Vama Veche 2009 – same old good fun

Last weekend I went to Vama Veche, for the first time this year. Although everybody thought the weather was going to be atrocious and that I was signing up for thunderstorms and rain, the weekend proved to be quite the opposite. While Bucharest or Constanta enjoyed rain after rain, I had to escape the sun. Yes, Saturday night there were a whole 2 hours of rain. Nothing that the new tent could not withstand.

So what changed from last year?
– some of the popular places rebranded (corporate terms and Vama Veche, heh) like Roata which became Control
– the concrete “bycicle” paths which everyone deplored – I found them quite useful when the road was muddy
– the prices are okayish, people are nice as usual, and fortunately Vama has not shifted even more into mainstream

I liked that there were not so many people, so the beach and restaurants were not crowded as usual. The same popular locations as last year are the entertainment venues: Ovidiu, Expirat, Frontiera, Bibi’s and so on. Still had the usual cheap and delicious “hamsii” at Rogojini.

A very nice improvement is the camping on the beach, which now has a 1ron / night tent tax which noone seems to collect. It’s a great feeling to stay on the beach, with entertainment 20m away, with the sea at a few meters and still pay what amounts to nothing. I did have the misfortune and lack of wisdom to pitch the tent too close to one of the pubs, so I had non-stop music. But Vama without some rock waking you up at 4am wouldn’t be the same…

Pluses:
– my new Quechua tent is brilliant, I love it!
– got by car, I hate buses most of the time
– good food and entertainment
– met a LOT of old and new friends
Minuses:
– slept about 6 hours total (or is this a plus?)
– caught a cold
– I look a bit like a boiled lobster