To the beat of tradition

The Irish novelist Bram Stoker used Transylvania, the vast Romanian region steeped in folklore, as the setting for his most famous novel Dracula.

While Westerners still think there are vampires and castles in the Transylvanian mountains and forests, the reality is quite different.

A different reality

There are modern shops in the capital of Cluj Napoca and traditional farms and villages in the countryside.

Ethnic Hungarians, the largest minority group in Romania, live here in a peaceful albeit tense relationship with their Romanian counterparts.

Sally Corry, an Australian musician who fell in love with the music and culture of the countryside, has set up Carpathian Tours to introduce visitors to this fascinating world, its music, food and traditions.

Offering 4-days or 7-days tours of the region, she has appointed locals as drivers and guides and maintained a sense of connection to roots so neither tourists nor villagers feel exploited.

My train from Bucharest pulled into Cluj Napoca at 4am, a town rich in cobblestones and history and with a population of nearly 300,000.

But it was quick to chug off to the small village of Ture. We arrived at sunrise, just in time for a cup of freshly brewed coffee and the sound of cowbells from the hills.

Old-world charm

As the Sun rose, I watched an old lady in her eighties carrying a pail of fresh buffalo milk into her kitchen.

She was dressed in traditional clothes and the house was made of stone — not much had changed, other than the ubiquitous satellite dish attached to the houses.

Villages such as Ture, with a population of just 500, have electricity but no plumbing.

I saw two old men stacking hay with pitchforks for the winter ahead. Between the horse and the carts, cowbells and traditional dresses, it seemed as if I had stepped back in time.

My accommodation was basic but comfortable — the 250-year-old stone house cool in the midday heat.

Traditions here are alive and Corry explained how she had to work hard to accustom the locals to the ways of Westerners and vice versa.

For example, if guests offered to help with the dishes, it was taken as an insult to the host — according to them, a guest should never be made to work.

A band gathered at the village hall at sunset, together with local dancers.

To these musicians, music was life and they perform at a stretch for days during celebrations. But much of the music is now dying out. The band struck a folk tune, a double bass building a deep foundation.

An old man, well in his seventies, began to dance with an energy that belied his age.

Earlier, I had seen him shovelling hay and now, he was twirling a woman to the beat of the music. It was music and dance that breathed life into the village.

Soon, others gathered and the dance continued. I joined them but despite the women's efforts to teach me the steps, I had all the grace of an injured ostrich. But nobody seemed to mind — they were too busy having fun.

— Robin Esrock is a freelance travel writer and host of Word Travels, a travel series on Nat Geo Adventure.

Visit www.wordtravels.tv for more information

INFORMATION

Carpathian Tours at a glance

Carpathian Tours offers 4-day, 8-day and customised tours to Transylvania, leaving from Budapest, Bucharest or Cluj Napoca.

Basic options include homestays and simple meals while the Comfy option accommodates guests in hotels and restaurants. Guests can choose their interests — from music and dance to food and hiking.

For more information, visit www.carpathiantours.com.au or e-mail info@carpathiantours.com.au