By Mariko Sanchanta, Khozem Merchant and Christopher Condon
[...]
BUCHAREST
By Christopher Condon
Flying in
Bucharest's Henri Coanda airport is small and usually not congested, so you can often zip through rather quickly. If you have checked luggage, open it straightaway before leaving the baggage area and check the contents to be sure everything is there.
A phalanx of aggressive taxi drivers will await you in the arrival lounge angling for your custom. Brush them off confidently or they will not go away.
Ask your hotel to send a private driver or reserved taxi to pick you up. The fare for the half hour ride to the city centre should run about 40 to 50 lei (€11.30-€14.15), or twice that if you use one of the sharks waiting at the airport.
Money
For visitors, this can be one of the most confusing elements of their Romanian experience.
Last year, the country revalued its currency, dropping four zeroes. Several months later both sets of notes are still in circulation. Thus the old (ROL) notes showing 500,000 are equivalent to the new (RON) 50 and so forth.
Easing the confusion slightly, corresponding old and new notes are similarly designed with identical colours. But be careful when you calculate the exchange rate (currently 3.53 RON to the euro, or 35,300 ROL to the euro). Pay no attention to the coins.
Getting around
Taxis are numerous and cheap. Ask for help in booking cabs over the phone, as trying to hail a cab from a street corner outside the immediate city centre can be frustrating. Leave plenty of time to get from one point to another.
Traffic in Bucharest has become nearly insufferable during rush hour. A 15 minute journey on one clear day at noon can easily become 45 minutes on a rainy late afternoon. Bucharest's underground can be helpful, but be prepared for disbelieving reactions from Romanian business partners at the thought of stooping to such a level.
Protocol
If you get held up in traffic and arrive for that important meeting 10 minutes late, don't worry. You may still be the first one there. When others do arrive, expect them to leave their cellphones on. If your partners are polite, they will simply keep cancelling the call each time their phone blares forth an electronic rendition of Beethoven's Fifth after checking to see who is ringing for the third time in three minutes while you are trying to negotiate a price.
Politeness can, however, be an important factor. Romanians prefer to conduct business with someone they know, or think they know. Expect much small talk on non-business or even personal matters before getting to the serious issues, which may only come at the second or third meeting. Chirping mobile phones are not considered rude, but directness can be.
Corruption
There is no delicate way to say that business in Romania is profoundly corrupt. Still, experienced investors insist it is possible to refuse the most egregious compromises (paying bribes to public officials) and still do business. Unfortunately, for many this means using local intermediaries, such as import-export agents, and pretending not to know what the large "miscellaneous" item on the bill represents.
Increasingly, business people say they will refuse to grease palms. Decidedly petty forms of corruption, however, are simply performed de rigueur. In obtaining permits, for example, consider it obligatory to present clerks with small gifts of candy or cigarettes to insure the process does not stretch to the next millennium.
Shopping
Good luck. Not many attractive places to spend an hour looking for just the right gift.
One intriguing find is an unnamed shop in the Lipscani district, one of the oldest standing areas of Bucharest. The now pedestrianised area has not fully come to life thanks to slow movement by the city, so there are not many interesting shops. The shop, on Strada Gabroveni near the corner with Strada Selari, has a mixture of antiques, bric-a-brac and junk. Look hard and you will find some surprises. If you are desperate, there are a number of shops in the airport's departure terminal with the usual array of kitsch souvenirs. Don't believe the signs or the sales staff. None of the shops is duty free.
Where to stay
The Marriott and the Hilton are the best in town. For a more affordable visit and with much friendlier service, try the tiny Hotel Rembrandt on Strada Smardan right downtown. Free high-speed internet access in every room. Book at least a week in advance.
Dining
Bucharest is bursting with new restaurants. Recommended: Esperanto, especially on Tuesdays when the owner runs the kitchen, Strada Eremia Grigorescu 17; or Casa Doina, Bulevardul Kiseleff 4, for the best traditional Romanian.
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______________
EuroAtlantic Club
monitoring Romania's journey towards the EU
http://www.europe.org.ro/euroatlantic_club/
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