Man, this place isn't communist at all.
Tiraspol is the capital of Transdniestr, which declared independence from Moldova after the Soviet Union split up. Transdniestr has its own police, currency, and border controls, but isn't recognized by any other countries. Going to a country that doesn't officially exist seemed like a good adventure, plus the Lonely Planet descriped Transdniestr as a last bastion of communism, or something like that. Sign me up. But, although there are hammers and sickles and communist stars to be seen, plus street names like 25 October, Sovietic, Gorki, Rosa Luxemburg (I could go on) and some Lenin statues, Transdniestr isn't communist at all. Ok, so they maybe have a president for life (whose name is Igor Smirnov--can you think of a more perfect name for the president-for-life of a post-Soviet country that doesn't officially exist? I can't.) and Russia maintains a police force here. But the government doesn't set prices. People own property and have passports (some have Moldovan passports, others Russian or Ukrainian) and can come and go as they please. There is a House of Soviets (Dom Sovetov), but it's just the city government building whose name hasn't been changed. The one supermarket may actually be a state monopoly, but the stores are bright and shiny and full of food. Not even one crummy bread line.
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