Fascinating how time flies, already five weeks since the end of Hai Huiala. Five weeks that honestly didn't feel like they were going by. It's like I'm still surrounded by the aroma of the forest subtly seeping through the motorcycle helmet, a scent that, combined with the music of the road, the roar of the engines and the exhaust fumes, amplifies the feeling of communion with the comrades with whom I dance to identical chords on the winding roads to the next destination.
Our adventure begins at Barlogul Hai Huienilor, the sanctuary where, every time, our hearts and souls merge in anticipation of the spectacular adventures that await us and the pleasure of being together.
This year, for the first time, we started from the fresh Barlog. In what seems like tradition already, in my experience, everyone arrived well before the appointed meeting time. But that was no coincidence, because that's how we were able to enjoy the apple and cheese pie prepared by Iuliana.
Couldn't have started the trip in a better way. It was like a sacred ritual of some knights ready to go to battle, to protect the wealth and the nation from the invaders.
After wiping away every trace of the pie and savoring the last crumb, we saddled up and bravely set off for Craiova, the first stop on our journey.
The road to Craiova, carefully chosen by our captain, Om Bun, revealed to us the fascinating winding roads, which warmed up our engines, made them resound loudly at every bend, causing emotions and trying to surprise But no curve could defeat us. With elegance and mastery, each HaiHuian danced a passionate tango with the curves of the road.
Until Craiova, we also had the unique encounter with the black cat, which tried to confuse three of us, but the three HaiHuien masters managed to overcome this obstacle without difficulty. Everything went according to plan and in a short time we were greeted by Varu, our host from Craiova, who led us to the center of the party that was going to take place.
The party was full of challenges, but together we managed to overcome them with flying colours. The next day was a quiet one, spent in picturesque Craiova, where we enjoyed the delicious dishes and local wine, recovering from the tests passed the day before.
Time flew like the wind and we quickly found ourselves in the saddle, ready to continue our journey to our next destination, Svinita.
We must not forget, our goal is to explore as many of the ethnic groups in Romania as possible, to discover their traditions and to make friends with them over a glass of conversation.After a short meeting, because you don't have to think that things are left to chance, every trip requires careful planning. And in addition to having fun, the safety of your comrades is a priority. So, after this short meeting, we resumed our way to the next destination, going to cross spectacular areas such as Valea Cernei, a corner of heaven.
The weather proved to be changeable, causing us to constantly change our rain gear. Everything went pretty much without a hitch, except for the weather playing tricks on us. Thus, we were able to enjoy all the scenic curves that led us to the impressive first stop, God's Bridge, a natural wonder not to be missed. The road to Svinita was quickly shortened, with so much beauty around.
The weather, ironically, pushed us to gear up with our rain gear one last time as it started to rain in earnest. I was excitedly driving along the wet and winding roads to our destination when, surprise surprise, my motorcycle started having problems and gave up after a few turns. I pulled to the right, confused and surprised, I didn't expect something like that.
Matias and Yoyo were the first to try to bring the motorcycle back to life, but without success. Good luck with the van that accompanied us.
I unloaded the luggage from the van, loaded the motorcycle with effort, almost in tears of frustration, but remained optimistic and confident that we would solve the problem. I was not alone, but accompanied by my best comrades. After loading the motorcycle into the van and filling it with luggage, I climbed in with Marius and continued the journey.
This road seemed to me the most difficult and long, probably due to the distance from my motorcycle and the comrades who were moving away in a deafening howl.
Finally, we arrived at Svinita, where we had to drop off the motorcycle because Marius had to change the van for another one, because it also had problems. Exactly, I was eager to try to solve the problem. Together with Yoyo and Matias, we opened the motorcycle and after a few hours of tinkering, we concluded that there was a problem with the fuel supply, but it was not very clear to us what the exact problem was.
We rewarded our work with a beer, but not before finding a possible solution in Reșita. The mayor of Svinita told us about the history of the place and the people and served us the best fish borscht.
Serbs from Svinita, a commune in Mehedinți county, represent a significant ethnic minority in Romania, having a majority presence in that locality. Historically, the Serbian population in Romania was larger in the past, but has fluctuated over the centuries due to migrations and political events. For example, during the communist period, many Serbs from Banat were deported to Bărăgan, with permission to return to their homes after 1956.
The next day, we loaded the motorcycle into the new van and headed to the workshop in Reșita. The moment we arrived, together with the renowned mechanic, we armed ourselves with the necessary tools and began to disassemble the motorcycle again.
After many hours and hopes, I realized that the only solution was to replace the gas pump. In short and simply put, this was the situation.
After a memorable party in Reșita, the next day I watched with a heavy heart how my comrades were leaving, and I felt a strong sense of sadness.
I quickly regained my balance, loaded the motorcycle on the platform and set off towards Bucharest, a road that was not without adventures.
Exactly at the exit from Reșița, we replaced the car that towed the platform with a Skoda, the vehicle with which we would have arrived in Bucharest if the engine had not broken down. More precisely, just before Pitesti, poor Skoda gave up.
Thus, in the middle of the night I had to call for the help of my wife, who came by car to help us get home with the motorcycle. I fell asleep thinking about all the things I needed to do the next day to get the bike running and quickly on the boys trail. I tried to fix it for a few days, but unfortunately it became clear that there was nothing I could do until the new gas pump arrived, because that was the problem.
Meanwhile, my comrades were moving from one objective to another, exploring in depth everything we had set out to do.
I was unable to attend, so I was helplessly watching all the Whatsapp messages and photos. I was happy for them and tried to imagine the experiences they were going through. Unfortunately, it's hard for me to put into words what they experienced, so I'll let the photos do the talking for me.
... but let's not forget that next year there will be a new Hai Huiala.
At the 10th edition next year, I hope I won't encounter any kind of surprises and can participate in the whole experience.
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