Group 18 in Botiza

From left to right: Adela, Laurenzo, Curtis, me, Julie, Al, Rebe, Alec and the guy in the front is someone we don't know.

It was a nice weekend, spending time with my group - Alec, Curtis and I took the train up to Salva, hopped a Personel Train to Iza where Ioana met us to take us to Botiza.


Saturday morning we went to the market - where we learned how to kill a pig, we visited an old medicine woman, Matt & Laurenzo had a beer and made some friends, Julie picked up some tourist-Romanian guy (you go-girl!)...

So busy morning!






On Saturday afternoon we took a hike with "poufy" (Botiza's version of Lassie) up the hill/mountain, through the orchards, around the hay stacks, over the deep entrenched road... A few of us hung-back from trying to reach the peak - I hung-out with Maria and had some girl talk.

Maria is a 10 year old little girl from Botiza. I tried to convince her to marry a guy who will cook for her - she looked at me like I was out of my mind!


Curtis Before...
Julie, Matt and Curtis who went on climbing, came barreling back down the hill, running... Curtis led the pack with his arms raised yelling "BEAR!!!!" Right at the end of the hill he bit it! It seemed staged and therefore comical - he fell so dramatically. But it was real and he ended up hurting his ankle. So Matt and Rebe - wonderful people that they are - improvised with a make-shift sled from thick braches that were on the ground. Curtis got on top and they pulled him down the hill! It was tear-jerking love...

Curtis After...

Later Curtis (after some tuica treatments) was nursed back to health by an old medicine woman in the village - who also offered to sleep with him... Rebe immediately identified with the old woman.

Sunday morning we were all on our separate ways - I went up to Sighet - I hung-out a little with Julie and later met up with Rebe, Al and Ioana, who showed me some sights and sent me off on the afternoon Accelerat train - jam packed with whole the population of university students from Sighet with enough luggage to occupy all the space in the small compartment - computers, ancient monitors, baggage, probably kitchen sinks too. I had to "sweet talk" the conductor a little to sit in first class. The 9 hours (2 accelerat trains - which I had the good fortune to connect and buy a ticket in the 5 minute window between trains in Cluj) was aggonizing! And I came home with flea bites all over my back! One of the greatest fear-factors in public transportation - the fleas you're likely to pick up!