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Tiraspol is the capital of a tiny breakaway Republic in the east of Moldova. I have always enjoyed visiting unusual places and the crazy republic of Transdniestr really fits the bill. It even has its own currency which is totally worthless outside its own borders.

Moldova is lucky enough (from my twisted point of view) to have two breakaway regions but Gaugazia in the southwest is more moderate than Transdniestr and in return for being quite reasonable is allowed to be fairly autonomous.

Transdniestr is a different kettle of fish however. It is a state not recognized by any other country in the world, not any international body; not even the Russians who back it financially (unofficially of course) recognize its existence. It became independent (or so it thinks) in 1991 not long after Moldova declared independence from the Soviet Union because of the demands of a high number of ethnic Russians living in the region who feared that their rights would be overlooked in a future Moldovan constitution.

The move was not without violence; many died as a result of the declaration and the situation remains uneasy. In fact, the day we arrived there had been a blast on a bus in the centre of town in which two died and several more were injured. The situation, though, is largely safe for foreigners; the incident on the bus was very rare.

HOW DO I GET THERE?

Most people get to Transdniestr from the Moldovan capital, Chisinau. All roads may lead to Rome but in Moldova they lead to Chisinau and it is virtually impossible to make any journey within the country without venturing into the capital. Regular minibuses ply the route between Chisinau and Tiraspol, via Bendery (Transdniestr's second "city").

To get into Moldova EU, US and Canadian citizens need a visa which is best applied for in advance but can be gained at a couple (but not all) of the land border crossings. All of these are on the border with Romania. Although there is a border crossing with Ukraine on the east, visas cannot be issued here since this is an entry to Transdniestr and those wishing to go on to Moldova afterwards would be turned away unless they had a multi-entry visa or had acquired a visa in advance.

When you get to the border just a shabby barrier and a shed a soldier gets on the bus (I am presuming you are not driving) and has a look around at the passengers. Identity cards and passports are then handed over for checking. Foreign visitors are then asked to disembark and enter the shed where the soldiers

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