Hiking in Moldova?!?!

This past weekend, my program manager, invited me and several other volunteers to go hiking with her and some of her friends. We headed by rented transportation to an are north east of where I live, called Tipova (pronounced tsipova). I had such a wonderful time! I have forgotten how nice it is to get outside, and lose myself in nature! Life seems to be in such a clearer, more manageable perspective after hiking, and enjoying the beauty of the outdoors. The group ended up being pretty large. There were 20 of us in all. We hiked all over the place, going from waterfall to waterfall. However, to get to the waterfalls, we ended up climbing up almost sheer hillsides, hanging onto brush and plants to keep us from rolling down the hills. The waterfalls were very beautiful (although I think I've been spoiled a bit by places like Yosemite National Park and Half Dome :) In the photo above we posed on an old tree trunk. It was a great mixture of local Moldovans and American volunteers. In the next photo, several of us posed by one of the waterfalls. From left going clockwise: Carrie, Nick, Adam, me, Liliana (my program manager). The scenery was truly amazing, and the day was beautiful. We were right next to the Nistru River and could see across the river to Transnistria. Throughout the hike, I saw people camping, so I'm definitely going to have to go back sometime with a tent and sleeping bag and several friends, and have a camp-out. How I miss the great outdoors!