BLACK SEA BEACH PARTY

After conquering the Transfagarasan, we b-lined it east to the Black Sea. There was another Mongol Rally check point in eastern Romania, an all-night party on the beach. Once we came down out of the mountains it was a straight shot to Bucarest. After weaving through Romania’s capital at dusk, we hit another freeway and zipped out to the coastal city of Constanta. We thought we’d made good time, but of course finding the beach party was a bit of a challenge, and we didn’t end up arriving until midnight. Late for the party. Par for the course.

The Mongol Rally had been underway for almost a week, and we’d gotten to know a few teams along the way. Reuniting on the beach was fun. A week in, and plenty of stories to be told. The bar was set up towards the back of the beach under a roofed patio, along with a DJ table, dance floor, and a loud sound system. From there out to the water the sand was scattered with massive pillows and canvas lean-tos. It was a good mix of ralliers and locals, and the place was packed.

We partied late into the night, and at one point I found myself in a grizzly bear suit. When the horizon began to glow with the approach of dawn, we hiked back to the parking lot with some fellow ralliers and ate some noodles. Many teams had pitched their tents by the cars, others were sprawled out on the pillows that covered the beach. Derick nestled up by our Hyundai and Johannes and I walked back out to the beach to find a nice patch of sand. 

I caught the sunrise and watched some fishermen bring in their boat. People lined the beach to welcome the new day. And soon after that I crawled into my sleeping bag for a sandy sleep.

TRANSFAGARASAN

From Budapest we spent an entire day in the car on the way to Romania. It was a long stretch of driving but we finally made it to the town of Sibiu, and put ourselves in the perfect position to tackle the Transfagarasan! 

I’ve seen the show Top Gear a few times, but not enough to know that they featured the Transfagarasan in an episode a few years back and labeled it the ‘the best road in the world.’ It’s pretty popular now, and a lot of Mongol Rally teams set out to conquer it.

We got a little lost trying to find our way, but before long our trusty little Hyundai was making the ascent towards the 6,600 foot pass. As soon as we started climbing, the road began to twist and turn, but it wasn’t until the final push to the top where things got really crazy. I mean, the road is called the ‘Transfagarasan’ because that’s what it appears to spell out in cursive from a birds-eye view. Just kidding.

Johannes drove up and Derick drove down. I sat in the passenger seat and enjoyed the view. Road trips can be pretty awesome when they involve a road like this. There’s nothing like connecting the dots on a map with a few squiggles!