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MY BEST ROAD trip was travelling the world’s greatest driving road in a Dacia Duster with my best friend.
Who: Melanie May and Vicci-Marie Hands
Route: Transfăgărășan Highway, Romania
Distance: 260km
Time: 2 days
When: July 2016
Vehicle: Dacia Duster
This adventure started with a YouTube link and a note saying ‘we should do this’. The video was of three idiots doing stupid things in cars. Thirty minutes later myself and my best mate Vicci had booked our tickets.
We were going to Romania because Top Gear went to Romania.
Yes, Romania, you know, the land of vampires and eh, Transylvania, and, well, shamefully I didn’t really know what else apart from what I learned from Top Gear – that Romania has the Transfăgărășan Highway, which Clarkson described as “the most amazing road I’ve ever seen”.
The Top Gear Trio took a Ferrari, Lambo and Aston Martin on their road trip. We took Romania’s finest, a Dacia Duster. We were keeping this real.
We looked on this as a real-world challenge. Would this road be the best driving road in the world if it wasn’t done in a supercar? We were about to find out.
We landed in Bucharest and got a taxi to the hotel where the Dacia was waiting for us. It was all shiny and new and had all the bells and whistles attached. It had heated seats, not exactly needed in the 36-degree heat, unlike the air-con which was on full blast constantly. It also had Bluetooth connection, 12V ports, radio and most crucially sat-nav and four-wheel drive.
We hit the road and I tried not to get us killed as I got used to driving a manual, left-hand drive car on the right-hand side of the chaotic roads. But soon enough I got used to it. The 7C highway out of the capital city was fairly empty and the journey became effortless.
A few hours later we reached Curtea de Arges, the official start of the Transfăgărășan Highway. From here we drove about 25 minutes to the ruins of Poenari Citadel, one of the main fortresses of Vlad III the Impaler.
Up until this point, we knew that we were driving the Transfăgărășan Highway, even though nothing told us as such. However within moments of leaving the ruins the road began twisting tightly until it opened up at the Vidraru Dam.
From here, the road started its relentless winding and curving around the mountains. The Dacia’s low gears were really getting a workout as I was constantly changing gears. I was exhausted. But the Duster was really impressive and handled everything the road through up at it. It felt really planted and both Vicci and I remarked how safe we felt in it.
Finally, after 232kms and 9.5 hours of driving, we reached our rustic cabin in the woods, our home for the night.
The next day Vicci got in the driver’s seat. The road began climbing more steeply but it finally began to change from narrow dirt roads to wide swathes of tarmac. The thick forest that accompanied use at the start of the road was replaced by a sheer drop on one side and golden coloured rocky mountains on the other.
Again, the bends were relentless but this time, they were fluid and open and the tarmac was mostly smooth.
As we neared the top of the mountain we entered Romania’s longest road tunnel, the 890-metre long Capra tunnel which led us to the recreational area of Lac Bau.
It was here, high up in the mountains that we could look out over Transfăgărășan highway and see what a feat of engineering this road is. We were both a bit lost for words as we couldn’t quite fathom how this road ever came to be. When you see this grey ribbon of road winding its way through this forest it is just so hard to believe how anyone could have built such a wonderful road in such wilderness.
The road down from here was just pure fun to drive – but it ended too soon. Within 30 minutes the road levelled off and became boring highway again. Essentially the actual Transfăgărășan Highway is roughly only 100km long. Far too short.
I really wanted to go back and drive the road again. But we didn’t, we kept going and we continued the rest of our holiday in quirky Romania.
The Dacia Duster was a perfect car for doing this road trip because we could park the car anywhere without worrying about it getting stolen or drawing any attention to ourselves what soever.
We even abandoned the Dacia on the roadside whilst we went off on a three-hour hike. Do you think the Top Gear guys did that with the Ferrari?
At the end of the Top Gear Romania episode, Clarkson says of the Transfăgărășan Highway: “We were wrong, this is better than the Stelvio, this is the best road in the world”.
Well, as I have never driven the Stelvio, I guess I should go and do that next. For research purposes, of course.
F*ck all of that 22 billion will go to the irish people! Its a disgrace where is our backbone, how many times are we going to be taken advantage of before people learn that they have to stand up for themselves.
25% of output to the Irish people is a good return for no public money invested, if we want the Norwegian model of 100% return we’d have to publicly fund the 100% of exploration cost.
25% of profits, that is. Oil companies are good at hiding their profits.
The last auction of exploration blocks there were essentially no bids. We don’t have high tax rates because nobody has managed to find anything profitable in the last 30 years. Norway definitely has oil, so lots of people bid to explore, if they don’t find anything the state refunds them 80% of their exploration costs, if they do they get taxed highly.
Ireland has almost no exploration going on offshore. In the last decade there has been a handful of exploration wells drilled. The day the oil industry starts making huge profits in Ireland I’m all for increasing the tax ten fold. Until then you don’t make money on Oil nobody has found.
The worst kinda of Irish person, against something they have no interest in learning about.
Johnny Reynolds thanks for your accurate definition of profit, but what’s your point ?
Spot on David Burke…we journal commentators like simplistic concepts, we especially don’t understand the difference between taking some profit and taking all of it is the difference between taxation and communism.
I presume his point is that output and profit are two completely different things. As Brian said, oil companies (and most big companies) are very good at hiding profits.
Isn’t that what we market ourselves to the world as, and why multinationals like Google, Apple, Facebook, Air BnB etc are here ?
THIS OIL AND GAS, people are killing for this. You cant compare this to google or yahoo, we didnt have anything to offer those companies besides tax incentives. These companies like providence are going to make billions and theyll give us a few hundred million just to keep the people happy. Providence is a shell company for other american oil giants like exon mobile. Its just their attempt to put an irish face on it. Please stop getting your information from RTE.
Just wait till somebody discovers WATER and starts selling that!
In Ireland? There’s none to be found.
Heard of the water charges ??
Best wishes to Tony O’Reilly and Providence Resources who are prepared to take risks that no bord of directors of any Irish semi state energy company such as ESB or BGE would have the courage to take. Providence are hoping to produce oil and gas which will potentially result in billions in taxes as required to ensure the Irish people continue to enjoy social welfare, schools, hospital, police, etc, on the contrary the non-risk takers at our energy semi-state companies are mostly focused on wind power where the guaranteed return is subsidised and guaranteed by the long suffering tax payer, and that subsidy dwarfs any profit returned to the public purse.
Billions in taxes?
What ESB which has got rid of 6500 staff, leaving them with roughly 7000 staff now? Who have built power stations and bid on contracts all over the world until they sold them off to pay a special dividend to the government this year?
Bord na Mona have a made a big shift into wind energy and made big profits last year.
Yeah those pesky facts.
Tony O’Reillys €450,000 plus pay packet ‘risk’ http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sectors/energy-and-resources/providence-says-barryroe-farm-out-nearing-completion-1.1908450
Bord Ma Mona is a subsidy junkie incapable of competing on a level playing field. BNM survived only because ESB were and still are forced to pay several times true value for wet turf even though gas and coal are less expensive. A good portion of the PSO levy on your electricity bill goes directly to subside the three turf burning station. Rather than being allowed to grab portion of the wind power subsidies BNM should be shut and the land sold.
As for ESB paying a special dividend, haven’t they asked for permission to borrow that money? It is just an exercise in re-labling a few hundred million of our national debt.
Best of luck!
Waiting for Boyd Barrett to start protesting about this. . Can’t be far off
As soon as the black gold starts flowing, Cork should declare its independence!! F3ck off with your 25%! It’s all ours!!
C’Mon Cork, rise up, our time has come!
Oh and by the way, the debt stays with the rest of ye!!
We would be willing to give ye a loan (from our oil revenues), $1bn (Rebel Dollars) at say, 125%APR.
Viva El Presidente Keano.
The clue is in the headline. The 25% is of corporate tax on profite earned through the sale of the oil. And already they claim to be losing money, so the way our tax structure is set up they will offset these losses against the 25% tax.None of this oil will be refined here instead it will be shipped to Wales or Rotterdam for refinement. And if we want it we’ll pay top dollar for it.
First of all we need a fairer tax system in place to ensure the government get a good tax return.
True, to set up a norwegian type system and go it alone by setting up a national oil company, will be a huge cost to the tax payer. But worth it in the long run. Norway was a poor enough country with limited funds before they discovered oil, but yet they did it. And now through a national fund the Norwegains hold 1% of the wealth in the world. They also hold 35% of the corrib gas field. They benefit more from gas from our territory than we do. And this is what is scandelous!
As a country we need to increase out tax rebate from oil and gas. The only reason it stays the at 25%(corporation tax) is by sucessful lobbying from the oil and gas industry, threatening to pull out of irish waters alltogether. But the fact is they need this oil as much as we do! And the other fact is governement coffers wont benefit from Barryroe and there’ll be no jobs as a result either(as its tied up by scottish+english oil workers)- i would know as i work in the Norwegian oil sector.
Dn, agree with you there, we do need to follow the Norwegian model. Invest the money and reap the rewards for the Irish people not a bunch of foreign investors etc.
It will need billions of investment but the long term rewards will more than pay it back
Don’t tell Dennis
Whale Oil Beef Hooked
Providence have now lost 167 Million in shareholders funds over the last 30 years. They have never sold a barrel of oil in ireland and this oil field was found 2.5 years and and nothing has happened in the meantime.
But sure we should tax them even more.
2.5 years isn’t a long time to wait. Oil prices are low at the minute so they may be timing it.
It takes a while to build a platform and lay pipes/manifolds/ SPMs etc.
What we only get 25% of the profit on this the oil around our shores are you kidding me.
Would you prefer 30-40% of zero instead of the current 25% of zero?
Which brings in more money?
I can hear them now in the Dail. ….If we strike a few billions worth let’s not tax it and let some business man witch political connections have it for free
“If”
Billions spent, not a drop found.
Climate change, sure what harm eh? Leave it in the ground if we are to possibly advert future mass destruction. Profit over planet and humanity. Completely insane and blinded by institutional greed and backward economics.
No oil means no plastic for the device you tapped your comment on.
No fertiliser to grow the food you eat today and no diesel to harvest it.
Its moot as there will probably be nothing found.
But feel free to live an oil free life.
Starvation is a bad way to go though.
Business Cat, I agree it is quite complex however time is drastically running out re climate change and it is happening with an overwhelming body of scientific evidence supporting it. Investing in renewable energy tech is whats needed. On that note I see the Rockerfellers have decided to do just that.
“No fertilizer to grow the food you eat today and no diesel to harvest it.” I’m a qualified horticulturist and can successfully grow healthier food free from fossil fuels while protecting and ensuring the long term health of the soil too. Of course easier said then done for many living in cities with small or no gardens but much land is being misused here. The present monetary system based on both debt and growth is at the core of the problem. We need a sustainable economic system.
Easy to say leave it the ground, okay if you wanna go back to living in a mud heat and burn peat
Stephen, that’s a very ignorant comment. I’ve lived and worked in various sustainable communities in Ireland, Portugal and Australia and have experienced the proper use of land, resources, natural building techniques, organic growing, renewable energy and Permaculture design. They have a far better quality of life then those living in say mainstream estates, developments etc.
Cob houses are far more energy efficient, sustainable, non toxic, longer life span and healthier to live in then so called “Conventional housing”. If that is what you meant by “Mud huts”?
Check these links out.. http://thehollies.ie/ and http://www.mudandwood.com/ and http://earthship.com/
Natural houses are very advanced today including both Cob houses and Earthships.
As I said earlier Horticulture / Design is my trade by profession but I have learned an equal amount on the forementioned in recent years as like many others I decided to “Be the change”. I thought like you guys 10 years ago but I was so very wrong. If you would like any further info then please feel free to contact me through my fb page. Regards!
Hi Stephen, Check following links.. http://thehollies.ie/ http://www.mudandwood.com/ http://earthship.com/ Re “Mud huts”, I can assure you that Cob houses and Earthships etc are far evolved from the days of mud huts! They are more energy efficient, non toxic, healthier houses, longer lasting etc then most “Conventional” mainstream housing and they don’t burn peat either.
I lived on a number of sustainable communities in Ireland, Portugal and Australia and learned about proper land and resource usage, organic food growing, renewable energy, advanced natural building, Permaculture design and so on. Ten years ago I would of been cynical and ignorantly critical of all of this but I’ve since learned the truth. I’m not patronizing you in anyway but what we have been “educated” on re energy, habitats etc is so backward and confined to blinkered monetarized thinking it is just mind baffling? Please feel free to contact me on my fb page should you require any further info or contacts. Many of these places have open days for all the public and you will be welcome.
Stephen, Sorry, first message did not post at first so I wrote another one! ;)
“Still losing money” at 7 million a year that is not a bad return if they get 22 billion……i think the losing money bit is for us moron citizens……
Rosnef and Exxon just discovered a Huge find in artic waters last week with exploratory wells indicating it could be bigger than the entire USA Gulf of Mexico . USA will likely start exporting crude due the success of fracking in previously closed wells and new wells , Russia is at the beginning of the fracking revolution and in the UK Shropshire region there’s huge potential for cracked crude . So if people think we are on a losing curve then think again . Mind you the price of crude will keep at or higher costs for time to come when ISIS disrupt the supply from Iraq , Syria and maybe Kuwait who knows what’s around the corner .
have your say