Dracula-land

Greetings from Transylvania! Today we are in a lovely little town called Brasov in Romania on our way to Bucharest for two nights. We've spent the last two nights 'bush' camping - the first of many. This involves Jacko (the driver) heading the truck off the main road a couple of hours before dusk while a sense of anticipation and guesswork of where we're going to stop to set up camp builds around us. Usually at this point the anatomy is more than ready for solid ground, a stationary toilet and the physical joy of simply standing up straight.

So what happens next is that we meander bumpily down a rural track through spectacular scenery (Romania is very hilly and forested) spotting stork nests and, if we're lucky, storks mating. By and by we come to a village populated (sparsely) by typical Eastern European peasants who either stare nonplussed at the lumbering great orange truck or ignore us completely engrossed in weeding or un-tacking the donkey from the days work. The younger inhabitants run off to tell their friends about the spectacle. The intention is to find a suitable field in which to camp but the reality is that Jacko manuevoures the 16 tonner expertly round tiny bends until eventually we come to the inevitable impassable pony trap bridge over the local river which stops us in our tracks. At this point Jacko and Jane (crew) alight from the cab and approach the nearest local standing in amusement shaking heads and gesticulating in fear of their main thoroughfare being demolished. What follows is usually an entertaining exchange of smiles, shrugs, head shakes and a brief conversation in two entirely different languages with neither understanding the other and no one really caring. Jacko, after a brief survey of the depth of the surrounding mud and reversing capacity, hops back in the cab and does a 14 point turn directed by Jane from outside the truck.

So, by the time we head back up through the village, all the inhabitants have gathered to witness the lumbering behemoth backtrack from whence it came. Some smiling and waving but most just staring blankly. Last night we headed back out on the main road for a further few hundred yards at which point Jacko's seventh sense of sniffing out fantastic little camping spots kicked in, the truck slowed, he turns off the main road and we find ourselves in an enchanting little forest glade with a vibrantly flowing river and a (most importantly) flat field. Yes, it's been raining so we're a bit dubious about the saturation of the field and suspiciously eye the muddy trenches left by the truck tracks but nothing is said and we all kick into action. I'm on truck duty for two nights so this involves digging a couple of holes (there's 4 people in our team), disposing of the truck toilet waste in one of them and erecting a toilet tent around the other for use overnight. We then sweep and mop the truck before attending to our tents and pitching camp. So although it's been pouring with rain all day, spirits are fairly high and we comment on how lucky we are that it's stopped raining in time for camp and how beautiful our little spot is. There's even a little waterfall, wild flowers and pretty birds. Heaven!

Hats off to the two 'wallahs' for miraculously producing a wood fire from damp logs big and hot enough to cook on further embellished by the production of a delicious and hearty meal from the cook team a couple of hours later. The food has been really good and generous with hot porridge, bread, muesli and fruit every morning setting us up for the day.

The next two nights will be in a campsite which is relative luxury and I'm looking forward to a hot shower. The itinerary for the next few weeks is roughly:

• 16th April - Romania
• 20th - 22nd April - Istanbul
• 23rd April - Bush camp, Turkey somewhere
• 24th - Gallipoli for ANZAC day
• 25th April to 11th May - Turkey. A combination of bush camps and campsites ending in Lake Van on 11th May
• Monday 12th May - Iran border.

Well, there's so much more to tell as its been a sensory, cultural, social and logistical overload from day one. Suffice it to say it's been challenging (particularly for me, the cold), rewarding (pulling off cooking for 25 people over camping gas), breathtaking (the Danube river), stimulating (yoga on the banks of the Danube in Prague) and heartwarming (Simon). I'm cold, smelly, happy, excited, tired, on the road and in love. Just what I wanted. Perfect!