Like every year, the organization team of the Transylvania Adventure Trophy sets out to bring joy and happiness to those less fortunate of ours. The Transylvania Adventure Christmas 2009 brought with it a little bit of change with regards to the target audience, if you will.
The decision was taken to concentrate on children and try to make a holiday for the little ones who still believed that Santa Claus tends to everybody in the world on the 25th of December. With the help of companies such as McCann Erickson, Nestle, Coca Cola, F64 Photography Shop and many many more, the TAT team managed to put together bags of sweets, toys and books that were to be delivered just before Christmas.
The morning we set out on the road, the weather news were just that close to saying its the end of the world. Blizzards, fog, ice and -14 temperatures were predicted for the weekend when the action was scheduled. There were contradictory information coming from drivers who said the roads were fairly ok and the news men who urged everyone to stay inside and only drive if theres no other alternative. We had a job to do and were determined to see it through.
We loaded up our cars and, one by one, left the city of Bucharest (in pretty harsh weather I might add), slowly making our way towards the county of Hunedoara, birthplace of the Transylvania Adventure Trophy. Since our Defender was full of juice and toys, we thought itd be a good idea to leave before everyone else and have a slow and safe drive. Less than 30 kilometers out of the city, the sun came up and the road that laid in front of us was perfectly dry. We called each other and kept the team posted on the weather in real time.
The 400 kilometer drive through the lovely south side of the Carpathian Mountains was all that much better, improved with sun and fresh snow on the side of the road and covering all the mountains. It was indeed a long drive so, close to our destination we stopped for the night and waited for the rest of the convoy. By morning, the small parking lot in front of the hotel filled up with the cars that have brought toys throughout the night. Everyone sat down at the table for breakfast and the plan for the day was laid out. We were to visit a school, dress up as Santa, organize the gifts and deliver them to the children. The white winding roads leading to the school were a treat for everyone who came along, with small houses popping out here and there, with smoke coming out of their chimneys.
When we finally got to the school, the children were all expecting us. Everyone was prepared to deliver a little show with carols and poem recitals. While the four photographers were running around, photographing everyone in the recital room, the main hall was being transformed into a great big Santa Claus local headquarter. Toys were brought in and arranged according to the age groups, bags with candies and fruits were compiled and carefully arranged in a corner and Santas large red sack was filled with more dolls. The children finished the show and were invited in the second room, where Santa was expecting them with open arms. Each child was invited speak a little about what they want to become when they will grow up but also to recite a poem or sing a song. During the time that the children would sit with Santa and speak, a photographer would take a picture of them together and print it with a fun little Canon Selphy, which the kids would then receive along with their gifts.
We got to the motel at night, sat down to review the day and make plans for the second day of the action. It appeared that we had plenty of toys and we decided that the second group of kids would get more toys than they were initially assigned which is never a bad thing. The second day however, the road was a little more difficult, since ice had formed under the fresh snow and the road became quite slippery. Due to this, one of the cars had a little slip up and managed to make a little dent in the front bumper. Although it wasnt too serious, the under-bumper reinforcement was pressing on the wheel at left turns. We then stopped, sat down and thought the thing through. We got up on my truck and tried to take down the hi-lift in order to use the handle to push the bumper back.
Sadly the lock keeping my hi-lift safe was frozen stiff and all we managed to do was to bend the key and almost break it so we had to re-think the strategy: we didnt need the whole hi-lift; we only needed the lever. So we took the pin out, while sitting in a most uncomfortable position, and fixed the Mitsubishi. We managed to get to the second school and deliver the gifts, using the same strategy.
After the whole event was consumed, we were invited to view a 400-year old church, up on a little hill in the village. The building was unbelievable and, since we had a few people prepared in the field of church restoration and conservation, the state of the church became an important topic of discussion.
It was the perfect end to a perfect weekend and, on the 400-kilometer trip back to the city, we all felt content about helping out and doing something great for the communities in the areas where the Transylvania Adventure Trophy would take place during the summer.
Radu Tudoroiu
Radu Tudoroiu is a photographer and an editor for 4x4 Off Roads and other publications as well as an off-road enthusiast. Radu lives in Romania.
