for our humanitarian charitable project. Afterwards we drive with the orphanage director Mihaela to an organised PCR test in Piatra Neamt, which once again turns out positive for us — or rather negative. We’ll need it later to cross the border into Bulgaria.

Shortly after departure, the warning lights on GLORIA’s dashboard light up brightly. This forces us to stop and look for the cause under the bonnet. When we try to start the engine again, we quickly realise that the battery is already flat. That means we either have to tow GLORIA or push her to the nearest garage. We quickly decide on the second option — pushing — but thankfully only about 400 metres.

We’ve landed at the right garage, because the mechanics are immediately enthused by our project and want to help us quickly so we can soon be on our way to Bulgaria. A quick check with the diagnostic tool reveals that the alternator is defective and is no longer charging the battery. The two mechanics phone around various suppliers to find a replacement alternator. The options range from cheap to brand new. We decide to go with a used alternator because it can be picked up in just one hour. While one mechanic goes to collect the spare part with Andreas, the other unscrews the defective part.

Minor adjustments need to be made to the replacement alternator — this is where the creativity and improvisation skills of the local mechanics really shine. Shortly afterwards the part is fitted and GLORIA can be started. Bruuuuuummmmm — she fires up on the first try.

Now we want to pay for the spare part and the repair costs, but this falls flat because the mechanics refuse to accept any money for their labour — we are only allowed to pay for the alternator itself, which comes to Romanian LEI 250.- (Euro 50.-). As a thank-you for their great work, we give each mechanic a Swiss army knife and the best chocolate in Switzerland. On top of that, a colleague of the mechanics slips us a donation of LEI 100.- (Euro 20.-) for our project. Then everyone wishes us Drum Bun (Safe travels).

Now we’re on our nine-hour, nearly 600-kilometre drive to the SOS Children’s Village in Tryavna, Bulgaria. Just before Bucharest we switch off the humming engines and set up camp for the night in a large car park. Thirsty and hungry, we treat ourselves to a good meal before the bed in the rally car calls.

Brief summary:

Day eight, with the generous donation of Euro 21’000.-, is a highlight. Our new friends, the mechanics who love our project and immediately like us on Facebook and Instagram, are a perfect example of our motto of international understanding. And the negative PCR test is once again very positive news for us.

Your Judo goes Orient – Team

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