Transnistria? Where??

It is always exciting to read up on obscure countries that nobody really hears about or visits. Featured GoNOMAD writer Daniel Reynolds Riveiro writes about his time spent in the country of Transnistria that technically, does not exist. After it declared independence in 1990, the little country wedged between Moldova and Ukraine has left haunting images from the times of the Soviet Union, as well as a very successful Cognac factory. Enjoy the excerpts!

"Back in America, when I let people know I was going to Transnistria, the collective response was: “where?”

And the reason they had never heard of it was because Transnistria, despite having its own constitution, army and currency, isn’t recognized by any other sovereign nation and technically doesn’t exist."

"A statue of Lenin still stands in front of the president’s administrative offices, a Soviet Star is atop the parliament building and a hammer and sickle sit outside the train station.

Diana, my traveling companion from Ukraine, was in a delirium of nostalgia, pointing excitedly to things not seen since her Soviet childhood: fonts from the 80s, Soviet water dispensing machines, Soviet beer kiosks, 20-year-old buses, and stores that are named by their one state-mandated function."

Amherst, MA: I Love this Town

Feeling a bit homesick for my old college town of Amherst, MA I decided to search GoNOMAD for any articles related to the area. Luckily, I stumbled across this gem written by Kevin McDowell about the places to be and see in Amherst; a quaint New England town with so many things to discover. Enjoy the excerpts!

"Antonio’s Pizza: Mentioned first for a reason. One of the best slices of pizza I have ever tasted, up there with the North End and New York City. The key is the crust, thin and crispy, but still somehow able to support the ludicrous amount of toppings on every slice. Pay no mind to the occasionally sarcastic or impatient counter workers; Antonio’s is a must visit on any trip to Amherst."

"Judies: Known throughout New England for their famous popovers. Expanded now into a huge winding space with comfy seating and great lighting."

"The Harp: You can find Harpo himself behind the bar here most nights of the week. Always talkative, usually joking with (or about) his guests, Harpo’s place is always a good time. You get the feeling he was born to run a bar. North Amherst, north of UMass at the end of North Pleasant St."

"Riding the Norwottuck Rail Trail, a 10-mile bike path running from Belchertown to Northampton (another busy college town), offering views of local scenery, the highlight a rail bridge over the Connecticut River. Soon to be repaved, after someone decided that paving bike paths with recycled broken glass didn't make much sense."

"The Amherst Chamber of Commerce has a walking tour of Amherst, highlighting more than thirty buildings and features of interest including the homes of the town's two most famous residents, Emily Dickinson.

Amherst also has 20-odd walking trails named after famous writers. The town continues to be a haven for the literary with a number of indie bookstores and scores of writers and picturebook artists in residence."

Salt Dunes, Gray Flamingos and the Dutch West Indies

You would never expect to encounter pyramids down in the Caribbean, but these mysterious pyramids do exist (also known as sea salt mounds). Contributing writer to GoNOMAD.com Toccoa Switzer paints a beautiful and endearing story about her discovery of the salt dunes, gray flamingos and other elements that crave to be discovered in the Dutch West Indies. Enjoy the excerpts below!


"But it is what lies above the water that captures my attention. At the southern most tip of the island, I notice a range of cone-shaped mountains, the color of snow. They dot the barren landscape like pyramids in an Egyptian desert. "

"The expat explains how the island’s dry arid weather and steady trade winds make it an ideal location for solar salt production. The topography also plays a key role.

The flat shoreline allows the sea to fill shallow pools, known as salinas. As the salt water sits, the sun and wind evaporate the water, leaving the salt behind to crystallize."

"I also learn that flamingos aren’t really pink but grayish-white. The birds change color from feeding in the salt pans. As you drive south on the island past the dive sites you can see a series of ponds, some brown, some green, others coral red depending on their levels of algae and bacteria. The rosier colors reflect higher levels of saline."

Traveling the High Seas on a Low Budget

Many who travel set out with expectations of moving fast and spending big, however when traveling by freighter line, these expectations are pleasantly unmet. Departing on a freighter voyage entails many of the amenities that one might find while traveling on a cruise ship, but at a pace that is a true travelers dream.

A recent article by Maggie Freleng about freighter travel on GoNOMAD.com stimulated my deepest desires as a traveler; to relax and to enjoy my myself and my surroundings. Not being surrounded by "neurotic tourists", but instead by crew members from across the globe seems like a pretty good way to avoid many of the pitfalls that are often inherently included in traveling by large commercial cruise lines.

The diversity in the composition of the crew offered a rich variety in both company and cuisine, which created a comfortable environment while offering delicious samples of ethnic foods. As well as a good environment, one can also find themselves steering away from the more conventional cruise ship activities like water slides and Tiki bars, and find themselves partaking in more
wholesome travel activities such as watching the dolphins swim next to the ship and watching the sunset over the bow of the ship.

Traveling by freighter gives a traveler the best of both worlds; time to relax between the hectic beauty of the port cities, as well as good company to travel with. The third, and perhaps most underrated value of all when traveling by freighter is a look through the porthole into the the industry that provides our global economy with all of its goods.

From Brisbane Australia to the Philippines; from the U.K. to the U.S., everything we own is being shipped by freight lines. Virtually all of our possessions and provisions are transported by these behemoth freight ships, and for less than one hundred dollars a day; we as travelers have the opportunity to do what we love best, while riding on the back of the boats that make the world turn.