🚩Look at a map of Europe and you won't see this thin sliver of a country but it's there and so I went to explore. Get ready to visit the country that does not exist...Welcome to Transnistria or as locals call it Pridnestrovie.
@@jrstf Squatting there would be far cleaner than sitting on a nasty ass public toilet seat with everyone's piss all over it, you're not coming in contact with anything. The flushing though would be tough.
@@aqib360 - Nothing technically wrong with squatting but my knees would not take kindly to it. I believe they provide a water spigot and watering can to help you clean up. No paper allowed down the hole. Use your hand. The one you don't use to shake hands.
Just came back from Transnistria (Tiraspol)... thank you so much for inspiration mr. Bald.. it was an amazing experience, and yes.. the people are super nice and the food is great..!!
Funny thing is that the 1-2 was scored by a Luxembourgish player and me, from Luxembourg, I am sitting now in Chisinau and will visit Transnistria in some days.
I'm pretty sure if you disrespected them or said the wrong thing, you would be taken care of in short order if you know what I mean. They are a bit hostile towards each other so imagine a foreigner?
Thats what I was thinking. You think that's rough? Try going into a Hispanic bar in Compton California as a white guy...... see how that works out. These people are just drunk, Im not getting the feeling anybody is going to get a cap put in there ass.
The Ferris wheel was definitely the most interesting part of the amusement park, because it appears to have been of the exact same type as the one in Pripyat, just painted differently.
What's more is that the one in Pripyat will also work if you turn it on... Because the country did not have a dedicated industry, these were produced as surplus by a military supplier, and thus, they will outlive both you and me combined.
pripyat is basically not further than a couple of hours of travel by road, less than 300 miles my father once went through a checkblock (he was allowed since he was shipping cargo that required immediate delivery, and it's barely a 15 minutes drive between checkblocks... he described it as eerie peaceful, like not being sure if you are dreaming or not)
as a person who was growing up in USSR and seeing it collapse in 90s i would say: Moldova is stuck in 90s for 30 years . Pridnestrovie is in 80s. literally, this bookstore is like the one in my home town in 1985. the wave of nostalgia swept me away.
Honestly didn't think Roseanne Barr was gonna be in this video, Or that she spoke Russian with such a authentic accent!. But Guess life catches up to ya! 0:47
There are RU-vidrs with $1000s of equipment , team, and production, and yet make shite videos. Then you have Mr Bald, who only needs a camera and his amiable personality and wit to entertain us. 💪
He doesn't need to act fake like most people. He is genuinely who he is and treats everyone equal. I differently wish more people had he's personality.
I am convinced that you owe big time to the lady who let you have a ride on this ferris wheel and other attractions. I got hooked on your adventures, probably won't have enough time in my life to explore all of this myself. What an amazing channel, keep it up mate!
@April Halley journalism applies a stricter format and standards for reporting. It's something more specific than what he does. Don't misunderstand me what he does is definitely valuable and beautiful.
Locals: this is a rough dangerous bar, you can't go in there alone Baldy: okay wow, look guys here we are in an authentic soviet bar with real soviet gangsters
Wow! I lived in this city until 1991. The park across the river was amazing! The Ferris wheel, the boats, the ships on the river! I was 9 years old when we immigrated to Israel. So sad to see such neglect for years.
@@yeshuaislord6880 Transnistrian Jews does not exist. Israel is the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people. I am NOT a Jews! Well the main thing of Jewish tradition is that they are a diaspora of Israel...
I just loved this so much. I turned 48 this week. I'm Portuguese but all this was like going back to childhood. So strange. The bookstore and the bar all those places are somewhere in our childhood memories and there they still exist. Thank you.
@vnabouchodonosor rusophiles =/= rusophobes. Rusophiles are people outside of Russia who support Russia and want their country to be like/or to be in Russia
Mr Bald is a foreigner to these places, but not only does he interact with the locals very fluently, he understands the place. I love this. Greetings from Bulgaria.
@@krisjustin3884 Not really. Very little remains intact from that time unless you count the abandoned buildings. It's been three decades and a lot of effort has been spent painting that era in a very negative way.
Couple months later after your trip, Sheriff Tiraspol of Transnitria has won 2 Champions League group stage games so far this season! We are all SHERIFF! 🤠
He does, but I'm sort of glad he isn't. RU-vid gives him the freedom to do whatever he wants to do, whenever he wants to do it. That's what makes his content amazing.
It's like (and I'll be honest here) was thinking is this me having maybe pity on some people but no it's not at all, it's genuine respect! I mean can certainly draw maybe some slight at least comparisons to some within the more rural places they've been in, like with the understanding of the limiting maybe somewhat, but in reality where I moved back to literally where I was born yeah it's not like we're cut off from other places can possibly get to for work so it's always going to be a very limited comparison. It's yeah to put it in a much deeper way of just explaining yeah, it's what makes it so interesting, not least in seeing older former things, like find the old Soviet stuff really fascinating, doing some real just out of my own curiosity of how things were back then the good and the bad actually. One thing I find really interesting think was someone at least who said during the 1960s though wasn't until around 30 years later they admitted they'd failed at Communism, gets on my nerves when someone says going full communist, since not one states ever fully done that, implemented everything as it is in the manifesto by Marx and Angles, for a start the Soviet Union always had a hierarchy to society in fully gone Communism there simply is nothing of the sort in that.
I spent a weekend in Pridnestrovye in october 2021. It was awesome! Very friendly people, great food, lots of things to see and do! Bendery fortress is quite impressive, and for some reason - they serve sushi at every restaurant. I strongly recommend a visit!
That Cafe just looks like a good many of our schools here in Oregon, honestly. Nondescript, basic, simple, built to fulfill it's main function and that's it. Same exact bars for railings, same concrete brick walls with white/cream colored paint and whatever the school's theme was around it's mascot, same exact type of cobble/concrete mix for the stairs and such, etc. Also reminds me of some of our Rec Centers, too.
@@scriptide6655 I don't agree :D The things and condition of everything he's shown in this video is already pretty rare in the ex-soviet states that are part of EU now
@@relive1981 It's both. Many people obviously like his humbleness, how real his interests into their lives and circumstances are, and his extreme efforts to not come across as the typical arrogant westerner (if only because he speaks Russian unexpectedly well). He's a obviously a novelty to them too.
Let me tell you something. I am from Croatia, was born in 1982., and still remember the old Yugoslavian times. This very much reminds me of it. People here, although it seems that they are trapped somewhere in the past, are far happier than anyone today in the west. This lovely old lady, when asked "how life is here" answers with "it's ok, we live; we have food and we have clothes". Beyond doubt, according to the western "standards" she lives in poverty, but she is happy. She doesn't need a bloody iPhone, a 50 inch tv, a fancy car, or any other debt inducing crap; she has learned to live with what she has. I would never say socialism or bolshevism are good solutions (remember Lenin, Stalin and millions of murdered, tortured, imprisoned, and lives destroyed in various ways in the name of "the Revolution"), and history has proven that beyond a shadow of a doubt, my only point is that the west creates the other extreme. People have everything in the material sense, and they can't have enough and only long for more...
Well you can be a socialist with ideals of a non authorian goverment, just as you have "liberal" countries with fascist policies. I think social democracy has so far been the best middle ground and you can't have that without a fair amount of socialist ideals. The most capitalist countries have after all done just as much harm to citizens of the world as even communism. So I would never say socialism is proven as a bad solution, considering the most well working nations are way more socialst then say the US (especially), or the UK for that matter. That's my opinion at least.
This was top notch! I would love to see the old dear's Easter preparations. Be worthy of a film in itself, I'm sure. Surveying in the former GDR, shortly after the wall came down, we had accommodation in some barrack type building, former farm offices. It was weird seeing their big tapestry union banners on the walls still. Also witnessed a 20 minute convoy of tanks thundering through a small village as the Soviet forces withdrew. Very impressive. Great vid.
Man.... Folks always say how real or unscripted youtubers are. This is so much beyond that. This content you're creating is a far bigger dose of realism than any documentary can produce. You go into places that have been forgotten by the world or talked about like a fantasy. Thank you so much for telling people's stories and showing how they live.
This is sad. People forced to live in some sort of looney medeival times. Sad thing is that all that stuff was shiny and new in Soviet times. Almost futuristic for an agrarian society fresh out of feudalism. Now reality checks these people with dirt, dust and rust from their backwards retro leninist stupor.
@@akastenas Perhaps we should simply not accept their Brexit. The rest of Europe is just as disappointed as the UK. This EU should unite Europe, an exit makes things even worse.
I love your videos… I think its so cool that its like you take us along with you to these places that we probably won’t visit in our lifetime… Its also really cool that you purposely go out of your comfort zone to show us so much… Thanks for sharing so much cool stuff!😁👍
just found your videos .i am very impressd with your range of off the charts places you visit ..you are absolutely the most original and independent youtuber of all ..congratulations
@@theworldisafuck2538 it depends where you go and which countries respect property rights, capitalism etc. Hungary, lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland all are getting richer and many parts of these countries you can mistake for france, Germany etc
I've been trying to learn Russian recently with an aim to do the trans-Siberian railway in a couple years, if I ever learn to speak it as well as this guy then I'm totally going to that bar
Bloody hell, I think going on that knackered looking fairground ride has to be the riskiest thing Bald has done so far. There’s no way you could get me on that thing.
I'm from Romania, working on England atm, and my hearth melted when I saw you put bread in bors and after you bite it , haha ! Love your videos , love my people beyond the Prut river !
Hey! Theme parks are impressive. Well, that's what will be left of my country when its inevitable collapse happens. And we have the finest all over the country. But I don't think they'll handle the rust, if not properly maintained with regular maintenance most rides won't work after just two years after shut down, let alone 30 to 40 years like those rickety rust buckets... can't believe they still work!
Mr Bald, you had me in stitches.. Here, in America, we have that ride. I was cracking up when you got on and said that it wasn't that bad. I was like, he had no idea what he's in for. I very glad you survived. You have opened my eyes to a World of different cultures. Thank you. You are the best.
I speak English as a Native American (well, not Indian Native American but you know what I mean) and these people behave more humans than most of New Jersey.
English: ‘Well this is the craziest bar I’ve been to in a long time’ * Laughter in the distance Now in Russian: ‘Right?’ ‘Yep!’ Englishman in Russian: You understand me?!?’ ‘ of course I do’ *both crack up Amazing exchange!!!
Yet there's people in the west who have huge mansions, 10 cars and all the women they can get. And still end up committing suicide. There's something missing....
@@MisterSolitude ive worked in manssions here in here in Houston most of the time its an old couple that will live in a 10 room home with a small dog or pet sometimes, life isnt fair.
Been here for a couple of weeks. Binged through all of his videos immediately after finding the channel. Him and his travel buddy Harald Balder both seem to be intelligent and conservative/patriotic leaning too, which makes it even better. I'd like to see a SJW go on lone journeys through places like this. Also, nice name you got there.
This channel is so interesting 🤔. I have never been anywhere or done anything. You capture all the quintessential aspects of all their societies. Great job.
@Jordan Mackenzie It could be used for good in the sense of positivity, rationality, being composed, calmness and all but also bad in the sense of the various exploitations or corruptions that could be used to deceive people, one has to always stay put and with his head up to make sure that a deleterious or defeated sense (of an actually good forma mentis) pass.
I’m beginning to realize that we in the West aren’t as open to foreigners as we’d like to be. These people are all ten times nicer than the folks I meet on the streets here in Western Europe.
That’s because Foreigners visiting means they are getting attention, meanwhile countries where tons of foreigner go to obviously going to be bored of them eventually especially since there are those who will give the bad impression and takes one rotten apple to ruin the bunch as the saying goes
@@purplep3466 I am living here ....in ex Yugoslavia and I know people from all different Slav countries , people here want to talk w everyone ,be friends with everyone, belive me , if u go in Germany , England , or in any of the slavs countries , u will notice the difference very fast
I'm also from ex yu. The main reason is that we got raised by socialism/communism standard, and not by rooten west capitalist system where you sell your own mother for money.
Brooo!! You are so flippin’ brave!! I lol’d so many times when you were on that ride. It was like watching a scary movie, I was on the edge of my seat 😂
Liked this video very much! Thanks so much Ben for sharing. Watching all your videos in the middle of the night in a small place in Brazil. You are contaminating me with liking, maybe loving the old Soviet Union and its states or former states. Like to see you managing the situations with your cleverness, charm and never ending optimism and courage! Stay safe and healthy Ben where ever you are and keep on doing the things you like. Спасибо from a Dutchy..
True. Many objects we inherited from the Soviet times still work just fine today, but modern or recently bought devices cannot last long more than a few months or years. Pathetic.
The place is definitely changing. The old bus station with the mural around 12:58 is now a clothing store but the mural is still there just not as noticeable. Go there before it all changes it is a time capsule. Love your videos Mr Bald
Here is my take on 'bald and bankrupt' There is no 'malice' , no agenda to harm a country. No politics (What a dirty deadly game). He let the people talk. He mix with everyone. He walks with the man in the street. It is pure. If a company should hire him to do documentary's, then the pureness of his work will be destroyed. This post was very interesting.Thank you.
I like the way he does things too. He has an excellent way with people, and it's charming to watch. I worry that no politics can lead to a blind acceptance of the way things are, though. I would be very interested to hear any citizens that feel comfortable opening up about their political opinions. I understand why the host of an inclusive travel channel would choose to remain as neutral as possible, though.
It's incredible how videos like these can keep themselves separate from politics. And I love it. I don't want to watch such a video in order to be lectured in favour of or against any political agenda.
The old bus station brings back fond memories of Chicago's Midway airport when it was in mothballs and there was only one Chicago to St Louis flight a day out of it . It was just as deserted.
Yeah though unfortunately Bald is in the minority when it comes to Brits abroad. He's educated, cultured, speaks Russian and takes the time to respect the people and country he's in. Typical British people abroad only speak English and spend most of their time shouting at pubs and looking for fish and chip shops and generally not giving a shit about the culture. That's why those shitty party islands are so popular with Brits, because they are basically home away from home. If you are none of those things, then you too are in the minority.
