Vlad usually had a horse attached to each of the victim’s legs and a sharpened stake was gradually forced into the victims body. The end of the stake was usually oiled and care was taken that the stake not be too sharp, else the victim might die too rapidly from shock. Normally the stake was inserted into the body through the buttocks and was often forced through the body until it emerged from the mouth. However, there were many instances where victims were impaled through other body orifices or through the abdomen or chest. Infants were sometimes impaled on the stake forced through their mother’s chests. The records indicate that victims were sometimes impaled so that they hung upside down on the stake.

Vlad Tepes often had the stakes arranged in various geometric patterns. The most common pattern was a ring of concentric circles in the outskirts of a city that was his target. The height of the spear indicated the rank of the victim. The decaying corpses were often left up for months. It was once reported that an invading Turkish army turned back in fright when it encountered thousands of rotting corpses impaled on the banks of the Danube.

In 1461 Mohammed II, the conqueror of Constantinople, a man not noted for his squeamishness, returned to Constantinople after being sickened by the sight of twenty thousand impaled Turkish prisoners outside of the city of Tirgoviste. This gruesome sight is remembered in history as “the Forest of the Impaled.”

Thousands were often impaled at a single time. Ten thousand were impaled in the Transylvanian city of Sibiu in 1460. In 1459, on St. Bartholomew Day, Vlad III had thirty thousand of the merchants and boyars of the Transylvanian city of Brasov impaled. One of the most famous woodcuts of the period shows Vlad Dracula feasting amongst a forest of stakes and their grisly burdens outside Brasov while a nearby executioner cuts apart other victims.

Although impalement was Vlad Dracula’s favorite method of torture, it was by no means his only method. The list of tortures employed by this cruel prince reads like an inventory of hell’s tools: nails in heads, cutting off of limbs, blinding, strangulation, burning, cutting off of noses and ears, mutilation of sexual organs (especially in the case of women), scalping, skinning, exposure to the elements or to wild animals, and burning alive.

No one was immune to Vlad’s attentions. His victims included women and children, peasants and great lords, ambassadors from foreign powers and merchants. However, the vast majority of his victims came from the merchants and boyars of Transylvania and his own Wallachia.

Many have attempted to justify Vlad Dracula’s actions on the basis of nascent nationalism and political necessity. Many of the merchants in Transylvania and Wallachia were German Saxons who were seen as parasites, preying upon Romanian natives of Wallachia. The wealthy land owning boyars exerted their own often capricious and unfaithful influence over the reigning princes. Vlad’s own father and older brother were murdered by unfaithful boyars. However, many of Vlad Dracula’s victims were also Wallachians, and few deny that he derived a perverted pleasure from his actions.

Vlad Dracula began his reign of terror almost as soon as he came to power. His first significant act of cruelty may have been motivated by a desire for revenge as well as a need to solidify his power. Early in his main reign he gave a feast for his boyars and their families to celebrate Easter. Vlad was well aware that many of these same nobles were part of the conspiracy that led to his father’s assassination and the burying alive of his elder brother, Mircea. Many had also played a role in the overthrow of numerous Wallachian princes. During the feast Vlad asked his noble guests how many princes had ruled during their lifetimes. All of the nobles present had outlived several princes. None had seen less than seven reigns. Vlad immediately had all the assembled nobles arrested. The older boyars and their families were impaled on the spot. The younger and healthier nobles and their families were marched north from Tirgoviste to the ruins of his castle in the mountains above the Arges River. The enslaved boyars and their families were forced to labor for months rebuilding the old castle with materials from a nearby ruin. According to the reports they labored until the clothes fell off their bodies and then were forced to continue working naked. Very few survived this ordeal.
Throughout his reign Vlad continued to systematically eradicate the old boyar class of Wallachia. Apparently Vlad was determined that his own power be on a modern and thoroughly secure footing. In the place of the executed boyars Vlad promoted new men from among the free peasantry and middle class; men who would be loyal only to their prince.

Vlad Tepes’ atrocities against the people of Wallachia were usually attempts to enforce his own moral code upon his country. He appears to have been particularly concerned with female chastity. Maidens who lost their virginity, adulterous wives and unchaste widows were all targets of Vlad’s cruelty. Such women often had their sexual organs cut out or their breasts cut off, and were often impaled through the vagina on red-hot stakes. One report tells of the execution of an unfaithful wife. Vlad had the woman’s breasts cut off, then she was skinned and impaled in a square in Tirgoviste with her skin lying on a nearby table. Vlad also insisted that his people be honest and hard working. Merchants who cheated their customers were likely to find themselves mounted on a stake beside common thieves.

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Historians don’t know much about his early years. He had an older brother, Mircea, and a younger brother, Radu the Handsome. His early education was left in the hands of his mother, a Transylvanian noblewoman, and her family. His real education began in 1436 after his father succeeded in claiming the Wallachian throne by killing his Danesti rival. His training was typical to that of the sons of nobility throughout Europe. His first tutor in his apprenticeship to knighthood was an elderly boyar who had fought against the Turks at the battle of Nicolopolis. Vlad learned all the skills of war and peace that were deemed necessary for a Christian knight.

At the age of thirteen, young Vlad and his brother Radu were sent to Adrianople as hostages. He remained there until 1448, at which time he was released by the Turks, who supported him as their candidate for the Wallachian throne. Vlad’s younger brother apparently chose to remain in Turkey, where he had grown up.

Vlad’s initial reign was quite short (two months). He return at the throne of Wallachia in 1456 with the support of Hunyadi and the Kingdom of Hungary. He established Tirgoviste as his capitol city, and began to build his castle some distance away in the mountains near the Arges River. Most of the atrocities associated with Vlad III took place during this time.

More than anything else the historical Dracula is known for his inhuman cruelty. Impalement was Vlad III’s preferred method of torture and execution. Impalement was and is one of the most gruesome ways of dying imaginable, as it was typically slow and painful. About more details of Vlad’s atrocities we’ll write another articles.

Although Vlad III experienced some success in fending off the Turks, his accomplishments were relatively short-lived. He received little support from his titular overlord, Matthius Corvinus, King of Hungary (son of John Hunyadi) and Wallachian resources were too limited to achieve any lasting success against the powerful Turks.

In 1462 the Turks succeeded in forcing Vlad to flee to Transylvania. His first wife committed suicide by leaping from the towers of Vlad’s castle into the waters of the Arges River rather than surrender to the Turks. Vlad escaped through a secret passage and fled across the mountains into Transylvania and appealed to Matthias Corvinus for aid. The king immediately had Vlad arrested and imprisoned in a royal tower.

There is some debate as to the exact length of Vlad’s confinement. The Russian pamphlets indicate that he was a prisoner from 1462 until 1474. However, during this period he was able to gradually win his way back into the graces of Matthias Corvinus and ultimately met and married a member of the royal family (possibly the sister of Corvinus) and fathered two sons. It is unlikely that a prisoner would be allowed to marry a member of the royal family. As the eldest son was about 10 years old at the point Vlad regained the Wallachian throne in 1476, his release probably occurred around 1466.

Another possible reason for Vlad’s rehabilitation was that the new successor to the Wallachian throne, Vlad’s own brother, Radu the Handsome, had instituted a very pro-Turkish policy. The Hungarian king may have viewed Dracula as a possible candidate to retake the throne. The fact that Vlad renounced the Orthodox faith and adopted Catholicism was also surely meant to appease his Hungarian captor.

In 1476 Vlad was again ready to make a bid for power. Vlad Dracula and Prince Stephen Bathory of Transylvania invaded Wallachia with a mixed contingent of forces. Vlad’s brother, Radu, had by then already died and was replaced by Basarab the Old, a member of the Danesti clan. At the approach of Vlad’s army Basarab and his cohorts fled. However, shortly after retaking the throne, Prince Bathory and most of Vlad’s forces returned to Transylvania, leaving Vlad in a vulnerable position. Before he was able to gather support, a large Turkish army entered Wallachia. Vlad was forced to march and meet the Turks with less than four thousand men.

Vlad Dracula was killed in battle against the Turks near the town of Bucharest in December of 1476. Some reports indicate that he was assassinated by disloyal Wallachian boyars just as he was about to sweep the Turks from the field. Other accounts have him falling in defeat, surrounded by the ranks of his loyal Moldavian bodyguard. Still other reports claim that Vlad, at the moment of victory, was accidentally struck down by one of his own men.

The one undisputed fact is that ultimately his body was decapitated by the Turks and his head sent to Constantinople where the sultan had it displayed on a stake as proof that the horrible Impaler was finally dead. He was reportedly buried at Snagov, an island monastery located near Bucharest.

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If you are planning your trip to Prague, the first thing you should do is to find suitable accommodation there.
Here is one cool residence we would recommend you www.voytaresidence.com Voyta Residence is situated in the center of the Prague, 2 minutes slow walking from National Theatre (Národní divadlo), one of Prugue’s attractions and 1 minute from Vltava River, about 5 minutes walking from Charles bridge and Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí). On the one hand you can enjoy quiet old Prague surrounding and feel the flavor of its real everyday life. One the other hand – you are just 5 minutes far from active, bright, never sleeping touristic core of this town with all its entertainments.

At Voyta Residence you can rent:

- Twin room (two single beds, shared bathroom and toilet – 24 euro), Double room (double bed, shared bathroom and toilet – 24 euro), Triple room (three single beds, shared bathroom and toilet - 30 €). Prices per room / night

- Studios (living room/bedroom with fully equipped built-in kitchen unit, a shower and wc. The bedroom is equipped with: double bed . The studio apartment includes other equipment as a satellite TV, internet connection, refrigerator, electric cooker, electric kettle, kitchen sink and other kitchen equipment.) Price – 55 -80 euro depending on season.

- Apartments(one or two bedrooms plus living room plus kitchen, a bathroom with a bath-tub and wc. The apartment includes other equipment as a satellite TV, DVD player, internet connection, refrigerator, electric cooker, electric kettle, kitchen sink and other kitchen equipment.)Price: 65-195 euro depending on season.

Address of Voyta Residence: Vojtesska 18, PRAGUE 1. For booking please email here: info(at)voytaresidence.com (replace (at) with @ ) or call +420 224 933 776 .

Below you can find some pictures of this comfortable accommodation. Have a great time in Prague!

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Comfortable rooms and kind staff will provide perfect conditions for your rest. Rooms are equipped with modern furniture, air-conditioners, tv-sets, mini-bars. Also there is everything necessary for business trips and entertainment at the hotel: Internet, outside terrace, parking, bar and even open swimming pool.

The prices of the Pension Gallery are very democratic. Double room costs about 75 euro per night, which is very cheap for such level Bucharest hotel (4 stars). This price can differ a little bit depending on season. Also from time to time hotel’s administrator (very sweet lady, btw :)) offers different discounts. If you are planning your trip to Bucharest please take a look at hotel’s official web site www.gallerybucuresti.ro. For booking rooms please email here: office(at)gallerybucuresti.ro (replace (at) with@ ) or call +4021.411.41.85.

Please take a look below at hotel’s pictures. I’m sure, as soon as you enter the hotel you’ll understand that you made the right choice.

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The pension consists of two parts. The first part occupies about half of hectare. There are 10 cozy wooden cabanas on the territory and big recreation area for active games and sunbathing. Each cabana has everything necessary for comfortable vacations: 2 beds, shower cabin and wc, tv, electrical heater. Cabanas have little verandas where you can comfortably rest on a chaise longue.

This part of the pension also have a restaurant where you can enjoy both delicious Romanian food and gorgeous mountains’ view. Also there are several tables outside if you like to eat your barbecue under the open blue sky. This is a really perfect place for ecological tourism lovers.

On the second part of the pension there is a hotel, decorated in national Romanian style. It was built on the place of a real village house. It combines romantic spirit of ancient Transylvania and required facilities of modern hotel (rooms have balconies, wc, shower, minibars, TV, Internet).

At the Pension Bodrogeni you can rent a bike, play football and another games or just observe mountain cliffs and green forests around. Perfect conditions and inspiring nature guarantee unforgettable vacation.

The price of cabana is just 30 euro per day (breakfast is included). Price can differ a little because of local currency rate (RON) changing. For booking rooms please email here: info (at) bodrogeni.ro or visit official web site of Pension Bodrogeni web site. Also please take a look at the pictures of this amazing place (below).

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Walking near Prague Castle and Royal Garden we arrived to Prague wine harvesting festival (vinobrani) and we decided to stay and check it out. Our participation consisted in tasting of young fermenting wine and purchase of some old wine for later.

Throughout southern Moravia local ‘vinobrani’ (wine festivals) celebrate the arrival of ‘Burcak’, the new, semi-fermented wine, in late August and early September. Visitors can also expect to be entertained by costumed jugglers, sword fighters and dancers. The weekend presents a full program, beginning with an evening costume procession. Other events and attractions include a knights’ tournament, an historical market, medieval music, dances, theater performances and plenty of opportunities to try the celebrated burcak. The grand finale comes with a display of fireworks.

The tasting and drinking of burcak has been part of Czech fall since old times. Tasting this young wine bring back so many memories from childhood, when this was only “alcohol” we have been allowed to drink.

Burcak is very young grape juice that is just starting fermenting. It is high in sugar and low in alcohol, but throughout fermentation the ratio between them is changing in favor of alcohol and wine is being born. We are not wine experts, but in our travels we learn little about flavor, color and taste.

From a wine producer we wound some interesting facts about the Czech wine production. The most productive part of the Czech Republic is the southeast part of Moravia. They have some vineyards in Bohemia and Prague, but Moravia with its plentiful sunshine, fertile soil and the right amount of rain gives grapes an excellent color, flavor and taste that give the wine the best quality that can be compared to quality of French and Italian wine.

We know that in north America it would be hard to find this wines, but if you look after small Czech, Polish, Slovak, Hungarian or Romanian store you could find them or you could order them. The California’s wine can’t even compare with the sweetness of this wines. You have to trust us by word.

While tasting the burcak you can listen some folk music or watch some folk dancing. It is a very popular event and you are surrounded all time by people all drinking burcak.

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The Prague Zoo is located in Troja, a border city quarter, but it is well accessible from the center. From the underground station on route C – Nadrazi Holesovice, take a bus number 112, leaving many times per hour, but it is often very full. Romantic souls can reach the Zoo by the steam boat leaving from the waterfront (Rasinovo nabrezi).

The Zoo is opened from 9 AM to 6 PM during the fall. The entrance fee is 70 Czk for an adult, 50 Czk reduced (children, students, seniors), but if you planning to stay in Prague for some time and you really are into animals, it is much better bargain to buy a permanent ticket for 500 Czk which is valid for one year. Children up to 3 years have a free entrance. In the Zoo there is a lift railway and a small train. These are both paid separately. For the pet owners there is an option to take your dog with you.

At the Zoo entrance we found out some interesting info. The Prague Zoo belongs to Czech most beautiful and biggest gardens, there were visitors already in 1931. First inhabitant of the Zoo was the wolf Lotty. During the whole twentieth century new occupiers from animal kingdom were increasing. In 2002 a big disaster hit the garden – flash flood which washed down more than half of the garden. Thanks to sponsors and donators things are now working as they should.

At this moment thousands of mammals are sheltered here, as well as over 1300 birds and almost 800 reptiles. They also fish, amphibians, shells and insects. It is not possible to write out all, come to see and you sure won´t be disappointed.
The Zoo is offering an interesting program to adopt one animal for one year. You become adoptive parent and a label with your name will be placed next to the animal´s location.

The most appreciated pavilions are the Indonesian Jungle and the Monkey Island where you can have a look at the luxuriant flora and fauna of the jungle or practically play with the cute lemurs.

After visiting the lower part of the Zoo we took the lift railway to the top part of the Zoo. From the chair you have a good view of the bird’s habitat.

On the top side of the Zoo you can take a brake and have a beer and a great sausage. To be honest was one of the best we eat in some time. The beer costs around 25 Czk and 20 Czk for a sausage.

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Situated at about 279 km far from Bucharest and 117 km from Brasov, Sighisoara attracts a lot of foreign tourists every year. One can get here by car on the E 60 European Highway, from Targu Mures to Brasov, or by train, on the Bucharest – Brasov – Teius route, with shunting to Arad and Oradea. The accommodation possibilities are unlimited, in hotels, motels and boarding houses.

The city was attested first time under the name of “Castrum Sex”, in 1280, although there is evidence of its existence since 1191. The city was developed by the Saxon colonists living in Transylvania who had to watch over the frontiers of the Hungarian kingdom in the 12th and 13th centuries A.C., the fortress gathered inside its walls Saxon, Romanian and Hungarian craftsmen. That’s the reason why the citadel was named in all the three languages: SCHAESSBURG, SIGHISOARA, and SEGESVAR. The craftsmen were organized in guilds, each of them administrating a defense tower. The defense walls are 960 meters long, and of the 17 towers there are only nine left, except for the clock tower.

For past 15+ years, each summer in Sighisoara is organized a three days Medieval Art Festival.
I would try to present in couple of words the multitude of tourist attraction points of this town: towers, bastions, churches and houses.

The most important are considered to be the Clock Tower – the entrance gate in the citadel – which is also a symbol of Sighisoara, the Tin Coaters Tower, the Butcher’s Tower, the Shoemaker’s Tower, the Taylor’s Tower, the Furrier’s Tower, the Blacksmith’s Tower, the Rope Makers’ Tower, the Tanner’s Tower, the Church of the Monastery, the Church on the Hill, the Venetian House, the House with Antlers, the Cliff House, the House with Shingle, the house attributed to Vlad Tepes and so on.

The Clock Tower

During history, the Gate Tower was used for the council’s meetings and for storing Sighisoara’s archive and thesaurus. The Gate Tower was named the Clock Tower after 1604, when a clock with a wood mechanism was installed in it. In 1648 the blacksmiths of Sighisoara rebuilt that mechanism using metal components and improved it so that its hands also indicated the minutes. The two faces of the clock are each 2.4 meters in diameter, and one of them looks towards Lower Town, and the other towards the Citadel. The clock was also equipped with two groups of wooden statuettes disposed in three registers. Two of the statuettes represent Justice and Fairness, symbolizing the judicial autonomy of the town. Another statuette represents a brazier announcing the exact time. A “desperate man” is also represented by one statuette, telling the strangers that death penalty is applied in the citadel. After the style of that time, there are also present 0.80 meters tall statuettes made of linden trees, representing the pagan gods personifying the days of the week: Diana, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and Sun.
In 1964 the clock was equipped with an electric engine. Nowadays, the Clock Tower shelters the History Museum of the town.

Here we ate best “kurtos kalacs” ever. What is kurtos? Is a cylinder made from dough, fried on coal and served with sugar, coconut, walnut or cinnamon. I can assure you that is the best thing you ever ate. One is around 10 RON (approximate 2.5 euro).

The Tin Coaters Tower

It is a robust and at the same time strange building, combining a pentagonal drum over a rectangular platform, above which there are the ramparts forming an octagonal floor, and in top of it there is the hexagonal roof, with unequal sides. The mortar, riddled with bullets and cannon balls, gives the impression of a building that went through the heats of many battles. The tower is completed by the Gunmen’s Gallery, a sole exemplar in the architecture of the citadel.

The Tanner’s Tower

One of the oldest towers, is situated on the South – East side of the citadel. From the architectonic point of view, it looks like a square prism, with a one slope roof. In 1631, the Barber’s Tower was joined to it, but this one was destroyed later.

The Goldsmith’s Tower

The Jeweler’s Tower or the Goldsmith’s Tower is documentary mentioned in 1511, being built on the South – West side of the citadel, next to the Castaldo Bastion, on the highest point of the town. In 1706 it was blown out by kurutzy peasants, in 1809 a thunder destroyed its roof and floor, and by 1863 it became a gymnasium of the School on the Hill. In 1935 it became a mortuary.

The Taylor’s Tower

Dates from the 14th century, being the second entrance gate in the citadel. The tower belonged to one of the richest guild in the citadel. In 1676 the tower was destroyed by a fire, especially because there were barrels with gun powder and different weapons inside it. Three years later it was rebuilt, and the North – West corridor was turned into a gun powder storehouse.

The Rope Makers’ Tower

Is situated on the North – West corner of the upper platform. In 1935, after some archaeological diggings, there were discovered some crenel vestiges, which led to the conclusion that it had been built over an older wall of the citadel. The attendant of the cemetery lived in this tower for a long period of time.

The Butcher’s Tower

Seems to have been built in the 15th century, and then rebuilt in the 16th century. According to documents, it was mentioned for the first time in 1680. It had a great strategic importance, because it was situated at the foot of the steepest portion of the hill that went down from the superior platform to the inferior platform.

The Blacksmith’s Tower

Is a flank tower and was built in 1631 in the place of the old Barber’s Tower. Its front part has windows and shooting holes that confer it a special aspect. In the past, it protected the Church of the Monastery in the event of sieges.

Unfortunately, in the 19th century some of the buildings were demolished; for instance, the Locksmith’s Tower and the Franciscan Monastery were pulled down in 1894 to build the Catholic Church; the Cooper’s Tower, which was said to be one of the oldest towers of the citadel and whose rooms were used as dwellings, was pulled down in 1886. The Weaver’s Tower is also known to have housed the military prison of the town, but it was demolished in 1858, and the streets of the citadel were paved for the first time with the resulting stones.

The Furrier’s Tower

Built in the 15th century, seems to be the most humble of all, being placed at a small distance from the Butcher’s Tower; Torle gate, where the sheep were shared in the evening, unifies the two towers.

The Shoemaker’s Tower

The first documentary attestation of the the Shoemaker’s Tower dates from 1594, but it was rebuilt under the present shape in 1650. It looks like a hexagonal prism, and it is shorter than the other towers. What is unusual is its small observation tower oriented towards the town. It used to have an artillery bastion in front, but it was demolished in 1846. Nowadays it houses the local radio station called “Radioson”.

Other tourist attractions in Sighisoara

The Church on the Hill is the only old crypt Evangelic church in Transylvania, and its walls contain 60 tombstones. Inside the church there is also a collection of altars, brought from Germany, and a collection of bottom drawers. On the walls of the church there is also a fresco dating from 1380 which presents the Holy Trinity as a person with three faces. In the Church of the Monastery there is also a collection of oriental carpets, and an organ concert takes place here every week as well.

Vlad Dracula’s House is one of the oldest buildings, and it is placed on the left side of the little square in front of the Clock Tower. The building was the official residence, belonging to the mayor or to the royal county lord of the citadel. Vlad Dracul, the son of Mircea cel Batran, lived here between 1431 and 1435, as well. Nowadays, the building shelters a restaurant.

The House with Antlers, a construction specific to the Transylvanian Renaissance period, received this name because of a stag head fixed on the angle of the building.

The central square is limited by 18th century houses, inhabited by the noble families of the town. The main fairs or the criminal trials took place in this square, the execution post (pillar of infamy) being placed here as well.

The Bastion Street, on which can be found the House with Shingle, a specific handicraftsman’s house, continues the Square. The house shelters the residence of the Interethnic Centre for the Youth, as part of the German Forum of Sighisoara, where they carry on a great number of educational courses for the youth, and it also shelters an Internet-Café.

History Museum from Sighisoara

During the Medieval Art Festival, those who move about the streets of the fortress, artists, keepsake vendors, or even tourists, generally wear clothes reminding of the Feudal period. In 2007, the local authorities launched the “S.O.S. the Citadel of Sighisoara” campaign, trying to aware the Government of the defacement of monuments.

In 1999 Sighisoara was included in the UNESCO patrimony, beeing, together with other European cities with the same type of monuments, on the World Heritage Cities list of protected monuments as well.
How to get there and accommodation possibilities

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We have been announced by email that car arrived to Constanta which is a port at the Black Sea. We jump in a train and travel 12 hours by train to arrive to Constanta.

From train station you can find a taxi to take you to the port. Is not expensive since is not far. If you have time you can walk.
Arriving in port. If you don’t know what you have to do, you are fucked. We are from this category.

At the entrance of the port are offices of the shippers. If you lucky you might find somebody to prepare your papers.
We found out that the car is in a different port in Agigea which is like 20 km distance. We got papers fast, and even the lady introduce us to some guy that is going to help. The guy which has a trucking company has give us a ride to Agigea and explain us how things are going around. He propose us to give him papers and 50 Euro and he is going to make the papers for us.

At the arrival in Agigea we found out that we need a commissioner to help with papers between the port authorities, customs and us. They noticed that the papers where wrong, that the shipping company had misspelled the name. They send us back to Constanta to the shippers office to make a paper to correct the misspelling. At the shippers office we found out that they can’t do anything till next because of the time difference. (car was imported from Canada)

The same guy give us a ride to a pension. People nice there. Not expensive at all. Reason is that it wasn’t in the summer season when the price is getting tripled.

Next morning we went again in port waiting for the correction paper. At the entrance of the port you are charged a fee for each person to enter. If you are foreigner you are going to pay more. The correction paper arrived at noon and the commissioner try to help unload the car that day. Guys if you need somebody to move faster be prepared to give bribe. Other way, your papers would be sent at the end of the pile and you might stay there 2-3 weeks. But if you expect to see them “flying” you would be totally disappointed. They have 2 speeds: slow and stop. We stay in the commissioner office almost all second day and we have never seen people more lazy.

BTW, don’t ask about taxes and fees. I can swear that some taxes and fees have been invented just for me.

Only papers we have been able to finish the second day where the ones from customs, and we found the container and move it to the unloading ramp. We spend 1.5 h waiting for a custom agent to come and open the container. Didn’t happend. I think was hidding somewhere, because he show up with 5 minutes before his work time was over.

We returned to same motel where we spend another night.

Third day, early in the morning we grab the custom agent directly from his office and, almost drag him, bring him to the ramp to open the container.

Finally it happened. We saw the car. In good shape.

We sign the papers and off we go.

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