We had paid for our repairs in bottles of Moldovan wine, which evidently works wonders the shapka wearers made the car run better than it ever had.
WSJ: An Accidental Trip to Trans-Dniester | Traveler's Tale
2.
On midnight of our fourth breakdown, our visas expired as we sat outside at a truck stop, waiting for two shapka-wearing mechanics to repair the car and watching truck-drivers take local prostitutes into the back room.
WSJ: An Accidental Trip to Trans-Dniester | Traveler's Tale