The baffled immigration officer facing me at the Transylvania airport kept sporadically looking first at me and then at my deep green passport. He simply couldn't figure out why would a Bangladeshi land at the Tirgu Mures airport - located in the remote north of the country. Having explained him the reason, i said, flights from Germany's Baden-Baden airport lands only at Transylvania, he didn't seem convinced. However, my multiple entries Schengen visa was appropriate enough for travelling in Romania, but then started the problem with my passport's country code and my profession.
He was unable to find the code in his computer. It wasn't registered in his list of recognised countries. Nevertheless, after half an hour of argument and counter-argument this writer worked his way out and told him to type my name in Google and it worked. The search engine displayed more than 15, 000 results and some recent write-ups under my name following half a dozen images. Taking me to be a journalist and a writer for sure, he now seemed 'reasonably confirmed' that i wasn't a passing refugee, seeking illegal immigration, and of course a tourist far away from anywhere in the Middle East. After some 45 minutes of tensed moments he let me pass by coldly saying in broken English - welcome to Romania Mr.Feroze, enter happily leave safely. By now the small Transylvania airport was nearly empty. But the immigration officer's words inadvertently matched much of Count Dracula's welcome address to Jonathan Harker.
Picking up the only piece of luggage from the baggage carousel, my 20 plus year old faded red backpack was seen to be resting in utter neglect. This traveller then walked towards the exit gate. Yes, he has made it to the country he had always dreamt of. Especially, the name Transylvania to me, is not only associated with genre of horror fiction but also with mesmeric landscapes and its mystique mountain ranges.
I plainly remember the four markedly unforgettable legends to have introduced me to Romania by the time i turned 10 - Count Dracula, Nicolae Ceausescu, Nadia Comaneci and Gheorge Hagi. The first two being rather sinister on different counts are followed by two globally famed sporting personalities. And oh yes, there was also a book - Sheba Prokashoni's Bengali translation Karpathian durgo, (Jules Verne's The Carpathian Castle). Obsessed by Verne's unforgettable portrayal of an eccentric 19th century Baron and a Count's rivalry to win over a beautiful woman, the book had also drawn a mysterious but haunting image of the Carpathian mountain ranges. Having read it, the vow was taken at the draw of a hat more than 25 years ago, 'sooner or later, i will one day walk the same walk as Verne in the Carpathians, and put an end to that voyage by landing at Bran castle, aka Dracula's castle '.
However, with the lonely planet's latest edition on Romania at hand, this traveller hit the Taxi stand just outside the Transylvania airport. On entering a cab, he took a quick glance on his left, painted in deep camouflage-blue, a frame of the (now obsolete) Mig - 21 was seen to be displayed reminding Romania's vanished communist era. Today it's completely different from what we had read about it when it was behind the 'iron curtain'.
Bus stands here mostly consists of comfy mini-buses. Located some 60 kilometres away an hour drive will take me to the quaint medieval town of Sighisoara. Getting inside i chose a seat beside the window. A group of stunning female police officers, smoking and gossiping outside reminded - the more east you travel, the more gorgeous they become.
Transylvania began to unfold as we hit the road. Forested valleys, vast expanses of farmland appeared before me. A little further ahead horses and carts waited for herd of goats and sheep to scatter about. The bus stopped in two small villages to drop and pick a few passengers, but the stopovers were short.
Surprisingly, even the very non-descript of towns here are well connected with the big cities with smooth and spacious highways. The Dacia is the only local brand besides the abundance of Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes and BMWs, clearly hinting at the peoples increased purchasing power parity. Almost all multi-national clothing retail chains have found their way in almost everywhere in the country. Also, most of the French and German grocery retail chains have succeeded in opening up numerous branches. Following the country's entry to the EU, though it initially introduced the Euro but with the deepening of the Euro crisis it went back to the locally currency Ron. As a developing upper-middle income market economy - Romania is doing well and so is its tourism industry.
Despite many ups-and-downs it's booming. This passenger got down at the bus station located just behind the old train station. It's partly derelict and has a 19th century locomotive engine is exhibited at the old entry point.
Guessing October being the start of offseason this traveller wasn't expecting too many tourists. He was proved wrong as he strolled along the main road and reached the threshold of the old town. The citadel's site was full of tourists. The town's medieval towers, stony lanes, cobbled streets, gingerbread roofs and turrets to small souvenir shops and cafes plainly forced me to rub my eyes in disbelief. It's inside a small old two storey building, located just on the right side of an alley, where Transylvania's most notorious ruler was born. Inside a small corner of the restaurant was born the tyrant Vlad The impaler, who in a span of some five hundred years would be discovered , imagined and modified by Bram Stoker and turned to the celebrated horror character Count Dracula. If it was not for Stoker, Dracula would have been just another forgotten tyrant concealed within the pages of Romanian history. A wave of suspense ran through my spines........ (To be continued....)
The writer is Assistant Editor, The Daily Observer
