Backpacking Bender, Transnistria, the country that many say doesn’t exist. It exists, alright. It’s just not internationally recognised, which is a shame because it really is a cracking place, one that I would love to explore more.
Bender, first mentioned in 1408, is the second largest city of the unrecognised Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic PMR, which was established in 1990 during the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
It is located on the western bank of the Dniester (transboundary river) in the region of Bessarabia, though the river would have made the obvious border, making Bender in Moldova. As it is, it is 5 km inside Transnistria.
Bender is the name given by Moldova. It is also referred to as Tighina. In Russian, it’s Бендеры, Bendery.
On the way back to Chişinău, having backpacked Tiraspol, I stopped in Bender for the night.
This is a bonus post. Like when you buy a record and have a double ‘A’ side or on a DVD, you have those extra scenes at the end that didn’t make the cut.
Bender is like that, cos who the fuck goes backpacking in Bender? This is a shame, as it’s an awesome place.
I stayed a night, cos anything less than a night is just a day trip.
After my two nights at Like Home Hostel in Tiraspol, I headed out once again. Having just a week’s vacation really does suck. But such is life when one is holding down a regular job to get some big money saved up for the next massive trip. I could have stayed a week in Tiraspol.
It was raining again. After a quick coffee at the Cafe Elegance:
I took Trolleybus #19 which runs down October 25th Street to Bender.
The last stop in Bender is on Lazo Street. The fare for the ride is 3 Roubles, and the journey takes about 30 minutes.
Accommodation in Bender
There aren’t any hostels in Bender. For hotels, you have the choice of the Hotel Prietenia or the rather expensive Hotel Starye Bendery. Still, there are apartments for rent, listed on Booking.
I booked a night at the Apartment VIP. Check-in was at 2 pm. Well, I messaged the owners, Vasily and Viktoria, that I’d arrive at 2, as they don’t live at the apartment, so I killed time, as I was, as ever, very early, with a spot of lunch. My first taste of Chişinău beer hit the spot, purely to wash down the Transnistrian khachapuri I hasten to add:
Apartment VIP was a good choice. A massive living room with an equally massive sofa for about 10 people to watch Russian TV, with a fully-equipped kitchen, though I only made myself just a cup of tea and a cup of 3-in-1 coffee in the morning before leaving. There were two bathrooms. My en-suite had a bath.
My bedroom was equally big with a double bed, just for yours truly:
And as ever, it was time to go out exploring. Just around the corner, I came across bullet-ridden buildings:
Alexander Pushkin Monument. He was a prominent Russian poet and playwright:
Railway stations are always built with flair and creativity. Below is the Bender-1 station but all passenger traffic uses the Bender-2 station!
Statue of Lenin:
Then I went past the bus station. CCCP? This has to be the coolest name for a cafe.
The inside of the bus station is truly from the Soviet era. I guess it’s used as a waiting room in winter, as the ticket kiosks are no longer inside.
I couldn’t resist this somewhat covert shot of the checkpoint just before the bridge on the road that continues to Tiraspol, which is manned by Russian Peacekeepers.
Then I walked up to the Tighina Fortress.
The Eternal Flame and another Russian T-34 tank:
On the way back, I stopped at the supermarket. Bread, cheese, and beer, which I consumed down by the flooded Dniester.
Then it was back to my lodgings. I stopped off at another little kiosk for some more beers. I needed to relax a little bit. So I filled the bath up and soaked myself. Had a great sleep.
Marshrutkas from Bender to Chişinău leave from the central bus station fairly regularly. Buy your ticket from the Kacca (not inside the terminal). The fare was 36.75 Roubles.
The first of two Transnistria-Moldova checkpoints just outside of town. Here is a sneaky shot:
The border guy will get on and just take a quick look at everyone’s ID. I got to keep my migration card. Another nice souvenir. 50 metres down the road, you stop again. The driver has to open up the back, and they have a quick look for whatever, then it’s plain sailing back to Chişinău. Journey time was just over an hour.
