My Chisinau apartment was a ten-minute walk to the central bus station. I bought my ticket for Tiraspol from the driver: 15 lei, or about $1.40, and the same price/procedure back to Chisinau. about ninety minutes through some nice Moldovan countryside (punctuated by hardscrabble villages and Soviet-era debris), and I made it to the border.

This was my third PMR crossing, and I have adequate Russian facility to navigate the procedure; I budgeted about 30 euros in ‘fees’ each way. So imagine my surprise when I completed the entry form, passed it to the dour officer behind the glass, and he says, in English, ‘Thank you’. I must have had some kind of stupid look on my face at not being accosted, so he quickly reverted in Russian to ‘that’s all’. No hassle, no bribe, not even the nominal fee. No problems on return to Chisinau later that day, either.

Possible explanations:
–I’m in their database as a frequent traveler to the region (and presumed to be spending money there).
–I traveled during the Moldovan Wine Festival, when PMR could count on curious Westerners passing through. Maybe they’re trying to show their kinder, gentler side.
–My handsome profile and savoir faire carried me through.

Tiraspol itself was an odd, odd place. Having first traveled to post-Soviet republics in the early 90′s, I mostly saw weatherbeaten, distressed cities. This was as if I had traveled, in 2008, to a 1964 NY World’s Fair which had been in continuous use, and scrupulously maintained across the decades. Except, no crowds. No cars, street activity, foot traffic, on a Sunday afternoon with the finest weather of the year. A trickle of quiet humans hugged the foot path along the Nistru.

My limited time on the ground means I only scratched the surface, and need to get back to find out more. But this visit was the absolute least border hassle in my experience. Maybe with less hassle, travelers can actually start finding reasons to go there.

For all those interested, if you can find this documentary: “Transnistria: Trafficking Arms On Europe’s Doorstep”, it will provide an interesting perspective of TransD’s weapon exports.

Wikipedia actually has an article “Crime in Transnistria” :) –> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Transnistria#Antisemitic_incidents

And just to top it off, a few months ago, about five grenade launchers were found at a dump in Moldova (not TransD). Not new but in perfect working order. No statements about the source of the weapons have been made by authorities.